Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-07
M0RCAN'S RARE BOOKS
Costliest Collection in the
United States.
EARLIEST OF PRINTS
POSSESSES THE MAZARIN BIBLE
AND THE 1859 PsALTER.
Recent Sale of Five Volumes in London
for 500, ooo-Mr. Morgan the
Supposed Purchaser.
BY VIM. E. CURTIS.

Record Herald.
NEW YORK, June 6. 1905
Most great men have fads, and Mr.. Pier
pont Morgan's is rare books. There are
several remarkable collections in the
United States, hut his is probably the larg-
est and most interesting and represents the
greatest investment of money. AS l told
you the other day, he is building private
museum in the rear of his residence. at the
corner of Madison avenue and Both street,
and until that is finished he has no place to
keep his treasures, which are scattered in
many places. Some of them are at his
London residences and at South Kensington
Museum; others at his residence here
in New York and many are locked up in
the vaults of safedeposit companies. Sew
eral are on exhibition at the Lenox Library,
and his most valuable books those which
illustrate the early history of printing-are
on exhibition in the library of Columbia
University, for the benefit of Columbia
scholars.
This collection is the more important and
valuable because it includes specimens of
nearly all of the books that were printed by
movable types in the fifteenth century in
Germany, England, France and Italy, and
the student may study the development of
the art from the beginning of things up to
the date when printing became general.
The books arranged in cases in their
natural order of historical sequence, for
the benefit of those who desire to study
the history of printing.
The First Book Printed
You will remember that the first printing
press upon which movable types We're used
set up in Mayence-a little town on
the Rhine near Frankfort-by Gutenberg
and Faust, about 1854, and the first book
work done by them was an edition OF
twelve copies of the Bible. The type was
large German t. in imitation of that
used by the monks and other writer's in
manuscript missals,. breviaries, choir books
and the Gospels. Vellum instead of paper
was used The volume is large, like the
old-fashioned family Bible, about eighteen
beautifully illuminated. This, the King of
Books. is called the Mazarin Bible. be-
cause about two centuries ago, when peo-
pie began to collect rare specimens of
printing copy of it was discovered in the
library of Cardinal Mazarin. 1t is the
most interesting but not the most valuable
book in the world. OF the twelve copies
originally printed, eight are known to eX-
it and four and one-half of them in the
United States, being owned by the Lenox
Library, r. II. Hoe, the printing-press man
ufacturer; James w. Ellsworth, formerly
of Chicago and Mr.. J. Pierpont Morgan.
The latter has complete and perfect
copy, which is exhibition in the library
of Columbia University, and for which he
plcate of the Old Testament, beautifully
amented by pen and brush which he
purchased from Theodore Irving some years
ago. The New Testament evidently
separa ted from it many years ago and the
Old Testament. which Mr.. Morgan has,
was bound up separately.
AS an illustration of the rapid advance in
the values of books, Mr.. Ellsworth
bought his copy for S14, $50 at the auction
sale of Brayton Ives library about ten
years ago, and Mr. Lenox bought his for a
little over 5000 twenty-five years ago.
Costliest of Books.
The volume which lies beside the Mazar-
In Bible, in the same case in Columbia
Library, has even a greater money value.
1t is the most costly of all books in exist
ence, for which Mr. Morgan paid $2G,2JO.
1t is the second book ever pubished-a
Psaltar, printed in 1853 for the use of the
Benedictine monks at the abbey of ST.
James, at Mayence, by Faust, who dissolved
partnership with Gutenberg, and took into
his printing office Schoeffer, his son-n-law.
The first books printed were Bibles Every
new press that was set up, even as late as
1880 got out an edition of the Bible as soon
as possible Then the printers took up ge-
ographes and the classics-the works OF
Cicero. Homer, Petrarch. Dante and other
poets and statesmen. AT first only few
COPIES were printed Twenty and twenty
five was considered large edition, and
they We're sold to kings dukes and other
very Ilcu men, anu 10 nondSteTieS ana
bishops for the use of the clergy, and were
deposited in libraries. Sometimes books
We're printed at the order of monasteries, as
this Psalter was, or the expense was paid
by kings. 1t became common for sOver-
eigns to patronize printers as they did art
lists and have printing offices attached to
their courts. The geography of Martin
Waldsemueller, which gave the name to
America, was printed at press estab-
lished by King Rene of Lorraine.
We do not know exactly how many cop
les of the Psalter were printed by Faust and
Schoeffer for the Benedictine monks in 1859,
but the edition could not have been more
than fifteen, of which thirteen are now
known to be in existence. One dis
covered recently in the library of Count
Gysenberg. in southern Sweden, where 1t
has been lying among lot of other old
volumes. unnoticed and unknown for no.
body knows how long. A student named
Alois Boyer discovered 1t while overhaulihg
some or the counts ancient tones, and as
1t was too valuable book for so poor
man to retain. the owner sold it for $4,000
to dealer in Frankfort who now wants
5000 for 1t, and it will undoubtedly be
sold very soon If it has not been already.
1t IS perfect copy in the original binding,
and bears very slight evidences Of age 1t
has been hidden away so long that it has
escaped the wear and tear of the genera
lions. Count Gysenberg does not know how
1t came into his family, but one Of his an
cestors must have acquired it very soon
after 1t was printed. 1t has higher value
than the Mazarin Bible because 1t is more
beautifully Illuminated and all of the cop
les known to exist are in public libra ries
$50 that they cannot come into the markeD,
with the exception of the recently discoy-
cred Swedish copy. and Mr. Morgan's COPY
which is on exhibition at the Columbia
Library.
Mr.. Morgan's copy came from the library
of Sir John Thorold. one of whose ancestors
obtained it at the time of the dissolution of
the monastery at Mayence in 1881 1t was
purchased December 10. 1854 by Bernard
Quaritch for 1900 pounds and after his
death was sold to Mr.. Morgan.
Other Early Prints.