Excerpt from The Bibliographical Decameron, Vol. 1: Or Ten Days Pleasant Discourse Upon Illuminated Manuscripts, and Subjects Connected With Early Engraving, Typography, and Bibliography Is informed that the first day of this bibliographical deoameron comprises an account (f the Progress Of Art as seen in some of the more celebrated Manuscripts abroad, and more particularly in those (f our own country. This portion of the work is illustrated by a great number of embellishments (chiefly upon copper) which are new to the public, and which are pre sumed to be executed in a manner e. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Bibliomania, the almost obsessive collecting of rare books and early editions by the aristocracy, which peaked in 1812 with the sale of the Valdarfer Boccaccio, was fuelled in no small part by the work of the bibliographer Thomas Frognall Dibdin (1776-1847). His most famous book, Bibliomania, popularised the word's use in England. The present work was first published in three volumes in 1817 and may be considered a continuation of Bibliomania in both style and content. Using a dialogue format with extensive footnotes, it covers all aspects of bibliography from early illuminated manuscripts and printed books through to contemporary book collectors and auctions. The work is notable for the number and quality of its illustrations. Volume 1 presents a detailed survey of illuminated manuscripts and early printed books, focusing on the continuity of illustration and decoration. Dibdin's Bibliomania (revised edition, 1811) and his Reminiscences of a Literary Life (1836) are also reissued in this series.