New-York tribune., 1911-04-08
BIG SUM FOR OLD BOOKS
Dealer Says He Paid $1,250,OO0
for Church Collection.
SOME RARE MANUSCRIPTS
Value of Library Known to Bi5!i.
ographers, but Not to
General Public.

George D. Smith. dealer in rare books
autographs and prints at No. As Wall street.
announced last night that he had purchased
the E Dwight Church collections of Ameri-
cana. Shakespeariana and other books and
manuscripts. The consideration, NJ. Smith
said. was 81 5000. He Is hopeful of selling
IL en- bloc TO the United States government.
but If he does not succeed he will break
up the collection and dispose OF II 10 pri-
vate collectors
After Mr.. Churchs death. about n year
and half ago. the entire collection was
placed in the Lincoln Storage Warehouse.
in New York City. Though the collection
was well known TO photographers. the gem
sral public had no idea Of it's value or size
The executors of his estate offered the COL
lection for sale six months ago. and since
that time have received three bids. one OF
which was from an English firm
Mr.. Smith was jubilsnt over his purchase
s'I used to sell Mr. Church books" he said
when was a boy in knickerbockers and
worked for Dodd Mead e. Co. and sold
tim books ur TO the time Of his death. Mr..
Church's collection represents the labor OF
thirty years Next to the Duke Of Devon
ehire's collection. Mr. Church had the
world. and his Americana Is second TO no
other mans library"
FrankIin's Autobiography"
The most notable manuscript in the col
lection. according 10 experts. Is the original
OF BENJAMIN Franklin's Autobiography
NJ. Smith said Worthngton c. Ford. who
until recently was the head Of the manu-
scrip. department OF the Congressional Ii
brary 1T Washington. once declared That
after the Declaration OF Independence this
Franklin manuscript was the most valua-
Die Of all American documents
The Shakesperiana of the collection are
said 10 contain eleven out OF the twelve
known varieties Of the four folios. This
item alone Mr.. Smith appraised at sloooW
The collection IS credited also with thir-
teen copies OF the quarto edition OF
Shakespeare. fifteen copies Of the second
edition and forty-one quartos OF an early
date
There is an original manuscript Of Thack-
erays Chronicle Of a Drum" and the
manuscript of Dickens's THE Demeanour
Of Murderers' There are also 1T is said
some letters OF Christopher Columbus tell
Ing of his discovery Of America, and some
letters OF George Washington which he
wrote TO Sir Isaac Heard. OF more inter
est TO the literary collector is the original
letter Charles Lamb wrote TO a Miss Kelly.
proposing marriage The collection also
contains the answer that Miss Kelly wrote
lamb or the same day. There are let
- N edition which Lamb wrote to Ed
ward Moxon. the London publisher who
in the field of English literature the col
lection is said 10 have many rare first edi-
tons. The most conspicuous of these is
first edition Of John Bunyans "Pilgrim's
I1ogress." and this particular copy is de-
,lared To he the only one on record which
contains a portrait Of Bunyan. Copies of
al the scarce editions of Walton's Com
Ilcte Angler" from the first through the
fifth edition. all OF which were published
i'm WaltCn'a lifetime. are also included in
tie lot.
Tho first edition OF Mton's Paradise
Lost" OF his "Comus" and Of his other
poems the first edition Of Defoe's Robin
son Crusoe' OF Bacon's Essays and Of
Edmund Sponsors Poems are all listed
in the collection. as the first editions
81 Sir Waiter Scotts. Levers. Dickens's
and Thackeray's works.
The COLLECTION is said 10 comprise rare
editions of a majority OF the works OF
English literature from the time OF CaXton.
who is represented by an edition Of Ciceros
'Orations." down to the latter part OF the
nineteenth century This is brought out
b. an examination OF the voluminous table
Of conttn nts Of the books and manuscripts
that comprise the collection. which in
dudes seven volumes compiled and an
rotated by George Watson Cole and Paul
I 80,
Ished by Mr.. Church at a cost OF sss.coo.
Americana Well Represented.
In the Americana there is a copy OF
the Bay Psalm Book" which was printed
IN le40, and is said 10 have been the first
book printed IN tho thirteen English coll
onieS-that is. the first book printed in
what is now the United States. There il
slso. according TO the catalogue the earli-
est known copy Of the New England
Primer. while Of interest 10 New Workers
ts the Bradford map of New York Har-
Dor and the first edition of Denton's His
Tory Of New York" which was published
IN 1870 very rare book is the only
complete copy known OF the original of
the first laws Of Massachusetts, for which
~ is said the State Of Massachusetts once
offered $4,000. Then there are sixty of
Franklin's Poor Richards Almanak' in
the first edition, for which Mr.. Church
said he was offered $4,000 Two letters
written by Major Andre and a first ed-
zion Of the Bible translated into the Ind
ian language early in the seventeenth
century are two more examples of the
rsre Americana mentioned in the cata-
logue
collector - -'un' said last
night: The Church collection is very ex-
traordinary and very unique Mr.. Church
was member of the Grolier Club and
would often loan books for its exhibit
lions" The Church collection contains
more than four thousand volumes.
Mr. Church was a wealthy manufacturer
OF soda. and was the senior member Of
the Church e. Dwight Company. Of New
York City. For many years he lived in
an old-fashioned house in the Greenpoint
section Of Brooklyn. There he was sur
rounded by his rare books and manu-
scripts. the collecting OF which was his
chief delight