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BESTELMEIER, Georg Hieronimus (1764-1829). Systematisches Verzeichnis eines magazins von verschniedenen Kunst- und anderen nuezlichen Sachen... Neue verbesserte Auflage. Nuremberg: 1803.
The fore-runner of the modern mail-order catalogue. Born into a family of brewers, Bestelmeier established a business selling toys and fashionable accessories in a building at the corner of the Nuremberg fruit market. Known as the Bestelmeierischen Laden, the shop continued to expand, and by 1793 he published his first mail order catalogue. This was successful, and he subsequently produced a run of such catalogues. The present lot seems to be a consolidated edition of the catalogues all published in 1803. Business was good, and Bestelmeier expanded his operation, receiving in 1803 permission from the Nuremberg council to establish a furniture store. This led to a year to a year-long dispute with local carpenters, who fiercely opposed Bestelmeier selling furniture made outside of the city. Although Bestelmeier was not the first person to retail using the mail order catalogue format – that honour belongs to the Berlin toy seller Peter Friedrich Catel (1747-1791) – by 1800, Bestelmeier was the only toy retailer in the world to operate its mail order business with illustrated catalogues. About a quarter of the inventory consisted of magic tricks, and illustration no. 739 in Magazin VI, pl. 6, appears to be one of the earliest depictions of a magic box of tricks. The catalogues also offer a substantial number of scientific instruments, as well as terrestrial and celestial globes.
9 parts in one volume, oblong octavo (196 x 245mm), comprising 32pp. introductory letterpress and index, followed by Magazin I-VIII, each with letterpress and a total of 70 engraved plates (first title-page creased and with 55mm tear with loss of one word on verso, the following 3 leaves lightly creased, occasional light browning and staining). Contemporary half vellum (extremities rubbed, one corner bumped).
The fore-runner of the modern mail-order catalogue. Born into a family of brewers, Bestelmeier established a business selling toys and fashionable accessories in a building at the corner of the Nuremberg fruit market. Known as the Bestelmeierischen Laden, the shop continued to expand, and by 1793 he published his first mail order catalogue. This was successful, and he subsequently produced a run of such catalogues. The present lot seems to be a consolidated edition of the catalogues all published in 1803. Business was good, and Bestelmeier expanded his operation, receiving in 1803 permission from the Nuremberg council to establish a furniture store. This led to a year to a year-long dispute with local carpenters, who fiercely opposed Bestelmeier selling furniture made outside of the city. Although Bestelmeier was not the first person to retail using the mail order catalogue format – that honour belongs to the Berlin toy seller Peter Friedrich Catel (1747-1791) – by 1800, Bestelmeier was the only toy retailer in the world to operate its mail order business with illustrated catalogues. About a quarter of the inventory consisted of magic tricks, and illustration no. 739 in Magazin VI, pl. 6, appears to be one of the earliest depictions of a magic box of tricks. The catalogues also offer a substantial number of scientific instruments, as well as terrestrial and celestial globes.
9 parts in one volume, oblong octavo (196 x 245mm), comprising 32pp. introductory letterpress and index, followed by Magazin I-VIII, each with letterpress and a total of 70 engraved plates (first title-page creased and with 55mm tear with loss of one word on verso, the following 3 leaves lightly creased, occasional light browning and staining). Contemporary half vellum (extremities rubbed, one corner bumped).
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