HUBERT, Robert.
(1630? – ?)
1. English, 1664 [Collection catalog].
[Contained within an ornate border:] A | Catalogue | Of Many | Natural Rarities, | With | Great Industry, Cost, and thirty | Years travel in Foreign | Countries, | [rule] | Collected By | Robert Hvbert, aliàs Forges, | Gent. and sworn Servant to His Majesty. | [rule] | And dayly to be seen, at the | place called the Musick House, at | the Miter, near the West end of | St. Pauls Church. | [rule] | London, Printed by Tho. Ratcliffe, for the | Author, 1664.
8°: B-E8; 64l.; [2], 1-62 p.
Contents: [2 pgs], Title page, verso blank.; 1-34, "A | Catalogue | Of Many | Natural Rarities."; 35-59, "The | Second Part | Of The | Catalogue."; 60-62, "A Catalogue of the Names of those Great | Princes and persons of Quality ..."
Rare. Collection catalog of Hubert's accumulation, collected with great industry, cost and thirty-years travel in foreign countries. He had them exhibited to the public in a place called the "Musick-House, at the Miter, near the West End of St. Paul's Church." In preparation to selling the collection, he published this catalog, which descibes all manner of marvelous natural curiosities. Hubert's scheme worked, and the entire managerie was later purchased by the Royal Society for the bargin price of £100.
The first section of the Catalogue describes rare curiosities of human kind, animals, birds, fishes, serpents, and insects, while the second lists vegetables, and metals and minerals (p. 45-59).
Bibliographical references: Gatterer, Mineralogischen Literatur, 1798-9: 1, 273. Murray, Museums, 1904: 1, 127-8 & 2, 292-3. Wilson, History of Mineral Collecting, 1994: 176 & 214. Wilson, W.E., "Nehemiah Grew's Musaeum Regalis Societatis, 1681", Mineralogical Record, 22, (1991), 333-40 [Hubert treated on page 336].
2. English, 1665 [2nd edition].
[Contained within an ornate border:] A | Catalogue | Of Many | Natural Rarities, | With | Great Industry, Cost, and thirty | Years travel in Foreign | Countries, | [rule] | Collected By | Robert Hvbert, aliàs Forges, | Gent. and sworn Servant to His Majesty. | [rule] | And dayly to be seen, at the | place called the Musick House, at | the Miter, near the West end of | St. Pauls Church. | [rule] | London, Printed by Tho. Ratcliffe, for the | Author, 1665.
8°: A2-A8 B-E8; 39l.; [2], 1-76 p.
Contents: [2 pgs], Title page, verso blank.; 1-41, "A | Catalogue | Of Many | Natural Rarities."; 42-68, "The | Second Part | Of The | Catalogue."; 69-71, "A Catalogue of the Names ..."; 72-76, "A Catalogue of the Rarities that are shown to | the Curious, in the University-garden, at Ley- | den in Holland."
Rare. The text is reset and somewhat expanded from the first edition. A short list is added at the end describing the curiousities found in Leyden at the University.
3. English, 1666? [Collection catalog].
[Contained within an ornate rule box:] A | Catalogue | Of part of those | Rarities | Collected in the thirty years | time with a great deal | Of Pains and Industry, | by one of his Maje- | sties sworn Servants. | [rule] | R.H. aliàs Forges, | Gentleman. | [rule] | They are to be seen at the place | formerly called the Musique- | House near the West end of Paul's.
12°: π1 A12 B5; 18l.; [2], 1-33, [1] p.
Contents: [2 pgs], Title page, verso blank.; 1-24, "The Names of the Rari- | ties that are to be seen at | that place, formerly called the | Musique House ..."; 25-27, "Moreover, The Gentlemen of | these Rarities can shew thou- | sands of other Rarities of Na- | ture besides the things afore- | mentioned ..."; 28-33, "A Catalogue of the Names ..."; [1 pg], Blank.
Very rare. An abridged listing derived from the previous editions.
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