is period included those of the Rev.
Stephen Duck; Thomas Potter, Esq., M.P., son of the Archbishop of
Canterbury; Charles Delafaye, Esq., of the Secretary of State's Office;
Dr. James Tunstall, Vicar of Rochdale, etc. Of all the second-hand
booksellers of the latter half of the last century the most considerable
was the Benjamin White above mentioned, whose shop was at the sign of
Horace's Head, in Fleet Street, and whose bulky catalogues, often
including over 10,000 lots, are now very rare and exceptionally
interesting. The contents of these catalogues were classified, first
into three divisions, folio, quarto, and octavo and duodecimo, and then
again into numerous sections according to the subject-matter of the
volumes. 'The sale will begin' on such and such a day, and 'catalogues
may be had' at various stated booksellers' shops in London, and at
Oxford, and 'the principal towns of England.' From 1716 to 1792 Benjamin
White and his son and namesake issued catalogues of various collections
of books, including the libraries (or selections from) of Dr. Thomas,
Bishop of Salisbury; Sir William Calvert, M.P. for London; Dr. Secker;
Rev. Joseph Spence; Dr. Hutchinson, editor of Xenophon; Dr. William
Borlase; Dr. Matthew Maty, Secretary of the Royal Society, and Principal
Librarian, British Museum; Sir Richard Jebb; Rev. John Bowles, editor of
'Don Quixote'; Rev. John Lightfoot, chaplain to the Countess Dowager of
Portland, and author of the 'Flora Scotica.'

One of White's best customers was the eccentric George Steevens, who,
however, discontinued his daily visits, after many years' regular
attendance, for no real cause. He then transferred his attentions to
Stockdale's, whom in turn he abruptly forsook. The elder Benjamin
retired from business with 'a plentiful fortune,' and died at his house
in South Lambeth in March, 1794, and Benjamin junior retired to
Hampstead a few years after his father, leaving the business to a
younger brother, John, who continued bookselling until the earlier part
of the present century, when he, in his turn, gave up active work for
the 'enjoyment of a country life' with 'an easy competence.' In one of
the catalogues of this celebrated firm--our copy is minus the
title-page, but it was evidently issued about 1790--four of the most
interesting entries occur among the folios: Caxton's 'Lyfe of the
Faders,' with 'curious old wooden plates, not quite perfect, in Russia,'
is priced at L5 5s.; Caxton