The classes to which he gave special attention were natural history, fine arts, archæology, travels, periodicals, and oriental learning, but he was chiefly known as a dealer in incunabula, fine manuscripts, bibles, liturgies, Shakespeareana, early English literature, Americana and cartography, and historic bindings. As a general rule he was attracted rather by the qualities of price and rarity than by that of fine condition. Some of his accumulations were dispersed by public auctions in London and Paris in his later years. The methods of his first English employer, Henry Bohn, always greatly influenced him, and like Bohn, but to a less degree, he bought remainders of expensive books, such as Owen Jones's 'Grammar of Ornament' and Westwood's 'Facsimiles of Anglo-Saxon and Irish Manuscripts.' He published many works, among them being the first four editions of Fitzgerald's ' Omar Khayyam,' and was the agent for the publications of the British Museum and the Society of Antiquaries. Either personally or by deputy he attended every important book auction in Europe and America, and the high prices fetched at sales during the last thirty years were largely the result of his spirited biddings. He determined that, unless amateur buyers entrusted their commissions to him, they should be unsuccessful bidders.
From the commencement to the end of a commercial career which only ceased. with life, Quaritch's thoughts were centred in his shop; he had no relaxations and took few holidays. He was a man of strong character, shrewd, unyielding, irascible, energetic, industrious. He had read and thoroughly digested a few books, chiefly on history and ethnology, but did not belong to the race of studious booksellers, for he had no wide acquaintance with books, except through the titles of those in current demand, and cared nothing for learning and literature in themselves.
He was fond of airing his views on politics and sociology in catalogue notes. He was not without social qualities, but he never allowed them to interfere with the due allotment of time to affairs. He was one of the chief founders of the dining-club known as 'The Sette of Odd Volumes,' of which he was the first president (1878), occupying the same office in 1879 and 1882. A somewhat squat and awkward figure, occasionally rough manners, irrepressible egotism, pithy sayings, half humorous, half sardonic, delivered in a grating voice, combined to form an interesting if not a very attractive personality.
He died at Belsize Grove, Hampstead, on 17 Dec. 1899, in his eighty-first year. After his death his business was carried on by Mr. Bernard Quaritch, his son.
His original publications were confined to a couple of pamphlets one addressed to Gladstone suggesting that the franchise should be extended to all persons willing to bear arms (1866), and a letter to General Starring on allegations of fraud in his dealings with the United States customs house (1880). Some lectures delivered before 'The Sette of Odd Volumes' on learned societies and printing clubs (1883, 1886), and liturgical history (1887), and a 'Catalogue of an Exhibition of Manuscripts and Early Printed Books' (1885), also printed for the 'Sette,' which appeared under his name, were probably due to friendly assistance. The same may be said of the text which accompanied the 'Collection of Facsimiles of Bookbinding' (1889), 'Notes on the History of Historic Bookbinding' (1891), the 'Collection of Facsimiles from Illuminated MSS.' (1889), the 'Catalogue of Mediæval Literature' (1890), and 'Palæography: Notes on the History of Writing' (1894).
[Biographical notice in Bigmore and Wyman's Bibliography of Printing, 1884, iii. 230-234, with engraved portrait, the letterpress printed as B. Q.; A Fragment, by C. W. H. Wyman, 1880 (Odd Volumes), extended in article in the Royal Album of Arts and Industries, 1887, 4to; see also Atlantic Monthly, June 1900, pp. 843-8; Times, 19 Dec. 1899, p. 6; Athenæum, 23 Dec. 1899, p. 865; Academy, 23 Dec. 1899, p. 748; Bookseller, 12 Jan. 1900, p. 9; Publishers' Circular, 23 Dec. 1899, p. 673 (portrait); Illustrated London News, 30 Dec. 1899 (portrait).]
QUEENSBERRY, Marquis of. [See Douglas, John Sholto, 1844–1900.]
