New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-09-14
BOOK SALES IN LONDON
Offerings This Season Showed
Some Remarkable REGULATIONS
FROM 60 CENTS TO S5,O25
This Range Was for Franklin
Pamphlet-"Hora" at HUH
Sale Rule High.
[From The Tribune Correspondent,

while they have not been particularly re-
markable for the rarity Of the offerings.
have given some very interesting and IN
some cases almost romantic examples OF
revaluaton. The most notable. perhaps.
was that OF one OF the two known copies
OF Benjamin Franklin's Dissertation on
/ Liberty and Necessity. Pleasure and
| Pain" which came into the market at
| Sothebys in June at the HUH sale. This
/ pamphlet was written by Franklin when
| he was a boy compositor in London and
was set up and printed by himself One
copy has been in the Library OF Congress
| at Washington for more than thirty
years.
| In 1850 the late Henry Stevens bought
the other copy for 60 cents. He offered
! II TO the British Museum for s.. but the
offer was refused. After that II was In
the auction rooms several times. and on
two occasions the British Museum au-
thorities tried TO secure It, the last time
| being at the Hotten sale In 1872. when II
was secured for the HUH library for
| $ll2 80. When II came into the market In
June at the dispersal OF the third part OF
the HUH library. Henry Stevens secured
II for sos.
The portion OF the HUH library sold
| this year brought the total Of the three
sales since the beginning. in 1911, up TO
s73SOG5. but this is only the amount real
tied from the public sales. and II must be
remembered that under the HUH behest
the British Museum had the choice Of Fifty
I h. hxar bat fha
catalogue could be prepared for the pub
lie auction. The British Museum authori-
ties estimate the value of their selection
at $4,000, so that the total realized so
| far, when only the letter H" has been
reached In the catalogue. amounts 20
si.23s,065, with tho prospect Of the end
OF the sale several years in tho future.
Some Medieval MSS.
In this years HUH dispersal some OF
l the most interesting items were found
! among the medieval "Hore" There was
fifteenth century French manuscript.
executed for Philippe de Confines. which
cost Mr.. HUH $1,000. and was sold this
year for $4,000. Another fifteenth cen
fury French manuscript, with large NINA
tures, brought $500, while third,
which was bought in 1876 for s1.9T5, was
sold this year for $3.50, and another.
which cost $500 in 1876, fetched $500
this year. Altogether forty-two OF these
beautiful works Of art changed hands in
this years HUH dispersal
After tho HUH sale the most interest
| Ing one OF the year was the Browning
sale Apart from the great Interest which
J wa hy- ha "a NH
I lie auction OF the originals OF the love
letters OF Robert and Elizabeth Barrett
Browning. the sale In its final results was
almost ludicrous. For two or three months
preceding the auction In May there was a
great controversy IN the papers over tbs
putting up at public sale all these let
tiers, and some attempt was made 10 hays
them secured for the British Museum, but
A., the final result was that they passed into
the hands OF Mr. Sabin for s37,750. This
was the second largest sum ever paid for
one lot at Sotheby's. II has only been
exceeded by the s43.950 secured for the
Blathwayt papers. those documents OF
such great value 20 American historians.
I The sale OF the equipment and decore-
ton OF the Brownings' italian villa was
brought 10 Sotheby's auction rooms but
there were only two items besides the
literary collection that brought prices
worthy Of notice-a set Of panels OF
tapestry was sold for $3.50 ard another
set Of three panels brought $3.50
Paintings a Shilling Apiece.
OF the litter o, paintings by Robert
! Barrett Browning, some OF them huge
canvases. which crowded the auction
rooms, many went for shilling apiece.
but in the literary collection som- good
prices were obtained outside o, tho
Browning love letters: for example. the
original autograph manuscripts OF Mrs.
Browning's "Sonnets from the Portu
guese" sold for $3.50 which was very
close TO the record price OF 5000 for the
/ original manuscript OF SCOTS Lady OK
the Lake" The manuscript OF Aurora
Leigh" brought $3.50. and the Original
manuscript of Robert Browning's "Aso-
lando" ran up 10 $3.50 In the printed
books a copy OF Pauline: A Fragment
OF Il Confession" written by Browning
In 1893. realized s2.40o, and series OF
letters from Mrs. Browning 10 Miss
Milford brought sl.9O0
In the Ms. sales OF the year one con-
/ sisted OF number OF assignments or
copyrights by distinguished authors. one
thousand dollars was paid for the agree
ment OF John Gay TO sell the copyright
of THE Beggar's Opera" This seems a
/ pretty good sum. but II does not compare
/ very favorably with the s.. 80 paid In 1911
! for the assignment of the copyright OF
| Fieldlng's Tom Jones" A Fielding relic
that came into the market this year was
/ the original indenture signed by the nov
elst. his brother and sisters. relative 10
/ the family estates. This brought NJ"
The Shakespearian offerings this year
were not remarkable. A tall folio copy IN
good condition was sold I'm July for $500
while in March another folio. which was
chiefly valuable because IL had been eN-
purgated by order OF the Spanish lnqui-
sition. brought $1,000 A fourth ouarto
of Romeo and Juliet" brought $500 ana
tho fourth quarto of Hamlet N'+|'
while a second OF Titus Andronicus' was
sold for SIS.
Rare first editions OF modern classics
were not frequent this year. first eo'-
ton of Shelleys "Adonais' came into tue
market. however. and brought $50. and
first of Defoe's Robinson Crusoe 900
A copy Of THE Mirror OF the Wor'u'
the first English book with illustrations