Bibliography

Rare Bibliography Books at Forum Auctions can include monographs on a particular author's works, rare books on the typography, illustration & binding of books old and new, books about renowned rare book collectors, biographies and histories relating to famous printers and publishing houses of bygone eras, and even the rare books trade itself. The 19th century saw bibliography bloom, with the overarching works by authors such as Thomas Dibdin and William Lowndes popularising the bibliographer's art; these were soon followed by a plethora of genre- and era-specific bibliographies, such as those written by the prolific bibliographer Michael Sadleir (author of Excursions in Victorian Bibliography), and an explosion of single author monographs, sometimes privately printed or in strictly limited editions. That a vast number of these books have still not been digitalised, at least at the time of writing, ensures they are often uniquely helpful to book collectors, and cataloguers.

Bookseller and auction house sales catalogues also fall under the umbrella of Rare Bibliography Books; whilst these may to the uninitiated appear to be entirely ephemeral and aesthetically uninspiring, they can to the discerning bibliophile be highly collectable, particularly if from the 18th and 19th centuries. In the case of auction catalogues the value can be enhanced considerably if they have been "marked up" by a contemporary hand with the prices achieved on the day.