The library and reading of Jonathan Swift

Meer over het boek

The library of Jonathan Swift was auctioned after his death in 1745, with a catalogue from 1746 listing 657 lots of books he owned. Swift had a habit of documenting his reading and ownership, with the earliest record dating from 1697/1698 during his time with Sir William Temple. An inventory from 1715 also exists. Although the sale catalogue was published in facsimile by Harold Williams in 1932 and the 1715 inventory by T. P. LeFanu in 1927 and William LeFanu in 1988, a detailed description of Swift’s library has not been provided until now. The first part of this handbook, in four volumes, focuses on the library itself, offering full collational formulas, complete contents, and insights into the texts, authors, and their significance for late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century readers. To contextualize authors’ statuses during Swift’s era, relevant entries from Moréri’s The Great Historical, Geographical and Poetical Dictionary (1694) are included. Swift’s own copies have been consulted where possible, and marginalia and inscriptions are fully transcribed. The handbook also discusses passages from Swift’s writings that reference various authors. Volume IV features a transcript of the sale catalogue of Thomas Sheridan’s library and a tentative list of Sir William Temple’s library. An index of references to Swift’s works allows for easy consultation alongside standard editions of his poems, prose, and correspondence, alo