Name/Title
LETTER FROM H.R. TO DR. EHER REGARDING BOOKCASESEntry/Object ID
MP.2007.75Description
Handwritten letter in black ink on paper folio from H.R. (unknown) to Dr. Eher (unknown): text includes description of book shelving seen at Mr. Grenville's, the Royal Society, and the King's Library, British Museum, no addresses, no date; text as follows:
"Dr Eher _
I have been to Mr Grenvilles to the library of the
Royal Society and to the Kings Library in the
British Museum = the last is the best method
of fitting up shelves and cases _ and I have
made some observations and sketches on a
sheet of paper, and to a scale _ omitting the
ornamental parts _ considering of course any
cases about to be made would be made
to correspond with the architecture and other
fittings of the room= Mr. Greenville's cases
are of Satin-wood about 8 ½ feet high with
glazed doors and wire a the bottom to protect
the flap _ but the wire being fixed instead of
moveable at pleasure renders it difficult
to clean the flap consequently the books are
hardly to be seen through it. Mr. G has
casts of various statues from the antique at
the top of his cases and little "what-nots"
and stands on castors in various parts of the room
for small books _ but his shelves rise into
groves that are cut in the uprights and
have not a good effect = The brass pins is (sic)
is the best made I have seen and I have
procured one as well as sketched it =
The brass work has an extraordinary rich
appearance with the Wainstcoat - which is
put in" (first page)
"front, and of all the shelves as well about 2 inches
deep _ the leather hangs down about 2 inches
is Russia or if not the color and has 3 lines
of gold _ this reaches as far as just to cover
the tops of the books and keeps them tolerably
free from the dust = the whole of the
room (which is 300 feet long) is of the Grecian
order _ the pillars solid bits of Scotch granite
24 feet high, Corinthian caps of Derbyshire spar,
plinths of a granite wave (?) resembling prorphyry (sic)
in color than the Scotch _ diameter of plinth
3 feet 6, pillar 2 ½ feet = in the gallery
the shelves for the small books run 4 ½ inches
deep _ the rail of Brass round the gallery has a good effect;
upon the whole it is a magnificent well
built room and admirably adapted for
the purpose it is intended =
I will if necessary make further
enquiry and report you of some of the old
oak carved bookcases and library
tables now much sought after and rapidly
sold when made up new from old materials
they have a good effect and do well for
very ancient books and M.S.S. _ I know of
two now _+
Yours truly
H.R.
Mass 29/36
+ not much carving = about 3 feet 6 high by 6 feet long £ 24 (?)."
(second page)Dimensions
Dimension Description
OverallHeight
11-3/16 inWidth
6-11/16 inDimension Notes
Display Dimensions: 11 3/16 x 6 11/16 in. (28.4 x 17 cm)Condition
Notes
Remarks: Creases overall and at corners.Relationships
Related Entries
Notes
MP.88.216 - Bookcase - RelatedGeneral Notes
Note Type
Curatorial RemarksNote
Found in Thomas Barton's bookcase portfolio.Note Type
StorageNoteNote
Home Location: Historic Hudson Valley, Union Church, Storage, Shelf 27BNote Type
DepartmentNote
Library