New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-02
MORE THAN $4,000 IN
ONE NIGHT OF HOE SALE
Rush for Medieval Manuscripts
Follows J. P. Morgan's Bid of
S42,800 in Afternoon.
"MORTE D'ARTHUR" PRIZE
Days Total $285,000, Breaking
All Records - Manuscripts
Bring $4,000 and S24,-
600 in Hot Contests.


pcnt Morgan acquired the Caxton "Morte
d'Arthur" for s42.soo. the second highest
price Of the sale. in the afternoon and
in the evening n very fury of bidding
brought bids of more than 100000 in
less than two hours
Arthur Hoe bought for $4,000 the
famous illuminated manuscript known
/ as The Pembroke Hours which cost
his father s. 900 at the Brayton Ives
sale, in 1891 Miss Benson. of Brooklyn.
Robert Hoes granddaughter paid s24, 900
for the Hours Of Anne de Beauieu." the
( second highest price of the evening
out Of sixty-nine manuscripts sold
thirty-four brought more than $1,000
Five were sold for more than $1,000
Ten Of these treasured specimens of art
alone brought Sl363l0 from eight diff
ferent bidders.
The total figures for the days sales
were S2S5.l63 ~. The sales last night
were S214.567 ~. and the total for the
sale is S74S.254.
( Others who paid high prices for man
uscripts were the Dodd e. Livingston
Company. George y. Smith. Or. Joseph
Baer. Of Frankfort. Germany and Nine.
Theophile Beln, Of Paris
Success for j. p. Morgan.
With a hid Of $40. 500 Miss Belle de
, Costa Green bought the only perfect COPY
known Of Cations edition Of "Morte
. d'Arthur' for the library Of J. Pierpont
/ Morgan Al the opening Of the second week
Of the sale at the Anderson Auction
Rooms Yesterday afternoon II was hoped
by some ardent enthusiasts who attended
the auction more for the purpose Of
looking on than Of bidding that Sir
I. Thomas Malory's work would bring
more than the Gutenberg Bible. but
George =. Smith who bought the Bible
for Henry r Huntington. paving S5o.o00
for it, and who was the only man who
dared follow Miss Green above the $50
ooo mark in the present instance thought
the price was high enough. 1t was the
second highest price Of the sale.
There was too much OF chance in
bidding any higher" he said "One can
not sell such books as that every day,
and was bidding on It for stock IF IT
should be on my hands. say FOR a yea
or two. the interest charges on it would
be enormous II was too risky
I was not bidding this time for any
! one but myself NIr Huntington had
been asked by Miss Green to stay out,
and T. | had got il II would have
been M h me 10 get rid Of il. ! don't
think Nj Huntington wanted it much.
anyway"
The two volumes printed h. " Cay-
! ton n Westminster in 1855. and the
bindings. put on shortly after ther came
! into the possession of Sir Robert HaI-
ley. later first Earl Of oxford. in 1908.
are both in remarkable state Of pres
/ ervation. Sir Robert purchased the
work at the sale Of the library Of Or.
/ Francis Bernard. physician to James II,
/ for the extravagant sum Of IS cents.
Previous Owrers Of Work.
II passed through BRYAN Fairfax 70
Francis Child and from him TO the Earl
Of Jersey whose book plate is on the
cover In 1SS5 il was bought by Ser
nard Quaritch. of London. for Mrs Nor
ton Q. Pope of Brooklyn. who sold il
privately 10 Robert Hoe. presumably
for 2 bout the price she paid for it'll $50.
or 50 $50
Miss Green was in at the first on the
bidding When the auctioneer suggested
$1,000 as the opening bid she nodded
her head emphaticaly.
Mr. Smith. however. was not satisfied
/ With so low a start. I'm give $1,000.
he announced in tones much louder than
are usual with him.
The bids Immediately jumped to SIS
600. then to S2oooo, running up by
thousands until $33. 300 was reached.
BY that time Walter NJ Hill. Of Chi
caco Mr. Livingston. of the Dodd e.
Livingston Company. and several others
who had had the temerity to plunge into
the current had been whirled aside and
Miss Green and Mr.. Smith We're without
rivals. AT S42 700 Mr. Smith baked.
The book went to Miss Green and there
| was lol OF dllNddS''
When the session was over Miss Green
held an informal reception in the aisle
for congratulations. Surrounded by
number Of friends, she made her way
70 the front Of the auditorium 10 OBTAIN
a closer view Of her purchase. Her i'm
pulse was 10 carry it home at once. bat
she was deferred from this by the IA;
that the key to the morocco case in
which the two volumes were kept had
hesn mislaid The books were placed in
the safe overnight until she could take
away books and case together.
Until the "Morte dArchur" was put
nm Bernard Quaritch was the star bid
der Of the afternoon. securing three Of
the four other lots which went for more
than 81 UOo. He paid $500 for a Greek
grammar by Constantlnus Lascaris. the
first Greek book printed. under the date
of 14I6 II was bought by Mr. Hoe AZ
the Brayton Ives sale, in 1881. for S3io.
Mr. ouaritoh also carried away the sec
ond hook for which the Greek type was
cast the first work printed in Italy.
This was the work OF Lactantius Fir
,,,ta,us for which he was focred To- bid
S1 7oo in order To win IL away from
nodd g. Livingston His other purchase
u.oe first edition Of John Lilly's first
,i.,. "The Woman in the Moone.'
ur,nted at London in 1891. which cost
him Sl,32".