Lines from the Library

DeCoursey Fales was a fanatical collector of Sir Walter Scott material, as anyone serious about the history of the novel would be. We have a truly astonishing collection of Scott's works, from his very earliest appearances in print, to a complete set of his poetry, fiction, and non-fiction works. We have piracies, we have foreign-language editions, collected editions, you name it.

One class of Scott material we have in abundance is what I call the products of the Scott Industry. Remember, he had a very successful career as a best-selling poet before he hit the jackpot with the Waverley novels. Secondary/supplemental works were published to take advantage of his popularity.

For instance, The Lay of the Last Minstrel first appeared in 1805. It was so popular that it was reissued at least 11 times between 1805 and 1810 with total sales of approximately 18,000 copies.

In 1808 John C. Schetky published Illustrations of Walter Scott’s Lay of the Last Minstrel: Consisting of Twelve Views on the Rivers Bothwick, Ettrick, Yarrow, Tiviot, and Tweed. Here's an illustration from this book:

Similar collections of illustrations were issued throughout Scott's career.

An especially nifty example is this one from 1825:

One of the things that made Scott such a popular success was that you could publish books full of the "notices and anecdotes of real characters, scenes, and incidents" described in a novel.

The other interesting point about this item is that 1825 is the year in which Scott openly acknowledged that he was the Great Unknown, the author of the Waverley novels. I wonder if this illustration appeared before or after that news?

As with all things in this blog, these two items are just the tip of the iceberg. The Scott industry lived on long after his death in 1832, and these products are well documented in Fales.

I have been talking to a lot of classes over the last few weeks, so I thought I would highlight some of my favorite teaching examples in this space.

This one is at the very top of my list. Dig it:

Here's a transcription of the label:

Sams' Circulating Library, Hoddesdon, Herts.
Books Lent to Read, by the Year, Half-Year, Quarter, or Single Volume.
Magazines, And other Periodical Publications, on the Shortest Notice.
Every Article in the Stationery, Bookselling, and Perfumery, at the London Prices.
Genuine Medicines.
Books Neatly Bound.

If you are interested in learning about the circulation of books in the nineteenth century, the history of commercial circulating libraries is the place to start. Here's an article that makes for a nice introduction: "The Economy of Novel Reading: Jane Austen and the Circulating Library" by Lee Erickson. For a longer treatment of the company I often describe as the Blockbuster Video of the nineteenth century, check out this book: Mudie's Circulating Library and the Victorian Novel by Guinevere L. Griest (Bloomington: Indiana Univ. Press, 1970).

But without reading anything further about the circulating library, this label gives you a sense of the context in which this object circulated. Sam has all of your light reading needs covered AND you can pick up your perfume and "Genuine Medicines"! One-stop shopping, 1820s style.

The text inside? It's another one of those unknown gems:

Isn't it Odd? by Marmaduke Merrywhistle (London, 1822)