The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-07-26
TWOPR|CBLBSS RARE OLD VOLUMES,
LYING NEGLECTED ON SOMEBODY'S SHELVES.
LYING NEGLECTED ON SOMEBODY'S sHELvEa.


an existence. Roth OF them mention il in
their works, and that the book WAS printed
e1clusiv0ly for the novices at the monastery
OF 1T. Dominic. in the City of Mexico,
where the first printing press was located in
the Three Americas All bibliographical
Ing had All existence. and that 1t nntodates
what IL now the first book actually known
to be preserved. and that il Cabrera's
Manual Of Adults of which there are
only a few fragments in n private library ut
Madrid, but on one of which we read that
the printer, Kromberger, finished IL in the
Clty OF Mexico On December ID, 1910. Here
then Is a prize to be found, and | seriously
think of paying a long visit to our sister
republic to hunt for the Spiritual Ladder"
which was turned off the presses of tho first
American printer, Juan Pablos.
This fact is only known to n few men
like us two" the bookworm vent on, 'bnt
the existence of tho first book printed in
New England, is more generally recognized
on account of old Isaiah Thomas. in his
History of Printing having made Us no
4uninted with the fact. Thomas tells us
that in January, 1888, printing was first
performed in that part OF North America,
the Frozen Ocean, The first press and
font of type were imported to New Eng
land by the Rev. Jesse Glover, who de-
frayed a part Of tho expense, the balance
being contributed by several other persons
in New England and Amsterdam. Ihe
first printer who settled in what ls now the
United States, and turned out books here,
was a Londoner named Stephen Daye, who
who came along with the printing plant.
and WAS set to work at Cambridge in
Massachusetts. 1t il generally sup
posed by many that the Bay Psalm
Book imprinted in 1910, and of which a
copy sold at the Harris sale for fifteen
hundra0 1p1lnra hou Tho honor ~ hoi,1
the first New England book, but it is
not 80, as it was really an 'Almnnack'
for the year 1910 which according to Thorn
as and Winthrop, the historian, WAS COM
piled for New England by Mr.. William
Pierce. mariner. That is a lost book, no
vate library. The first piece of printing
actually done though on Daye's press was a
broadside entitled 'The Free Mans OATH
and like Pierce's almanac is extinct. The
Bay Psalm Book which WAS prepared for
tho press in 1910 by Richard Mather,
lated the Indian Bible,' follows these,
chronoloRically speaking. | just mentioned
the Indian Bible. That, of course, as you
know, was printed by Samuel Green and in
1860, at Cambridge; Mass, and he imported
the second printing press and types to this
country"
"What is your record, old fellow, of the
highest price ever paid in these times for a
book?" | asked of Halkett Lord, who re-
sponded:
1.-THE German government paid fifty
thousand dollars a few years ago to the
duke of Hamilton for II purple vellum
missal presented by Pope Leo the Tenth to
Henry the Eighth of England, and which
accompanied the document making the
bluff old monarch, Defender of the Faith.
The highest price ever offered for a volume
is said to be that with which the Jews of
Venice tempted one of the popes for a He