DATE: ca. 18th century - present
CREATOR: Collected by John Neal Hoover
SCOPE: This collection spans rare bookselling activity from the late eighteenth century to the present, and offers an historical view, holistically, of the rare book business in America, England, and continental Europe. The collection is of immense bibliographical, visual, and documentary use, and can serve a range of applications, from the documentation of patterns of connoisseurship locally and nationally, to the study of the history or rare book collecting and printing history.
EXTENT: 400 linear feet, archivally boxed and preserved, ca.100,000 printed items. Further additions will be comprised of new acquisitions and collections undergoing processing, such as the Arthur Goldsmith Collection of fine print prospectuses and collecting correspondence.
Access the Inventory of catalogs.
Access the inventory of bookseller lists and ephemera.
HISTORY & PROVENANCE: Established in 1988 through a donation by John Neal Hoover and developed in cooperation with private donors and with the help of other public, and institutional collection transfers, these materials were assembled rapidly in recent years at the Mercantile Library under this collection name and collecting program. The collection began with the cataloging and/or retention of the early priced catalogs which reflected the building of the Mercantile Library's earliest collections, and evolved into a deeper bibliographical resource with the passing of time.
ACCESS: This collection is available for on-site use only in the Rare Book and Manuscripts Reading Room. Some of the material in Special Collection M-106 may be photocopied, digitally scanned or photographed, subject to condition. For collections marked limited access, researchers are advised to contact the library at least three business days in advance of their visit to submit a request to view the physical material.
Access the inventory of catalogs.
Access the inventory of bookseller lists and ephemera.
Researchers are advised to call ahead concerning changes in hours due to University intersessions and holidays. The St. Louis Mercantile Library is located on levels one and two of the Thomas Jefferson Library building.
In observance of security procedures, certain services may not be available shortly before the daily closing time.
Preferred Citation: When citing the material from this collection, the preferred citation is: From the Special Collections of the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri – St. Louis.
