The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-07-09
BOOKS THAT ARE RARE.
Old-time Volumes Sell For Their
Weight In Gold.
81 LOuis Sfnr-l


The first edition of The Canterbury
Tales" England by a merchant named
Caxton, who forsOok his trade to enjoy
the favor of the Duchess of Burgundy.
sister of Edward " of England. and in
1476 imported from Germany a printing
outfit which he established in a build
ing adjoining Westminster abbey espe-
cially for the purpose of publishing his
translation of the history of Troy Gre
cueil deS Histories de TrOyeS') }. 1t was
the first English book ever printed. and
in 1885 copy was sold by the Earl of
Jersey to Bernard Quaritch in London
for So. 100
The next book printed in England
was The Game and Playe of Cheese
Copies have been sold as high as ST.
300. The first English book. both writ
ten and printed in England QS49) was
"Dictes and Sayings of the Philoso-
piers" of which only four copies are
known. One of them was sold last year
by the Earl of Ashburnham for $500
The first book printed in America was
'Doctrina Christiana," by Juan Cron-
berger, in the City of Mexico. in 1309.
So far as known. there is not a copy in
existence. The second was "Doctrina
BreVe." by Juan Zumarraga, the first
bishop of Mexico. 1t was printed by
Cromberger in 1913. and copies have
sold as high as & 200.
The first book printed in the United
States was an almanac at Cambridge
in 1882 by Stephen Daye. who estab
lished the first printing press in this
country. The second publication was Il
slip containing a poem entitled THE
Freeman's Oath" The next book was
a metrical version of the Psalms, called
the Bay Psalm Book" in 1910. Copies
are very rare. 1t is one of the most val
liable books in the world.
The first edition of THE Canterbury
Tales" printed by Caxton, of which only
two copies are known, has sold for
$4,000. 81. 100 and $1,000.
The first edition of Robinson Cru
soc" Q119) sells for $225- The first edi-
tons of -Izaak Walton's COmplest An
gler' G653) have sold for SOD The
first edition of THE Vicar of Wake
field" printed in 1866. sold for $500: the
first edition of Paradise Lost for $3.50;
the first edition of Millions complete
works. containing a presentation in
scription on a fly leaf in his handwrlt-
ing, S1.l50.
The highest price paid for a book last
year was $40. 500, by Pickering & Chatto
of London. for Raoul LIE Fevre's "A
BOke. of the HoOl Lyf of GaSOn printed
by Caxton in 1890 in black letter. 1t is
one of the earliest books in the English
language and formerly belonged TO
Bishop HeDeT. some biographical ue-
tails on the fly leaves in his handwr1t-
ing greatly increase it's value a copy
of Captain John Smiths True Rela-
ton" printed in 1868. sold for S1,425-
The highest price paid for an Ameri-
can book last year was $1,000 for copy
of the Rev Mr. Cushman's sermon on
THE Danger of Self-Love," which was
preached at Boston shortly after the
settlement of that place. 1t is the only
COPY known of the first sermon ever
printed in America. and belonged TO the
collection of the late Charles Deane.
from which it was purchased by the
Massachusetts Historical society.
The highest price paid for an auto
graph last year was $1,000, for a letter
from William Bradford to Governor
winthrop. concerning the affairs of the
Plymouth colony a few months after
the landing of the Pilgrims.