The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1885-01-24
MAZARIx BIBLE.
s0ns Accounts Of ths Nest Costly Book in tAs
world.

world-and it certainly is not-the
"Mazarin Bibble" now ranks as de-
cidedly the most costly; and the
next to it is an edition of BOeeac-
clos stories, in point of morals the
opposite pole of literature. Last
Saturday, at the sale of the Syston
Park library at public auction,
copy of the Mazarin Bibble was
sold far sl9,5OO. That is by far
the highest price ever paid for a
book. The next highest price was
paid dozen or SO years ago for
another copy of the MaZarin Bib
BILE, printed on vellum, and now in
the great Ashburnham library, and
that was $4,000. Up to that time
that was at the Perkins sale, |
think, in 1S73-the highest price
on record was s11, 300 paid in 1912
at the sale of the Duke of Rox.
burgh's library by the Marquis of
Blandford, afterward Duke of
Marlborough, for copy of Boo
caccio, known as the "Valdarfer
Boccaccio,n and.printed at Venice
in l471.
1t would be of interest to calcu.
late how much these great prices
represent per pound of the weight
of the books. Doubtless it would
be found that the volumes were
worth many times their weight in
gold. They might also we'll be
compared with the original value
of the books, and with the sums
the original values would have
reached had they been at com.
pound interest for these 400 odd
years. But l leave such problems
for those with q greater foudness
for mathematics that l ever boast.
ed.
A more practical question is,why
did this Mazarin Bible bring so
muchq l confess no good reason
is apparant. / do not see why 1t
should have brought more than or
so much as the $4,000 paid for
the Ashburnham library copy. In.
deed, it should not have brought
nearly as much, for that was print.
cd on vellum and this was on pa.
per. At that same Perkins sale, in
1873, there was sold another Ma.
zarin Bible, on paper, for sl3, ,45O,
now the property of Mr.. Huth,
The copy sold last week is not
worth as much as that, for that
one is probably the finest book
printed on paper in the world. 1t
was and is absolutely perfect, not
q leaf trimmed by the binder, MOI
eaten by worms, nor torn, moi
soiled, while the printing was re-
markable work which, after 40C
years and more, is still the most
perfect specimen of the printers
art in the world.
The copy sold last week is poor
one, really. Many pages have
been torn and eaten, and clumsily
mended. Stains and dirt abound
But worst of oil, it was rebound
less than a hundred years ago, and
the fool who did the work cut of
an inch or two of margin making
the pages look sorely cramped
The binding is of blue morocco
heavily covered and almost con.
cealed with gilt put on in garnish
designs and with no regard what.
ever to taste or propriety. The
insides of the covers ARE even
worse. being lined with a particu.
larry offensive shade of red silk
Altogether 1t is an example of a
splendid book almost ruined by the
ravages of insects and binders,
And yet it brought $4,000 more
than any other book in the world
At the same sale, what would Mr.,
Huth's copy have brought 7 Pro
portionately, it is worth fully
$4,000.
Last Saturday afternoon the
sale that "broke the record" took
place. The small and uncomfort.
able auction room was crowded
to suffocation, mostly with mere
spectators, for, of course, there
were not many actual bidders
Many bookdealers we're there
Some from Paris. Berlin, and St
Petersburg. Next to the
, auctioneer sat NJ. Morgand, a great
Paris collector, who was deter.
mined to carry the book back with
him, no matter how mnch it might
cost him. Next to him sat our ia.
nous London dealer, Mr.. Quaritch
who purchased the s13,45O copy
at the Perkins sale, and afterward
let Mr.. Huth have it at less than
cost. Mr.. Quaritch is a bulldog
looking man, and he pulled his
slouch hat over his ears and plant.
ed his two elbows on the table
with the air of man who will
brook no rivalry.
Tho far.nn. hnol~ ~-o. ,oa.od