Panzer, Georg Wolfgang

3 volumes, 8vo (164 x 93mm.), near-contemporary French green morocco with gilt arms of J. Gomez de la Cortina, double gilt fillet border, spines gilt in compartments, gilt dentelles, very slight water-damage throughout

J. Gomez de la Cortina (1808-1868), arms on bindings and armorial bookplates. Gomez was the owner of a vast library, most (if not all) of which he had rebound with his arms. This work was lot 384 from his sale in Paris, 24 June 1878 (there had been three earlier sales of his library in 1872).

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."

This famous sale included a staggering 17,000 lots. Multi-volume sets were catalogued separately, giving a total of about 12,000 bibliographical items.

Panzer (1729-1805), of Nuremberg, was the author of the influential eleven-volume Annales typographici (1793-1803; Bigmore & Wyman ii, 115), a bibliography covering the whole of printing up to the year 1536. The extensive 1835 sale catalogue of Dr Georg Kloss, for instance, is based upon Panzer's references (partly because Kloss was planning a series of supplements to Panzer's work) and Panzer's work retained its pre-eminence throughout the nineteenth century.