Bell’s Common-Place Book, Form'd generally upon the Principles Recommended and Practised by Mr Locke.

London: Printed for John Bell, near Exeter-Exchange in the Strand, 1770. "Locke's method of indexing commonplace books remained widely used for at least one hundred years. Toward the end of the 18th century English publisher John Bell published notebooks entitled 'Bell’s Common-Place Book, Formed generally upon the Principles Recommended and Practised by Mr Locke.' These included eight pages of instructions on Locke’s indexing method, a system which not only made it easier to find passages, but also served the higher purpose of 'facilitat[ing] reflexive thought.'” (Jeremy Norman, historyofinformationdotcom).

Folio, [1], engraved title page, 8pp index ruled and printed in red (first page misbound upside down), approx. 550pp. The first nine leaves are printed and the rest blank leaves to be used as the owner wishes. With loosely inserted newspaper clippings from the Times (London) from 1935 about the closing of a Devon railway. Original green vellum, gilt title on maroon leather label. This book was used to mount fern specimens, some of which are no longer present. Original marbled endpapers. Specimens that are labeled but no longer present include Lastrea Dilatata (Broad Buckle Fern), Hart's Tongue, Asplenium fontanum & lastria spinolosa. Specimens that are still present include P. Lobatum, Cystopteris montana, "very rare", Allosorus Crispus, Trichomanes. Much of the book is blank. OCLC: 22405977; ESTC Citation No. T230151.

A handsome survival. Item #21917

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