New-York tribune., 1901-06-02
a LIBRARY OF AMERICANA
WHAT Is SAID To BE THE FINEST coll
LECTION OF ITS KIND IN THE
WORLD To GO TO BROWN
UNIVERSITY

Providence. r.. l., May 30.-The recent an
nouncement that the John Carter Brown library
in Providence is TO be given TO Brown Univer-
sity has brought il to the attention of the gen.
eral public for the first time Yet it is without
doubt the finest collection Of Americana in ex-
istence, and has long been known TO all students
Of American history throughout the world The
collection was begun in a modest way by the
Nicholas Brown from whom the university
which is to receive the library took its
name. 1t was his son, however, who first began
Nollecting ambitious scale, gradually ex
tending the scope OF the library from books
relating TO Rhode Island to those relating TO
New-England, and finally to the whole of the
two American continents.
in the course of years some other books have
not unnaturally been added TO the collection
also There is. for example. set of the first
four folio editions of Shakespeare, all in tall
and clean condition. the sale of which would
certainly produce enough TO support poor
family for several years There are many fine
specimens of early printing-caxton's Golden
Legend" for example; Aldne editions by the
hundred and a collection of polyglot Bibles,
including that published at the expense of Fer
dinand and Isabella in 13l4-l1. There also
many extra illustrated books, among which are
the first quarto edition of BoswelIs Johnson,
extended to six volumes the plates in which
include one hundred and seventeen different
portraits of 1.-THE great photographer himself.
and volume which should interest at the
present time, Cunningham's Life of Nell
Gwyn," with three hundred and sixty portraits
and other plates.
1T is not. however. to such books that the
library owes Its chief value. but. has been
already said. TO the Americana. So rich is il
in this department that it is with peculiar pride
that the owners of other similar collections add
TO the description of a volume the few
occasions when they can, the words: Not in
the Carter Brown Collection" In examining the
books one feels that nothing relating
motely to the Western Hemisphere have
been overlooked. at least up to the end Of the
eighteenth century, for beyond that period the
library makes no attempt at fulness. There are
curious maps Of the world. made before the time
of Columbus that may be compared with maps
of all rerioas since. There is copy of Pierre
dAily's "Imago Mund." 14s-'. the reading OF
which is believed to have encouraged Columbus
upon, his great undertaking. Five of the seven
editions of COlumbus's letter to Ferdinand and
Isabella. descriptive of his voyage printed in
1893 are represented in the library. one of
Them being the only copy known. There is a
curious edition of the Psalter. published by
Giustiniani in I516. in which a brief biography
OF Columbus is introduced to illustrate the
fourth verse OF the XIXth Psalm: Their
line is gone cut through. all the earth and their
words to the end OF the world To most per
sons the tile OF MOres Utopia" is better
known than the contents. 1t will therefore
surprise many to learn that Utopia was repre-
sented as a South American island. Thus the
work is brought into the category of Americana.
and the library accordingly contains both the
first Latin and the first English edition There
arlz of
voyages Of Vespucci one or two of them be-
leved TO be unique From a volume by Las
Casas may be quoted a passage which is Of
interest in connection with recent occurrences.