New-York tribune., 1882-02-13
LONDON TOPICS.
LORD BFACOYsFIELDs BOoKs-MR. II. S.
MAKKS'S CARD-ADYERTlSING-
ERAY SELECTIONS

SELL as they did his plate, by pnbhc auction were
hls books or such o them as had s1eelal Value'
lie had not many He had his fancieS about books
and even about the binding of them, but he was
never a collector. such rarites as he possessed
appear in some to have descended TO HIM iIom
his father. whose library included good many
miscellaneous book. and Some good ones. others
were gifts. Such as had photographers! value
were disposed of privately ] once had the list IN
my hands aud aln sorry did not make II copy Of
it, They were oherd for sale privately at prices
fixed by an expert. aud few volumes are still to
be bought of MI Balm; a first edition of Waltons
Lives" for example. with an inscription in the
Handwriting OF old lzaah. Some OF the most intel
estng of all have passed into Lord Roseberys pos
session. Lord Rosebery is one of those men who'
as Swift said of Holngbrokc thumbs and spolls his
books by rcadng. as anybody may see who READS
his speeches. but who aSo unlike Bohnghroke'
allows them to multiply on his shelves. lie is not
a collector any more than Lord BeacOusheh was IN
the inner sense of that honorable term although
che owner of vOluminOus collections. But he cared
enough for Lord Beaconsdold to buy sundry treas
ures of his possessing and among them seven vol
rmes which with other bits of literary bric-a-brac.
the late owner used to keep IN mahogany cabinet
oruamcnted with medalhons, plaques and miniature
columns and balusrades of Dresden porcelain {;
which also is now Lord Rosebery's property.
Six OF these are Aldines, of which the most in
portaut is the original Aldne Dante of 1902, the
first book in which Aldus used the device Of the
anchor which he and his successors alterward
made famous As the Dante is the first. the Pc
tIaIch of 1876 is the ffth and last edition o that
writer published by the Adj The Sophocles OF
1902 is perhaps rarcr hook than the Dante
which is itself not easy TO find in good c6hdltlon
Euripides of 1903 is not only the first Aldine
EuIpdes but is for eighteen of the plays the edition
priuceus; not so correct most OF the Greek texts
OF the ..ld hut rare, and even in these days has
never ceased to be sought for. The same is rne OF
the Eschylus of 1918. All these volumes are IN
fairly goou condition to their interior. are de-
Gently clad in morocco and would be thought de-
srable copies independently of the value accrung
10 them from Lord Beaconsteld's ownership.
The remaining volume deserves a paragraph TO
itself. 1t is copy of the first edition o. Miitons
PARADISE Lost with the original title page of 1867.
As everybody now knows, the first edition OF Para
disc Lost was issued with at least eight and per-
haps nine different titles, varying in type, in the
description OF the poem in the name OF the printer
and sellers in the name Of the author (whO in the
third is mentioned j. NJ only and in the date. Of
the eight or nine only bear date 1867, four 1865,
and two or three 1869. Between the two titles OF
1867 there is question of priority perhaps not easy
10 settle but Lord BeacOnsfelds copy, now Lord
Rosebery's is one of those which by pretty general
consent are recognized as the original For that
matter one is the other and /: is only the
two issues with ihe date of 1867 which can in
str,ctness he said to be rare at all. copy with
title of IG6s or 1869 be bought at any time in
Iondon # you are not too exacting to condition.
A copy of 1867 is really dimcult to get, and few
recent sales are recorded. The last which was
offered by auction was Mr.. Dew-Smiths, a short
o0py and ty no means desirable otherwise. 1t
fetched E34 ($l7O. good copy of the third or
fourth issue is worth at least half that, while for
the first when it occurs 1t may be safely predicted
tina. $3.50 must be paid Lord BeacoDsheld's is
large sound clean. with scarcely fault of which
an English amateur would take note The most
serious thing be said about it that 1t has been
rebound in calf by Hayday the genuine. not the
later sc-caled Haydayl. 1t deserves none the less
20 be called most desirable copy, superior in most
points to any that has of late been Add the
fact that it was Lord Beaconshelds bears his book
plate aud was bought direct from hls executors and
IL becomes not only desirable but unique and is all
the more precious be ause it is henceforth utterly
beyond the reach Of the collector in the British
Museum itself
l received by post not long ago large envelope
duly stamped and addressed. at the top of which
was printed in large letters thislegend: Christmas
Gard by II. S. Marks. X. A." AS have not the
honor of knowing Mr.. Marks | thought it odd that
be should favor me with this token of his regard
and still more odd that he should announce himself
IN this extremely conspicuous way the outside of
his letter. On the flap of the envelope a very
big NJ, but this did not quite remove the Sus-
piciousness which snch mssive reused. And the
suspicion proved, OF course well founded. Inside
was an illustrated and colored advertisement of
tradesman in Oxford-st.. from design by II. S. |
Marks X. A." Now ! don't know that much fault |
need be found with Nr. Marks for putting his pencil
at the service Of a pushing shopkeeper. He sells |
him design as be would sell il to nybOdT else. and
takes his for it, and it is all in the way of
business: art and commerce hand in hand. But it |
is cutie another thing for Mr, Marks to sell his |
name, the potent initials Il. a. included and to |
allow both name and title to be used in such way |
as to impose on the public. English art and the |
ROYAL Academy must be at low stage when they |
nre in the market for the purpose of misleading the
public into looking at dealers putl of his wares.
Perhaps Mr. Marks is not party TO the trick. in |
which case he would do well to say so. and leave
the discredit of il where it belongs
II is hard to say what limit is 20 be set in these
days t. the brazen vulgarities OF the advertising
Briton Mr. IIerkomer, an artist dis
tincuished than Mr. Marks. was not thought to
have added to his reputation by executing huge
design for street placard. The pretence of setting
up an art gallery i'll the public thoroughfaros i'm
posed upon nobody Mr. Herkomer's drawing as
certainly less hideous than the mammoth human
heads with hich the police allow the bOardings of
london to be dsfgured. Caricatures as vast as
hey are vile are only too common. They must he
meant to recommend the soap or tobacco, or what
,vcr their propretors deal in, to public devoid as
hese posters are of taste and Gecency.
At these it is possible not to look but what are
,ou TO do with advertisements printed in the text of
weekly or monthly publications, or pasted between