The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-08-24
AN OLD VOLUME.


The Peabody Library has recently Sc
cured possession Of a rare and valuable
> osephus dating 1881, the second Oldest
edition of the famous Libri Antiquita-
6um Judaicarum extant which has been
placed on exhibition in the hall of the IL
orary with other priceless possessions of
the institution. This latest treasure is a
folio volume translation into Latin from
the original Greek, the translation hav-
ing been the work of 1.-THE venerable pres
oyter Refnus, according to the colo
phon, which also gives the date of the
completion of the publication as the last
day OF March, 1881. The one older edi-
ton than this was published at Lubbock
oy Lucas Brands, about 1475, and is pre-
sumably an earlier print from the same
translation.
The story of the volume is not known.
1t came finally into the possession OF the
Peabody through heirs of a BaItimorean
whose identity is withheld by Provost
Philip r. UhIer in Difference to the wish
IS of the family. 1t was an heirloom and
had been inherited by two generations
and whatever may have been known of
It's story and the manner of its reaching
a library in this city has been forgotten.
Some facts may be guessed, however,
from evidence given by the book itself.
Its antiquity is apparent in every de-
tail, but no feature possesses the same In
terest as a two-1nch long and haitian
inch wide indenUation at the bottom of
one of its wooden covers marking the
spot where was a metal bar to which was
fastened a chain, securing the volume to
a desk. No books are more highly appre-
ciated among collectors of rare volumes
than what are known as ''chain books. ,:
and the number that belongs to either
public or private collectors in this coun-
try is very small. That this bears I'M
mistakable indication that it at one time
carried chain indicates that it was the
possession OF public library, school, or
church, since the precaution OF binding
with chain indicated that the public
was 10 have access to it. The binding is
OF morocco stretched over oak boards, and
seems to have at one time or another
passed through fire since the leather on
one side is badly scared. The type is
Latin Gothic, printed on pure linen rag
paper IN that eDdurable black Ink used
IN that way in printing the finer classes
OF books, and lost to the present, no man.
~-AA1CoeADA Ia VAL e15 y6b OO1f6Q Gn6
of the mixture.
Throughout the volume blank spaces
are left at the beginning of new chap
ters, which were to have been filled in
With hand-embeIlished capitals, This
work, however, was never dOna As
with the book soft he fifteeth century. there
Is no title page, and instead Of numbered
pages, familiar today, initial signatures
appear at the bottom of the pages at in
Iervals OF eight pages. At the end of the
volume or books included in the single
volume is given the cOlophon, answering
the purposes OF the title page, giving the
imprint, printer and date, the date of the
month on which the book was finished
being given ordinarily, accompanied by
some piOuS phrase, Indicating thanks
that the work was finally accomplished.
together with this is the register of
sheets, an index giving the register let
Ter, ana opposite it an indication of the
contents OF the Sheet The registers fol-
low the alphabet, as has been said, at in
CSrValS OF eight pages, so that any partic-
ular subject can be located with compar-
at1Ve ease, though not so readily OF
course, as by the numerical system now
in vogue
The edition of which this volume is
one, is extremely rare, so rare, in fact
OhaG unlimited money would hardly
suIHce to secure a volume. A fact that
may have some bearing on this degree of
rarity may be the scant and inaccurate
mention made of the edition in the
Iresor de Livres Rares ct Precieux, >
compiled by Graesse. which merely men
tlons this publication, commenting that
1t Is not ascribed to any time or date.
AS a matter of fact, the col0phon of the
volume Is entirely complete, giving We |
nice as the place of publication March,
1881, the date of the publication, and |
Haynoldus de Noviamigo. the printer
provost Uhler prizes the volume to the |
1uiI eXUenI OF Its wonderful interest and |
value, and believes that it is not dunIt- |
Gated in the collections of any other IL
brary in the country