The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-25
A~SHBURNHAM BOOK SALE,
THB EIRL's INVESTMENT YIELDS
PROFITS OF 100 PER GENT.

was Pet Observation-Disclosures OF Doiiaru FOR
Bibie- ana Caxtons-susO. 900 Cleared from
eco, OOO-Many uBoohs Are Vet 20 ne Sold.
LONDON, July l2.-Though the largo sum OF
$40, 900 paid for the Mazarin Bible was the most
startling event In the recent sale in London of
the frst portion Of tho fourth Earl of Ash.
burnham's printed books, there were other feat.
ures which In themselves would have made the
sale the most notable event for bibliophiles in
many years. The competition for the rare CaK.
tons was one Of the fercest ever seen In England.
and record prices were obtained for many books
as well as for the whole collection. Tho 1853
books sold during the eight days that the aus-
ton lasted had cost tho late Earl about SOD, 900:
they brought In over Sl50,00o, o Profit of $50
per cent. The average was about 800 q vol.
ume, but as all the books were sold without
any selection, It would DO fairer to throw out
such as brought in less than So in making com.
parsons with other famous sales, where only
tho pick of tho collections was sent under the
hammer. This would make the Ashburnhan
average $500. Tho Syston Park Gale in 1884
was previously tho record sale. with $4,000
takon In for 2,110 lots; next came the Seiliere
library in 1887, with S75,ooo for LAO lots.
Bertram, fourth Earl of Ashburnham, who
gathered these books together, died In 1873, a.
the ago Of 81. having been all his life an ardent
and even INSCRIPTIONS collector. He collected
pictures, armor, coins, but his ruling passion
was books and manuscripts, and the great
wealth he was able to devote to his hobby and
the notorIety Of some Of the collections from
which he acquired books and manuscripts,
have cast into the shade his collections of art and
antiquities, which were Of the highest order.
Many of his most valuable manuscripts and
books were stolen from the French public IL
braries by the persons from whom tho Earl
bought them, and ho had every reason to sus-
pect and in some cases to know the source
whence they came.
A glaring instance of this was his purchasing
the manuscripts Of the notorious, Count LibH1.
a mathematician of the FIRST rank. Legendre's
successor in the French Academy Of Sciences, q
R he Gesi OF t Of AA Sa o Who g, abased RS lis once hss q
Inspector of Public Libraries under quizot'g
Manuscript from the libraries Of Paris and Of
the provinces, which he was sent to eKamine,
he he e has the and ldSs seFSS t %srks st Ff srss e f f5G% t ana,
when he was found out, In England, the greater
part to Lord d. Ash5urpph ,nI.; n He mt, m99nSSg gs to
found guilty in his absence and sentenced to
ten years Imprisonment: a sentence that was
set foot in France again.
The French Government took tho pains to have
catalogues traced, and wal successful in many
cases IN showing from what Library and shell
i irsg nae LORD sGe As SSbbeni San o0u Hft SS'1 bis nd de sedaei Il
appropriated 100000 francs, Q sum thought to
be fully equivalent to what the Earl had e1.
pended, in order to purchase them back from
for the interest and France decided TO let the
number Of pages torn out, Of the celebrated
Lyons Psalter was proved to the satisfaction OF
turned it without compensation, on the French
officials, giving q written statement that there
uscript that affected the fourth Earl's honor.
In the Barrois collection, too, which the Earl
bought, there were books whose rightfui place
i, Of the printed books alone: The drst third
held back to give the market for old books time
The sditto priseeps Of Aristotls, "opess
A ainstseo on e SSfliom; OF %A sE SOLD t fSe s stiSSOise Q lss the
Ct italie e, Naples f9Ipl la ss oe edited 6e BY E : STntaEH
lions on Aristotleis Metaphysics. printed By
Letton, in London in 1880, the first book eyer
hristotle's Ethics. oxford. I4zs. the second
book with the Oxford imprint, brought S605.
lntirmitie and Crete Sekenesse called Pesti-
lence," without date or place. but probably
The second days sale, which Included tho
Mazarin Bible, brought in $ts,940, the high
sale Of printed books. The record of the sew
snth day of the S Sys,e Park sale Was So 81 49, S5G56
paid for the MalaPin Bible, Which is printed
on venum and is the FIR book executed with
me1sl tESpss t BY G pr5ee satd a for thu fsss so Ses b. S5 iopS
Bibles were: The Biblia bauperumr, an orisi-
side only, 1880, $S.a5o; a ,vellum copy of the
first printed Latin Bible with a date, l46l, Fust
from designs by, Giovanni Bclini, s755; Tyn,
feet copy, 81, $50; the first edition OF the Bible
in English, translated out of "Douch and
printed Iaiised BY Sy Ja Hdiss ve H9S Meteren, s. ioS; fh 54ssi
Matthews Translation of the Bible, 1887, 1855.
,.S IA Tfreatyfe o; Fysshynge with an angle.
HGwkynge:" printed by ,Wynkyn de Worde.
i5S2, u unique copy: ,ce9nsisting Of only sixteen
size, may be regarded as the highest price ever
paid for printed matter; THE Bokys Of Hawk:
iihss BOOK Of St. !Aibans. 6roasht 81 ,s2S. and the
second e d, %sst ldGs' printed BY wEEaasSyn de
the thirty editions Of "Boceaccio, tho 'fFG French
translation La RUNE dos Mobiles .Hommes et
B Ee@sss', SOLD GFf for ss. q S0 and G Mahs1Gn; own 1a1S sop Hy
OF the "Aldine Decameron' of 1922 for S275.
The collection OF early editions of ChGueer
prices obtained were high. The sditio prin.
ssps Of The Boke Of sa ne seo Tales Of CaGnterc,
edition. 1923. sl.l65; Wynkyni de Worde's
The History. OF ,Troiins and Cresydc, ISL,
Tynpkyn ID dc Wv WoTde; $3.50; There va unusual
Consolacione Philosophic," translated aua
printed by him before 1870, brought s2.55o;
the Earl paid $3.50 for the book; The Prologue
or Prohcme Of the Book Callid Cation 1888,
5r Fought $40; a portion OF his edition OF
Of England, 1852, and the Description .,
Britayne," 14s0, bound together. $3.50; tho
Book OF the ordre Of Chyvalrey." 81 .725; The
B3ke Named Corydale or the Fower Last
I'M pSf, 5000 The piste. and sayings o.
trinal of .sapvencc," 1850. $500,
% her Interesting hooks Tint sold we'll vera.
The first edition OF the tory OF 81. Brandan.
mHie Hebt sic an Sand Brandons Bueh Was er
tan Brandt, ,,strltifera ,Navls. the Shyp Of
Folys," translated by Barclay, 1902, and
Don Quixote" 1920. the first edition, $500;
er rsr 4ritbm "l icHI I A, n priSS. S r 14js .V StS.
cHypnerotomachia Po!iphili.' ;, by franciscus.do
edition OF tho whole Of Dante,s ''Diyinn Com
media" Manchester, l472. $40; Les Troys
prcmiers livres de Diodore Sicilien." 1883.
S755;, Durandus, Rationale Divinorum ON
ciunl" li1A printnd nv E,tut G1 ,knn. I'm Gaiy