The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-09-21

dolnBs In society's famous auction
rooms in Wellington street. Strand.
which contribute so abundantly during
1.-The season to the qualification OF the
book collectors OF two continents. Any
season which included Huth dispersal
! and such sale that OF the Browning
collection must shine With lustre OF It's
|own In the annals Of literary auctions.
The former, OF course. was rich In IL
Illuminated manuscripts, OF which there
was an abundance throughout the season
from other libraries. notably n magnificent
chronicles OF England" executed by a
Fifteenth century French artist, which re-
allied $500 just before last Christmas.
In several successive seasons within re-
cent years Shakespeare has been para
mount. but though the last few months
have yielded the usual crop OF folios.
their quality. with one exception. has not
favored great prices. A tall copy. in good
condition. was sold in July for so.75O, and
In March another fetched 1850. A Second
Folio. noteworthy for its very imperfec-
tons. was bought for $1,000. 1t had been
iexpurgated by order of the Spanish In
QUESTION"
There appeared group Of Shakespeare
quartos. A good quarto is sometimes as
valuable as a good folio. witness the
$4,000 Titus Andronicus." now in an
American library. and the fourth quarto Of
Richard H." sold in 1906 for $3.50. The
notable prices last season were $500 for
fourth quarto OF Romeo and Juliet"
$3.50 for Il fourth of Hamlet" and SITS
for a second of Titus Androncus''
Undoubtedly the event of the season was
the Browning sale. 1t had its trimuphs. Its
Much of the artistic equipment OF the poets
Italian villa had been brought to yelling
ton street, and. as auction results went
the only things worth serious notice were
la set OF two panels OF tapestry. which
fetched $3.50. and another set Of three
which solu for $500. The rooms. and even
the entrance hall. were crammcd with the
lhandiwork in paint on canvas of the poets
son, Robert Barrett Browning. huge pieces,
mostly OF nude nymphs disporting near
rivers. and some were knocked down for
bids Of n shilling.
BROWNlNG'S LOVE LETTERS.
But the literary collection was OF ex-
traordinary interest The sale was her
4
versy on the propriety OF displaying to the
public gaze. much less putting up TO pub
lie auction, so Intimately sacred CORE
ispondence as the casket OF documsH q
known as the Browning Love Letters-2Si
from Robert Browning TO Elizabeth Bar
rett and Isl from the poetess TO the poet
Fortunately. there was no danger OF the
collection being broken up: they were
offered as one lot and at the magnificent
bid OF s32.750 they passed into the posses
sion OF Alr. Sabin. This was the second
largest sum ever paid at Sotheby's. 1t
was exceeded few years ago by the bid
:, OF 1920 for the Blaythwayt Papers
those documents of inestimable value to
American historians. dealing with the
/ time about the end OF the seventeenth
century when the American colonies were
}. struggling for the retention OF their former
liberties and charters. while engaged in a
fight for existence against Indian raids
3 and French entertainments.
Next 10 the love letters in Importance
s were the original autograph manuscripts
d OF several Of the famous poems of Brown
ing and his wife. Mrs. Brownins's Son
s. nets from the Portuguese" fetched $685.
+ iapproaching the record OF $4,000 for SCOTS
C Lady OF the Lake." and Aurora Leigh
l. S4.650. while her husbands manuscript OF
b "Asolando" ran up to $3.50.
b Many precious little cargo OF literary
It treasures. once under the hammer n,
|, Sotheby's. went to America. destined for
IL most valuable of recent acquisitions were
G
It before the start of that great sale by Mr.
n a. Cochrane for presentation as n thanks
4. offering to his alma mater, Yale. and more
l. recently still. from the Dunn Library, a
le unique collection of 355 lots of ancient
English law books printed and manuscript
n bought In one lot for presentation to Har.
is ward University.
Of RARE BOOK BY FRANKLIN.
Is In Washington there has been for more
n than thirty years one of the two copies
known of Benjamin Frankin's "Disserta.
: ton on Liberty and Necessity. Pleasure
and PAIN" written by Franklin when he
was boy compostor in London, and sci
s up and printed by himself. The other cop,
came up at Sotheby's in June at the HUH
sale; and thereby hangs a tale.
The late Mr.. Henry Stevens bought the
AZ pamphlet in 1850 for half a dollar. He
% offered 1t to the British Museum for IS
,s and the offer was refused. 1t made sub
IN sequent auction-room appearances, ant
"a twice did the Museum authorities attempt
to obtain it, being beaten on the first occa
49, sion at the Hotten sale in 1872 by bic
l. of S110. 1t eventually joined the HUH
:, Library. Two months ago that .Disscrta
=, ton" caused battle royal between the
=, late Mr.. BERNARD Quaritch and Mr.. Henry
Stevens. and the latter won at the enor.
Ia NOUS price of S5,025.
re The portion of the. HUH Library dis
90 persed this year was the third since the