The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-18
Rapid Exodus Of Rare Books to
America.
RECENT NOTEWORTHY SALES
Work That IL Crossing
the Ocean.

other hand, transatlantic collectors are
infinitely wise in purchasing, even for.
large sums Of money, objects that shall
serve as radiating centers. so to say, now
of the Renaissance In Italy, now Of the
Germany that we associate with the
birth time of printing, now Of the England
in which lived Reynolds and Gainsbor-
ongh. Romney and Constable and Tur-
ner.-
The last of many Noteworthy purchases
for the United States occurred as late as
yesterday afternoon In Wellington street.
Eyron's Poems on Various Coca sions, y
printed by s.. & J.. Ridge, Newark, 1907.
has for long been regarded as one of the
great book rarities, of the nineteenth
century 1t is not the very earliest OF
Byron's publications, but of Fugitive
,Pieces," issued the year previous, the
poet destroyed all save one or two copies.
on the advice of the Rev. J.5T T. Becher,
who protested against the mysterious ten
dency of some of the poems. Buxton
Forman's perfect copy of this volume is
probably unique Moore tells us that 100
copies only of the Poems on Various Oc-
casions' were printed, and after the lapse
or nearly century it is no. wonder that
the book has become extremely scarce. In
1892 an example, uncut, in original boards,
with the, label. brought as much as 26S at
auction ii DO '..'f ea
The copy sold yesterday was not in
anything like such good condition. There
were the original green boards, it is true,
and the pages measured about inches by
inches, but the back was gone, and with
it, of course, the label. On the other
hand it was inscribed "Edwd. Noel Long,
Coldm, Gds., from the author'-Long was
an intimate school and college friend OF
Byron, on three different occasions at
Harrow both their names appear on the
public speech bills, be is the Clon OF
Childish .Recollections,' and to him a
poem piece in Poems on Various Oc-
three "Stanzas by Id. b. beginning "Ahl
Mem'ry torture me no more" and end
ing Regret and hope alike are vain,
ask but to forget At first, it was sup
posed that these were Byron's autograph,
but careful comparison by experts prac7
| tically disposes of the theory. The open
| ing bid for the svo was $50; offers on
| behalf Of home collectors carried it UP to
6 81; and it was finally knocked down to
| Messrs. Denham, the American agents
! for no less than e 1923. If mistake not
| this is the highest price ever yet paid fol
piece of Byron1a in this country. THE
| Waltz" 1918, has brought as much as &86;
while now the Fugitive Pieces" would
fetch it is impossible to say what sum.
| The news was recently cabled over from
America that Pierpont Morgan had bought
|
| printed by Fust and Schoeffer in 1853.
AS a fact, however, the sale was effected
at least fifteen months ago. 1t is hardly
necessary to say that the G4.950 paid by
the late Bernard Quaritch for this mag
niticent book at the Syston Park sale in
1884, is the highest sum so far realized
at auction here for, printed book-of
course, we take no account of finely IL
Illuminated INNS. in costly bindings, such
as that recently sold privately from the
lAshburnham library by Messrs. Sotheby
| for 6 1000. AS to the price paid by Pier
1pont Morgan, 1t is of interest to point
tout that the sum of G4.950 accruing at {
per cent compound interest for sixteeI
years would yield. total of something
| like 810,S00, as against the s5,250 paid.
/ Pierpont Morgan has during the las
| year or two been the most prominent OF
all buyers In this country. One OF his
| latest acquisitions is the magnificent Hob
/ bema landscape from Dorchester House
! which for many years has belonged to the
Z, Holford family. This landscape was las
seen by the public at the winter show Of
! the, Royal Academy, 1877; in 1857 1t was
at the Manchester Art Treasures Exhibi.
ton; in 1920 it was at the British Institu.
1 ton; 925,000 is said to have been paid fol
/ this large and fine example by the Dutch
i master. At auction In this country the
highest price for a pure Hobbema stands
! at 9,400 guineas, the sum paid in April
last for view Of timbered country
4 80 inches by 421a inces, signed and dated
I! 1855. Smith, in his Catalogue Raisonne
mentions, but does not direct parttcula,
1 attention to, the picture. At the Dude,
/ dispersal, 1892, view in Holland, 81
inches by SO inches, with figures by Var
I der Velde, realized $500 guineas.
/ The most familiar picture by Hobbem.
! is in our National gallery: the view o
In1h nj ,faS1 =
place, approached by, an avenue of tall
4 slender trees, represented with rar
1 imaginative insight. In 1916 this pictur
i was sold at bort for C 90; fourteen year
I later Sir Robert Peel bought it for 800
! and in 1871 1t was among the Peel picture
! and drawings purchased on behalf of tn
! nation for G75,000. What it would fetc
4 now under the hammer it would be impos
1 sible to say. Another Of Pierpont Nor
a gan's noteworthy purchases Is of =" tn
i series Of ten pictures by Honore Fragon
I ard, originally destined for the decoratio
i of Madame du Barry's palace at Lu
1 ciennes. For some unknown reason the
i were never put in place. A couple o
years ago they were bought at Grasse b
Messrs Agnew for 100000; an
l since then this Roman dAmou
! de la Jeunesse' series has been twic
i on view in Bond street. Next year at tn
I Guildhall however, by the kindness of tn
I present possessor, they are again to b
4 exhibited.
u Nor has Mr.. Pieruont Morgan confine
4 himself OF works by great continenta
4 masters. There has recently passed int
his hands a supremacy good Reynolds, tn
8 Lady Betty Define and Children whic
in 1894 realized II coo guineas, the rec
ord sum for Sir Joshua at auction i
this country. The painter himself re
! sceived 6 300 for the picture. 1t is of in
! terest to note in this connection that Val
4 entine Green's mezzotint, after the pic
1 ture, the prints of which were issued q
I15 shiHings, brought 900 guineas at tn
i Blyth sale few months ago, whereas
shillings bought an example, with 'sMr:
y Musters', thrown in, at Reynolds ow
sale, in 1872.
At this moment thousands OF folk ar
focking OF Messrs. Agnew's galleries
4 Bond street, where, greatly to the advan
i tage. in shillings OF the Artists Genera
y Benevolent institution, 1.-THE Stolen Ouch
4 ess'' is holding a series of reception
Opinions differ within very wide limit
as to the aesthetic worth Of this picture
one of the most talented Of our younge
: artists holding that no one save Gains
!. borough could have painted the uppe
i part Of the much debated face, while.
his opinion, the lower part shows ths
. Gainsborough got into a difficulty In a
: attempt to eliminate the age line OF tt
| somewhat vulgar beauty. Be this as
may, the 10,1o0 guineas paid for it t
Messrs AgneW quarter Of a century az
still stands as record for the artis
SURPRISING by 100 guineas the value place
on Lady MusgrayeS In 1895.
It is impracticable here to allude to II
| hundred noteworthy books and pictur,
that have been bought for America, eve
during the last few months. Some In
i nj Ars ma