m, issued catalogues of the
books they had for sale. In 1595 Andrew Maunsell published his Catalogue
of English Printed Books in two parts, and in April 1617 John Bill, a
leading London bookseller, issued the first number of his 'Catalogus
Universalis,' a translation of the half-yearly Frankfort _Mess-Katalog_,
and continued this enterprise twice a year for eleven years at least.
From October 1622 he added a supplement of books printed in English. A
book-catalogue of William Jaggard of 1618 is also known. The title of
this catalogue states that--like Bill's--it is 'to be continued for every
half-year,' but so far no further issue has come to light.[65] You will
find a list of the catalogues published by English booksellers since 1595
in Mr. A. Growoll's 'Three Centuries of English Book-Trade Bibliography,'
which was issued in octavo at New York in 1903.

In 1628 Henry Fetherstone, another London stationer, published a
catalogue of books which he had recently purchased in Italy. Among these
was the famous library of Giacomo Barocci, a gentleman of Venice,
consisting of two hundred and forty-two manuscript volumes, now in the
Bodleian Library. Writing to the Archbishop of Armagh in 1629, Sir Henry
Bourchier says, 'I doubt not but your Grace hath heard of the Greek
Library brought from Venice by Mr. Fetherston, which the Earl of Pembroke
hath bought for the University Library of Oxford; it cost him L700;
there are of them two hundred and fifty volumes. Dr. Lindsell, now Dean
of Litchfield, tells me that it is a great Treasure, far exceeding the
catalogue.' As this collection formed but a part of the books which
Fetherstone brought from Venice to this country, one cannot but marvel at
such an intrepid stroke of business. Presumably the volumes were
transported by ship.

The history of booksellers has been attempted more than once,[66] so I
will content myself with remarking that in addition to being 'rich people
of all conditions,' some at least of these early booksellers were--like
the early printers--men of great learning. William Goeree, the bookseller
of Amsterdam, was a student by nature, but it was his fortune to be
brought up by a step-father to whom letters were unknown. His great
desire, a university education, was denied him, and he was forced to
choose some business. So he elected to embark upon a career where he
would at least enjoy the conversation of the learned, and would be free
to pursue his studies undist