The Saint Paul globe., 1903-07-13
OUT OF THE LIBRARY
OF FIRST NAPOLEON
Queer Old Books Are Found In
a Chicago Dealers
Stock.

Out of the fotsam and jetsam of worth
less old volumes that drift from neglect
ed libraries into the hands of buyers OF
musty old books frequently there comes
relic to make the eyes of the b1bhomanlao
sparkle with the fire of greed. From OUT
forgotten old chests, from the cobwebbed
and dusty corners of dark old garrets,
from the long locked cabinets of some one
time bibliophile scores of these old vol
umes have drifted into the hands of col
lectors Some of the volumes have
romantic history, sell for fabulous prices,
and are, for once and all, rescued from
the ignominy of dust and pulp eating
worms.
On a shelf in a dark corner of G. w.
Barkers old book store in basement on
Dearborn street, Chicago, three volumes
stood for months awaiting a purchaser.
The gilt had fallen from the title letters
on the leathern back. The leather it
self was scaled and scared, and to add to
the disgrace of dust and mold, a ticket
marked price $1.50' hung from one of
the three Volumes A few days ago the
books found buyer and now the set is
pronounced priceless.
The three books had drifted into the
shop with a rather disreputable COM
pany of old French tones. Whence they
came Mr.. Barker does not now remember.
When they arrived in the shop they were
busted, tagged and set upon a shelf to
await purchaser. But no purchaser
came and there alongside an old copy Of
Cobbs poems and other volumes in va
rious stages of decay, stood these three
patrician books, dogeared by an emperor
and bearing the imperial crest of an en-
press.
These three volumes once belonged to
the private library of Citizen Napoleon
IQnV1 nj 1nfA
Josephine. In the mind of the buyer Of
the old books and of many connoisseurs
who have examined this set there is no
doubt that Napoleon gained not a small
part of his knowledge of Louisiana ter
r1tory from their pages But that fact
did not for long time distinguish the
trio of board bound books and they kept
company with a lot of plebian prints
which have value only because they are
aged.
One day, however, the books were dis
covered, or rather, like Kiplings ship,
they found themselves. Along with many
others they were taken down to be placed
on a sidewalk stand at reduced price to
tempt the passerby whose interest is not
deep enough to induce them to begrime
their hands in fondling the old treasures
on the shelves inside. When Mr.. Barker
took the books from the shelves and
opened one of the volumes he read the
title page, which is printed in French,
and runs:
Voyage dams La Haute Pennsylvania ct
dams LEtat de New York, Par un Membre
adoptif de la Nation Oneida. Traduit ct
public par Pauteur des Lettres dun cultf-
Vateur American Tome Second. De Lin
PTdnn PPTTlmerIe de &C, Crapelet A Paris. Chez
But that told him little Then his at
tention was attracted to a small, red cir
cular stamp in one corner of the title
hotheque du Citoyen Napoleon Bona
parte.'
That was enough, Mr.. Barker tore off
upon the floor He then looked at the other
TWO volumes. They. too, bore the library
stamp of the tiny Corsican. And as in
teresting as this was stamp upon both
the front and back covers of each of the
three books 1t was the letter "J' beneath
Josephine, imperial coronet. The purvey-
or of old books showed the books to local
experts. He was confident the three vol
umes had belonged to Napoleon Some
agreed with him. Others did not
Mr.. Barker locked the books in his safe
A few days lated a noted book collector
OF the East was in the shop. He examined
the books. He wanted to buy them al
though 1Ig he ridiculed the idea that they
ne insisted on having them. He came
again the next day. A mont, ater he
called and offered a large pric- for the
fa1 fhree 1f, Vo51mes- d He did not get them They
erick w. Cornish. q Chicago attorney.
whose home is at Lake Bluff.
WI. ColLlsn ana MT Barker have en-
deavored to trace the travels of the books.
put without avail; But they have done
one thing; they have established proof,
hey believe; that the books came from
Napoleon library, and that, lost from
the other books of that library. which
mas been scattered and blown hither and
yon, they finally, by the accident of
chance. dTifted to the secondhand book
shop "oofA
The set was published in 1901. In the
aLtIoauctlon the publisher states that the
fror3 7I,a oI one three volumes were taken
from manuscripts recovered from the
wreck of the vessel Morning Star. which
went on the rocks of Heligoland while
bound from Philadelphia for Copenhagen.
Inc manuscript was written by a
Frenchman who was an adopted member
OF the tribe of Oneida Indians He had
otaEGieo zee oyer nearly all that territory east
OF the Mississippi, knew something of
conditions In the territory west of and
contiguous to the Father of Waters. and
was wen versed In regard to the inhabi-
tahtS, the development and the resources
OF the Eastern and Southern States and
colonies. '-iN'
In 1903. when Napoleon negotiated the
sale OF louisiana the set was the very
latest work treating of that territory
Bookmen who have closely examined the
set declare their belief to be that Ma
information regarding Louisiana. At MANY
pages where the text bears eXpressIy
upon this subject the leaves have been
turned down.
The red stamp of the Napoleonic H.
praTy which appears on the title page of
each OF the books is pronounced genuine
by collectors of Napoleona. They argue
Ihat thlS set must have come into Ma
poleons possession soon after its imprint
ana that it was then marked with his
s611 e1tizen zen stamp. These same collectors
say that the crest of Josephine must
nave been placed upon the covers at a
later date after she became empress
How the books could have journeved
TO Chicago, and finally landed in a re-
pository for forgotten tones. no one can
eXplaln MI. Barker does not know from
whom he bought them. He is sure thev
came in with a large collection of French
books he received more than three wears
ago. With these other books, most of
Wnich have disappeared into the hands
OF buyers, they were bought for a song
,When they were sold few days ago they
Drought pretty pile. and it would take
much more to buy them again
All three volumes are in splendid
state of preservation. The board backs
are all intact. although the leather hinges
are cracked and worn. The pages are
yellow with age, but the print is still
clear, and the old maps and charts as IS
plain now as the day when they came
from the press.
owner of the books to ferret out their
history, If there is aught Of romance
about them he wants to know it, He is
satisfied that the books really belonged
to Napoleons library, and played their
part in one of the worlds largest land
The set left the hands of the editor
April II. 1SOO and were printed the fol-
lowing year. They were inscribed to
George Washington by S. ]. D. c.