The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-29
AN ANCIENT TOME.
A Rare Josephus Secured by the
Peabody Library.
-Grom the Baltimore American.)

Trom the Baltimore American)
| The Peabody Library has recently Sc
| cured possession OF a rare and valuable
| Josephus, dated 141s the second oldes.
edition OF the famous "Libri Antiquita-
tum Judaicarum' extant which has been
| placed on exhibition in the hall of the IL
| brary with other priceless possessions OF
1 the institution, This latest treasure is a
| folio volume translation in.o Latin from
| the original Greek. the translation having
| been the wcrk of "the Venerable pregbyter
Refinus." according to the eolophon, which
I also gives the date Of the completion of
the publication as the last day OF March,
1881. The one older edition than this was
published at Lubbock by Lucas Brands.
about 1475, and is presumably 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 Baltimorean
whose Identity is withheld by Provost
Philip r. Uhler in Difference to the wishes
Of the family. 1t was an heirloom and had
| been inherited by two generations, and
whatever may have been known Of IL
story and the matter Of its reaching IL
brary in this city has been forgotten. Some
facts may be guessed. however. from evil
dence given by the book itself
It's antiquity is apparent in every
detail. but no feature possesses the same
interest as two-lnch long and haitian
inch wide indentation at the bottom of
one of its wooden covers marking the spot
where was d metal bar TO which was fas-
tened a chain securing the volume to
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 CT private collectors in this country
is very small. That this bears unmis-
taxable indication that it at one time
carried chain indicates that 1t was the
possession OF public library. school, or
church. since the precaution of binding
with a chain indicated that the public was
to have access to it. The binding is of
morocco stretched over oak boards, and
seems to have at one time another
passed through fire. since the leather on
one side is badly SCARED. The type is a
Latin Gothic, printed on pure linen rag pa
per in that endurable black ink used in
that day in printing the finer classes of
books, and lost TO the present, no manu-
facturer having as yet solved the nature of
the mixture.
Throughout tho volume blank spaces are
left at the beginning of new chapters.
which were to have been filed In with
hand-emben.she5 capitals. This work,
however, was never done. AS with the
books of the fifteenth century, there is no
title pages, and instead of numbered
pages, familiar today, initia' sigma
lures appear at the bottom OF the pages
at intervals of eight pages.
At the end of the volume or books in
cluded 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, in
dicating thanks that the work was finally
accomplished. Together with this is the
register of sheets, an index giving the
register letter and opposite it an indica-
ton of the contents of the sheet The
registers follow the alphabet. as has been
said at intervals of eight pages. so that
any particular subject can be located with
comparative 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 that IN
limited money would hardly suffice to Sc
bearing on this degree of rarity may be
the scant and inaccurate mention made of
the edition in the ''Tresor de Livres Rares
ct Preceux," complied by Graesse, which
merely mentions this publication, COM
enting that it is not ascribed to any time
or date. As matter of fact, the colophon
of the volume is entirely complete, Civ
ing Venice as the place of publication,
March. 1881. the date of the publication,
and Raynoldus de Novimagio, the printer
Provost Uhler prizes the volume to the
full extent of its wonderful interest and
value and believes that l. is not dupli-
Gated in the collections of any other IL
brary in the country.