Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-05-16

small shabby looking octave volume with a

small shabby looking octave volume with a
decidedly cracked back
BRADSTREET ANNE THE TENTH MUSE LATE
~ sPRITNc mp IN AMERICA OR SEVERAL POEMS,
COMPLIED WITH GREAT VARIETY OF WIT AND
LEARNING, FULL OF DELIGHT; wherein especially
Is contained Compleat Discourse and DESCRIPTION
of the -Four Elements the Four Constitutions, the
Four Ages of Man, the -Four Seasons of the Year:
together with an Exact Epitomie of the -Four Mon
arches viz the Assyrian the Persian, the Grecian,
the Roman. Also Dialogue between Old England
and New, concerning the Late Troubles: with
Divers other Pleasant and Serious Poems. 0RIGI-
NAL EDITION.
S. Bowtell, London, 1850"
The book used to sell for twenty-five cents,
but now it is rare; the bids were moderate at
first, then jumped to $40, and rose at last to
$40, and the happy possessor pocketed his little
black treasure. The Boston edition of the
British Poets, 1870 octave volumes, large paper,
with portraits on India paper, brought $195,50;
beautiful edition of Sir Thomas Browne, in
four volumes, 1885, a scrap-book containing 300
caricatures. by Gilray and Cruikshanks, SIT 80;
some of the catalogues were in great demand,
that of the Towle library sold for S9.75; that of
the Abbotsford library for 81, and others for
SO, 81 or So apiece. Six dollars were given
for Edward Cookies "Just and Seasonable Rep
rehension of Naked Breasts and Shoulders"
a small octave, printed in 1878; S1s7.50 for
Daniels Oriental Scenery; S64 for curious
collection of very small etchings after Rem
brandt, Ostade, Bega, and other Dutch and
Flemish painters; and $50 for four volumes of
the Dial from July, 1910, to April, 1874, inclu-
sive. The most remarkable set of books in the
library was the collection of Dibdins the edi-
tons were magnificent, elegantly bound in olive
morocco. The four volumes of typographical
antiquities brought S53 volume, and his other
works, in twenty volumes, S45 volume; all
were bought by one gentleman for his private
collection. These same books were sold in July,
1861, bad time for book sales, for $40 a vol
lme and S45 is considered a small price for
them now. small quarto, with very long
title, beginning "Sir Francis Drake revived"
printed in 1858, sold for SS2; Drummond's
"Genealogies of Noble British Families" for
$50; and four quarto scrapbooks, containing
1000 views of men, places, and things in Hol-
land Flanders, &C., illustrating the history of
the Netherlands, which were valued at 500 or
$500, sold for $66. Hooker's book OF ferns,
with 240 colored plates brought SO; Jarves's
cart studies" which used to sell for 1878, and
was published only ten years ago, brought S11.
The 10 volumes of Ben Jonson, Massnger, and
Shirley, sold for $1,000 volume. l clip from
the Advertiser an account, not one bit exagger-
ated, of the beauty of these books:
The works, collected by William Clifford, of jon
son, Massinger and Shirley are parts of set upon
large paper of what may help to give an idea of
what book may be. Take down volume from
the shelf; it feels like lump of lead in your hand,
not like number of sheets OF paper, sewn together
and covered with leather. Open it; its leaves lie
fiat and turn if each moved on its particular
hinge Look at its last leaf you find the thin vols
ume contains more than half thousand pages. 1t
has lain at the binders perhaps for nearly two
years. 1t has been in the press for months, has
been taken out and hammered and put back into
the press again. Hold up leaf to the light; you
will see perhaps slight roughness on its edge; the
book-binder's plough has barely grazed its meadow
of margin. It's rivulet of type flows on with banks
unshorn. Close the volume; its edge is like bar
of dull gold. Turn back the covers; they lie to.
gether with edges even and true. Examine the
joints they are smooth and square. Open out the
covers your breath falls upon the polished moroc-
like that of the schoobOyf upon the blade of his
new knife Examine the back; the titles and con-
tents of the volume are stamped upon it, and every
letter with a separate tools yet there is nothing to
bring up the idea of heavy gliding, and the bands
and panels are most delicately fooled. Observe
how the quiet olive morocco of the titles brings
out the effect of the scarlet sides, set off by their
delicate three-line flet of gold. How many are the
binders who would not have essayed striking con-
trast of color? Compare the volume with its fel.
lows, and wonder how nineteen were ever brought
together. You have seen perfect book. An abO-
litiOnist, you have wept at the tales of the poor
blacks torn apart sold at the block and separated
forever; go home and pray that these noble red
skins be not doomed to suffer like fate.
Lavater's essays on physiOgnomy, illustrated,
sold for S62.5O, and the best edition of Lodges
portraits for 1884. To name even the curious
titlac and rho bure iIuctrated bool,e of this COL
lection would take far more space than you
would give me; many of them were bought by
the book-dealers here, and will be offered again
for sale at prices to which the auction prices
will be no guide.