Jacob Boehm, the theosophist, wrote some Reflections on a theological treatise by one Isaiah Stiefel,[6] the title of which puzzled one of his modern French biographers. The word Stiefel in German means a boot, and the Frenchman therefore gave the title of Boehm’s tract as ``Reflexions sur les Bottes d’Isaie.’’
[6] ``Bedencken u:ber Esaiae Stiefels Buchlein: von dreyerley Zustandt des Menschen unnd dessen newen Geburt.’’ 1639.
It is scarcely fair to make capital out p 72of the blunders of booksellers’ catalogues, which are often printed in a great hurry, and cannot possibly possess the advantage of correction which a book does. But one or two examples may be given without any censure being intended on the booksellers.
In a French catalogue the works of the famous philosopher Robert Boyle appeared under the following singular French form: BOY (le), Chymista scepticus vel dubia et paradoxa chymico-physica, &c.
``Mr. Tul. Cicero’s Epistles’’ looks strange, but the mistake is but small. The very natural blunder respecting the title of Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound actually did occur; and, what is more, it was expected by Theodore Hook. This is an accurate copy of the description in the catalogue of a year or two back:—
``Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound.
—— another copy, in whole calf.’’ and these are Hook’s lines:—
``Shelley styles his new poem `Prometheus Unbound,’ And ’tis like to remain so while time circles round; p 73For surely an age would be spent in the finding A reader so weak as to pay for the binding.’’
When books are classified in a catalogue the compiler
must be peculiarly on his guard if he has the titles
only and not the books before him. Sometimes
instances of incorrect classification show gross
ignorance, as in the instance quoted in the Athen