The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-25
I'm THE LITERARY FIELD
COLLECTION OF AUTOGRAPHS GIVEN
TO NEW YORK AUTHORS CLUB.
Mr.. Alden Asks Some Questions About
Milton-Literary Year Reviewed
Notes and Gossip.

Mr. Richard Henry Stoddard's recent gift
TO the Authors Club of his large and high
ly priced accumulation of autograph books
and letters has put into the possession Of
that organization one of the most rare and
valuable collections of the kind in exis-
tence, says the New York Mail and Ex-
press.
During his long career as poet and
author, in which he came TO know init
mately many of the most brilliant men OF
letters of his day. Mr.. Stoddard gathered
together a store of literary treasures, the
associations of which render them we'll
nigh priceless. First editions and presen-
tation copies, together with many manu-
scripts and rare copies of the classics OF
English literature. helped TO I'll gradually
almost to overlooking the quaint old house
in East Fifteenth street, where the poet
Is quietly spending the remaining years OF
his life; now he has transferred them. a
princely gift, 10 the Authors Club, which
is to house them in its spacious quarters
in Carnegie Hall. Here they are being
catalogued by Mrs. Frederick Stedman.
a relative of the poets lifelong friend, Ed
mund Clarence Stedman and here they will
probably be publicly exhibited for the first
time at series of teas to be given by the
club the first and fourth Tuesdays of
February and March. These functions,
which are given annually. are known as
Ladies' Teas"
The portion of the Stoddard collection
which is. perhaps. of the greatest value
is the anthology of early English poetry,
1t includes some of the works of Edward
Phillips. Jacob Giles, Longbaine and Win
the first to chronicle the writings of their
contemporaries.
OF the many books which have belonged
to celebrated authors and still bear their
signatures, and, in many instances, the
autograph transcripts of portions of their
work, only a few can be mentioned The
| Shakespeare book has been the object of
Mr.. Stoddards particular affection. 1t bears
the quaint title, Henri Cornelius Agrippa,
OF the Vanitie, and Uncertaintie Of Arts and
Sciences" and is printed on heavy parch-
ment paper in old English script. I'm
printed in London, In 1863" it is in an ex-
cellent state of preservation, with the ex-
ception of one loose cover. Mr.. Stoddard's
belief that IL was Shakspeare's own copy
would seem TO be authenticated by the
| nearly obliterated signature on the outer
margin OF the title-page, which under a
erpart of the playwright's autograph at
tached to the second folio, as reproduced
in w. Carew Hazitt's book
Among several volumes which were origi-
nally the property of John Milton are copies
OF Henry Vaughn's Flores Solitudines,"
bearing his autograph initials on the title
page, and The Judgment of Martin Bucer
With this is copy of the third edition of
Paradise Lost with a metricaI epilogue
by Milton's friend, DR.. d. s. Barrow. On
the fyleaf is an autograph transcript.
signed, of the last two lines of the epilogue.
This treasure belonged originally to DR..
Barrow, but later became the property of
George barley, author of "Sybria or the
May Queen, whose autograph it also con-
tains.
A book of unusual interest is John Keats's
published in 1884. The first page bears the
inscription, John Keats, from his friend
JIames) RQce), 20 April, 1878. On Pages
Is and 20 are annotatons in the handwrit-
Ing Of Keats, and on Page 235 there is a
penciled caricature. probably Keats's friend
Hayden. Attached to the fyleaf is an au-
tograph transcript, signed, of Mr.. Stoddard's
sonnet, ITO the Immortal Memory of
Keats" written on his coming into possess
sion OF the book. Above the transcript Mr..
Stoddard has written: IT obtained this
1S7S wrote the sonnet below In the after
noon of that day and the morning of the
next day. And the evening and the morn
| ing were the same day.-R. H. s."
| Mr.. Stoddard gave $50 for this book and
| received $25 for his sonnet
Charles Lambs own set OF his English
Dramatic Poets, published In 1905, con-
| tains his signature in full in each of the
volumes. Interest is added to the set by
| the original manuscript, which accom-
| panies them. of the letter printed in Volume
3. addressed to William Hone editor OF
THE Table Book" In il Lamb mentions
some new sources of information regarding
the English dramatic poets, and offers 10
write series of articles on this subject
| copy of Edmund Burke's Reflections
\ on the Revolution in France" contains the
| inscription, From the author, with great
! respect to Miss Goring," and IAN autograph
| letter. Sir Walter SCOTS copies of Ger
! vantes.' "Persillies" and ''Sigismunda,' -
| are marked on the fyleaf ''Abbotsford
Library. No. TO-" They are also marked
| with the signature OF Charles Kirkpatrick
afterward passed.
| Among the autographs personal let
| ters from such men as Dickens, Carlyle,
| Browning and Holmes, nearly all of them
| written before the days of envelopes and
| attached to many are the large disks of
| red wax used to secure them in passing
1 through the mails. A letter from Haw-
| thorne dated at Concord in 1868, reads:
| / have finished 'Tang1ewOod Tales" and
! they will make volume about the size of
| the Wonder Book consisting OF six
| myths, the Minotaur, the Golden Fleece
| the Story of Proserpine, etc. etc. done up
| stains, recreated good as new-or better
| and fully equal in their way to Mother
| Goose. L never did anything else so well
| as these old baby stories.
Milton as N Novelist.
W. L. Alden's London Letter.