ABSTRACT
The Cottonian Collection provides an insight into the art and book-collecting practices of a middle-class, eighteenth-century gentleman. This chapter explores the curation of the collection’s library between 1791 and 1816 whilst under the custodianship of William Cotton II (1759–1816). Cotton II instigated two major sales in 1799 and 1801 (resulting in the loss of 3,000 books) reducing the collection to a core of 2,000 volumes. Paradoxically, in the years prior to the sales he had continued to invest in the collection (including investing in its display and even purchasing new books to add to the shelves). Exploring his style of display, along with his choice of books for acquisition, preservation and disposal, this chapter places Cotton II’s actions in relation to the broader patterns of bibliomania and book-collecting practices in the late eighteenth century.
