Smith, Joseph (1673/4?-1770)--[Pasquali, Giovanni Battista]

2 parts in one volume, 4to (238 x 172mm.), [8 (incl. half-title)], xliii, [1 (blank)], DXIX [recte DXVII], [1 (blank)]; CCCXLVIII, [4]pp., title-page printed in red and black, illustration: engraved coat-of-arms on title-page, one engraved head-piece, woodcut head- and tail-pieces, binding: contemporary vellum gilt, two-line border, fleurons at corners and in centre of sides, spine gilt in compartments, gilt edges

Taylor p.261

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Joseph Smith went to Venice in 1700 as a merchant banker and was appointed British consul there in 1744. He began acquiring early books from Italian monasteries and Venetian families and in 1724 published in fifty copies only a detailed catalogue of 227 incunabula; it was reprinted in 1737. The present comprehensive catalogue of his library, which includes many of the incunabula, was compiled by Pasquali, with whom Smith had set up the publishing firm of G.B. Pasquali in the early 1730s. In the late 1750s Smith suffered financial difficulties and after long negociations his library, as described in the present work, was bought by George III for £10,000 in 1762; it is now preserved in the King's Library in the British Library.