New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-28
SOME EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTIONS.

THOSE OF A MAN WHOM "PRIcE NEVER FRIGHT
ENED."
From The London Athenaum.
Mr. William Wright, of Paris, about equally
well known to book collectors and 10 sporting
men Of the two countries, has determined 70 sen
his collection of autograph letters, his library
and his engraved and other portraits. In many
respects this is the choicest collection OF ts klhu
which has come into the market Wlthln recent
wears and il will occupy Messrs. Sotheby seven
DAYS in all, beginning on June i. Mr.. wright
has apparently never experienced the luxury OF
self-denial in the matter OF books; tor as ne
himself says price never frightened me II any
particular book was wanted. glance through
his catalogue will largely bear Out TINS frank
admission for it contains many volumes LOT
which the average collector would commit any
number of sins The three great attractions
among the books are the extra Illustrated lVes
OF Dickens kean and Garrick Few DOCKS Oh
recent years have been more frequently gran
gerized than FOrster's Life Of Dickens, but no
example Of this species of bOok-maklng can De
c0mpared with Mr. Wrights The three octave
volumes are inlaid and extended 10 twelve vol
umos folio. and comprise 10 autograph letters
of Dickens himself. and nearly 400 others OF
contemporaries There are 4j4 portraits Of lit
erary and other celebrities 200 views OF places
connected with Dickens or his works, playOills,
and a thousand and one other Dickensiana
The copy Of Hawkinss Life of kean is eX-
tended from two octave to eight folio volumes
BY the insertion Of about 800 letters. 225 auto
graph letters. 300 rare playbills, car1catures
il also extensively extra-iilustrated. Davies's
Life of David Garrick" is similarly extra illus
rated and contains 300 rare portraits, 100 au-
togTaph letters. playbills pamphlets, and a
great variety Of other matter The collections
and extra illustrated books relating 10 the old
pleasure gardens Of London theatres and emil
neut actors and actresses are too long to be
specially mentioned, but all appear to have been
done with thOroughness The works illustrated
by George Cruikshank extend from lot II TO
lot 2S2 and form a series that has rarely been
puudlled Dickens
number and include. besides Forsters Life"
already mentioned the original autograph Ms.
Of The Battle of Life one of the three MSS.
Of Dickens now in private hands. There are
about eighty lots Of works illustrated by T. /
ROwlandson, and nearly that number Of Thack- |
cray entries. including The Second Funeral Of
Napoleon" 1871
But if Mr.. Wright successful as a book
collector. il is difficult to find an epthet which |
would fully describe him as a collector of auto
graphs. These alone will occupy three days in !
selling and extend from lot 064 to lot 1525 |
The series of Garrick letters sixty-four in ALL |
and nearly every one Of Importance is probably !
the finest since that extraordinary series Of
forty-eight unpublished letters of his came un-
der the hammer at Puttick's on December H.
1919 nearly fifty years ago Mr. Wright's series |
is TO be offered at lot at the reserve price Of
f00-a little over to per letter-and If that
sum be not reached they will then be offered
separately. II would now be quite Impossible TO
form another series Of such great interest. and
one cannot help expressing the hope that these
letters may be secured en- bloc for the club
which bears Garricks name.
The majority Of the other letters are Of actors
and actresses of eminence in their day; but
many are from literary celebrities. There
4 from Boswell. of which two were written TO
<-ick: several are from Dickens, thirteen from
Foote mostly addressed TO the Delavas; a num-
Der from Mrs. David Garrick. thirteen are from
Samuel johnson. and nearly the number
(nost OF them from the Kean sale Of last
SOM from Edmund Kean; seventeen from Mrs.
Siddons and others are from George Stevens.
Thackeray, Voltaire and Horace Wapole TO
mention only very small number.
1t is impossible to do more than indicate the
richness Of this collection Of autograph letters,
from nearly all of which the catalogue will give
reasonably full extracts. Mr.. Wrights aim has
apparently been not merely to obtain a signed
document Of this or that celebrity. but TO Sc
cure a characteristic letter important from its
contents as well as interesting on account Of
rs signature In this respect he has undoubted-
w been extraordinarily successful.