The morning call., 1892-09-11

I Though not much given TO admire the
merely curious parts of libraries l was
greatly pleased with the old block printing,
the very early specimens Of the art at MentZ,
the Caxtons. the Florence Homer, the Al
buses the famous Boccaccio l looked with
peculiar interest 10 the two editions OF
Chaucer by CaXton, and at the preface OF
the latter. There Is here large collection OF
pamphlets formerly the property OF General
Conway. There were many which had
never seeD."
OF the Caxions ninety-nine productions
of the CaXton Press are known to exist, and
of these the Althorp Library contains fifty
seven separate works, OF which thlrty-0ne
are perfect and three unique, namely. The
-Four Sons of Aymon," The History OF
Blanchardin and Byzantine" and folio
broadsde o. desthbed prayers Among
the CaXtons is complete copy OF The
Dictes and Sayings OF the Philosophers,
the first book by this famous printer, with
the place and date of its production. At
the sale Of the Duke of Buccle1ch's library
in 1889 1.-The Detes" fetched $500. Men
ton can only be made OF few OF the rarest
of the Caxtons.
A perfect copy of THE Moral Proverbs
of Cristyne." 1873, Of which only two others
exist; a fine uncut cory OF 'Propositlo
J0hannis Russell" Latin Grafton delivered
upon the investment of the Duke of Bur
gundy with the Order of the Garter, of
which one other impression Is known; the
third edition OF "Parvus ct Magnus Chato,"
1881, perfect copy, with two wnodcuts,
which may be considered as the earliest spec-
mems of wood engraving in England; THE
Noble Histories OF King Arthur EN-
PRINTED in the Abbey OF Westmestre
MCCCCLXXXV'; THE CuraI of Master
Alan Charter; perfect copy Of "Curia
Sapientis," OF which only three exist. Fur
Their. there are copies OF the two editions Of
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales" and of the
Book of Fame" aud perfect impression
Of Vocabulary IN French and English"
Of which compilation no Ms. is known.
OF course there are several works from
Wynkyn de Worde's press (Caxton's sue
cessOT). including "Treatyses Derteynng TO
Hawkynge," a copy of which in the Buc-
cleueb sale sold for e44. Dealing with the
productions of the early English press. of
the seventeen works supposed to have
issued from Oxford between 1873 and 1886
copies of nine are 10 be found here. In
1919, in cOnse quenee of the dispersion OF
the famous Marlborough Library at White
knights, the memorable copy of the val
darfer BoecacciO," for which Lord Bland
ford had paid $3.50, was purchased for
$50.
There are nine block books in the library,
including the remarkable Bibia Pau
perum." The Althorp copy of the Guten-
berg or MaZarin Bible, the earliest bible
printed from movable types, is on paper
and perfect. This book, which Is folio in
two volumes, is worth $4,000 in the market
Several have been sold Of late years, and
not for less money than $1,000. The MeutZ
Psalter Of 1857 is one Of the greatest treas
ures, copy Of this work some years ago
being bought by Mr.. Quaftch at SOtheby's
Tor about 5000
There are the second and third editions
of the Psalter also in the library. The
Spencer copy of the "Mentz" Bible is in
every way magnificent, being printed on
pure vellum, richly illuminated throughout
f,,or "A c,,1 81 e
the Aldine press the Spencer Library pos
sesses an extraordinary series, but biblio-
philes are too well acquainted with these
Venetian books to require any detailed ac-
count. Anything like minute description
OF this wonderful library would assume too
much the character of a catalogue, but men,
ton must be made of the rare and artistic
bindings in the library, produced by the
artists who worked for Francis /, Grolier.
Henri Ii, Diane de Poitiers De Thou, Louis
XIV, Prince Eugene, Louis XIV. Nine. de
PompadolT. and the work of Nicholas Eve,
Pasdeoup, the two Jeromes and Roger
Payne.
The Althorp library consisted originally
of family collection formed at Worm
leighton, in Warwickshire. containing many
valuable specimens of early English litera-
ture. and of a library acquired by the first
Lord Spencer. formerly belonging to DR..
George Head. Master of Elton, but the sec
ond Earl really collected the library. The
foundation OF the Spencer library may be
said to have been laid in 1890 by the pur-
chase of Count Reviczky's collection, the
chief characteristic OF which was its extra
ordinary series of the earliest and rarest
editions of the Greek and Latin classics
Numerous acquisitions were made by auc-
ton and private purchase, and in 1919 Lord
Spencer during a continental tour obtained
possession OF the library Of the Duke of
Cassano Sierra, nobleman highly distin-
guished as great book collector at Naples,
by which he acquired many of the earliest
and rarest productions Of the Neapoltan
press.
Speaking generally OF the Althorp
Library, IL is not too much TO say that
hardly ever has there been a series of
books brought together illustrating so CON-
pletely as this collection the origin and de-
velopment of the art Of printing. Nor is it
less remarkable from the different impress
sions of tue Holy Scriptures in almost every
language, and for the extraordinary variety
and number OF the first editions of the
classics which 1t contains. And while the
contents OF the books themselves excite in
terest and admiration, no one can be less
struck with their perfect condition and
state Of preservation. and with the appro-
priateness. and often with the magnificence,
of their binding