Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-11
NAPOLEON THE
SPONSOROFB OOK
RARE VOLUME IS SEEN AT LOS
ANGELES STORE
Many Quaint Old Publications. Found
at Shop Which Is Run on
Lines of Old London
Days

One of those publications which are
rarely found on the shelves of Ameri-
can book stores, work printed at the
order of Napoleon Bonaparte, when
emperor of the French, is to be seen
in Los Angeles.
This work is entitled monographs
Grecdue ct Romaine,' and contains
many authentic portraits of emperors,
kings and illustrious men of antiquity.
The work consists of seven large i'm
perial folio volumes, with numerous
beautiful engravings of bustS and
medals and the like.
Bound in the original French bind
ng and published by Didot of Paris,
1808-26, the relic is of extreme historical
value.
The publication of this great work
was undertaken by order of Napoleon
Bonaparte, and after his abdication
was continued by Louis XVIII. and by
Charles x.
Something which shows what
rarity this set of volumes in Los An
geles is can be judged from the fact
that there was but limited number
of sets. Not a single set was offered
for sale in the auction rooms of Eng
land or America between 1SS6-19O6.
London Dealer Assists
This set of rare volumes is to be
seen at Dawsons book shop at 518
South Hill street.
Ernest Dawson opened a book shop
on Broadway three years ago, max
ing a speciality of old and rare vol
umes and good secondhand books.
About a year ago he took into the
business H. w. Collins. who for sew
enteen years was manager of Lon
don book shop.
1--WE intend to make this store a
sort of home for old and rare vol
umes, where literary people may find
a comfortable place to loiter and ex-
anime the books explained II. w.
Collins recently. 1.-THE idea is to de-
velop the business along the lines of
the old London book shops and to make
a specially of scarce and out-of-print
books"
Among other valuable and rare vol
umes to be found on the shelves Of
this book shop are the following:
Proofs of etchings on satin. by IA
nous artists, a limited edition which
was of interest to all artists.
Similar in some respects is the set
entitled poets and Etchers," printed
on Japan paper, only fifty numbered
sets ever being published These were
gotten out for presentation only, of
which the set at Dawson's is No. 4.
Old Map Shows Errors
Other notable works are Raffelle's
"Loggie del Vaticano," Goods and
Goddesses," and eight quaint and
striking volumes entitled 1.-THE Turk
ish Spy" written by one who lived
forty-five years in Paris undiscovered.
1t has a singular portrait of the spy
in the first volume. 1t was published
in London in 1748.
Then there is a volume heavy with
weight of years and bruised by the
"bludgeons of time" which gives a
/ most peculiar map of America, de-
picting California as an island, sep
arated from the rest of the continent
! by a sea running north and south.
1.-THE biblomaniac is criticised often.
and his mania for first editions is ridi-
culed," said Ernest Dawson recently,
but serious book collecting is the
most satisfactory form of collecting
known.
MANY a customer who complains
that his books cost him too much will
spend many times that amount spent
for these treasures in theater or din
ner parties without a thought. And
what has he to show for 1t?
"a man who bought old California
books twenty years ago could sell his
library now for many times what he
paid for 1t.
when 1 came to Los Angeles about
ten years ago Horace Bells 'Remi-
niscences of q Ranger was to be
picked up in almost any Los Angeles
book store for from two to four bits.
Today your bookseller will be glad
to pay you from five to ten times what
you paid for it.
For a few bits a week you can
have all the excitement of hunting
or of the race track without the at
tending danger and inconvenience"