On offer is an archive of French language handwritten manuscript papers penned by Dr. S. Brunes between the years 1764 - 1767. Dr. Brunes provides a study and accounting of several hospitals in the counties of 'les comte des Flandres et d'Artoi". Also included is a more personal letter which acts as an overview of the report proper. This is a very detailed, very well written account in a beautiful hand. In total nine handwritten pages over 12 leaves. Provenance: collection of SIR THOMAS PHILLIPPS (1792-1872). Born in 1792, Sir Thomas Phillipps from childhood was obsessed with the idea of obtaining virtually anything written or printed on paper, including cartloads of documents from wastepaper merchants and the entire inventories of booksellers. "I wish to have one copy of every book in the world," he declared to a friend. He very nearly succeeded. His collection ultimately grew to more than 100,000 books and at least 60,000 manuscripts. As a result of his extravagant purchases, Sir Thomas was permanently on the verge of bankruptcy and was constantly pursued by creditors. So many books arrived at his house that it was impossible to unpack his acquisitions much less keep pace with them. Visiting scholars, driven to distraction, would spend days hunting for an elusive text in the dusty heaps that filled every room. Because Sir Thomas has a morbid dread of fire, most of his collection was housed in coffinlike boxes that could be carted away quickly. Visitors to Middle Hill were struck too, by the presence of numerous logs, a ploy he used to lure beetles away from his books. As Sir Thomas relentlessly pursued his passion, the house itself began to crumble and its floors started to sag under the cast weight of hundreds of tons of paper. His neglect of Middle Hill was partly deliberate, however. Sir Thomas's chief enemy in life, James Halliwell, had married his daughter against his wishes. It appears that Halliwell was, in Sir Thomas' eyes, the worst kind of criminal, a book thief who had stolen valuable works from university libraries and even from his father-in-law. Having no sons, Sir Thomas was unable to prevent Halliwell from inheriting his estate. To ensure that his detested heir would never receive anything of value, Sir Thomas's solution was to allow Middle Hill to fall unto complete disrepair. He even went so far as to chop down and sell for lumber the centuries-old oak trees that lined the majestic mile-long drive to his home. In 1863 Sir Thomas decided to move - in order to accommodate his books. With the aid of 160 men, 103 wagonloads of books and papers drawn by 230 horses, the books were lumbered from Middle Hill top their new estate in nearby Cheltenham. It is said that for years afterwards the countryside was littered with the remains of carts that had collapsed under the sheer weight of the Phillipps collection. Sir Thomas continues to add to his library until his death in 1872. After Sir Thomas's death, his immediate family had no room for his collection. So vast was the library that although individual items and large sections were sold privately or through numerous auction sales, the Phillipps collection is still being sold more than a century after the death of its owner. In the course of its sales, many treasures have come to light. As late as 1964, part of the long-lost and unique medieval manuscript of the Roman poet Ovid's Metamorphoses appeared and was subsequently reunited with its other half at Magdalen College, Oxford. Once destined for destruction as worthless wastepaper, this and many other priceless works were saved by the single-minded obsession of the greatest bibliomaniac of all time.

Seller Inventory # 00TP129

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Bibliographic Details

Title

1764 - 1767 ARCHIVE OF HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT REPORTS DETAILING STATUS AND ACCOUNTING OF HOSPITALS FOR 'LES COMTE DES FLANDRES ET D'ARTOI'

Publisher

Artois Flanders Belgium Belge Belgique

Publication Date

1764

Binding

Manuscript

Condition

Very Good

Signed

Autograph

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Store Description

Katz Fine Manuscripts Inc. (formerly known as M. Benjamin Katz, Fine Books/Rare Manuscripts) is based out of both Ontario and Alberta, Canada. We do business by appointment, and have had an online presence selling rare books and manuscripts since 1999. Specializing in handwritten, historically significant books, manuscripts, diaries, documents and ephemera. A member of The Manuscript Society each treasure on offer is guaranteed authentic and as represented for life. Worldwide clientele includes esteemed collections and public, private and university libraries on both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific. Always buying collections and estates. Katz Fine Manuscripts Inc. (formerly M. Benjamin Katz, Fine Books/Rare Manuscripts) has been an online sales presence with over 7000 transactions since 1999. All items are as stated or returnable for full refund. If a refund is requested, seller must be notified within 7 days of postal delivery of the item based on postal tracking data. To receive a refund, the item must be returned to seller in the same condition in which it was received. All digital items are final sale.

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Seller's business information

Katz Fine Manuscripts Inc.
12 West Chapman Place, Cochrane, AB, T4C 1J9, Canada

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

Purchases not as described are fully returnable.

Please don't hesitate to contact us for more information or to request additional photos. (Kindly include the Seller Inventory Number, listed below the item description, in your e-mail so we can more easily answer your questions.)

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Information regarding the right of withdrawal

Statutory right to withdraw

You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.

The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.

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To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.

Effects of withdrawal

If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).

We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.

We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.

We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.

We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.

You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Katz Fine Manuscripts Inc., Cochrane, Alberta, Canada, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.

Exceptions to the right of withdrawal

The right of withdrawal does not apply to:

The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.

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Shipping rates from Canada to U.S.A.

Shipping rates from Canada to U.S.A.
Order quantity	7 to 14 business days	4 to 6 business days
First item	� 13.98	� 15.68

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