e books still
continued to be better lodged than their owner.' He died, at the
comparatively early age of forty-four, as he had lived, among dust and
cobwebs, 'in his bundles, piles and bulwarks of paper.' The catalogue of
his huge mass of books was divided into nine parts; the sale of the MSS.
alone occupied sixteen days. Richard Rawlinson (died 1755) survived his
brother thirty years, and continued to collect books with all his
brother's enthusiasm, but without his sheer book-greed. His MSS. are at
Oxford, and the extent and richness of his accumulations may be gathered
from the fact that the collector laid nearly thirty libraries under
contribution. His printed books were sold in 1756 by Samuel Baker (now
Sotheby's), the sale occupying forty-nine days, and the total amounting
to L1,155 1s.; a second sale included 20,000 pamphlets, and a third sale
consisted of prints.

[Illustration: _London House, Aldersgate Street, 1808._]

Among the wisest and most distinguished book-collectors of the first
half of the last century is Dr. Richard Mead (1673-1754), a physician by
profession, but a bibliophile by instinct, and whom Dr. Johnson
described as having 'lived more in the broad sunshine of life than
almost any other man.' As Dr. Mead's fine library was 'picked up at
Rome,' it scarcely comes within our purview; but it may be mentioned
that so long as this fine collection remained intact in London, it was
_ipso facto_ a free library; it was especially rich in the classics,
sciences and history. The first part was sold by Samuel Baker in 1754,
and the second in the following year, the 6,592 lots occupying
fifty-seven days, the total of the books being L5,496 15s. Dr. Mead's
mantle descended to his great friend and pupil, Dr. Anthony Askew
(1722-1774), who had an exceedingly fine library; his career as a
collector began in Paris in 1749, and nearly all his choicest treasures
appear to have been gathered on the Continent, and chiefly it seems by
Joseph Smith, the English Consul at Venice. Askew's first library was
purchased by George III. in 1762, and now forms an integral part of the
British Museum. His subsequent accumulations were dispersed in two
sections, the books in 1775, and the MSS. ten years later. We shall have
occasion to refer again to the Askew sale. Dr. Richard Farmer appears to
have imbibed his taste for book-collecting from Askew, and became an
indefatigable haunter of the London and country bookstalls, his sp