New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-04
GROLIER CLUB BOOKS.
AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO
OBTAIN SOME OF THEM
tHosE BELONGING TO THE ESTATE OF THE
LATE EDWARD H. BIERsTADr TO BE SOLD
AT AUCTION -MoRRow-RARE AND
BEAUTIFUL EDITIONS WHICH
HAVE BEEN ISSUED
BY THE CLUB.

There will be sold tomorrow at the auction
rooms of Bangs G. Co.. No 81 Fifth-avc, many
rare and valuable books. which were the property
of the late Edward II. Berstadt OF this city.
To many persons the most interesting point III
connection with the sale is that Few OF the
scarce and highly priced volumes pubhshed py
the Groier Club will be offered with the rest OF
the library Mr. Bierstadt ct the time OF his dea'h
was treasurer of the club and one OF It's most
energetic and interested workers. He had peeh
& member since 1884. the year In which the
C;rol,er Club was founded, but his collection or
ats publications in great part disposed Oh
before his death.
In the last few months there have been several
sales similar to the one to be held to-morro" III
which Grolier books have been put up at puohc
auction The library of the late Richard hlkei'
which was disposed Of in December inciuueu an
almost con,plete set OF all the works published
since the establishment OF the society," AL the
Matthews sale In February some or the ooes'
and rarest volumes were sold, and Few OF .ne
s,ees valuable books were sold at another auction
on March 26.
strictly speaking Il is not the intention of the
tsrolier Club TO have its books pass into the pos
session OF the general public. A copy of each is
subscribed for by each member before us popn-
catjon and no books are printed for outside sale
sThere is a kind of unwTitten law which binds
the members to respect the clubs purpose, and 20
retain the Grolier works for their own hnrarles'
1t Is only upon the death OF member OF the ciuo
xha. the sale Of his books is regarded as iegit'-
~ra,a and of.en unavoidable. The cases referred
W above all come under this head, but there are
instances from time to time Of sales OF dlferent
sort Members have been known who' unoer
pressure of unlucky financial operations nave
resoIved to mart with their Grolier books as an
I'D oPr H.
-needed funds Such Gales are viewed with
80. h,san oval bv their fellow members.
,,ho couevv, attend in large numbers and. to-
xetber With outside book lovers. assist In raising
d.. ,r,cos FOR the rare works often 10 extremely
high figures
HIGH PRICES FOR EARLY EDITIONS.
No.rra,,v the most valuable Of the Grolier
nubl:aations are those issued in the earlier days
=, .ba club when the membership was small
md the number of volumes consequently limited.
rna first book published by the society was
generalization of the old English work, "A Decree
~ Stare Chamber" issued in London, July H.
1877 There were $50 copies, one for each
member of the club. the subscription price Tot
them being 81 each. They were In octave rorm'
printed on the best Holland or van deioer
papsr The chief object OF the Groiier CIuo De-
ing the promotion of the arts pertaining 10 DOCK
making all the volumes which 1t mas issued
have been models of the highest type or WORK
1nanship, from the paper on which they were
n,nted 10 the last decorative touch to the bind
4ng In addition to the 100 regular copies Oh
che "starre Chamber" two extra ones were
printed on veum. One OF these was oes'ineo
for the club library and the other to be sold by
,,-,rota auction the bidders to be Grolier men,
mars only. This custom has been pursued with
all subsequent publications. the number or
vsII,rn copies having sometimes been Increased
tn three The bidding for the vellum copy or
COPIES always takes place at the annual meeting
IN January, and arouses high degree OF IN
.erest The rate at which the 100 copies or tho
nrst hook, originally costing 81 apiece, have IN
creased in value in twelve years Is remarkable
ono Of them went for 500 at the Riker sale IN
December, and another copy aIterward prought
exactly the same figure at the Matthews sale.
Thu second OF the Grolier books. published in
1855. was the "Rubafyat' of Omar Khayyam' the
translation being one Of the several made by Ed
ward FITZGERALD. Only $50 copies. with the ex-
cept.on of the two vellum, were made OF this
hook also and they were sold to the members at
&3 each They were printed on Japanese paper
made for the Grolier Club by the Imperial Paper
Mil of japan, and had paper covers The "Ru-
bsfvat" Is now worth about the same amount
nc sts predecessor, having been bought at the
R,ker sale for 500 and at the Matthews sale for
5000
IA prAJrTIFIII "KNICKERBOCKER HISTORY"
cororauv speakng. the prices brought by
ceedins volumes are less, owing to the increase In
tho climbs membership and the greater number OF
hooks printed Special circumstances have COM
bncd sometimes however, to raise the price OF
certain work far beyond what 1t would ordinarily
bring Such was the case at the Matthew's SAFE
with a set of Washington Irving's "knicker-
hacker History OF New-York," published by the
Groler Club III two volumes in 1856. At that
time 17J sets were printed. besides the two on
yellum. and the subscription price was S2o Tor
the two volumes. The work was beautifully
dcnc and the text was enriched with lilustra-
lions bv G. II. Boughton, VIII H. Drake and
Howard Pyle At the Riker sale the two vol
umes brought $50, and they have sold at other
times for from 500 to $780, Mr. Matthews,
whose interest in bookbinding equaled by
his own knowledge and skill in the art had bound
for himself a set Of this "Knickerbocker His
tory" 1t was an exquisite piece OF work In
crushed brown levant morocco, emblazoned in
gilt, and bearing the arms Of the Groler Club
on the cover The Innings were Of silk, and the
original covers were bound in. The bidding for
this unique edition was spirited and the two vol
rmes were sold at the high price Of $3.50
There Is to be sold among the Blerstadt effects
Tomorrow another book in a special binding. and
is reasonable TO infer that this may also bring
a large 1t is a copy OF the decree Of Stare
iChamber," bound by r. Petit, in light
bbrown levant morocco. with an nterlaced inlay
IN blue. in Grolier style. The edges gilt over
marble, and the inside panels are lined with
silk.
The most valuable of the other earlier publ
cations IL a Lecture on Bookbinding as Fine
Art" by Robert Hoe This was small quarto
volume OF which 200 copies published in
1855 The original subscription price was 81 so.
and the book now sells for from $40 to 500