Evening star., 1927-03-20

OF red men were grouped on tho
newly discovered lands, spirits ap-
peared in the skies.
The works on cartography and dis
covery were used by Mr.. Thacher
in his work on The Continent uf
America, published in 1898. and
called the most sumptuous biblio-
graphical and cartographical work on
the discovery and naming of America
that has ever appeared In English.
and used also in his monumental
work. Christopher Columbus: His
Life. His Works and His Remains as
Revealed by Original Records
Among the origIna, materials are
extracts from Peter Martyrs EpistIes,
Las Casas' history of the Indies. mar
ratives of voyage and cotemporary
literature relating 10 Columbus.
With these books relating 10 CO.
lumbus are two small lockets. one in
the shape of a sphere and the other
in the shape OF a cross, inclosed in
metal frames, each locket containing
minute fragments of bone which Mr.
Thacher considered worthy OF being
described as part of the true remains
Of Columbus. The documents upon
which ne based his opinion certify
that the fragments were taken in 1877
from II leaden casket, inscribed with
the name and title of Columbus. by
an engineer in charge of repairs at
the Cathedral of Santo Domingo. Other
equally minute fragments taken from
the Casket were sent by officials of the
city and cathedral TO Pope Leo the
Thirteenth. 10 the municipality of
Genoa and to the University OF Pavia.
y 4 x
THE fifteenth century books--the
incunabula, or. cradle books" as
they are called. because they represent
the infancy OF the art of printing
number $40 different editions, or more
than one-eighth Of the entire number
Of incunabula known Ia be owned in
the United States, according to the
census" Of such ownership. published
by the photographed Society of
America in 1919. This census" listed
6,640 different titles owned in Ais pub
lie and private collections in North
and South America The $40 different
editions in this single collection in
Clude 235 that are the only copies at
present known to exist In the Western
Hemisphere
Mr.. Thacher. in making his collec.
ton, aimed to get AT least one speci-
men from each press of the 238 or
more places I'm which printing was
practiced before 1901. Proctor's Index
of inCunabula gives something like
1850 distinct fifteenth century presses.
The $40 separate editions in the
Thacher collection include $50 presses,
specimens from nearly half the presses
operating in the first half century
after movable types were invented.
The Thacher collection begins at the
early date of 1859; but early as that
Is. the young art already showed a
very high degree of skill. The collec-
ton illustrates in very remarkable
way the diffusion of the art through
out Europe.
The use of movable metal types
first came into practical use in Ger
many in the city of Mainz about the
year 1850. BY the end q: the year
1.470 presses had been sek up In seven
German towns, all of which are rep
resented in this Thacfer collection; by
the close of 1880. % or % towns had
had presses. of which 10 are in this
collection; by 1890 there were 3S or 80.
of which 1t has 90; by the end of the
century so or 81. of which 1t has 36.-
The Is places in Germany not known
TO this collection are of comparatively
little Importance.
The first book to which printers put
their names and the date of publica-
tiOn was the famous MainZ Psalter.
printed by Fust & Schoeffer. associ-
dteS OF Gutenberg, In l40I, the second
was a psalter of August 20, 1859: the
third, dated October 6, 1859, is repre-
sented in the Thacher collection--the
Rationale divinorum officiorum, or Eek
PLANTATION of the divine Offices" VIII
liam Durand, chaplain to Pope Glenn
ent Nv and holder Of many other high
offices in the church. wrote this book
toward the end of the thirteenth GEN.
tury. 1t is an exposition or explana-
ton of the divine offices of the Catho-
lie Church, detailed statement of
the origin and symbolic significance of
all the church ritual and it's relation
to the church building and furniture.
1t accounts for all the ceremonies. the
sacraments. the vestments, the mass,
the holidays and feasts, the calendar.
1t has been called 'the most valuable
work on symbolism that the Middle
Ages has furnished. Peddie cites 81
editions printed in the fifteenth cen.
tury; at least 13 were issued in the
sixteenth century. AS late as 1856 an
edition has appeared. and the third edi-
tion of an English translation of the
part relating to the church building
was issued in 1906 This Oldest vol
ume in the collection is, therefore, a
monumental book in its substance as
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