Abstract
Abstract This article discusses an important aspect of bibliophily, viz. the collector’s consciousness of being part of a pedigree, passing books down from one generation to the next. This idea of bibliophiles as intermediaries is illustrated by the Antwerp librarian and book collector Jean Baptiste Lauwers (1755-1829). Taking advantage of the many auctions held in his time, he built a private library which showed a clear preference for illustrated eighteenth-century books in excellent condition, mainly from France and the Netherlands. Lauwers had intended to publish a ‘memorial’ catalogue in 1810, but it never progressed beyond a printer’s proof. A detailed catalogue was published only in 1829, when his collection was auctioned in Antwerp. The auction attracted numerous well-known bibliophiles such as Charles van Hulthem and Richard Heber. Numerous items were bought by private and institutional collectors who guaranteed the preservation of substantial portions of Lauwers’s collection.
Published Version
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