Eric Stanley Quayle (1921–2001) was a noted British bibliophile, collector and author.
Career
Quayle's writings were mainly related to the themes of collecting books but he also produced a noted biography (1967) of the Victorian adventure story writer,
R. M. Ballantyne, and two books of folk tales: one of Cornish tales (''The Magic Ointment'') and one of Japanese tales (''The Shining Princess''). These were both illustrated by the prolific
Michael Foreman.
Over his lifetime he built up a substantial collection of books (16,000 volumes at the time of his death), which included many "rare and first editions" covering a wide range of topics in "literature and science" and a collection of children's books with "many titles (...) known by only the single copy in his possession". His collection also included literary ephemera amongst which were materials by and about Ballantyne.
Personal life
Quinton Quayle, the retired British diplomat, was one of Eric's children
as was Chrissy Quayle, the musician (''The Mermaid of Zennor'').
He died in August 2001 in a fall from the cliffs at
Zennor Head near his home, ''Carn Cobba'', a house noted for its cliffside gardens and "by an old millstream that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean from the edge of rugged cliffs" seven miles from
St Ives,
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
.
Carn Cobba, Zennor
thecornishway.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
Books by Eric Quayle
* ''Ballantyne the Brave: A Victorian Writer and His Family''. London: Hart-Davis, 1967.
* ''R. M. Ballantyne: A Bibliography of First Editions''. London: Dawsons of Pall Mall, 1968.
*
The Ruin of Sir Walter Scott
'. London: Rupert Hart-Davis, 1968; New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1969.
* ''The Collector's Book of Books''. New York: C.N. Potter; London: Studio Vista, 1971.
* ''The Collector's Book of Children's Books''. New York: C. N. Potter; distributed by Crown Publishers, 1971; London: Studio Vista, 1971.
* ''The Collector's Book of Detective Fiction''. London: Studio Vista, 1972.
* ''The Collector's Book of Boys' Stories''. London: Studio Vista, 1973.
*
Old Cook Books: An Illustrated History
'. New York: Dutton, 1978.
*
Early Children's Books: A Collector's Guide
'. Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles; Totowa, NJ: Barnes & Noble Books, 1983.
*
The Magic Ointment and Other Cornish Legends
'. London: Andersen Press, 1986; London: Macmillan Children's Books, 1988. Illustrated by Michael Foreman.
*
The Little People's Pageant of Cornish Legends
'. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1987 (A Little Simon Book). Illustrated by Michael Foreman.
*
The Shining Princess and Other Japanese Legends
'. London: Andersen Press; New York: Arcade Publishing, 1989. Illustrated by Michael Foreman.
References
External links
The Library of the late Eric Quayle (Part One)
at Bonhams
Bonhams is a privately owned international auction house and one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. It was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. This brought t ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quayle, Eric
1921 births
2001 deaths
English writers
English book and manuscript collectors
English bibliographers
Walter Scott scholars