San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-12
San Antonio Booklovers
Have Access to Rare VOL
umes Presented to Car
negie Library by J. A.
Eeech Of Chicago.


For persons whose love Of books Is
not confined to 1.-THE six best sellers
on the popular shelves in the public
library or the bargain counters in the
book sections of large department
stores, there is Il great treat offered
in the Mystery Library" which is
stacked on a group of shelves in one
of the private rooms of the Carnegie
Library. 1t is called the Keech Col
lection but mystery attaches TO the
way the gift was made and why 1t was
giyen-and also to the slight atten.
ton it has attracted in the several
years it has been in possession of the
Carnegie Library. Beside the ibrar-
ians, who are very proud OF the
books, it is doubtful if half hundred
persons know that there is such a col
lection Of books in San Antonio.
About six years ago, a negro truck
driver came into the library and de-
posted an armful of books on the
floor, repeating the performance, until
he had brought in several hundred vol
umes. He came at busy time of the
day, and no one in charge paid any
particular attention to him, supposing
that he would make some report OF
what he was doing, at the desk. When
he had finished. however, he went
away without saying a word to any
one, and it was only when the librar-
ians were arranging the books for the
night, that the strange stacks of books
on the floor attracted their attention.
They were found to be so valuable.
that they were carefully picked up and
put away, and left untouched, as it
was believed that the truck driver
had made n mistake in delivering them
10 the library. which would be recti-
fled. when the owner had discovered
his loss.
Donor Keeps i'm Background.
No word was ever brought about
the books, and they were nearly for
gotten, when about year later, an
other truck driver came with another
similar load of books, and began dcliv-
ering them in the same fashion. This
time the librarians were on the alert,
and asked questions which led to the
discovery that the books were given
10 the library by j. A. Keech of Chi
cago. Who he is, in the book-world;
why he decided to give such an i'm
mensely valuable collection Of books
TO San Antonio how he got them here
from abroad: why. after the time,
trouble and money it must have cost
10 collect them. he was willing to part
with them at all and Why he was So
determined TO remain unknown in con-
ncction with his gift: all forms part
Of a real mystery that perhaps will
never be solved.
The collection is chiefly composed
OF early numbered and limited editions
Of old and rare books, printed in Eng
land, many of them printed and in.
tended only for private circulation,
and many of them from the private
collections of famous English and
French bibliophiles. They are so care
fully selected and so superbly bound,
that they seem TO belong in glass
eases in the splendid Wrenn collection
in the University in Austin, rather
than on obscure open shelves in the
Carnegie Library in San Antonio.
There are between eleven and
twelve hundred books in the collection
and to the least informed outsider
in the book world, they must have
an intrinsic value of several thou
sand dollars, apart from their immense
value as a collection. They undoubt-
eddy are part of the collection of a
true bibliophile, of broadly catholic
tastes, who. quite evidently, was pos
sessed Of ample time, means and
knowledge TO crafty his highly cul-
tiyated and selective literary desires.
Some of the books are so beautiful
that just to hold them and feel the
texture of their exquisite hand-tooled,
polished leather bindings is pleasure
enough without opening the pages to
discover what manner of book deserves
so splendid cover.
In every case the cover is found to
be justly related to the contents. Many
of the volumes concern themselves
with religions, ancient and modern,
early English and French poetry, plays
and old morality Mosques, essays, and
volumes of criticism, books of common
fairies, folklore of many lands. and
unusual histories and biographies,
crowding each other in bewildering
profusion.
Sets OF the Sale Koran.
OF many of the more unusual books
there are several volumes or sets.
There are two sets of two volumes
each of the Sale edition of the Koran.
One, printed in London in 1925, and
bound in soft brown suede is compare
lively modern. but the other was print
ed in 1874 on paper of the soft old
kind used in early Bibles. and is
bound in heavy brown calfskin.
There are at least seven sets in va
rious TRANSACTIONS and bindings and
dates Of printing of the writings of
Dante. a very handsome copy of the
Wright translation of the "Purga-
torio' is in two volumes. printed in
London in 1896. and bound in dark
blue leather. Rosettis famous edition
: of Dante's IA Vita Nuova" is rem
resented by the numbered volume 127
out of the 80 volumes that were rub
lished. 1t is exquisitely bound in illum-
mated white vellum and as fresh as If
it had never been handled. The bind
ing. translation. illuminated text. the
delicate and imaginative drawingY
that exemplify so perfectly what is
Known as the "Pre- Ranhaelite School"
of English art. and even the printing
is done by Rossetti himself. 1t is D
Tarvelously beautiful example of thu
photographers highest art of that ne
rind. and indeed. of any period. Three
volumes OF Cary's TRANSACTIONS of
Jpante's poetry published in 1910. and
bound in dark blue leather. have the
e-'-raved book nlate and coat of ARM
Of Stewart of Binney- in each one.
Four complete sets Of Chaucer's
writings are included. some in tn,
early English in which they were writ
tep and some in the best modern scriui