New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-04-01
THE HOE LIBRARY
Coming Sale of a Magnificent
Cole ction.


The late Robert Hoe was born COL
lector whose passion grew with his
means TO indulge it and his knowledge
Of the field still open to him. His library
was the result not merely OF the love OF
poysession. but Of the love OF books for
| their own sake. He was scholar as
well as a collector, judge OF the con-
tents Of books az well as Of the values
of imprint, date, condition, rarity and
| binding. Above all else, he was an IN
defatigable searcher for the best, for tho
one perfect copy extant. His library,
one Of the greatest in the world. known
all over il for it's treasures, was the result
Of fifty years' growth, search. elimination
and substitution, not a matter Of num-
bers, but Of the quality Of each indi-
vidual item in II. Yet in the course CT
years II came TO attain vast cumulative
as well as qualitative importance, the
number Of titles represented In II, now
that it Is about to be dispersed under the
hammer, lowering about the figure
! 5000, and probably going well beyond
| III.
put up for sale by the Anderson Auction
Company during the week Of April "a 70
%, at afternoon and evening sessions.
The auction catalogue Of this section
alone contains 1888 items.
The importance Of this sale TO collectors
can hardly be overemphasized, FOR Cp-
portunties such as it offers are growing
exceedingly scarce. The age Of happy
finds is past. The great treasures are
all known. their whereabout noted. their
ownership watched. Many Of them have
already become unattainable, the perma-
nent possessions Of the worlds great pub
lie libraries. OF these supreme treasures
the Hoe collection contains several de-
sirable examples.
Collecting at second hand. If 1t may so
be called, has come to be a well known
and instructive hobby. There are coll
lectors in a humber sphere who content
themselves with the possession OF the
catalogues Of Others collections, treasure
houses themselves # they are properly
made and annotated. The sale cata-
logue of the Hoe library is Of their num-
Der. II may be recommended TO every
| Eibliophile and photographer as Of per-
manent and growing interest and value,
which will be greatly enhanced by the
list Of prices to be issued by the auc-
tioneers at the end of the sale.
| When this catalogue Of the first part
. of the sale is considered in detail, one Is
! struck alike by the catholicity OF Mr.
Hoes interest and the care devoted TO
every one Of it's many sections. 1t
ranges from Illuminated missals, media-
val books Of devotion and Aldnes and
Elzevirs To those charming specimens
of dainty French book making, Octave
Uzanne's works, bound by Chambolle-
Duru. Bretault and the Club Bindery;
| from Chaucer, Spenser and Laurence
Sterne to Burns and Blake. from Nillon
and Cervantes 70 Verlaine and Longfel-
low The Elizabethans are worthily rep
resented. including the Shakespeare folios
and duartos, and there is goodly col
/ lection OF Americana, including an inter-
esting New York section.
The fine bindings range the history Of
that dignlfied art from the twelfth CEN
fury to the present day Of its worthy re-
vival Armenian, Russian. Dutch and
German silver bindings English en-
broidered bindings, lacquered and tor
toise shell bindings set off the beauty Of
fooled and inlaid feathers, mellowed By
the patina of tine. worth mention Is
81 n
many countries and many famous rulers,
OF Tudors, Stuarts and Hanoyerlans,
Bourbons. Medici, Valois, Guises. of Ia
Oh Barry. La VALERIE and La Pompa-
dour of Henri IL and Diana de Poitiers.
Of Mr.. Hoes predecessors IN a long ana
ilustrious line. de Thou, Count Hoym
and Grolier, Maioli and Canevarl. Henry
VIII is represented by "Lucubrationes'
of Sidonius Apollinaris bound In calf by
John Reynes. the back restored by Bed
ford; Elizabeth by a book bound ID
morocco by Rlviere but doubie with the
original calf covers bearing her arms,
and by an interesting olive morocco
binding. with her arms in the centre with
n laurel circlet, Anne Boleyn's four fal-
cons. the royal lion and neur-de-lys.
/ Nicolas and Clovis Eve are here; so arc
Ie Gascon. Monnier. Padeloup. Derome,
Rauzonnet. Lortic, and, OF course, the
Grolier Club Bindery. Special attention
should also be directed to twelfth CEN
fury English binding OF oak boards ana
rigsl<in. with the original undressed
deerskin cover, containing a vellum Ms.
Of Bede's "Opusculum in Li5rum Ae'
tuum Apostolorum."
Among the rich incuRdbuld, first place
belongs TO the Gutenberg Bible. the hrst
book printed from movable type. copy
on vellum, probably the last one 10 DC