, 1873-06-29

The types employed are manitestly cast in imitt
ton Of the letters designed by the writer's OF tn
missals and other books Of church SERVICE. q
the two Perkins copies had an opportunity
in existence or not, it is an extraordinarily goo
example. It formerly constituted says the cats
logue, tho chief ornament and glory of the Ii
brary OF the University OF Mentz, whence it wa
obtained BY Aeszrs. Nicol: Dibdin says it the
wanted two leaves, which were supple
by Whitaker in facsimile. The cataloguer ad
mits that he has found one doubtful Leaf, bu
has quite failed to discover tho second On
missing leaf is quite enough to destroy Ill clair
Of this copy to be considered perfect. do no
know on "hat authority it Is stated that " nc
| one OF the five known copies are believed to b,
perfect" To begin with, there are seven know
copies on vellum, instead OF five. I cannot a
the moment refer to Renoua1ds catalogue, but
| ieved to be imperfect. In other raspects, til.
Perkins copy ia really so magnificent as to make
| its single deficiency all the more deplorable. Il
measures 16H inches By 12355, and its edges are
in many places the actual edges Of the skim Mr
| Stevens called my attention to q point that not
! even the zeal Of the cataloguer had discovered,
/ VIZ: that even the pin-holes are not trimmed oR
1t has blank leaf at the beginning Of Vol. J.,
and the general condition of the vellum is excel
lent, or will be it the purchaser will only wipe
| of with silk handkerchief the preparation
! with which some superseryiceable restorar has
| smeared the vellum to make it look white and
! pure. Tho ink is brilliant, tho impression beau-
tifuly sharp and clear. It is = monument Of
typography; yet to one who cares for printing,
the copy on paper is more desirable book. At
place, it is absolutely parfect, and, in the Sec
ond, all vellum printing ia struggle with need
less difficulties, and tho best Impression can
hardly equal the best on paper. Every book
fancier knows the difficulty Of getting any bo Ok,
and especially any modern book, on yellum
rnNd Thu ~ "a
paper copy Of the Mazarin Bible is perfect,
while in the vellum copy almost every other page
Is uneven. There are twenty copies in existence
on paper, Of which one at least is in America, in
E500.
But there they we're. Be their merits or de-
fects what they might, they are q match1eBs
pair, and anybody who wanted q Mnaarin Bible
knew that choice between two copies was not
likely to occur again IN his lfstime. The vellum
copy was put up at thrty-two minutes past 5,
aud was started at LOCO guineas BY Mr. Toogey,
bookseller in Picadilly. The second bid Waa
1000. the third e. ,40o, and they advanced this
regularly and rapidly BY steps Of s2oo esch, till
the book stood at I2, 400, when Mr.. Ellis bid
E2,600. From this time on there were but two
competitors. In that crowded library there re-
manned nobody but Mr. Ellis and Mr. Toovey
to contest its possession. The bidding rose
steadily and almost without pause by
hundreds to E3, 100 j; then by dfties little more
slowly to s3,256, which was MIR. Toovey's offer.
Mr. Ellis, appealed to to advance, refused. The
auc:soneer'6 hammer swung in the air just ready
to fall vi he changed his mind and bid f3,3 800.
AIr. Tooyey added ESQ. Mr. Ellis slowly eaid
E9, 400 there WAS hush, a moment Of silence,
followed BY moment Of entreaty from the auc-
tioneer, but Mr.. Toovey shook hia head and
moved away, and the hammer came down at
93, 400 The selling he'd occupid just sir min
utes. TIL then the largest sum ever bid for q
printed book was f2, $50 at the f.oxburgh sale by
the Marquis OF Blandford for the unique Val
darfer Boccacco Of 1471, and the other book 1
remember to have fetched over FL 900 was the
first Caxton, with a dato also 1471, the IRE
cuyel Of the Historyes Of Troye," sold at 1000
guineas at the same sale, si1ty-one years ago.
The paper copy followed 1t once This also
Mr- Toovey started at thousand guineas, and
Messts. Ellis and Toovey were the chief bidders
till it reached 81 $780, when Mr. Quaritch came to
contest VAS maintained between Mr. Quaritch and
Dir. Toovey, the bidding advancing only by f10,
and sometimes By -f5 till the book was knocked
down to Mr. Quaritch for f2,690. It was UNDER !
stood that Mr. Ellis bought on commission. |
and Mr.. Quaritch on his own account, to sell I
again, though as to the former am not sure. |
The Two together brought E6,09o-say $4,000. !
cannot learn that any American library or col |
ector made an effort to secure either. One OF |
'eF sent for the vellqm copy at 9225o, WIS With
brown away, The amount OF the
single days sale Was E10, $685. Of the four days,
EOS, 743. More than four-dfths OF this sum was |
produced BY IS books aud manuscripts The J
whole amount would have been increased but |
or the usual "knock-out" among the book
elleEs-an operation compared with Which high
say robbery is an honorable profession.
G. VS..
soME OF TIE PRICES PAID.
70 the Editor ef the 4ffu York Tribune:
s1R One Of the junior members OF our firm,
rho attended the sale of the Perkins Library 1t J
1aworth Park, near London, sends US report
/ some Of the items which will interest book
uyers;
copy, :. To ME. Perkins from the Author. 81
ot No. 17[BihliA sscra Manuscript Of the
os 70. iss-Bibifa 6acia, printed on 1ei1un,
Of No. 41s-Fioys.1ts chroncies.1 is2;..: IS
ot No. o34-A Book Of Hours, richly illuminat-
Of No. e3i-Lydgsto's Siege cf Troy An ~
ot 10. e55ITsipin institution dun Prince i'z'
ot No s14-Peje1insso dc il Vie Iamaina. i
Manuscript A. D.. l4C0. Observation-Disclosures. Ito
Of No. s15-picarts Ceremonies ct Costumes
1t epseosss Su sasPont3nc.ls Ron,a,,; Manu-. ~
script 9f the Fifteenth Century ............ $50
ot No. e23-Ptoiemy. 1873. so
ot No. s2s-Purchas' Piiarirnes n........... 80
ot No. s37Shakspeare drss folio edition, 1893. 6s5
It No. Shakespeare, second edition, ;e62. II
ot No. Shakespeare. third edition, 16s4.... Jos
It No. s4o-shatspeare, fourth edition, 1875. q
IT No. 85a-Vftm Patrum, or LyVes Of Her
1HO |
It No. 864-Dibls Sacra L.tinn, known as the |
Mazar1n Bible, on velluzn. ........ 3400
Probably the highest price eyer paid |
for single volume, being equal to
$11, 400 IN American currency.}
It No. 665-Diblio SAc1a-the same book printed
on paper. ........................::. 16so I
The entire sale realized E26, 600, or 9136, ono.
+ s65 1ots which is BY far the highest price :
er realized for such quantity Of books. The {
1ner belonged to the we11-known firm Of Bar {
~, Perkins i Co., celebrated for their porter.
J. SABIa Il Sons. t
NEW YoRK, June 1s, 1873. ,
ONLY WORD. Il
4 DrsTNEss-IIKI POEM. .
Come, y WAS the only word she said; /
The only word-but oh, her !ookI {
read 1t Like soma fairy book !; r
And. rs read, =
The swimming bIaxa Of perfuIned liRht