The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-09-16
RARE BOOKS BOUGHT
Americans PayRecOrd Prices
at London Auctions.
SHAKESPEARE AT HIGHEST
One First Folio of the Worlds
Most Famous Poet Brings $4,000,
and Another Goes at S12,OOO-COpy
of Izaak WaItOn's "COmpIeat
Angler" Sold for SG,45O.

London. Sept. 15.-The passion for rare
books has made during the season just
closed a greater drain upon long purses
/ than ever before. American purses, as in
the market for rare pictures, have opened
wider at Sothebys auction rooms than
the English ones, and the most valuable
| books and autograph manuscripts sold
| this season will go 20 American shelves.
| In regard 10 the undoubted increase IN
price it would seem that every season
brings an upward tendency in the value
| Of rare books. and every season also pro.
duces from some unexpected quarter an
original autograph manuscript Of some
| famous work So there is evidence year
by year that the archives where these
/ literary treasures are hidden are far from
| having been completely explored.
Sotheby's rooms this season have been
a veritable Aladdin's cave TO the biblio-
phile. and if he had TO pay big prices he
has certainly received the value in rare
literary gems. Many autograph manu-
scripts appeared
Shelley's Books In Collection.
BY far the most valuable Of these was
| In the sale Of the late Dr. Garnett's
books and manuscripts. In this collection
we're found three small notebooks Of
Shelley's which were given to the doctor
some years ago by Sir Percy and Lady
Shelley, containing rough jottings IN faint
pencil or in ink Of a few Of Sheuey's
finest poems, including the ode TO the
West Wind"
The bidding for these precious note
books was most animated, but with all
their resources, the English dealers could
not Withstand the determined Outbidding
OF an American. who finally secured them
at the price of $1,000 This amount paid
for a manuscript has been surpassed only
twice-the $1,000 for Nelson's memoran-
dunn of the battle Of Trafalgar, and So
500 for the manuscript Of Book l Of Mil
tons Paradise Lost
II is seldom that one season brings to
the market the original autograph manu-
scripts Of such classics as Pope's Essay
on Man. Gilbert Whites Natural His
tory and Antiquities OF Selboue." and
Walter SCOTS History Of Scotland" ana
il is not strange that such sums as $50
should be given for the first. 800 for the
second. and $3.50 for the third. The last
named recalls the sale OF the same 8u-
thor's manuscript Of The Lady OF the
Lake" for 5000 in 1897. then considered an
enormous price.
Many Autographs Also There.
There were also the autograph OF Ten
nys0n's Brook" $50. the same poets
Northern Farmer" $40, Sheueys tiny
tract. Proposal for Putting Reform 90
the Vote" $3.50. the fourth and NTH
chapters Of Thackeray's Philip" H8D,
Dryden's "EIeanora, $3.50; proof sheets Of
the works Of Byron. with some stanzas
Of the second canto OF "Childe Harold.
$50; Burns Poets Progress" y765 and
Barham's "Jackdaw OF Rheims sos.
So much for the manuscripts IN the
sale of books Shakespeare assembled 20 a
pinnacle of commercial value he never be-
fore attained.
A first folio is generally regarded as q
rare find by book lovers. At the Van Ant
werp sale Of last spring the former record
price was nearly doubled, one copy being
bought by MT QUaritCh for $SrD. and
another for $1,000 al the Buckley sale.
In similar manner a third folio put an
its predecessors into the shade by a
tempting bid Of $3.50
Shakespeare quartos. too. climbed TO a
point which. with one exception, they
had never reached before. The record
price Of $1,000 was paid by an American
purchaser a few years ago for Titus
AndronlCus.' and this tremendous sum
was almost equaled in June, when $3.50
was given for the very rare first edition
Of the foundation play Of Henry VI"
part .; while Immediately following this .
the hammer fell on $3.50 for the 'Mer-
chant Of Venice"
SOnnets Bring $1,000.
The only copy existing, as far as
known. Of THE Lamentahle and True
Tragedie OF NJ Arden. Of Feversham, in /
Kent" which some scholars attribute 10
Shakespeare, brought 5000 The bard's
record for. the past year cannot be /
closed without mentioning the sum
brought by the first edition Of the Son
nets, namely. $1,000
Izaak Walton, too. reached his great /
est height. one of the best things in the 1
Van Antwerp catalogue was the finest /
known copy of the "Compleat Angler" /
in the original sheepskin. which sold for I
$3.50
Three American purchases which at I
tracted attention were Thomas Church I
yards Sir Martin Frobishers Voyage I
to Meta Incognia; First Voyage. 1913"
Thomas Ellis Third and Last Voyage /
by Capto NJ. Frohisher," and Settles /
Last Voyage Into the North and North I
west" The first sold for 5000. the sec /
ond for $500. and the third COR $500.