The Dispersal of the Library of William Byrd of Westover.

The library of William Byrd III (1728-77), built largely by his father and grandfather, was one of the largest and finest libraries in colonial America, "a carefully balanced collection of the best literature and learning of the day." A catalog made about 1750 lists 2,345 titles in 3,513 volumes. The author traces the dispersal of the library by sale between 1778 and 1803 and the subsequent history of various segments of it. Approximately four hundred volumes have been identified and located.