Arizona republican., 1892-12-30
RARE GEMS IN BOOKS.
LITERARY TREASURES IN THE Aston
LIBRARY IN NEW YORK.

Ancient Illustrations In Priceless Manu-.
scripts.
Even many otherwise we'll informed
1 people are not aware that the public Ii.
traries Of this city contain some of the
,noicest literary gems extant-books for
which wealthy bibliophiles have offered
fabulous sums. If New York is not the
literary center of America, then books
immense in number, rare in antiquity
and almost priceless in value are not
factors in the competition.
There are thirty.four public libraries
in New York, aud the number and value
Of the volumes within their walls have
grown so RAPIDLY that Paris, Munich and
even London will be surpassed in their
library collections if the present growth
continues.
The day when the citizen of New Am
4 .,erdam was content to sit outside his
door, drink beer, smoke, grow fat and
lie in the firm belief that he had enjoyed
l life, has given way to an entirely differ
i emf state of affairs.
1 Twenty-Five years ago one public Ii
brary collection was considered sufficient
10 meet the demands of every class, call
mg or profession. Today nine institu-
/ rons can be picked out, each one Of
4 which is patronized by "A single class.
The Aston is the richest of all our IL
4 traries. One million dollars worth Of
n books repoSe upon its shelves. but not
I without frequent disturbance. From
4 fifty to 100 studious men and women are
4 ieIyng into the enchanting mysteries of
A some favOrite theme every day that the
reading rooms are open to the public.
The library contains nearly $500, 900
4 worth of rare books and manuscripts,
4 which are seldom allowed to go into the
hands of the public, Perhaps the largest
and finest single volume in New York
nav be found there II any one thinks
that the contemporaries of Shakespeare
4 and Milton would marvel at the superb
a uOdnct Of modern illustrators he is very
much mistaken. Nothing has been pro-
l1cel in the last century that can equal,
\ much less rival the illustrations in
Seventeenth century manuscript entitled
'Antiphonale." 1t contains 22S pages of
g.Ium, adorned by 272 small and 50
arse miniatures in the highest style of
he French art Of that day. Some of its
Il IustratlOns have been attributed to lie
3run, the great painter of the time Of
louis XIV. The larger paintings for
he most part are scenes from the Scrip
1reS appropriate to the various church
istvals, and many of the initial letters
Tl,ch accompany the stanzas are
.1mined in style wholly unknown at
be present day, This volume, bound in
;1rp.e morocco, with gilt mountings and
sIamented with the tlOwer-de-luce, was
.slgned for the coronation of Charles
II At public sale it would easily com
H4gi several thousand dollars.
Another valuable work is Sylvester's
a Uuyerssl Photography" in two vol
tines, containing upward of 800 finely
Iscuted faCsiniles Of medieval works
fart This sumptuous work is said to
aS cost the sum of 10000 for its exc
In0u alone Among other rarities is a
A 0py Of the first letter written by Chris
Il Dyhtr Columbus after he discovered
4uerica. There are only six copies Of
rsss in existence. The letter consists of
u zly four leaves, but at a London auction
"A in 1872 it brought $780,
Another rare volume to be found only
this library is Lloyd's History of
4 6,1mbia, Now Called Wales" pub
Shed in 1854. 1t contains the legendary
ATstiye Of the expedition of Prince
LolOc and a Welsh company that voy-
gsi to America prior to Columbus, but
7erreturmed. Many foreigners have
Il Et to this country for abstracts from
lis rare volume.
The earliest known editions of Ptole-
1ys geography repOse on the shelves Of
be Aston. The dates on their title pages
nlgs from l41S to 1921. There is also a
nperb specimen of the "Biblia Sacra
latina of 1852, the first edition of the
Bible bound in old crimson morocco, with
git edges, which is worth $4,000. In
ai9 the covers are the names of those
immortal printers, Johann Faust and
Peter Schaifer The oldest polyglot
sltOn Of the Scriptures, executed at
tie order of Cardinal Ximenes, which
"HjOOOO ducats in gold and fifteen
af5 for its preparation, is also at the
A,0r. The oldest manuscript of all is
ss "Lectiones Evangeliis," printed on
alum and containing whole pages of
-1ninations. This manuscript was
Hcuted by the monks in A. d. 1870,
I'd is almost priceless in value. No
1asr library in America possesses such
Treasure. Next in point of antiquity
4 sJohn Wyclif's English version Of the
AT Testament, written in 1890, and
a,'aining the autobiography Of Hum
Prey, duke of Gloucester. There are
10 two rich Persian manuscripts of the
It'eenth century, besides manuscripts
1Hore recent date.
SEVERAL competent Psychologists,
aong them the late Miss Amelia b.
AEards, who inspected the collection
@Hng her visit to this city, have pro-
~'lced the library especially rich in
a'ntal works. The great work of
'.1ss Audubon on the Birds of Ameri-
a Consisting of four volumes, would