New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-26
SOME RARE FINDS"
Romantic Incidents in the History of Book
Collecting
'Boards. Bound. EOS

Give Holland. in Chambers's Journal.
Many have probably heard Of the wonderful
Chaucer which was discovered few years ago
IN lumber room of a Warwckshire
house, and only escaped burning by use fire
lighting material because the servant happened
to show of the quaint initial letters to
the butler, who reported the discovery to his
master. Had the book been burned the fortu-
nate owner OF 1t would have been 600 poorer.
Quite recently, too, in a Breton farm, a trav
cling artist unearthed a beautifully Illuminated
missal on veum (bereft of it's covers, it is true),
which he purchased from its peasant owner
for matter Of 20 or 80 francs. and on his
turn to Paris sold 1t to one of the largest deal
ers for g thousand times much: one interest
ing feature or this volume being the introduce
ton Of the portrait of Joan of Arc in of the
initial letters. Like SO many other priceless
obtets dart, 1t found its way across the At
lantc. the American purchaser paying some
thing like l60O for its possession.
Less than twenty years ago a find" Of
monkish Illuminated bFeviary took place in the
secondhand bookshop of a West of England
town The business had recently changed hands.
trade he had adopted. On attending sale at
a neighboring mansion and purchasing odd
lot OF books, he scarcely took the trouble to eX-
anime the volumes, with the result that
shabby old black letter book was placed in the
sixpenny box by his assistant. where it lay for
days before passing and well known biblophile
spotted il and, with fear and trembling at the
value Of his discovery rendered the siXpence in
payment When he got home he was enraptured
to find that the book he thought might be worth
at least 6 note was worth twenty-five times
as much.
Not so many years ago a magnificent illu-
minated copy of "a Book of the Hours was
discovered in a little hamlet Of this ancient
province 1t is now separated from Its old nome
by some thousands Of miles of sea, having been
acquired by an American collector for the enor-
nous sum of $500 guineas. What the finder
paid the peasant In whose ancient farmhouse
(once q portion of an abbey the almost price
less treasure was found did not transpre; but
1t is scarcely likely that the sum paid was as
many sous as the ultimate purchaser paid
guineas.
Also in this district, in the earlier part of
the nineteenth century. were discovered por-
tons of a magnificent work on veilum-incom-
plete IL is true, but still of immense value. The
circumstance Of this discovery was very
curious
tourist-or. rather. perhaps. we should say
traveller-came to the village, and. finding the
one two spare beds OF the inn already orcu-
pied. sought shelter for the night In a neighbour
ing cottage. He was shown into a small attic
room, lit by q window of four smalllsh panes.
He did not particularly notice the window that
night but, waking soon after dawn the next
morning. he was astonished to see what he took
to be stained glass in the window Rising to ex
anime this, he speedily discovered that the sup
posed stained glass. through which the light
of day somewhat family passing. In
reality the illuminated veum pages of some
cient book. Although not collector. the trav-
eIer. one Jean Goulet. was man of some edu-
cation, and at once recognized that these pages
must have formed portion of an interesting. II
not valuable. Latin manuscript On descending
for breakfast and making an inquiry regarding
It, his hostess explained that he was correct.
and that the paper with which they had
sought to mend the cracked panes and replace
the broken ones had formed portion OF book
which her father had found In a neighboring
chateau some thirty years previously. at the
time OF the French Revolution.
The peasant woman did not evince any great
interest In the matter but admitted the rest Of
the book was somewhere. After considerable
pressure put upon her by her guest d search
was made for II. and Il discovered I'm a
little cupboard near the fireplace. An attempt
had evidently been made to light the fire with
some of the pages for several charred and
shrivelled ones still in the cupboard In the
end the remaining leavcs-some ninety in num-
ber-of this most interesting and beautiful book
were acquired by the traveller for a few francs.
But nothing would persuade the peasant woman
TO permit the four or Ave leaves which had been
used for the mending of the window to be
taken away! NO" said she. we've no more
glass. and they serve their purpose well enough
for