The Decline and Fall of the British Country House Library

The libraries of British country houses have generally been neglected in terms of historical or bibliographic study even though they are among the most important examples of private library collections in the world. However, many collections have been dispersed, and sales from these libraries have occurred with monotonous regularity over the last 150 years, principally because owners viewed their libraries as expendable resources. This essay examines some of these "expendable resources" as well as the sales from library collections during that period. It also charts some of the underlying reasons for this dispersal.