The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-06-05
THE NOTED
ROFANT BOOKS
Features of LOcker-LampSOn
Library in New York.
CONTAINS 1000 VOLUMES
The Collection, Which Was Purchased
by Large Publishing Firm,
Is nown Throughout
the Book World
CONTAINS 1000 VOLUMES

R0wfant library, collected during many
years by the late Frederick Locker
Lampson, the English poet and Shake
spearean collector, was recently pur-
chased practically en- bloc by one Of
the big publishing firms in New York
city, says the New York Post. The IL
brary contains about a thousand vol
umes and is known to book collectors
and bibllophiles the world over. While
the purchase price has not been dis
closed. it is known to have been many
thousands of dollars
In 1856 Locker, who died in 1895,
compiled the catalogue of his books,
known to collectors as the Rowfant
library and named from the estate in
Sussex which was the home of his
second wife. the daughter Of Sir Cur
It's Lampson of Rowfant. 1t was after
this marriage that Locker hyphenated
his name, adding Lampson.
The catalogue was divided into three
parts-part one, English poetry and
drama, 1850 to 100; part two, of the
same general character as the first,
with some prose added, 100 to 1880,
and part three, American literature,
Practically all of the volumes in the
library are first editions and are fur
Their notable on account of their i'm
maculate condition, matter OF prime
Importance to the book collector. In
the third part Of the catalogue, the
American books, poetry predominates.
The library was purchased from the
poets son, Godfrey Locker-Lampson.
who married a daughter of Tennyson.
After the death of his father Godfrey
ocker-Lamps0n compiled and issued
an appendix to the catalogue of the
Rowfant library. This appendix noted
the books which had been collected
since the preparation Of the first cata-
logue and was likewise divided into
three parts, the old portion, the modern
portion and that Of foreign books The
end of part three Of the appendix emu
merates the valuable collection of auto
graph letters and albums which the
poet collected. While the entire libra
ry of printed books and manuscripts
was purchased, certain presentation
copies Of works, notably those Of Ten
nyson, Browning and Holmes, some
drawings and pictures and personal let
tiers were retained by the poets family.
The purchase of this library is de-
clared by collectors to be of an impor-
lance equal to the requirement by
George II. Richmond of the remarka-
Bile Irwin Lefferts and DeForest libra
ries. Frederick Lock err Lampson's Ii
brary contains many rare Elizabethan
and other volumes, In addition to inter-
esting and valuable memoranda per
sonal and biographical.
The Rowfant library catalogues are
embellished with memorial verses from /
several hands, and the supplemental |
catalogue has preface by Augustine |
Birrell who married daughter of the
poet In the original catalogue these
verses by Andrew Lang appear:
THE RowFANT BOOKS.
tBallade en- guise de rondeau.1
The Rowfant booksl How fair they shew.
The quarto quaint. the aldine tan,
Print, autograph. portfolio!
Back from the outer air they call
The athletes from the tennis ball.
This rhymer from his rod and hooks.
Would could sing them one and ali.
The Rowfant books
The Rowfant books. In sun and snow
They're dear. but most when tempests
fall:
rhe folio towers above the row
AesSa t44 r.rxs-. |
What jolly Jest books and what smaR
Dear Dumpy Twelves'' to fiji the nooks,
You do not find ON every stall
The Rowfant booksl
rhe Rowfant booksi These long ago
Were chained within some college han;
These manuscripts retain the glow Fl
OF many q eolored capital;
While yet the Satires keep their gail.
While the Pastfssier puzzles cooks.
There Is Joy that does not pail
The Rowfant books!
ENVOY
The Rowfant books All magical
AS famed Armida $ golden looks,
They hold the rhymer for their thrall--
The Rowfant booksl
Austin Dobson contributed poem of
- NNN@hHttS W hut NdtdiOSuts Vi WHICH /
hese are the first two:
His booksl oh, yes, his books I know.
Each worth monarchs ransom,
But now beside them, row on row,
l see, erect and handsome,
The courtly owner. glass in eye.
With half sad smile forerunning
Some triumph OF an apt reply.
Some master stroke of punning.
When the poets son produced the
catalogue Andrew Lang
'rote these verses, which are interest
lg In view Of the recent sale:
How often to the worthy sire
Succeeds tn unworthy soni
Fxtinguished Is the ancient fire.
Books were the idols of the squire;
The graceless heir has none.
To Sotheby's go both old and new,
Bindings and prose and rhymes;
With Shakespeare as with Padeloup
The sportive lord has naught to do
He reads the Sporting Times.
Behold special act of gracei
On Rowfant shelves behold,
The well loved honors keep their place
The new won glories half efface
The splendors Of the old. !