The New Orleans crescent., 1868-11-22
NUMBER 81.
HOOK Auetion.
From the New Yo-k Evening po.,


From the New yo-k Evening Post
Several notable collections Of pictures. coins
ord books have recently been sold by auction 10
this city. Some of these sales have produced so
mush more money than the collections originally
cost as TO show that the object OF the original
buyer had been simply to make profitable in
vettmebt for his heirs. he could not have put his
money where it would have paid larger or .
more certain profit More particularly Is this the
case with well selected Libraries. which are al
ways eagerly taken up, either by q new genera
ton Of book fanciers or by the regular agents OF
the great state city libraries. or OF some OF the
young mems societies or associations, who are
always on the lookout 10 ill their own shelves
with the spos when other or smaller concerns SO
to wreck. SO lucrative Is this business that sew
ersl gentlemen in this country have amassed hand.
me fortunes by buying books intrinscally
worthy, or valuable on account OF their scarcity,
making up large lot. and then, at favorable
time, throwing it upon the market. Thus every
two or three years We encounter the familiar ad-
vertisement that "valuable private library or
o rare, costly and extensive ,numismatc mu.
scum will be sold under the auctioneer's
hammer.
Every genuine bibliomanisc has his specially.
To him who cares only for works tending TO the
SSSssan manoscipa al stea OF Clip
ping which throws any new light upon the politi-
cal, military or social history Of the thirteen colo
MES or the thrtyseven States, Is interesting AMI
worth its price. Another buyer, especially inter-
ested in Shakespeare. buys every edition, from
the earliest and coarsest folio to the latest euperb
illustrated qusrto. There are in the United States
several fine libraries, of great value, made up en-
tiIely OF the many editions of Shakespeare, and
of books, pamphlets, reviews. criticisms COM
mentaTies and other documents relating to the
life, times, career and works Of the immortal
poet
Otber collectors care less for individual authors
than for particular kinds of binding. or for works
issued by celebrated printers. wide margins"
intereaved COPIES" "uncut" pages, special
rrfo of tuF.a han he ofniu .off
ie celebrated eDgravers, also have their standard
market value, as well ascertained and admitted
among dealers as the value OF q bushel Of wheat
or a quarter Of beef in the market. There
also books. marred by certain curious errors
which by the csrelessness of proofreader or edi-
tor, have been allowed TO creep 10, and which be-
come extremely valuable-such as the T" Vinegar
Bbe.n
Eccentric persons sometimes devote years to
the preparation Of a unique copy Of some fsvorte
work, by having it specially illustrated with orig
inal pictures, or by interviewing other matter
airing on the same subject. A gentleman has
notified MessTs. Lesvitt q Strebeigh, the Clinton
Hall book suctoDeers, that he will some time
have ready for sale copy Of the Bible on which
he has spent his leisure time for more than twenty
years. He began by procuring the largest and
page and with clear and handsome type; then,
having carefully removed the binding and sepa-
ra,ed the leaves be inserted between the leaves
every engraving of Scriptural scenes he could
pr0lure-pOrtrdlte OF blDie characters, maUs OF
al the countries mentioned, photographs OF many
Of the landscapes, mountains, rivers and other
places spoken Of, as they appear at the present
time. sll the commentaries. many OF the attacks
OF nfidel writers with their refutation by ortho-
dox divines, and specimens of Bible text In every
printed language in the world. together with much
other Interesting material tending TO Illustrate tho
tex. This work has now reached the bulk Of
sixteen large volumes, and the compiler hopes to
add TO il until the number caches twenty or more.
ned " W q a q
of its kind in the world. and will be worth what
ever the owner chooses TO ask for IL.
short time ago the private book collection OF
the late Captain Robert To vnseDd. gallant naval
officer, sold. This library was large and ad
miraby selected. and was remarkable chiefly for
the great number Of works in bindings OF special
elegance and beauty. In fact, Capt. Townsend,
man of exquisite taste, had caused nearly all
his books 10 be rebound after purchase, in ac-
coTdaDce with his own directions as to material
and style. and the result was a list OF books Of
great intrinsic value. and dressed in bindings
which, for ysriety. brancy and good taste, have
never been excelled in America. The captain
was by no means a wealthy man, but bis cOec.
ton the result Of the quiet patient work Of
the mere leisure of a lifetime, which spent
In his country's service. These books, instea ad Of
selling for few hundreds of dollars, brought
thousands more than had been expected, repay
ing to the estate every dollar that had been ex-
pended in their purchase, with lawful interest
and handsome profit besides. The captains
hobby /" bad cost him nothing he had rid
den IL to his great qualification all his life, aud
after his death it was better than when it was
new.
Money invested in the purchase Of sound, solid
books is invariably well laid out. The goods are
always worth the money, and the longer they
are kept the more valuable they become. man
may have a life-tme's pleasure in collecting and
preserving a fine library, and when he is gone
the auctioDeer will sell 1t at handsome profit
for his heirs.