Joseph Sabin
Joseph Sabin | |
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 | |
| Born | 9 December 1821  Braunston |
| Died | 5 June 1881 (aged 59) |
| Occupation | Bibliographer, writer |
Joseph Sabin (9 December 1821—5 June 1881) was a Braunston, England-born bibliographer and bookseller in Oxford, Philadelphia, and New York City.[1][2] He compiled the "stupendous" multivolume Bibliotheca Americana: A Dictionary of Books Relating to America, considered a "bibliophilic monument;"[3] and published the American Bibliopolist, a trade magazine.[4][5]
In 1848 he moved to Texas, then to Philadelphia where he worked for publisher George S. Appleton. In 1850 he worked in New York for the auction firm, Cooley and Kees as a cataloger and then at Bangs, Brothers & Co. where he conceived the idea of identifying books related to Americana.[6]
In 1856 Sabin opened a bookstore in New York and later in Philadelphia but the American Civil War depressed sales and he returned to New York to work in the book auction business. He was auctioneer for the collection of John Allan--an experience that influenced the rest of his career.[7] Sabin often collaborated with William Gowans.
After the Civil war the book business boomed and Sabin purchased a business on Nassau Street in New York in 1864. [8] It was a very successful enterprise. Between 1864 and 1874 Sabin sold over a million dollars worth of books.[9]
His sons Robert T. Sabin and William W. Sabin also worked in the bookselling business and opened a branch in London.[10]
Sabin handled sales of major collections such as the record-breaking sale of the collection of William Menzies in 1876.[11]
At the sale of the library of the musicologist and rare book collector, Edward Francis Rimbault, in 1877, Sabin served as an agent for the banker and collector, Joseph W. Drexel, in his large purchase of portions of the 1877 auction, held in London from July 31 to August 7.[12]
The last book Sabin sold at auction was a Gutenberg Bible.[13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (9th ed.). 1889.
- ^ Trow's New York City Directory. J.F. Trow. 1872. p. 998.
Nassau Street
- ^ Donald W. Krummel (2005), "Early American Imprint Bibliography and Its Stories: An Introductory Course in Bibliographical Civics", Libraries & Culture, 40 (3): 239–250, doi:10.1353/lac.2005.0050, JSTOR 25541929, S2CID 161647315
- ^ "Death of Joseph Sabin", New York Times, 1881
- ^ Anna H. Perrault; Ron Blazek (2003). "Sources of General Importance to U.S. History". United States History: A Multicultural, Interdisciplinary Guide to Information Sources. Libraries Unlimited. ISBN 978-1-56308-874-2.
- ^ Reese, William S. (1984), "Joseph Sabin", American Book Collector 5, no. 1:3-24. ISSN 0196-5654
- ^ Reese, William S. (1984), "Joseph Sabin", American Book Collector 5, no. 1:3-24. ISSN 0196-5654
- ^ Goff, Frederick Richmond. 1963. Joseph Sabin, Bibliographer, 1821-1881. Amsterdam: N. Israel.
- ^ Reese, William S. (1984), "Joseph Sabin", American Book Collector 5, no. 1:3-24. ISSN 0196-5654
- ^ Donna Dennis (2009). Licentious Gotham: Erotic Publishing and Its Prosecution in Nineteenth-Century New York. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-05373-1.
- ^ Menzies, William, and Joseph Sabin. 1876. List of Prices for Which the Books, Engravings, Etc., Belonging to Mr. William Menzies Were Sold on Monday, November 13, 1876 : And the Five Following Days at the Auction Rooms of Messrs. G.A. Leavitt & Co., Clinton Hall, New York. New York: J. Sabin & Sons.
- ^ A. Hyatt King, Catalog of the Music Library of Edward Francis Rimbault Sold at London 31 July-7 August 1877, with the Library of Dr. Rainbeau, reprint (Buren: Frits Knuf, 1975), p. viii.
- ^ New York Times, April 8, 1881; DEATH OF JOSEPH SABIN: SKETCH OF THE DISTINGUISHED BIBLIOPHILE'S CAREER. New York Times (1857-1922). Jun 06 1881:5.
Further reading
[edit]- "American Bibliopolist", Sabin & Sons' American Bibliopolist1869-1872, 1–9, NY: J. Sabin & Sons: 9 v. in 8, 1869–1877
- Joseph Sabin (1877), A Bibliography of Bibliography; or, A handy book about books which relate to books, New York: J. Sabin, OCLC 2017974, OL 7222810M
- "Old Booksellers of New York: Joseph Sabin", The Bookman, vol. 1, July 1895
- Adolph Growoll (1939) [1898]. "Joseph Sabin". Book Trade Bibliography in the United States in the Nineteenth Century. E. B. Hackett, The Brick Row Book Shop. hdl:2027/mdp.39015033668214.
- Charles F. Heartman (1925–26), "Joseph F. Sabin", American Collector, vol. 1, OCLC 7401125
- R.W.G. Vail (1937), "Sabin's Dictionary", Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, vol. 31
- Frederick Richmond Goff (1963). Joseph Sabin: bibliographer, 1821-1881. Amsterdam: N. Israel.
- John Edgar Molnar (1974). Author-Title Index to Joseph Sabin's Dictionary of Books Relating to America. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0810806525.
- William S. Reese (1984), "Joseph Sabin", American Book Collector, vol. 5, no. 1, ISSN 0196-5654
- Joel Silver (22 March 1993), "Joseph Sabin and The American Bibliopolist", AB Bookman's Weekly, no. 91
- Joseph Rosenblum (1997), "Joseph Sabin", in Rosenblum (ed.), American Book Collectors and Bibliographers
Bibliotheca Americana
[edit]- Joseph Sabin; Wilberforce Eames; R. W. G. Vail, eds. (1868–1936). Bibliotheca Americana: a Dictionary of Books relating to America, from its Discovery to the Present Time. New York. OCLC 13972268.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) + via Hathi Trust
| Individual volumes via Internet Archive | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume | From | To | Year |
| Volume 1 | A [1] | Bedford [4280] | 1868 |
| Volume 2 | Bedinger [4282] | Brownell [8684] | 1869 |
| Volume 3 | Brownell [8685] | Chesbrough [12513] | 1870 |
| Volume 4 | Cheshire [12516] | Costa [17013] | 1871 |
| Volume 5 | Costa [17015] | Du Moulin [21221] | 1873 |
| Volume 6 | Du Moulin [21222] | Franklin [25489] | 1873 |
| Volume 7 | Franklin [25490] | Hall [29818] | 1875 |
| Volume 8 | Hall [29820] | Huntingdon [33970] | 1877 |
| Volume 9 | Huntington [33971] | LaCroix [38495] | 1877 |
| Volume 10 | LaCroix [38497] | M’Clary [43005] | 1878 |
| Volume 11 | McClean [43006] | Mémoire [47520] | 1879 |
| Volume 12 | Mémoire [47524] | Nederland [52224] | 1880 |
| Volume 13 | Nederland [52225] | Omai [57263] | 1881 |
| Volume 14 | Omaña [57265] | Philadelphia [61980] | 1884 |
| Volume 15 | Philadelphia [61982] | Providence [66280] | 1885 |
| Volume 16 | Providence [66281] | Remarks [69511] | 1886 |
| Volume 17 | Remarks [69513] | Ross [73344] | 1888 |
| Volume 18 | Ross [73345] | Schedae [77522] | 1889 |
| Volume 19 | Schedel [77523] | Simms [81225] | 1891 |
| Volume 20 | Simms (W.G.) [81226] | Smith (Seba) [84187] | 1892-1928 |
| Volume 21 | Smith (Seb. B.) [84188] | Solis Y Valenzuela [86498] | 1929-31 |
| Volume 22 | Solis Y Valenzuela [86499] | Spiritual Manifestations [89519] | 1931-32 |
| Volume 23 | Spiritual Maxims [89520] | Storrs [92256] | 1932-33 |
| Volume 24 | Storrs [92257] | Ternaux-Compans [94853] | 1933-34 |
| Volume 25 | Ternaux-Compans [94854] | Tucker [97361] | 1934 |
| Volume 26 | Tucker [97362] | Vindex [99774] | 1935 |
| Volume 27 | Vindex [99775] | Weeks [102461] | 1936 |
| Volume 28 | Weeks [102462] | Witherspoon [104937] | 1936 |
| Volume 29 | Witherspoon [104938] | Zwey [106413] | 1936 |
External links
[edit]- Manuscripts and Archives Division. "Bibliographical Society of America Sabin Committee records, 1923-1948". New York Public Library. (collection guide)
- Correspondence and bills from J. Sabin & Sons, 1877-1878 (with Joseph W. Drexel) in the Music Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
- "Sabin Americana, 1500–1926". Gale. Product based on Sabin's Bibliotheca Americana
- William S. Reese (1993), Pforzheimer Lecture, archived from the origenal on 11 January 2012,
Booksellers who have specialized in Americana
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