From Page to Pedestal: Literature in the Age of Collecting: ▬ The Art of Collecting

Thomas Osborne, an eminent publisher and bookseller during the 18th century, purchased the private library of Robert Harley, first Earl of Oxford, upon the death of the second Earl in 1741. Shortly thereafter, Osborne employed William Oldys, Harley's private secretary, and Samuel Johnson to create a catalogue of the collection along with an eight volume series of published selections from the LIbrary’s collection of 16th and 17th century religious and political pamphlets. This latter series, titled The Harleian Miscellany, was a crucial component of Osborne’s strategy to recoup his investment in the Library purchase.

Francis Grose was a notable English antiquary and member of the Society of Antiquaries of London. He began publishing The Antiquities of England and Wales in 1772, with the final volume released in 1776. Following his death in 1791, Irish antiquary, Edward Ledwich, completed the last volume, Antiquities of Ireland in serial form. The work examines Ireland's ancient artifacts and monuments, reflecting the general interest in showcasing cultural heritage. Despite facing condemnation from the Hibernian Antiquarian Society and having its historical interpretations challenged, the work achieved remarkable among the public.

A Collection of Fifty Prints from Antique Gems contains fifty copperplate engravings of cameos from the private collections of antiquarian Charles Francis Greville, politician Lord Algernon Percy, and art dealer Thomas Moore Slade. The work has long been attributed to John Spilsbury, an 18th-century British cartographer and engraver, renowned for his creation of the first jigsaw puzzle. It is more likely Jonathan Spilsbury, his brother, completed the engravings but wishing to distance himself from the scandalous Greville used the pseudonym “J. Spilsbury.”