The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-06
EDWARDS BOOK TREASURES.
Some Almost Priceless CaxtOns in
the Library of EngIand's Ruler.

Some Almost Priceless Cations in
the Library of EngIand's Ruler.
Books from the libraries of kings and
queens are chiefly treasured today be-
cause of the beauty of their bindings
Tor their contents are generally WORTH
less, IN literary way, while their COW
erlngs are of the most precious charac-
Ter conceivable, says the New
Sun. Ihis has long been no
Jo1ouS. When ducal libraries like the
sunderland, came upon the market they
brought forward hundreds Of beautiful
volumes bearing royal arms, but value
less as literature. The library of Edward
VII, which contains a little over 100000
books. includes, however, large num-
Der OF the rareSt and most valuable vol
umeS known to photographers. This is
somewhat astonishing, perhaps, as one
would expect little in bookish way from
England present king, and as a matter
OF fact, the chief treasures in his collec-
ZION were selected many years ago and
Were found in q seldom visited part of
Hampton court in William US reign.
victoria and Prince Albert took an in
terest in the books thus discovered and
auUed largely to the collection which has
now for thrty-one years had a regular
ApIaTlah: Lieut.. Col. Richard r. Holmes,
Ot DOCKS possessing a personal interest
there are many in the library. incIudine
the New Testament which Charles /
carried TO the Scaffold and his copV of
Ine second folio edition of Shakespeare's
-
Splro, spero, which he also wrote in
Prynne's Life of Laud," preserved In
Ihe horary at Lambeth place More i'm
boI IahI, however, are the early printed
DOCKS some of which outrank ali other
copies in existence
Lst among these comes the Mayence
FSalter of 1857, the first book printed
with date, the first example of print
IiIs IN coiors, and the finest work ever
produced by Typography. This large and
SuHpluous volume, magnificently printed
on pure Nellum by John Fust and Peter
Schoener, for the use of a church in
Mayence Is one of the best of the nine
copies that have come down to us. ONLY
tMeIYe copies of the second edition of
me DOCK printed two years later, are
row known, and as only one has been
soId IN recent years, bringing G4,95O. the
largest price ever paid publicly for a
printed book, it is difficult to estimate
' nme Ndiue OF the Psalter of 1857 1t would
propably fetch an enormous sum, though
ILSre Is little likelihood of its being for
sale all the other copies extant beino,
IN pubic museums. The late queen lent
81 siii9 +h preGloas volume in 1877 to be shown
AZ the CaXton exhibition in London. The
fsalteriQm was used at a more renote
PERIOD than any other book for religions
c g i as book of hymns, chant
ca IN sections appropriate to daily and
1TssllVal service. 1t was corrected by ST
Jtfcme with a view to liturgicaI use
ana was often copied in manuscript for
I Irat /. purpose f The Psalter of 1857 was
IL0ugnt that Fust and Schoeffer printed
Oily nfteen examples of the edition oF
145i and khe same number of that of 1ssn
~ theSe only twenty-one copies have
the second. anu WE'VE OF
co, ne&u IN IN importance in the library
comes comes the second book printed by William
CaXton at his first press AT RI,,ons ~
is the "Recueil des Histories 5e 2TDo,, - -
pS Raoul LefebVre, and this is on9 o4
me me ILtee perfect copies now extant. Cay
1 f9m mas translated q this for Margaret,
three years later printed his s''' Uer rgou'
Gaming 1t the ''Recuyell of the Histoy,Ja
OF Troye.' Of this book, the first hi,
printed IN the English language, the oniv
H1S5ieo' copy existing. sold for e1,S2O in
l In OF the same book in French. fSa
llrSt book printed in that LANGUAGE ~
b bi,rI.9 :, OF the kings copy is great, Ash
IN 100 5aSin copy selling as high as $500
leaves. 'nlrty-three
The collection contains four other ex-
a1nples Of the art of England's prototv-
PUgrap4 fe one of them being, however,
me Tour IS The Fables of Aesop, Of
ANaln, OF Alfonso and of Poge, the Flor
ee T1oI printed by Caxton in 1884, at
J " es9rIttisC T;,o This copy contains
OF the book. ''The Life of the Nobie
Sai ana christian Prince Charles the Great y
11oo' IS represented by fragment hit
eiilS fragment is precious when one con-
known, the Harley, West and Rafcliffe
copy, purchased by George III. in 117e
"a year not usually associated with
peoK puylng), and now in the British
me ne royal copy of Cations "Doctrinal
OF Saplence, printed about 1889. is on
NeIium, and for a long time was believed
H. ~ oe e the only copy on vellum issued by
ne ~ ILSI OF English printers A cow ~
the "Speculum Vitae Christi" 1853 aloo
Nollum- printed, was discovered in tbe
seVcnues, however, and purchased FOR
Ihe British museum. The kings COW ia
per copies end on signature 'h. - hut thjs
mas three additional leaves on THE NEG
HSences mapping in the Masse." It was
PIt Pre- l to George III. by Jacob Bry-
library when made over to the nation bv
George ~. 1t cost Bryant more than
century ago four guineas AS only three
80 approaching completeness can now
pe traced, this unique example is a great
treasure. Ashburnham's, on nanar and
500 in 1897 raves SOU LOT
The other Caxton is 1.-THE Fayt. Of
arms arms ana of Chivalry of Christine de
PiSan, 1889, which is not as rare as most
OF the productions Of this press Six
copies were shown at the CaXton exposi-
tlon. The only copy in this country, it
q; - ITO tEoq lg, is 5; Whitney Phoenix's, now
n the library of Columbia university. The
fne copy once belonging to Mario,- the
tenor. is in the magnificent library formed
by Henry HUH, the great English COL
lcctor of the sixties and seventies. and
now in the possession of his son, Alfred
T. HUH 1t was purchased for e255 In
SG2 at Count Libri's last sale That is
the record price for the book. but a fine
copy would bring much more today. None
has been sold, however, since 1885. and
the copy disposed of then was imper-
feet.
With the exception of these important
volumes, the library of Edward VII. is
miscellaneous in character. There are
Jew novels and little poetry in it.