"book-shelf", 1766 et al., antedating 1818

Joel S. Berson Berson at ATT.NET
Sun May 1 18:19:58 UTC 2011


Under "book, n., OED 1989 has "book-shelf" from merely 1818.

1)  It also has this quotation --

1671    in J. A. Johnston Probate Inventories of
Lincoln Citizens 1661–1714 (1991) 37   Shop on ye
East side of ye streete—press 2 hand presses one
*plough one—old book shelves and other implyments.

Does that count as an instance of "book-shelf"?

I assume the following are genuine instances.  All from EAN.

2)  1766 --

The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director: being
a large Collection of the most elegant & useful
Designs of Household Furniture ... including a
great Variety of ...  China Cases, China Shelves, & Book Shelves ...

Boston Evening-Post; Date: 10-13-1766; Issue: 1622; Page: [4]; col. 2.

3)  1778 --

Advertisement Extraordinary,
STRAYED from a Book Shelf in Worcester, four
Vols. of Peregrine Pick[l]e, and two Vo[l]s : of
a novel intitled the adventures of John L[e] B[r]u[n], all in octavo.

Massachusetts Spy [Worcester}; Date: 01-22-1778;
Volume: VII; Issue: 351; Page: [4]; col. 2.

4)  1793 --

The Fragment. / On reading History.
I HAPPENED the other day to look into the
appartment of a young student, and observed,
lying on his book-shelf, several volumes of antiquated history.

Columbian Gazetteer [New York]; Date: 08-26-1793;
Volume: I; Issue: II; Page: [2]; col. 3.

5)  1793 --

No matter if your bookshelves and brainpan be
empty, provided your garners [storehouses] be full.

United States Chronicle Providence, R.I.]; Date:
11-14-1793; Volume: 10; Issue: 514; Page: [1]; col. 3.

6)  Also from EAN:
      1806, New-England Palladium {Boston], Aug.
1.  "on the family book shelf".
      1814, New-England Palladium {Boston], Oct.
25.  Advertised in furniture sale, "Book Shelf".

(The various GBooks hits alleged before Dec. 31,
1794, are all spurious. The Gentleman's Magazine
dated 1789 is actually 1907.  The Catalogue:
Issue 192 of Dulau & Co. dated 1792 is actually
post-1920.  The Literary World Vol. 59 dated 1787
has on the same page "Roman Life Under the
Caesars", by Emile Thomas, published in 1899.)

Joel

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