Isaac Henry Gosset FRS (c.1735/1745–1812) was an English bibliographer, elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

on 18 June 1772.

Life

Born in Berwick Street,

Soho, London SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall (SoHo), and ha ...

, in 1735 or 1736, he was the only son of the sculptor Isaac Gosset (1713-1799). After attending Dr. Walker's academy at Mile End, he matriculated at

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and the fourth-oldest college of the university. The college was founde ...

, 25 February 1764. He graduated B.A. 10 October 1767, M.A. 27 June 1770, and went out grand compounder for the degrees in divinity 7 November 1782. Gosset was short of stature and suffered from poor health. He was also deformed in a way that exposed him to abuse, and was not able to make a career. He became a character to whom anecdotes attached, and in literature. He did preach charity sermons, and some of his biblical criticism survived him.

Book collector

While still young, Gosset collected books, especially early classics, grammars, and theological works. In London auction rooms he was subjected to gibes of his from Michael Lort, and ridiculed for his impatience during bidding. He regarded

Richard Heber Richard Heber (5 January 1773 – 4 October 1833) was an English book collector. Biography He was born in Westminster, as the eldest son of Reginald Heber, who succeeded his eldest brother as lord of the manors of Marton in Yorkshire and Hodn ...

as his pupil in book-hunting. He helped

Thomas Frognall Dibdin Thomas Frognall Dibdin (177618 November 1847) was an English bibliographer, born in Calcutta to Thomas Dibdin, the sailor brother of the composer Charles Dibdin. Dibdin was orphaned at a young age. His father and mother died in 1780 while re ...

in preparing the second edition of his ''Introduction to the Classics''.

Death

Gosset died suddenly in Newman Street, London, 12 December 1812, at age 67, and was buried with his family in Old Marylebone cemetery. His library was sold by Leigh & Sotheby over three weeks during June 1813. Stephen Weston lamented the loss to bibliography in ''The Tears of the Booksellers'', published the year after his death in the ''

Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1907, ceasing publication altogether in 1922. It was the first to use the term '' ...

''.

Family

By his marriage on 9 January 1782 to Miss C. Hill of Newman Street, Gosset had two sons and a daughter. His elder son, Isaac Gosset (1782–1855), was chaplain to the royal household at Windsor under four sovereigns. His younger son, Thomas Stephen Gosset (1791–1847), a senior fellow of

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, became vicar of Old Windsor in 1824.

Notes

External links

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Gosset, Isaac 18th-century births 1812 deaths English bibliographers Fellows of the Royal Society English book and manuscript collectors

Isaac Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...