John Soane - Soane's Library

Soane's Library

Soane over the course of his career built up an extensive library of 7,783 volumes, this is still housed in the library he designed in his home now museum of 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields. The library covers a wide range of subjects: Greek and Roman classics, poetry, painting, sculpture, history, music, drama, philosophy, grammars, topographical works, encyclopaedia's, runs of journals and contemporary novels.

Naturally architectural books account for a large part of the library, and was very important when he came to write his lectures for the Royal Academy. The main architectural books include: several editions of Vitruvius's De architectura, including Latin, English, French and Italian editions, including the commentary on the work by Daniele Barbaro. Julien-David Le Roy's Les Ruines des plus beaux monuments de la Grèce, Johann Joachim Winckelmann's Geschichte der Kunst des Alterthums, in its French translation bought in 1806 just before Soane was appointed to the professorship. Marc-Antoine Laugier's Essai sur l'Architecture. Jacques-François Blondel's nine volumes of Cours d'architecture ou traité de la décoration, distribution et constructions des bâtiments contenant les leçons données en 1750, et les années suivantes. Six works by Quatremère de Quincy, including the Dictionnaire historique de l'Architecture. These are some of the major thinkers who influenced Soane and his own writings.

Soane also acquired several illuminated manuscripts: a 13th century English Vulgate Bible; a 15th century Flemish copy of Josephus's works; four book of hours, two Flemish of the 15th century and early 16th century, Dutch of the late 15th century and French 15th century; a French missal dated 1482; Le Livre des Cordonniers de Caen, French 15th century; Marino Grimani's commentary of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans the work of Giulio Clovio.

Other manuscripts include: Francesco di Giorgio's mid-16th century Treatise of Architecture; Nicholas Stone's two account books covering 1631–42, and his son also Nicholas Stone Sketch Book (France & Italy) 1648 and Henry Stone's sketch book 1638; Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne's The Second Epistle; James Gibbs's A few short cursory remarks on buildings in Rome; Joshua Reynolds's two sketches books from Rome; Torquato Tasso's early manuscript of Gerusalemme Liberata.

Incunable in the library include: Cristoforo Landino's Commentario sopra la Comedia di Dante, 1481; S. Brant Stultifera Navis 1488; Boethius's De Philosophico Consolatu, 1501. Other early printed books include: J.W. von Cube, Ortus Saniatis 1517 and Portiforium seu Breviarum ad Sarisbursis ecclesiae usum 1555; William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories and Tragedies 1623 First Folio.