Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-03-21
RARE GEMS IN BOOKS.
LITERARY TREASURES IN THE AsToe
LIBRARY IN NEW YORK.

'"'"eS ihnt n re Stnreh0uses NJ sehcr.~
snip and Are Worth Small Fortu,s.
Ancient Illustrations In Priceless Mama
scripts
Even many otherwise well informed
people are not aware that the public II.
oraries OF this city contain some of the
choicest literary gems extant-books for
which wealthy bibliophiles have offered
fabulous sums II New York ia not tho
literary center Of America. then books
immense In number, rare in antiquity
ana almost priceless in value are NOT
factors in the competition.
There are thirty-four public libraries
IN New York. and the number and valna
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.
Inc day when the citizen Of New Am.
sterdam was content to sit outside his
door, drink beer, smoke, grow fat and
die in the firm belief that he had enioyed
lie, has given way to an entirely differ
emit state Of affairs.
twenty-five years ago one public IL
orary collection was considered sufficient
70 meet Inc demands OF every class, call
ing or profession. Today nine institu-
lions can be picked out, each one Of
which Is patronized by single class.
The Astor is the richest of all our H.
oraries. One million dollars worth of
oooks repose upon its shelves, but not
without frequent disturbance. From
nity 10 ioo studious men and women are
deiv'ng into the enchanting mysteries of
some favor,te theme every day that the
feaa1ng rooms are open to the public.
Inc library contains nearly 5000,
worth OF rare books and manuscripts,
winch are seldom allowed to go into the
nands OF the public. Perhaps the largest
ana nnest single volume in New York
may Dc found there. If any one thinks
tnat the contemporaries of Shakespeare
ana Milton would marvel at the superb
product OF modern illustrators he is very
much mistaken. Nothing has been pro-
duced IN the last century that can equal,
much less rival. the illustrations in a
seventeenth century manuscript entitled
"Antiphonale." 1t contains 22S pages of
velluln, adorned by 272 small and SO
| large miniatures in the highest style of
the French art of that day. Some of its
illustrations have been attributed to LIE
brun. the great painter of the time of
Louis XIV The larger paintings for
the most part are scenes from the Scrip
lures appropriate to the various church
festivals, and many OF the initial letters
which accompany the stanzas are
illumined in style wholly unknown at
the present day. This volume, bound in
purple morocco, with gilt mountings and
ornamented with the fiower-de-lnce, was
designed for the coronation of Charles
| V. At public sale it would easily com
mand several thousand dollars.
Another valuable work is Sylvester's
universal Photography, in two vol
umes, containing upward of 300 finely
executed facsimiles of medieval works
OF art. This sumptuous work is said to
have cost the sum of f20, 900 for its exc
cution alone. Among other rarities is a
copy of the first letter written by Chris
topher Columbus after he discovered
America There are only six copies of
these in existence. The letter consists of
only four leaves, but at a London auction
sale in 1872 it brought 500.
Another rare volume to be found only
in this library is Lloyd's "History of
Columbia, Now Called Wales" pub
lished in 1854. 1t contains the legendary
narrative of the expedition of Prince
Modoc and Welsh company that voy-
aged to America prior to Columbus, but
never returned. Many foreigners have
sent to this country for abstracts from
this rare volume.
The earliest known editions of Ptole-
mys geography repose on the shelves of
the Astor. The dates on their title pages
range from l47S to 1921. There is also a
superb specimen of the "Biblia Sacra
Latina" of 1862, the first edition of the
Bible bound in old crimson morocco, with
gilt edges. which is worth $4,000. In
side the covers are the names of those
Immortal printers" Johann Faust and
Peter Schaffer. The oldest polyglot
edition of the Scriptures. executed at
the order of Cardinal Ximenes, which
cost $4,000 ducats in gold and fifteen
years for its preparation, is also at the
Astor. The Oldest manuscript of all is
the "Lectiones Evangeliis." printed on
vellum and containing whole pages of
illuminations. This manuscript was
executed by the monks in A. d. 1470
| and ia almost priceless in yalue No