New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-01-20
VESPUCC|US SELLS WELL
Four Volumes Bring $4,000 al
Hoe Library Sale.
MAY GO TO UNIVERSITY
W. M. Hill, of Chicago, Buyer
Total for Second Part of
Sale 81, 468,982.

Something over $4,000 was tossed away
within six minutes at the Anderson Auc-
ton Galleries yesterday, during the last
day OF Part OF the sale Of the Robert
Hoe library. This sim brought four small
volumes into the possession OF Walter NJ.
| Hill. the Chicago dealer, who outbid Rob
ert H. Dodd OF the local firm OF Dodd Il
| Livingston, In each case. The volumes
! contained Americas Vespuccius's accounts
OF his voyages of discovery to the New
World.
| Mr.. Hill refrained from making public
the ultimate destination OF these rare
works. He himself did not know until the
| preceding day. he said. that he was going
| TO buy them He volunteered the indefinite
! information that they we're going to adorn
| the library OF some university. but COM
| bnation OF circumstances forbade him to
| say which one. He would confer with the
| librarian of the university within the next
few DAYS. he remarked. and perhaps the
| librarian could tell by whom they were
! bought and why.
These statements led to the suppostion
that the books had been secured on the or
der of some patron for presentation to the
university OF his choice. and guessing cen
tired around Chicago University as the one
! for which Mr.. Hill would most likely he
commissioned to buy. A hint dropped by
tho dealer. however. that he was going TO
| Philadelphia shortly TO see Mr.. "ldener'
Of that city, brought the University or
| Pennsylvania into the question as possible
| recipient.
The costlest Of the four volumes was the
| Court Kalbneisch copy Of the first edition
Of the letters OF Vespucclus, containing a
| complete account Of the discoveries tour
voyages, printed some time between Sep
! tember. 1904 and January, 1905 There u
considerable doubt in the minds OF collec-
tors how many other copies of this work
there are in existence, but there are GER
talnly not more than four. II Is SAID that
al, are in national institutions I'm Europe.
one being in the British Museum.
History Of Hoe Copy.
The history OF the Hoe copy shows that
| II was bought by Or. j. Court, famous
| French collector, from a Paris bookseller
named Tross. between 1870 and so. Ber-
I nard Quaritch bought It in 1854 for Charles
| Kabheisch Of this city, and later sold II
| 10 Mr. Hoe for 1850, as shown by his origi-
nal bill. which remains between the pages.
Mr.. Quaritch followed the bidding up 10
5000 yesterday afternoon and there
stopped.
Two copies Of Vespucciuss "Mundus
| Nouus." being the narrative Of his third
voyage. one printed at Rome and the other
probably in Germany, cost Mr.. Hin $500
and $500. respectively. They brought 500
and H.O75 at the Ives sale. in 1891 The
] nj n
about 1918. sold for $500. II was said TO
| be the Ives copy which sold In 1881 Tor N-p'
! These prices. together with those when
| the evening session brought. helped 10 ele-
vate the grand total for the second part
| Of the sale 20 sl.4ss.9s2. In spite Of the
several items which have fallen below eN-
pectations, this is considered very FAR
total by both the auction company and the
/ Hoe estate. according 10 good authority
| An example OF the way In which prices
broke unexpectedly was given yesterday
lafternoon, when George u. Smith obtained
p nrst edition Of Henry Vaughan's "Silex
sclntiliians." bound by the club Bndery
I'm which Robert Hoe was interested, for
$3.50 Mr. Smith said that the binding alone
OF levant morocco, with a panel OF re-
pousse silver on tho front cover repre-
gcnting Psyche reclining. was worth about
500.
Such cases. however, were rare. II was
declared by one OF the experts In the book
line that the two parts of the sale. taken
together, showed New York To be the
greatest bool. mart in the world.
other books sold yesterday In addition
TO those OF Nespuccius. were the Hamilton
| Palace copy of Tristan. Chevalier de Ia
Table Ronde," printed by Nerard about
1906 10 Quaritch for $3.50. first bid; the
FIRST Aldlne edition OF Virgins works.
printed in Venice In 1901, to f. w Morris
, for $3.50: first edition OF Van der
Donck's "Beschryvinge van Nieuw-Neder-
| liant" with the second engraved view
printed Of New York. TO Dodd & Living
ston for SS15 and the works Of Noltaire'
I'm seventy-one volumes. with over 2,lOO
plates. to G.. $. Hellman for $3.50. Mrs.
Harry Payne Whitney bought half q dozen
hooks but kept within the $50 mark.