The Book Collector VOLUME 46 NO 3 AUTUMN 1997 CONTENTS THE CHARACTER OF LETTERS 329 MY BOOKS ARE THE GREAT JOY OF MY LIFE By Peter Beal COLOPHON By David C. Weber ENGLISH AND FOREIGN BOOKBINDINGS 78 NEWS AND COMMENT BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES AND QUERIES 350 379 392 395 448 EXHIBITIONS AND EXHIBITION CATALOGUES 440 BOOKS RECEIVED BOOK REVIEWS by Steven W. May, M. A. Stewart, Neal Street, 455 Roger Gaskell, David McKitterick and Nicolas Bell NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS 391 453 Editorial Board: NICOLAS BARKER editor, ALAN BELL, PHIL CLEAVER, JAMES FERGUSSON, THEODORE HOFMANN, DAVID MCKITTERICK, JOAN WINTERKORN THE BOOK COLLECTOR is published by The Collector Limited Annual Subscription Rates, including packing and surface mail postage UK £34oo, Overseas £36.oo, US $6o.oo Subscribers abroad unable to remit sterling or US dollars can usually pay by International Money Order through a Post Office or through our Giro Account No. 581 3352 Articles, notes and queries, photographs for reproduction and letters to the Editor should be addressed to: THE BOOK COLLECTOR, P.O. BOX 12426, LONDON WII 3GW TEL/FAX: 0171 792 3492 Subscription and advertising correspondence should be addressed to: THE BOOK COLLECTOR, 20 MAPLE GROVE, LONDON NW9 8QY TEL/FAX: 0181.200 5004"