The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1881-03-10
BIBLIOPHILES.
Private Illustration Of Books.

Private Illustration Of Books.
The New York Sun describes hobby of
rich men-viz: the private illustration of
books. That paper says that some rich
bibliophists of New York have several hun
dred thousand dollars invested in privately
illustrated books. "They are household
gods, kept under lock and key, and reveal
ed only for the delectation of those possess
ed of the curious mania" Privately illus
trated books are those in which prints are
inserted which do not belong to the volume,
but which are pertinent to the subject treat
ed.
"The book once obtained, cheap edition
is studied for opportunities of illustration.
The passages containing references to men
or women of note, places Of interest, gre 1t
battles, great cathedrals or buildings, works
Of art, or natural objects are noted, and
then the print seller is visited. His col
lection is ransacked. winnowed of tue pic
lures sought for, and then another collec-
ton is inspected, and so on until the quota
Of pictures necessary for the illustration Of
the text obtained. The labor develops a
knowledge Of engravers and eng1avings,
and, as the taste is improved, many pic.
lures already bought are rejected because
they are not by the best engravers, and some
that are from the best plates ever made are
cast aside because they are not the artists
proof, and others still because they are not
upon India paper. Thus the expense of
the hobby is vastly increased, but once
possessed Of the passion the true blblio
phile does not rest until he has made UP a
satisfactory collection Of prints, of which
his taste and judgment at that period of
its Development unequivocally approves.
But the prints are large and small, and
would make an awkward volume if bound
as they are placed in the book. 1t there
fore becomes necessary to seek the aid of
the inlayer, a profession supported almost
entirely by those SEIZED with the passion for
private illustration. There are only three
members Of the profession in this country,
-Messrs. Toedtberg, Trent and Lawrence,
and they live i'll Brooklyn. Theya are fur
nished with the size of the volume for
which the prints are intended, and their
work is to reduce or extend the pictures to
a uniform size with the book. It is COM
paratively easy to reduce the size of a print,
but the skill of the inlayer is taxed to ex-
tend it. This is done with a fine steel tool
as sharp as a razor by which the edges of
the print are beveled, SO that when the
print is set in, it becomes "inlaid. J"
The edges are nicely glued together and
pressed, so that when the work is finished
it requires an expert eye to tell that the en-
craving was not printed upon the sheet up
on which it appears. The pictures are
then arranged according to the illustrators
binder. Here the bibilophilist changes the
complexion of his mania for the nonce, and
becomes bibilopegist, devoted to the
study of the binders art. Probably decid-
ing upon full-crushed Levant, he directs
the tooling and the edging, and when he
gets his book done he finds that the bind
ing alone has cost about $40 volume, and
that the first qualification of his passion rep
resents an outlay of $500 Or $500.
Amongst the names of those noted for
collections of privately illustrated books
are William Menzies, John 81. V. Arnold,
Augustin DAILY, Robert Hoey, Jr.
Here are further little details which have
an interest:
"Mr. Henry T. Cox, of Brooklyn, Presi-
dent Of the Rembrandt Club, is illustrating
i copy of Izaak Walton. He has already
200 water colors, 100 etchings, and 700
prints-artist proofs-on India paper. The
titlepages of the book are to be composed
of unique water color designs executed by
barley.
Inc I1Ou. CuttIlco ". cOHcS, VI 0CO1Sl1,
has illustrated over 100 volumes, and one of
the greatest of his productions, historically,
is a work based on the roster of the Con-
federate army, consisting Of autographs,
original army orders, $50 original letters,
and many portraits, prints, maps, and plans
of battles. The work makes ten thick VOL
umes. At cost of 5000 he has illustrated
the "Siege of Savannah in 1878, and he has
also at great expense, illustrated with many
rare prints the Life of Tomo Chi Chi, a
Georgia chief, who in 1884 visited Europe
with Gov. Oglethorpe.
Mr.. Robert Hoe Jr., has large library
of privately illustrated books, which have
cost several fortunes. He pursues meth
cd Of his own in private illustration. and
not one of his choice editions, which are
from foreign presses, has been deformed
by the inlaying or building-up process.
He prints nearly ali his with as much nicely
as though originally intented for HI
works. and only few of them are inlaid.
Mr., Hoes 'Izaak Walton has been extend
ed from two volumes to ten by the insertion
Of 1903 prints, artist proof on Indian pa
per, original drawings, and water colors.
This said Mr.. Treadwell, lis probably the
Mr.. Hoe has large paper copy of 'Allison's'
History of Europe originally in six vol
umes. which has been extended to eighteen
by the insertion Of LOO Illustrations, and
it is said there is not a common print
among them. He has also the Memoirs
of Abraham Raimbach, illustrated by 100
of his choicest proof engravings; also,
large paper copy of the Life of Mrs.
Sarah Siddons, illustrated by 130 prints,
portraits, and portraits in costume OF
this actress. His collection includes nu-
merous magnificent works, literally too nu-
merous to mention.
"While Mr. Hoe has resolately adhered
to the rule of illustrating his fine editions
without building them up in prints. Mr..
William r. Horne, wealthy lawyer OF tif-