n was Thomas King, who from 1780 to
1796 had a shop in Lower Moorfields, but who towards the end of 1796
moved to King Street, Covent Garden, and set up as an auctioneer. At
first it was King and Son, but the son, early in the present century,
started for himself in Tavistock Street, when the elder King's
son-in-law, Lochee, became a partner. The firm existed into the second
decade of the present century, and sold many important libraries,
notably Isaac Reed's, in 1807, which lasted thirty-nine days, and
included a very extraordinary collection of works relating to the
English drama and poetry; Dr. Richard Farmer's, in 1798, lasting
thirty-six days; John Maddison's, of the Foreign Department in the Post
Office, 1802, twenty-two days; George Steevens's, May 13, 1800, eleven
days; and John Horne Tooke's, May 26, 1813, four days. It is scarcely
necessary to point out that either of the foregoing remarkable libraries
would give 'tone' to the annals of any book-auction house. The
collection of the Rev. John Brand (see p. 179), of the Society of
Antiquaries, was sold by Stewart, the founder of Puttick's, of
Piccadilly, in 1807-8, when 4,064 lots realized a total of L6,151 15s.;
he also sold the libraries of Lord Thurlow, of W. Bryant, etc. Other
auctioneers who occasionally sold books during the earlier part of the
present century were Jeffrey, of Pall Mall, who in 1810 sold Dr.
Benjamin Heath's library in thirty-two days, the 4,786 lots realizing
L8,899; Cochrane, of Catherine Street, who in 1816 (twelve days)
dispersed an exceedingly interesting library originally formed between
1610 and 1650 by Sir Robert Gordon, of Gordonstoun, one of the Gentlemen
of the Bedchamber of James I. and Charles I.; Compton, of Conduit
Street, who in 1783-84 (fifteen days) sold Joseph Gulston's library;
Robins, of Warwick Street; and T. and J. Egerton, of Scotland Yard.

[Illustration: _John Walker, Book-auctioneer, 1776._]

Mention may be here made of one who for many years occupied an important
position in the fraternity. John Walker, brother-in-law of the elder
George Robinson, was the book-auctioneer to the trade, and frequently
knocked down from L10,000 to L40,000 worth of books in the course of an
afternoon. In 1776 Walker was in partnership with J. Fielding, and in
early life combined with the book-trade the office of one of the
coal-meters of the City of London. He resigned the hammer to William
Hone about 1812, and died at Camberwell