Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-29
LIBRARY ACQUIRES
VALUABLE BOOKS
Rare Engravings in 23-voI-
ume Topography Make Rich
Addition to Congressional.

An artistic masterpiece of consid'
cradle note and very rare, the %
volume topography of the Austrian
geographer. Martin Zeiller. has been
secured this week by the Library of
Congress.
The value OF these ancient leather
bound volumes secured from a Dutch
collector lies in the copper engrav'
ings of one of the most celebrated
workers in this art of all time, Ma
thaeus Merriam. Merriam was one OF
the first illustrators to turn from
wood to copper. His work now has
become quite scarce and is priced
highly by collectors.
These books contain 81 maps and
more than 100 views etched on cop
per. Most of them are the handl-
craft of the elder Merriam, but the
work was finished after his death by
his two sons One of them, Mathaeus
Merriam, the younger, not only was
an engraver. but one of the outstand-
ing artists of his day, and was closely
associated with Van Dyck and later
with Rubens. The other. Caspar
Merriam. continued the business estab-
lished by his father at Frankfurt.
Other Artists Aided.
Among the artists collaborating with
the Merians in this work were WenZel
Hoilar, pupil Of the elder Merriam;
Joachim Won Sandrart, an instructor
Of the younger Merriam; Conrad
Hunno, who produced the Illustrations
for the principality Of Brunswick,
and Jan Peters. the illustrator for
France and the Netherlands.
There probably has never been an
atlas published since so inclusive as
this put out by the Merriam house
early in the seventeenth century. 1t
literally showed every dwelling house,
church and store in every village IN
Germany Of any Importance at that
time. This makes 1t a treasure house
for students of history. The artists
would go into town. count the
houses on every street, note any Pc
culiar STYLES of building and then go
to a distance to get a perspective OF
forests, hills and farms surrounding
the settlement.
The German cities were shown in
their splendor and prosperity. But at
the time the topography was published
the Thirty Years War was already
under way, and many of them were
destroyed by the two armies, winch
were living off the country. Most OF
the towns shown were still small clus-
ters' of houses, a church spire ascend
ing out of each group of roofs, sur
rounded by cultivated fields.
Chiefly Works Of Art.
The volumes devoted to France,
Switzerland, Holland and ancient
Rome are by no means SO inclusive or
accurate as those which deal with
Germany. The atlas was intended
primarily for the use of German geog-
raphers and business men. The text
was by Martin Zeiller, a. noted geogra-
pher of his day, but it contains little
of value.
The Library prizes the books chiefly
as works of art. This Is one Of the
few complete sets in any library in the
world, and agents of the Library OF
Congress, knowing of its existence,
have been on the lookout for 1t for
several years. The work Of the early
masters in copper engraving was al,
lowed to disappear, because it was
considered at the time as mere crafts
manship rather than art, and it is
only within recent. years that the
genius displayed in the lines and shad,
ows Of the old engravings has been
recognized by artists.