ABSTRACT
Surprisingly few examples of marginalia have emerged from an author known, like Coleridge, to have had an opinion on almost every subject that passed before him. One must assume that much has either been lost or, more likely, simply remains unrecorded. Given the known size of De Quincey’s own library alone the potential scope seems large. This might be judged from the size of the sale catalogue of the latter (NLS/Printed Books, T. Nisbet and Co., KR. 16. f5 (1–13)) and from the fact that the sale itself was conducted over several days in January and March 1860. It is difficult to say exactly how many books are De Quincey’s, since unassociated lots of books were mixed in with his collection, and in his own case some lots are divided into miscellaneous sub-collections. One might speculate on a number between three and four thousand individual volumes, including the often-mentioned copies of Giordano Bruno from the Roxburgh Library. Although there are many other possible sources, the following (untraced) volumes are listed in the catalogue as containing marginalia (entries are as given in the catalogue):
#x2018;Ciceronis Epistolae ad Atticum, with some MS. Notes in the handwriting of De Quincey – 1552.’
‘Cicero de Oratore, with long Notes in the handwriting of De Quincey – 1803.’
‘Inquiry into the Nature and Existence of God, and some others in 1 vol. with MS. Note in the handwriting of De Quincey – [various years].’
‘Croke’s Remarks on Schlegel’s Work, with long Note in the handwriting of De Quincey – 1801’
‘Schiller’s Wallenstein, by Coleridge, with long note in the handwriting of De Quincey – 1800’
The known volumes follow.
