The Portland daily press., 1863-05-30
COMMUNICATIONS.

SECOND PAPER.

SECoND
To the Editor Of the Press:
The Library of Mr.. JAMES OLCoTT BROWN
contains about eight hundred aud fifty volumes
which have been collected for the most part
during the last three years. 1t does not lay
claim TO completeness in any department, and
may rather be considered ucleus for good
library than library in itself; but it contains
many rare and valuable books, which would
do honor to the finest collections. The books
are carefully selected and it has been the aim
of Mr.. Brown in buying to obtain as far as
possible choice copies of the best editions OF
standard authors. Many OF those in his pos
session are obtained with difficulty and some
of them command the highest and continually
increasing prices.
The oldest book in the library is a copy of
Cicero's treatise de 0ficiis together with the
essays de Amicitid and de .Senectute, printed
in Paris, l559-60. 1t is small quarto in the
original binding and very perfect in preserva-
ton. Upon the title page is the autograph of
former owner and the date, April Is, 1900.
The scholar, who then pored over its instruc-
tive and fascinating pages, might have fancied
that its work was well nigh done, but there
were still reserved for it centuries of service,
ere it should find its repose in a new and al
most unknown land.
The strength of the library consists in its
choice editions of the early English poets and
dramatists. Among them may be mentioned
Pickering's beautiful editions of Chaucer,
Spenser and Milton. The collection contains
the whole of the justly famous Atdine edition
OF the poets of which these form part. They
are uniformly and handsomely bound by Hay
day. Complete sets are not often found.
There is also Gifford's fine edition in nine
volumes ofthe complete works of Ben Jonson.
This, we believe is the best edition of his
works ever published. 1t formerly belonged
to the Rev. John Milford and is enriched with
his autograph and many Ms. notes. Chalmers
edition of Shakespeare in eight volumes sump-
tuously bound. Moxon's unequalled edition of
the works of Beaumont and Fletcher in eleven
volumes, edited by Rev. A. Dyce and bound
in full green calf. A very choice copy on large
paper of the dramatic works of John Ford,
one OF those lumnaries whose light has not
been extinguished by the great Central Sun
OF the English drama. Pickering's beautiful
editions large paper) of Marlowe's. 's.works not
in the Aldine collection and very rare. Shir-
ley's dramatic works and poems in six volumes,
edited by Clifford and Dyce, rare. The first
editions of the poems of Akenside, Crabbe,
and Ramsay. A inel large paper copy of the
works Of Dryden in eighteen volumes, ed
tied by Sir Walter Scott.
The standard prose writers of England have
not been neglected The library contains
Rivington's very beautiful edition of the works
of Edmund Burke in eight volumes bound by
Riyiere. This is the only edition which con-
tains the correspondence of Burke in connec-
tion with his other writings. The famous Ok
ford classics are found in this library. VIM.
Roscoe's works and the writings of Horace
Walpole are in place. Ruskin's "Modern Pain
ters" and "Stones of Venice" Goldsmiths
complete works, very admirably edited by
Peter Cunningham, are especially deserving
OF mention. In modern English literature the