Bernard Quaritch

author

Bernard Quaritch

1819–1899

A sharp-eyed rare-book dealer who helped shape the antiquarian book trade in Victorian London, he built a business famous for remarkable catalogs and exceptional finds. Born in Germany and later based in Britain, he became a key figure for collectors, scholars, and major libraries.

1 Audiobook

Palæography Notes upon the History of Writing and the Medieval Art of Illumination

Palæography Notes upon the History of Writing and the Medieval Art of Illumination

by Bernard Quaritch

About the author

Born in Worbis, near Göttingen, in 1819, Bernard Quaritch trained in the German book trade before moving to London in 1842. After working for the publisher and bookseller Henry Bohn, he opened his own business in 1847 and went on to become one of the best-known antiquarian booksellers of the nineteenth century.

Quaritch earned a reputation for ambition, deep knowledge, and an eye for rarity. His catalogs were famous in their own right, and his stock ranged across early printed books, manuscripts, and scholarly works from around the world. Over time, his firm served collectors, institutions, and readers looking for books that were difficult—or nearly impossible—to find elsewhere.

His influence lasted well beyond his lifetime. The company he founded continued in London after his death in 1899, and his name remains closely linked with the world of rare books, bibliography, and collecting.