New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-10
a RARE LIBRARY.
Governor Penmypackers Books Soon
To Be Sold.

Whatever difference Of opinion may exist as to
the executive policies and performances Of the
present Governor of the State of Pennsylvania,
there can be but one notion to his ability,
keen Judgment and industry a collector OF
books, when shortly the library, which he has
spent something like forty years in collecting.
shall be placed upon the market for sale. Gov
ernor Pennypacker's library contains between
$4,000 and $4,000 volumes all relating 10 the his
tory OF Pennsylvania, and especially to the his
tory of printing In this State. The number of
books of which other copies are known to be
in existence is unusual but aside from this
every volume has been selected for a purpose,
and in the few cases where the title is not of
great interest 1t will nevertheless be found that
some portion of the contents is of particular
value.
No such collection of Franklin imprints is
owned by any individual institution is in
this library. 1t alone excels in number and i'm
portance that purchased by the government for
the Congressional Library from Henry Stevens,
of London, for $4,000 Though the Boston
Athenaun. has been collecting Franklin i'm
prints for fifty years, its showing is not nearly
SO complete. Mr.. Henkels says this is because
Governor Pennypacker was in the right place to
find the best of such matter, and whenever it
necessary went after it himself. In the
Franklin collection are many autograph letters.
including to the philosophers friend. Stra-
han, the publisher, in which he gives notes of
Burkes speech before Parliament on the Stamp
Act, taken by Franklin himself while he was in
London the agent of the American colonies.
Among the imprints are a number of books
from Franklins own library, including his per-
sonal copy of his work electricity. Then
there is a series of colonial and continental
legal tender notes printed for the government by
Franklin though ii is not generally known that
Franklin ever did such work. There is also
great mass of Frankniana, consisting of biog
raphies and eulogies, a complete file of The
Pennsylvania Gazette which Franklin pub
lished, and many broadsides and proclamations
printed for the government.
Several things in the Washington library
hard to choose from in the matter of interest
and value. and of these the only
listing copies One little book is composed prin
cpally of pamphlets, separately printed and
signed and presented to Washington by their
authors, relating to the founding of the city of
Washington and the establishment of the seat
of government there. These bound into
one volume by Washington with his own hands
its a creditabe job, too-and on the inside
Of the cover is Washingtons book plate. while
the title page of the first pamphlet is his sig
nature. Into the same volume is bound a
printed Prayer Composed for the Benefit Of
the Soldiery in the American Army, to Assist
Them in Their Personal Devotions, and
Recommended to Their Particular Use, by Abel
Leonard. a. NJ Chaplain to General Putnams
Regiment in Said Army. Cambridge. Printed
and Sold by S. and P. Hall. 1775." The prayer
is eight pages in length. which. Mr.. Henkels
suggests, may account for the success of the
American cause. Mr. Henkels says he would
gladly pay 500 a page for this prayer. This
book in its entirety, he sold to Governor Pen
nypacker about fifteen years ago. 1t is now
/ worth at least $4,000 $4,000. While other
copies of some of the pamphlets may be in ex-
istence. the binding of them into this volume
and the book plate and signature of Washing
ton make it unique.
Another quaint volume is Advice to a Son"
printed in 1716 and already family relic when
it fell into Washington's hands 1t orig
inaIIy owned by and contains the signature of
John Custis, grandfather of Martha Washing
tons first husband, from whom it descended TO
Daniel Parke Gusts, thence to Martha Wash
ington and so on down TO Lawrence Lewis.
Washington's favorite nephew. and son Of
Betty Washington, who married Fielding Lewis
Governor Pennypacker got the book from the
Lewis estate
An earlier print than this. also owned by John
Gusts. is "A Serious Proposal TO the Ladies for
Interest. In Two Parts BY a Lover OF Her
Sex London, 1897 This volume appears TO
have been given by John GUSTS to his wife, and
perhaps she needed ii. for as noted by Gov
ernor Pennypacker on the fiy leaf Of the vol
urne Gusts caused to be engraved on his tomb
stone his name and station, followed by the in
scription: Aged seventy-one years, and yet
lived but seven years, which was the space of
| time he kept bachelors home at Arlington, on
the Eastern Shore of Virginia
Among the Washingtonia the lives, sermons
and eulogies are some of them exceedingly rare,
especially a selection of lessons for reading and
speaking, compiled by Noah Webster. and con-
tanning the rare portrait of Washington by
Trenchard In the caricatures, of which there
are something over one hundred, is one, the only
thing of the kind ever made in which a portrait
of Washington appears. Even this portrait is
not a carica ture, but a very good likeness, done
with reverence and dignity. Washington was
never caricatured. it is said. by any American
printer or publication. fact which may have
had bearing on Governor Pennypackers views
on that subject. No other copy of the caricature
in question is known to be in existence 1t is by
William Charles and was printed during the
agitation which led up to the war of 1872.
These various pieces already mentioned in the
Franklin and Washington libraries are only
samples of very many Of which 1t would be i'm
possible to give even a bare list. Only few of
many other rare books can here be named with