The record-union., 1898-07-24

A-OdSh tlt SIdle Library IS d lGTIIl
'hat Is quite vague to the mass of tax
payers throughout California, it IS u
place that has proved helpful to many
d legislator in search of legal docu-
merits, reports of the doings Of law
makers elsewhere and works Of value
not in general circulation.
But the State Library is acquiring a
Value quite apart from that which ap-
pcals to the mere vulgarian who makes
It's thousands of tones serve the Lase
purposes of use. 1t is acquiring the
aroma of culture, and blossoming into a
thing of beauty, for it contains many
rare volumes that will appeal to the
pure bibliomaniac as we'll as to the sor-
did fellow whose only idea of value is
that contained in Bacon's immortal
word fruit"
The lover of the quaint and artistic
might wander for days through the
many alcoves that are thickly peopled
with shelves and inhabited by thoughts
that burned ages ago in the minds OF
the 1llustrious dead, while the lover of
fne illustrations and elaborate blnd-
lhss would be made happy by a tour
through the maZes of that home where
the States books rest, 107 900 in num-
Der, on their Shelves
a Record Union" man had treat
In the library a few days ago Miss
hopkins, who has charge of SOM OF
the rareSu volumes in the entire cOilec-
toE, showed him the famous things
that the library now boasts of, and in
Two hours he saw enough to make him
want 70 read and ponder for years.
FOR example, among the more valu-
able things in the collection so securely
Kept under lock and key is a rare adi-
ton Of The Birds of America" by the
immortal John James Audubon. This
book is in four illustrated volumes,
which, are about 21ax4 feet in size, pro-
fusely illustrated in life colors each
bird being not only life size, but each
Is presented on the shrub or bush that
1t generally seeks. In the case Of owls
AMI carrion crows the birds are pre-
Sented with that creature which is their
prey in the grasp of their bills or tall
ons. 1t is a wonderful history IN pic
tures of the tragedies of beak and claw
in the feathered world The student of
botany would go wild, as the enthusi-
aStS say, over the lifelike and life-siZe
appearance of the plants, flowers and
shrubs, all of which contain the proper
botanical name under the picture
This edition is very rare" said Miss
HOPKINS, and there are but half
dczer or so in the country. Each bird
and shrub is colored by hand and the
wc rk is considered the best ever done"
II is understood that a set like the
one in the State Library sold n New
Orleans few years ago for 5000 The
set here cost the State only about half
that sum.
G11yra fsic Ia
u know that "Harper's Pictorial His
tory of the War OF the Rebellion" is
EOw a work Of great value. 1t is called
for very often, especially since the be-
ginning of the Spanish American " ar.
Many people subscribed for this while
the events were transpiring, but failed
to preserve the books which are now
worth a large sum. 1t is said that the
knowledge of this fact has caused
many people all over the country to
subscribe for illustrated papers that
contain an account of the present var
OF all the late additions to the library
" ork on Japan is probably the most
interesting. 1t was edited by Captain
F. Brinkley, one of the great authcri-
ties on the subject. though it was pre-
pared and illustrated by the best na-
tive writers and artists in Japan. 10
describe it is beyond the power Of man,
for each page is a revelation Of he
splendors Of illustration and the Won
ders OF the text with its stories Of old
customs strange rites, historic epOchs
and the evolution of a most affectionate
and interesting race Of people.
Every detail Of this marvellous work
is done with care, the edition being linn
tied to fifty numbered copies, Of which
the one in the State Library is 10"
The book was imported for the library,
and the total cost Of the series Will be
500. The illustrations show the pecu-
liar structure of the houses and strange
cities, the queer streets and bridges,
and other points of interest. There are
other pictures, some of which show the
geisha girls. the teahouses and the ath-
letic men who run all day with the Jin-
ricksha, the vehicle of Japan, and their
load of human freight.
A masterpiece. that must increase in
value with the flight of years is the
Life OF Christ" by James Tissot.
which will appear in two volumes that
were cheap at S1T5 each. The pages
are not yet bound and are, therefore,
not open to the public. but it is no ex-
aggeration to say that such a work
has never before been printed. The
Illustrations represent the life work Of
an artist who was genius for Tissot.
who studied 10 become a Catholic priest,