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When James and John Edwards came to London in 1784, they established themselves in fashionable premises at 102 Pall Mall, and this is the address given on their catalogues from January 1785 through 1791.[7] In 1794 James Edwards moved to what is now 70 Pall Mall, and he paid the rates there until 1810,[8] though by the end of that time he had moved to Harrow. His catalogue of 1794 gives the address as 78 Pall Mall and that of 1796 as 77 Pall Mall-perhaps one number was a mistake, or perhaps the building was re-numbered in the interim.

The shop quickly attracted both the learned and the fashionable. According to the bibliographical anecdotalist William Below, who was almost his exact contemporary, James Edwards

was the introducer of a new æra, in the profession. . . . [He] was the first person who professedly [sic] displayed in the metropolis shelves of valuable books in splendid bindings, and having taken a large house in one of the most frequented and fashionable streets, it soon became the resort of the gay morning loungers of both sexes. At the same time also invitation was held out to students and scholars, and persons of real taste, from the opportunity of seeing and examining the most curious and rare books, manuscripts, and missals.

His manners were as attractive as his manuscripts, and

He became a sort of literary oracle, and was consulted by the grave and the gay, the lively and severe, the scholar and the sciolist; and truth to say, his manner was so inimitably fine, that he had as much to say on an illuminated missal, and an Etruscan vase, as on the books printed at the Sabiaco monastery, or the Florence Homer of 1488. . . . [He] was both courteous and courtier-like. They who were less favorably inclined towards him, complained that his enunciation was affectedly soft, and that he had too much of the air and grimaces of a Frenchman; and by the shrug of his shoulders, and his facility in speaking the language, has more than once been mistaken for a native of that country. But his peculiarities were harmless, [and] his

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knowledge of all the mysteries of his craft, more extensive, perhaps, than that of any of his contemporaries. . . .[9]

James Edwards's first catalogue of his shop-stock established him immediately as among the most important antiquarian booksellers of his time, a time which was just beginning to indulge extensively a relish for fine books. The works most eagerly sought were incunabula, and the most anxious competition was over works printed on vellum and preserved in elegant bindings. Such works James Edwards from the first proved adept at securing,[10] and, equally important, he proved himself adept first in winning the confidence of major collectors and then in becoming friends with them.

His first catalogue is thus described by the careful and responsible John Nichols:

In 1784, when he [William Edwards] was 64 years of age, he settled his son James, with a younger brother (John), in Pall Mall; where, under the firm of Edwards and Sons, they published a Catalogue which astonished, not only the purchasers of books, but the most experienced and intelligent Booksellers in the Metropolis. Never, perhaps, was a collection more splendid, or more truly valuable, presented to the curious; and its success was proportionate to its merits. It was formed principally from the Libraries of N. Wilson, Esq. of Pontefract; two eminent Antiquaries, deceased; and H. Bradshaw, Esq. of Maple Hall, Cheshire.[11]

It is surprising that no copy of this superlatively "splendid" and "truly valuable" catalogue has been traced. As a consequence of its rarity, its character and even date are uncertain. On 24 July 1784 James Edwards wrote to the ambitious bibliophile Richard Bull that

Our Catalogue is with the Printers, but will not be ready in less than 2 or 3 months—one of the first shall certainly wait upon you— Among other articles are above 20 folio manuscripts of Heraldry. of w.ch many are Herald's Visitations, and 6 of those not known to M.r Gough—[12] perhaps the most complete Collection in the Kingdom of historical and Political papers of the Time of the Civil Wars of Cromwell's administration, having been collected by President Bradshaw's nephew—some

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of them by the President himself—[13] a few old Plays—Caxtons, and almost all the Old Chronicles, Dugdales Works, & many County Books in the finest condition &c—[14]

This letter implies that the catalogue would not be finished before about October 1784. Since we know from newspaper advertisements that James Edwards's Catalogue of Books for "January 1785" was ready on 4 January 1785, and since it is unlikely that he had two major catalogues ready within three months, it seems probable that James Edwards's Catalogue mentioned in the advertisements is the same as the Edwards and Sons catalogue mentioned by Nichols; after all, James Edwards's Catalogue was "to be had of Edwards and Sons", among others, though the "Sons" mentioned here are Thomas and Richard in Halifax, rather than James and John in London.

The first London catalogue was clearly seen as related to the Halifax shop, for not only was the first of its vendors named as Edwards and Sons, Halifax, but it was available "Also of the Booksellers at York, Leeds, Wakefield, Manchester and Rochdale", all of them much more in the sphere of influence of Halifax than in that of London.[15]

Note that the advertisements speak vaguely of "above Thirty-Thousand . . . of the scarcest and most valuable Articles on various Subjects" and that the four libraries of which it was chiefly composed (according to Nichols) are not identified there. Further, the libraries, at least so far as they are described, are conspicuously English. Thereafter James Edwards secured his best books and reputation from the Continent, and he advertised both the gems of the collection and their immediate provenance in large letters.

The "success" of the catalogue was apparently as "splendid" as its merit. James Edwards's reputation for taste, judgment, fair prices, and ability to produce remarkable books was firmly established by this 1785 catalogue, and he went on from success to success. In 1786 James Edwards outbid the agent of the King to secure the Bedford Book of Hours at £225.15.0, and "His fame as a Bibliographer was now completely established".[16]

In all, he produced six catalogues of the stock of his shop, in January 1785, in May 1787, in 1789, in 1790, in 1794, and in 1796. These catalogues

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were available not only from the bookshop of James Edwards but also from those of Thomas Payne in Mews Gate (1785), of Joseph Johnson in Paternoster Row (1785, 1789, 1790), and of Edwards (and Sons) in Halifax (1785, 1787, 1789, 1790). Thereafter James Edwards felt able to stand on his own feet unaided, and his name alone appears on the catalogues of 1794 and 1796. It is striking that the name of James Robson, with whom he collaborated closely and continuously in his book-auction-catalogues, never appears on his shop-catalogues.

His first shop-catalogues were not so much notices of what he had in his shop as they were advertisements of his acquisitions of whole libraries. The 1787 title-page mentions three libraries, though the former owner of only one is identified (J. Mainwaring). The books singled out are divided into two categories, Ancient and Modern. In the former category, attention is drawn to illuminated missals, manuscripts of English history, publications of Caxton and other printers of incunabula, books printed on vellum, and early chronicles, poetry, and topography. Among the best Modern Books, the ones considered worthy of special mention were works printed (at Horace Walpole's press) at Strawberry Hill, illustrated books on birds, insects, shells, vegetables, vases, archaeology, voyages, and fine art (Van Dyke, Claude, the Vatican ceiling),[17] many "in the most elegant Bindings". These elegant bindings were probably often in the style of Edwards of Halifax; at least one (No. 83) is said to be "bound in the Etruscan stile", which the Edwards binders had made peculiarly their own. The catalogue is clearly aimed not at country gentlemen but at cosmopolitan bibliophiles, though there are many novels in English, Italian, and French for the pleasure of the less discriminating.

Edwards's next catalogue of about eighteen months later (1789) stressed on the title-page both Ancient and Modern Books as before, but the range of subjects was wider ("Every Branch of Pleasing and Useful Science"), and the focus of admiration was narrower, on Magnificent Books of Prints beautifully coloured and in elegant and splendid Bindings. It was half again as large as his previous catalogue (202 compared with 140 pages) and was the catalogue of his shop which pleased Edwards most:

There was at this time an uncommon emulation between Egerton, White, Payne & myself. Faulder was also pushing at a great rate. But what makes it more singular is, that I had only been abt. 5 years in London. It is printed with more attention to correctness than any other. This seems to be the best Cat. I ever made, being after my 2d. journey to Italy. At this day it surprises me. Jan 14, 1800 J.E.[18]

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The James Edwards catalogue of [?March] 1790 is similar to that of 1789, though larger (245 compared with 202 pages) and specifying on the title-page "the choicest part of the Libraries of Monsignor Salichetti, of Rome; of Cav. Zanetti, of Venice; and an Assortment of the rarest and most esteemed Articles collected in various Parts of Europe". This stress upon works bought on the Continent was of course particularly remarkable during the turmoil engendered by the French Revolution. It was the insecurity created by this turmoil which made it possible for Edwards to acquire such libraries so readily; according to William Beloe, "by following the rear of the French armies, he might on easy terms obtain his choice of what he most wanted . . .".[19] Some of these books acquired on the Continent were probably put into the elegant bindings advertised on the title-page after they reached England.

After producing four catalogues of the stock available at his shop in six years (1785-90), Edwards waited four years before he published another. He was, of course, not idle during these years, for from 1789 through 1795 he collected works for six important auction sales (see below), mostly of works secured from the Continent. Probably he could not afford to finance these purchases by the slow, piecemeal sale of their contents, and the auction provided a quicker way of recovering his capital. The travels incident to acquiring these books and the labour of cataloguing them on his return, plus his vigorous publishing business being established at the same time, prevented him from making new catalogues of his shop-stock. These large catalogues of course required endless labour; on 20 December 1793 Edwards wrote to William Roscoe: "My Attention has been so wholly directed to a Catalogue for the last 6 M.s that I scarcely know how my regular Business has been going on".[20]

The [January] 1794 Catalogue is yet larger than that of 1790 (320 compared with 245 pages), though there are about the same number of lots (almost 7,000). The title follows the 1790 formula, though it claims to be "A Very Select Collection" rather than merely "A Select Collection". The catalogue listed, inter alia, Chinese paintings, a Koran written in gold (No. 1,192), a manuscript collection of Persian poetry (No. 1,197), Didot's and Bodoni's splendid editions, coloured prints, incunabula, a receipt for £200,000 "for betraying Charles I", and numerous publications by James Edwards. It maintained the high standard of accuracy established in his earlier catalogues, and Thomas Frognall Dibdin quoted a description from it "out of respect to the bibliographical talents of Mr. Edwards. His catalogues are full of curiosities; and his descriptions of, and observations upon, rare and beautiful books, are accurate and interesting."[21]

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Edwards's last shop-catalogue, of [February] 1796, has the least exclamatory title-page, is about the same length as that of 1794 (316 compared with 314 pages), and has about ten percent more entries (7,743 compared with 6,694). It was apparently accompanied by engraved "specimens" which have not been traced. To a modern eye, the prices seem admirably modest: the second Shakespeare folio is offered at £3.3.0 (No. 962) and £1.5.0 (No. 963, lacking the title-page), and even incunabula are within reason, such as Gutenberg's Bible at £126 (No. 1).[22]

English shop-catalogues before 1800 are not common. Those which James Edwards produced in 1787, 1789, 1790, 1794, and 1796 are among the most extensive and distinguished which survive. The amount of information given about books is surprisingly full, and the accuracy is in general admirable. James Edwards would be memorable for these shop-catalogues, even had he confined his work to them.