Dauphin classics

66 works in 63 volumes, 4to (approx. 245 x 190mm.), near-uniform late eighteenth-century red morocco (attributed in the Syston Park catalogue to Roger Payne; see below), large central gilt roundel of a dolphin stamped on almost all volumes, spines gilt, gilt edges, a few bindings slightly rubbed or scraped

Sir John Hayford Thorold (1773-1831), Syston Park bookplate, sale, 12 December 1884, lot 195 (65 works in 62 volumes, "very fine copies", and noting the rarer volumes), £63; William O'Brien, bequest bookplate dated 1899; library stamps

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."

"A COMPLETE SET OF THE ORIGINAL EDITIONS OF THE DELPHIN CLASSICS ESPECIALLY IN FINE CONDITION, IS AN EXTRAORDINARY RARITY" (Syston Park catalogue). Its appeal at the time of the Syston Park sale is reflected in the substantial hammer price of £63, more than was paid for a full set of the Aldine Aristotle in red morocco (£51). The Roxburghe set, however, was bought in 1812 by the Duke of Norfolk for £504, and William Davis's A journey round the library of a bibliomaniac (1821) also noted how sought-after these volumes were at the start of the nineteenth century.

It can be inferred that the set was collected together by Sir John Hayford Thorold himself; he was accustomed to writing the name of the bookseller in his books, and in the Cicero Opera philosophica he has written "Payne & Foss 1830". In two volumes (Statius and Prudentius), he has noted that a copy of each book in the sale of Sir James Pulteney (Christie's, 3 February 1812) made £54-12s and £16-15-6 respectively, noted in a contemporary magazine as "an unprecedented sum". The words "R. Payne" have also been written by him in pencil on the flyleaf of all of the volumes bar five; these five have raised bands on the spines rather than flat spines, and the word "DELPHINI" at the foot of the spine above the date, but they still have the gilt dolphin roundel (which perhaps post-dates Payne). The volume of Callimachus has a shorter text block but the binding is the same size as the rest. The Cicero Opera philosophica has a sheet of manuscript text about the volume pasted to the flyleaf, stating "this volume of is the greatest rarity", and mentioning Sir William Pulteney's sale of 1809, where this edition was bought by Dibdin for Earl Spencer for the sum of £57-10s. Three further volumes have a printed extract from a catalogue pasted to the inside front cover, stating how rare they are (Ovid volume I, Tacitus volume I and Suetonius).

There is one volume that was added to the 62-volume Syston Park set by O'Brien; this is a duplicate of Claudianus (Paris, 1677), in eighteenth-century straight-grained red morocco gilt, with the bookplate of Sir Robert D'Arcy Hildyard (1743-1814). Another volume has a Jesuit inscription with a printed label pasted to the foot of the title-page, "Ne extra hanc bibliothecam efferatur. Ex obedientia" (Not to be removed from this library).

The texts were originally prepared for the use of the young dauphin, Louis (1661-1711), the son of Louis XIV who pre-deceased his father.

A full listing of the volumes is available on request or at sothebys.com.