The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-02-29

| NiUNNANt NANIt 10 ca e'N'N'NN
mere coquetry and display OF morocco
and red letters, and the toys when
amuse the minds OF men,
In other words, women are not, gem
orally speaking, hibliophiles, Blhllo-
mania, the love OF first or rare edi-
lions. uncut copies. artistic or eXpen-
sive bindings vellum, large paper, tool
ing, books on extraordinary subjects
(such as Eugene Field called fool
books" though he loved them) or those
embellished with engravings in early
states,' does not atflict them or lead
them into eXtravagances, That perhaps
are only TO BID atoaed Tor by the sac
riflce of things essential, They rarely
have need to pray,
Danish from by aring heart
All baleful appetites and hints
| or Satan's fascinating arts,
OF first editions and of prints"
The bookseller who said contemplate
ously of one OF his customers that he
did not know much about books, except
perhaps. their insides," expressed Mr..
4 Lang's >opinion of women readers in
language less elegant but more epigra-
matte.
In Charles Godfrey Leland's Me
moirs' there is an anecdote illustrating
a commonApotion as TO books. A man
had collected a library of old and rare
works, at which people wondered and
smiled. They say" remarked young
lady to Mr.. Leland, that his books are
all old things, which he did not buy
at any first-class stores but picked up
at old stalls and second hand shops,
at less than their value; in fact, they
did not cost him much" But this opin-
ion of such collections is by no means
confined to women.
There have been, and probably are
now, many "bibliomaniacs" of the
gentler sex. Some very noted women
have, among other claims to fame, that
of being book collectors and book low
ers, fond of ''the coquetry and display
of morocco and red letters" fond too,
of the spiritual aspect of literature.
1t is hard to tell in many cases,
whether it was the inside or the OUT
side of the book that pleased them
most. It may have been only a fad"
with some Of them, the more enjoyable
because it was expensive 1T must be
owned" says Mr.. Lang, that the books
they have possessed, being rarer and
| more romantic, are even more highly
priced by amateurs than examples
from the libraries of Grolier ana
Longepierre, and d'Hoym" Such were
the books of Marguerite of Valois, the
wife of Henry ". They were bound
in morocco, after system of her
own, scientific and philosophie works
in citron color, poetry In green, history
and theology in red. All were stamped
with scattered daisies, with the lily of
the royal arms in the center. A num-
Der of books, believed to be of this
collection, were sold in London, few
years ago, at fabulous prices. Mar
guerite d. Angouleme, the sister of
Francis T., was also book collector.
The remains of her library are chiefly
devotional manuscripts. Her books
i were bound in morocco, stamped with
a crowned M, and streWn with daisies
in conventional form. Madame de
| Maintenon had a. fancy for dainty bind
ings, and Madame de Pompadour pos
sessed about four thousand volumes of
all sorts from books of devotion to
books.of folly, all richly bound by d ia
nous bookbinder of the day. 1t is re-
corded that Madame Du Barry, in
spired with envy, resolved that she also
would have beautiful collection, there
1 fore, though she could scarcely read or
write, she purchased a thousand cheap
volumes, without regard to their sub
jects, and had them bound in rose col
ored morocco, deliberately gilded, and
lstamped with the arms of the house Of
Du Barry.
More valuable, as to their contents,
were the books collected by Catherine
de Medicis. Her manner of collecting"
was peculiar. The Marshal Strozzie,
dying in the French service, left a mag
nificent library which she confscated.
Her books, about four thousand in all,
were secreted at the time of her death,
lest her creditors should confscate
them in their turH. For their further
protection her special bindings were
stripped away, and books with her arms
and cipher are very rare. A Book of
Hours" known to be hers, was sold for
e2400 Diana of Poictiers owned 81
large library, the bindings enriched
with DIS and crescents and hunters
bows. One Of this a History of Ven
ice,' is exhibited under glass in the
British museum, another is the proper
ty of collector in New York. And
Marie Antoinette was book lover OF
her large library there are many relics
yet in existence. There Is a little book
Of prayers, "Offiee de la Divine Provi-
dence" that was her companion in the
dreadful days spent In the Temple, and
the Conciergerie. Its fy-leaf bears the
pathetic words of farewell she wrote
early on the morning of her execution,
but the royal arms upon its covers were
cut away by some fanatic supporter
of Liberty and Equality" These fa-
nous collections of books and their
owners, French queens, princesses,
beauties and court favorites, are the
subject of a work in two volumes by
M. Ernest Quentin Bauchart.
OF English women perhaps Queen
Elizabeth was the first famous biblio-
phile. This might be expected of her
who reigned in that wonderful ''age of
literature" Before she came to the
throne she employed herself in selecting
books and having them bound to her
taste, and after her accession there
were, beside her own purchases, the
magnificent presentation copies for
+, wa1'dedSby aspiring authors. We have
descriptions of some of her books. One,
! French poem, of which the subject
was her own charms, gifts and graces,
, was embellished with many exquisite