Library of Sir Thomas Browne


No single document gives better evidence of the erudition of Sir Thomas Browne, physician, philosopher and encyclopedist than the 1711 Sales Auction Catalogue of the Library of Sir Thomas Browne . It also provides an insight into the proliferation, distribution and availability of books printed throughout 17th century Europe which were purchased in increasing number by the intelligentsia, aristocracy, priest, physician or educated merchant-class.

Thomas Browne graduated from the University of Leiden in 1633, having previously studied at the Universities of Montpellier and Padua for his medical degree. Upon his establishment in Norwich as a physician he was able to begin a lifetime's bibliophilia, building a private library, acquiring and no doubt reading many of an estimated 1500 titles. Browne was adept in no less than five contemporary languages (French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Danish), Greek and Hebrew these languages as well as the predominant written form of the Renaissance namely Latin are all represented in his Library.

The 1711 Sales Auction Catalogue reflects the wide scope of Browne's amateur hobbies and lists the diverse reading material he engaged upon in his lifetime as well as some of the sources for his encyclopaedia Pseudodoxia Epidemica more commonly known as Vulgar Errors. It went through no less than six editions from 1646 to 1672 was translated into French, Latin and Dutch and established Browne's name as one of the leading intellects of seventeenth century Europe.


Browne's erudite learning is reflected in the fact that the Classics of antiquity as well as history, geography, philology, philosophy, anatomy, theology, cartography, embryology, medicine, cosmography, ornithology, mineralogy, zoology, travel, law, mathematics, geometry, literature, both Continental and English, the latest advances in scientific thinking in astronomy, chemistry as well as esoteric topics such as astrology, alchemy, physiognomy and the Kabbalah are all represented in the Catalogue of his library contents. It was however not until 1986 that the Catalogue was first made widely available when the American scholar Jeremiah Stanton Finch, Dean Emeritus at Yale University, completed the indexing of the books of Sir Thomas and his son Edward Browne's libraries, after many years in many libraries. J.S. Finch noted that the Catalogue advertised books of Sculpture and Painting, which somehow never made it to the Auction. In the event, the Auction held upon January 8th-10th, 1711 was attended by Jonathan Swift and buyers working on behalf of Sir Hans Sloane. Thus an unknown percentage of books auctioned from the Library of Sir Thomas Browne subsequently formed the foundation for the future British Library.

The 1711 Sales Catalogue permits a rare glimpse into the distinguished and divided spheres of science, religion and the arts in the sevententh century. It also records the omnivorous reading material and bibliophilia which Browne engaged upon over a half century ; as Leonard Nathanson (Chicago 1967) once remarked:

to the student of the history of ideas in its modern sense of the inter-relationship between philosophy, science, art and philosophy, Browne is of great importance.


The one-time blind librarian Jorge Luis Borges, a life-long admirer of Browne, considered paradise itself to be a Library. The following titles represent approximately 5% of the total volume of Sir Thomas Browne's library.

Contents
1 Ancient World
2 Late Roman Empire/early Christian era
3 Renaissance and Contemporaries

1 Contemporary science
2 Philosophy
3 Theology
4 Medical
5 Esoteric
6 Natural History
7 Literature
8 Miscellaneous
9 Source
10 References

Ancient World

Late Roman Empire/early Christian era

Renaissance and Contemporaries

Contemporary science

Philosophy

Theology

Medical

Esoteric

Natural History

Literature

Miscellaneous

Source

References

See also: Library of Sir Thomas Browne, 1633, 1646, 1672, 1711, 17th century, 1986, Abraham Cowley, Abraham Ortelius, Alchemy