Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-07-07
WORLDS HIGHEST
PRICED BOOK
A Rare Latin Psalter Of 1853,
Belonging to Morgan
Collection.
AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
Cost Mr.. Morgan $4,000, He Hav.
ing Purchased 1t from a
London Dealer Four
Years Ago.

New York special: In q case in n
of the small rooms in the library of
Columbia university there is lying an
open volume that is the costliest book
In existence.
1t is the Latin Psalter OF 1859, printed
by Fust G. Schoeffer. and is the second
printed book known to ~bibliophiles
bearing a date. Ii is one of a collection
Of early printed books owned by j. Pier
pont Morgan, now OIL exhibition in he
Columbia library. 1t cost MIR. Morgan
S26. 900. he having purchased 1t from
Quaritch, the London dealer, about four
years ago. Quaritch bought it at the
Thorold sale in London for E4.95O
(s24, 750) about twenty years ago. and
kept IL until Mr.. Morgan came along
and purchased II at the figure mem
toned, which practically TO q
loss for the dealer when the matter or
interest Is considered.
The extraordinary value of the book
is due to two things-irst. the extreme
ly limited number of copies OF 1t in ex-
istence, thirteen In all. eleven OF which
are owned by European libraries. The
Morgan copy In printed on vellum, the
page lying opened showing only the
slightest marks of age, and Is bound In
red morocco. 1t contains the first print
ed text of the Athahasian creed and the
initial letters are printed in red and
blue inks. These are said to be the
most beautiful specimens OF printed let
ters In existence. All of the capital
letters are printed in red ink, n he
large initial letter at the head OF the
first page Is printed in blue with he
design of a running hound and flowers
in white. Across the top OF the page
IL also a staff with the notes OF the
Gregorian scale.
Another gem to be seen here Is q copy
OF the Gutenburg-ISu bible, the first
printed book, and usually called The
"Mazarine bible" on account Of its hay-
ing been found In the library OF the
cardinal OF that name. Mr.. Morgan's
copy is on vellum and contains only
the old testament.
Last Record Price.
The last record price for the COM
plete copy of this work is $4,000 In
addition to this vellum copy Mr.. Nor
gan owns one printed on paper. AL
though zone of the other books here are
held at such sensational values as these
two. there is a copy of "Janua's Cath
olicon' that sold for $4,000 at the last
public sale, twenty-five years age. This
is regarded as the fines book issued
from G~utenburg's second press. and
! was pTIIlteu Ill WeDtZ III IfoO. Inc titic
of the book is written in ink that has
faded only a little, and the initial let
tiers are in red and blue, and in green
and white. Two other rare old German
books are a Constitution OF Clement
W." printed by Peter Schoeffer In
Mentz in 1467, and which has all the
paragraphs marked with the same sign
in use today. One OF the Oldest of the
sources of "Parsifal" is a copy Of the
first edition of Wolfram Won Eschen-
baeh's "Tyturell,'' printed I'm l477.
Three of these volumes that Will In
terest the laymen most, owing to their
curious and beautiful illustrations, are
the "Isolari m yersi." printed IN Venice
I'm 1873, the volume being the first spe-
cial atlas Of the Mediterranean. The
Mediterranean TO the photographer
meant Italy evidently. for the map
shows. the peninsula dotted with little
castles and single trees. The."History
Of Troy printed in Paris in 1497, con-
tains eighty exquisite miniatures. this
particular book having been a presen-
tation copy to the French king, Charles
VIII. A copy OF ~"Petrarch," printed In
Venice in 1883, has six engravings, beau
tifully colored by hand. of Botticelli's
"Triumphs.' The book lies open at the
Triumph of Love-" The last record
price Of the 'Lactantius Opera" printed
at the monastery OF Subiaco in 1855, is
boiU, anu that was obtained at the Ives
sale, fourteen years ago.