San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-12-20
PRICELESS OLD BOOKS,
Rare Publications Found on the Shelves of
the Minneapolis Central Library.

Rare publications Found on the Shelves of
the Minneapolis Central Library.
DIR. Hosmer, of the Central library,
has made ample preparation for all
delegates and visitors attending the
big convention who may feel the need
of reference to books-anG especially
does this apply to Bibles-which are
not commonly on public sale. Aside
from the library collection of old and
valuable Bibles and religious reference
books, DIR. John Wright, of st. Paul's
church, St. Paul, has very kindly
allowed the use of his extensive col
lection of rare old Bibles, many of
which are hundreds of years old. The
library collection numbers one hun
dred and forty-four Bibles and
Testaments, printed in almost
every known language, and biblio-
philists will be well repaid with a visit
to the library. Dr. Wright's collec-
ton numbers fifty-seven volumes, and
they represent a small fortune in their
value.
Among some of the old books are:
The Vinegar" Bible, published in Ok
ford in l717; the famous first edition of
King James Bible, printed in 1911, and
the same as the version now in use; a
Dutch version, corrected by the Luvain
doctors, and published as the author
lied Bible of Holland. The rarity of
the latter Bible is accounted for by the
destruction of corresponding copies
during the reign of Phillip ii. Among
the other Bibles are Vulgate edition
of Sextus ", published in Antwerp in
1715; a Latin Vulgate of the fifteenth
century, st. Jerome's Latin Bible, in
teresting because of annotations on
its pages in Melancthon's handwriting,
published in 1880; epistles of st. Paul,
with Mic. De Lyra's commentary, done
by hand in the fourteenth century;
the Brooches" Bible, so called from
some peculiar version of the text; the
Saur Bible, printed by Phillip Saur,
and very rare from the fact that it
was the first English Bible printed in
America-at Germantown in 1776.
A very beautiful book is the His
tory of Syria" written in Syriac, on
vellum. Another famous Bible is
one which belonged to Robert Southey,
the English poet, and which contains
his autograph. There is another |
manufacturing Bible, secured origi- |
nally from the convent of La MERGED, |
Mexico. 1t reposes in a curious wood |
case made out of many different kinds |
of wood from Yucatan. Another val !
liable and beautiful book is a deco
fnl IS ,F
Prayer" according to the last edition
adopted few years ago 1t is the
property of Rev. William Wilkinson of
this city. A very fine edition of the
published in Amsterdam in
1893, is also on exhibition.
An old book which looks as though
it might have been made before the
food, reposes on table by itself. 1t
is old-fashioned, rough, and dingy,
and torn, but the supposition
advanced as to its antediluvian
origin is refuted by its sacred con-
.ents. 1t is a Bible-an Icelandic
Bible. A young Icelander, who
,ame to this country, brought
he Bible with him, and when
n Minneapolis few years ago he pre-
'ented it to Librarian Hosmer for safe
Keeping. 1t had been in the family
or hundreds of years, having been
handed down from one generation to
mother There are several Indian
Bibles, one of which is printed in the
anguage of the six nations A Bible,
belonging at one time to Fitz-Green
Ialleck, is in the collection, and it
ontains the autographs of both Hal
eek and John Greenleaf Whittier
Journal.