Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-13
|NCUNABULA SEEN
BOOST TO CAPITAL
Purchase by Congress Would
Include Famous Gutenberg
Bible. -

Washington may become a world
center for the study of medieval art,
literature, science and philosophy if
Congress enacts bill introduced by
Representative Ross A. Collins of Mis-
sissippi appropriating $1,500,000 to pur-
chase for the Library of Congress the
collection of incunabula or cradle
books" of DR.. Otto F. H. Vollbehr, cele-
brated German collector.
This collection includes the earliest
printed volumes in the world, including
one of the As copies of the Gutenberg
Bible in existence. DR.. Vollbehr has Of
fered the collection to the Government
for approximately half its market value,
according to Mr.. Collins, including the
remaining $500, 900 as personal gift.
It Is only matter Of time, according
to prominent American book collectors,
when tSe Gutenberg Bible alone will
81 100000. The collection contains 300
classics, the earliest printed editions
of Apuleius, Caesar, Cicero, Homer,
Horace, Livy, Catullus, Arisophanes,
Herodotus, Euripides, Plutarch, Senaca,
Ovid and Virgil, as well as of Dante,
Patriarch. Boccaccio and Erasmus.
Among the works on astronomy are the
earliest editions of Ptolemy, Strabo and
Alfragan, the Arabian upon whose
SyOISuk OdIlGC UdoGO IA1o
work. The medical works include the
earliest editions of Hippocrates, CELSIUS
and Galen, while the religious section
contains the works Of st. Augustine,
Savanarola, Thomas Aquinas, Cusanus
and Duns scotus as they, first appeared
in print.
Bibles History CoIOrfuI.
The Gutenberg Bible, printed on
parchment, has q colorful history. This
copy was first purchased by the Bene-
dictine Friars in Paris and preserved
In their monastery at st. Blasius in the
Black Forest until the Napoleonic wars
when they were forced to flee to
Carinthia in Austria. Here it remained
until 1t was purchased by DR.. Vollbehr
in 1926 for 100000.
The Nation in the past, Mr.. Collins
points out, has missed rare opportuni-
ties to purchase collections for the Lii
brary of Congress at a fraction of their
real value. Even the collection of
Thomas jefferson, which constitutes
practically the foundation of the pres
ent collection, was not purchased with
out bitter debate. Jefferson had spent
SO years in building up probably the
finest private library in America. He
offered 1t to Congress at "itS own price.
n
Mr.. Collins. One member declared that
cit might be inferred from the char
acter of the man who collected it, and
France, where the collection was made,
that the library contains irreiigtous and
immoral books, works Of the French
philosophers who caused and influenced
the volcano of the French Revolution
which had desolated Europe" The
member was opposed to the "dissemina-
ton of that infidel philosophy and Of
the principles of a man who had in
f1icted greater injury on our country
than any other except Mr.. Madison.
sons pocket for about 5000 books, good,
bad and Indifferent, in languages which
many cannot read, and most ought not,
which Is true Jeffersonian philosophy to
bankrupt the Treasury, beggar the
people and disgrace the Nation"
Library Of Washington.
Jeffersons books finally were pur-
chased, infideliSm and all, but Congress
failed to accept liberal offer to buy
the library Of George Washington, the
original manuscripts Of his farewell ad-
dress, or the exceptionally valuable
and former Secretary Of State.
It would be especially appropriate tt
purchase the Vollbehr collection, Mr.
Collins says, as memorial to the 81
years service of DR.. Herbert Putnam
as Librarian of Congress, during which
the library has increased from LOCO. 00C
to 1900, 900 volumes and over 1,000, 00(
maps, 100000 pieces OF music, nearl!
100000 prints, uncoupted manuscript:
| and transcripts estimated at well owe
600, 900 pieces; over 10000 bound vol
unes of newspapers, surpassed in mum
Der of books and pamphlets only b!
the Bibliotheque Rationale In Paris.
"The annual accession Of books ant
pamphlets is about 10000" Mr.. Collin
continued. EFT contains the most com
plete collection on American histor.
and politics, photography and librar,
science. The music collection Is sur
passed only by two or three European
/ libraries. There is probably the larges
collection of Russian books outside o
Russia and of Chinese books outside o
China and Japan. There Is an un
eoualed collection Of the publication
of learned societies. Twp collections 0