Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-08-23
COSTLY VOLUMES
COMPLETE SET OF CHARLES
DICKENS TO COST TOTAL
OF $4,000.
VIII Be 1870 Volumes In tho Complete
Set and Each Volume is Priced at
$1,ooo-The Ten Sets to Be Issued
Are Already Sold.

The costliest books ever printed are
now being printed at Cambridge, Mass,
the typographical work being done by
the University Press plant and the
binding at the Boston bindery, in the
vicinity of Harvard college. They COM
prise the complete works of Charles
Dickens and will cost $1,000 each.
There are 1870 volumes to set, max
ing the total cost to each subscriber
100000. Only ten sets are to be Is
sued, however. and all have already
been sold to J. Pierpont Morgan and
the Duke of Westminster being among
those to whose libraries these expen-
sive volumes will be added.
On Genuine Parchment.
There is one feature of these costly
volumes which makes them of unusual
interest to all who have to do with the
printing OF collecting of books. They
are being printed on real parchment,
such as was used four centuries ago.
The permanent qualities of parchment
are known and appreciated every
where, but all efforts to do successful
printing on that material in recent
years have failed Since the secret
died with the printers of 400 years ago
all attempts to successfully print a
bookson parchment have proved fail
ures until the process was rediscov-
cred at the University Press and a
successful experiment made in the
case of these rare and costly volumes.
A set Of books of this character can
not be produced in day, or year for
that matter Although only 1900 vol
umes in all are to be issued, eight
years will be required to complete the
work upon them.
Solid Gold Ornaments.
The books will be bound In the most
perfect levant, with exquisite colors
inlaid in. beautiful designs. Much of
the ornamentation will be done in SOL
i'd gold. The entire edition is hand IL
lumined by expert American, French
and Italian artists, who have used the
most enhancing colors in weaving
dainty and fanciful designs upon the
parchment pages.
The Boston bindery has been at
work upon several other costly and at
tractive volumes during the past few
months. Among them were the beauti-
full presentation copies sent by the
famous Ancient and Honorable Artil-
lery company of Boston to King Ed
ward and President Roosevelt contain
ing the History of that organization;
Another elegant volumeS recently
turned out was the book published by
Yale university and sent to the king
of Portugal as an expression of the
y niversity's appreciation of gift from
the. Portuguese ruler, This. was very
beautiful. and attractive volume. which
will prove an ornament to even a
kings library.
Wedding Present.
One of the most interesting of the
many rare books issued from this es-
tablishmeht was one of almost infinit-
esimal size, bound for a professor at
Harvard college. who designed it to be
a wedding present. for his bride.
It is a revelation to. the ordinary
man to walk through this bindery and
inspect the expensive books being
placed in covers of costly satin and
exquisite inlaid leather for men and
won9&n q wealth who love to see gor-
genifs and rare volumes upon the
shelves Of their libraries.
The owner and manager of the bind
cry was brought up in circle which
gave him excellent preparation for his
life-work. Norman H. White, who is
yet in his early thirties, was promi-
nent at Harvard college, as fraternj-
ty man and an amateur actor He was
graduated in the class of '95. He has
travelled extensively, and while in
London discovered at the British mu-
scum the little book which Henry
VIII wore in his watch charm. He had
Ia sketch made of it, and now shows
it, together with pictures of some fifty
other famous books, as lantern slide.