PRINTED 1788 LETTER TO & FROM THE LATE SAMUEL JOHNSON RARE PROVENANCE BOOKPLATE

Description

Up for auction is a rare set of books with a fascinating provenance related to Samuel Johnson. The volumes are titled :
Letters To and From The Late Samuel Johnson, L.L.D. to which are added Some Poems Never Before Printed.
Published from the original MSS. in her Possession, by Hester Lynch Piozzi. In Two Volumes. Samuel Johnson, London: Printed for A. Strahan.,and T. Caldwell in the Strand. 1788.
This set belonged to Richard Greene, and includes one of his amoral bookplates "
Richard Greene Apothecary Virescit Vulnere Virtus"
. Greene was a
relation of Samuel Johnson,
and well known collector of curiosities. An antiquarian he established T
he Lichfield Museum of Curiosities
and was a frequent contributor to the
Gentleman’s Magazine.
To be clear only one volume contains his bookplate inside the front cover board pastedown. In addition is the signature of James  W. Hoste.
Condition :  Very poor both volumes bound in full leather all boards detached, spine shows heavy wear leather dry, scuffed bumped corners. Internally very weak especially vol II about to split apart also with pencil underlining in random portions of the text with a few lines of marginalia. Both volumes need restoration and rebinding. I believe they are worth more for the ownership and connection to Richard Greene than as perfect editions. As always any questions feel free to ask.
“
Richard Greene (1716–1793), was an English antiquary and collector of curiosities.
Greene was born at Lichfield in 1716. The Rev. Joseph Greene (1712–1790) (Gent. Mag. 1790, i. 574), headmaster of Stratford-upon-Avon grammar school, was his brother, and Johnson was his relation. He lived and died as a surgeon and apothecary in Lichfield; a Scottish university conferred on him, it is said, the degree of M.D., but though highly gratified he never assumed the title of doctor. In 1758 he was sheriff of the city of Lichfield; he was bailiff in 1785 and in 1790, and was one of the city aldermen. Greene was the first to establish a printing press at Lichfield, and from about 1748 until his death his zeal in collecting objects of interest never flagged.
He deposited these curiosities in the ancient registry office of the bishops of that see, which stood nearly opposite the south door of the cathedral, and has long since been pulled down. A view of one side of the room of this museum, sent by the Rev. Henry White of Lichfield, appeared in the 'Gentleman's Magazine' for 1788, pt. ii. 847, and was reproduced in Stebbing Shaw's History of Staffordshire.
The fame of his collections spread far and wide, and the building was open gratuitously on every day except Sundays. After a life entirely spent in the city of his birth he died there on 4 June 1793, aged 77. His first wife was named Dawson, and by her he had one daughter, who married William Wright of Lichfield. His second wife was Theodosia Webb of Croxall in Derbyshire, who died at Lichfield on 1 August 1793; she had one son, Thomas, a lieutenant and surgeon in the Stafford militia.
Greene's portrait, with the motto, described by Boswell "truly characteristical of his disposition, Nemo sibi vivat", was engraved in his lifetime, and is inserted in Shaw's 'Staffordshire,' i. 308. A token still exists of him, and is described in 'Notes and Queries,' 1st ser. i. 167, 1850.’