The Bibliographical Decameron

First published in 1817, this three-volume work by Thomas Frognall Dibdin (1776–1847) is an enthusiastic and well-illustrated exploration of bibliographical history from illuminated manuscripts to contemporary book auctions. Volume 3 presents accounts of book collectors and of book auctions since 1811, and contains bibliographical and general indexes.

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Bibliomania, the almost obsessive collecting of rare books and early editions by the aristocracy, which peaked in 1812 with the sale of the Valdarfer Boccaccio, was fuelled in no small part by the work of the bibliographer Thomas Frognall Dibdin (1776–1847). His most famous book, Bibliomania, popularised the word's use in England. The present work was first published in three volumes in 1817 and may be considered a continuation of Bibliomania in both style and content. Using a dialogue format with extensive footnotes, it covers all aspects of bibliography from early illuminated manuscripts and printed books through to contemporary book collectors and auctions. The work is notable for the number and quality of its illustrations. Volume 3 presents accounts of book collectors and auctions since 1811, and bibliographical and general indexes to the whole work. Dibdin's Bibliomania (revised edition, 1811) and his Reminiscences of a Literary Life (1836) are also reissued in this series.