The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-16
HUMBOLDT.
The Library of the Great snvRn, and What
Becnue Of IL. -"


The Library of the Great snvnn, and whaI
Became Of It,
The North German Correspondent of Ber.
lin contains the following curious state
ment-
The last number of transatlantic publi-
cation. called Sitlimdns american ,JournaL.
surprised us with the news that the valu-
able library of Alexander Won Humboldt was
not broken up and scattered after his DEATH
as was generally supposed, but has been with
great care preserved intact up to the present
day. The complete collection, according to
the same authority, is in the possession of a
Mr.. Stevens, of Vermont, resident in Lon
don, who purchased the library shortly after
Humboldts decease. IL is this gentleman
himself who assures us of the fact in the
journal we have named, and he adds that not
one-third of the 1000 volumes of which the
collection is composed are to be found even
in the British Museum. The pecuniary value
of the library, he says, is much greater than
Humboldt himself seemed to imagine.
This statement has elected reply in the
National Zeitung from Herr j. Lowenbere,
who prenounces the whole affair to be a
"humbug," emanating probably from an in
genious and enterprising bookseller. The
last-mentioned gentleman gives us the follow
ing interesting particulars regarding the Ii
brary which belonged to Humboldt and its
fate after the death of the eminent philoso-
pher:-
''This collection comprehended, besides
maps, engravings, medals, diplomas, astrono-
mical and philosophical instruments, etc.
about 5000, and not $4,000 volumes-the
money value of which, at the time of his
death, was greatly overestimated. The for
tunate heir to the personally of the deceased
found no want OF tutors to supply the news
papers with sensational notices about its SALE
First, it was the corporation of Berlin, then
the Prince Regent of Prussia (his present
Majesty, and then again wealthy English
man or American who was designated as the
intended purchaser; and it was confidently
asserted that so, 900 thlrs. had been offered
and refused. At length, in the summer of
1860, the library was bought by the Berlin
publishers and booksellers, Messrs. Asher &,
Co., for 10000 thlrs., and sent to London,
from which it was forwarded, on account of
other parties, to New York The civil war
mad In the meantime broken out in
the United States, and as there was little
prospect OF finding purchaser of the whole
collection: it was resolved to disnose OF the
books by public auction. A catalogue was
printed, which, however, as is customary in
such matters, contained the titles of large
number of books that had never formed a
part of Humboldt's library. On the third
day of the sale fire broke out in the auction
books with them. This occurred in June,
1865, and was soon after the subject of an
article in the Quarterly Re0ieao. What books
OF Humboldt's had escaped the disaster, by
being previously purchased and removed
from the premises, has never been ascer-
tanned"
The writer goes on to say that Humboldt.
on returning from Paris to Berlin in 1927.
brought very few books with him, as he had
given away the greater part of his collection
to friends before leaving the French capital.
The library he gradually formed in Berlin
from that period to the year of his death
Q859) consisted chiefly of books presented
to him by authors and publishers for the pur-
pose of obtaining from him the customary
few lines of thanks, which, though of course
purely private and personal, were too often
nnscrupulously published as a recommenda-
ton of the work. Many of these books as
may be supposed, were only first volumes
1t is true the collection contained
many works of great value, such, for
example, as the OhalcographSe du Mtlsee
Royal in s3 volumes, great elephant size,
which was present to the philosopher from
King Louis Philippe. The copy still extant
in the Louvre is believed to be the only one
equal to that of Humboldt in elegance and
perfection. Still, the writer assures us, the
pecuniary value of the collection has been
greatly exaggerated, and when he adds that
himself prepared the catalogue after Hum
boldt's death, we must admit that no one is
better qualified to give an opinion. Several
OF the books, he adds, contained short lite
rary, biographical, or critical observations
on the margin in the handwriting of the great
thinker; but, however precious they might
have been to scholar, it would have been
impossible to assign to them a particular
value in money.