Evening star., 1933-02-12
RARE LETTER BOOKS
TO Be AUCT|ONED
Collection Was Among Most
Valuable Ever Gathered
in Capital.

Washington has lost one of its richest
photographic treasures. This became
known when advertisements appeared in
the New York press to the effect that
the most valuable portion of the library
of the late Levi z. Letter is to be sold at
auction in that city this week. The
books were removed about two months
ago.
Mr.. Letter was one Of the merchant
princes of Chicago. He was born at
Leiterburg, Washington County, Md,
November 2, 1884, and went to the Mid
west as a young man. With Marshall
Field and Potter Palmer he organized
the business which originally bore all
three names and which now is called
? the Marshall Field Co. Mr.. Letter him.
self died June 8, 1904.
Started Collecting in 1879.
II was in 1879 that the merchant
magnate began to collect books. The
quest terminated only with his death.
HIS tastes were catholic, and he roamed
tar and wide in buying material. He
had palatial home in Chicago, but
even its shelves, capacious enough for
all normal purposes, proved inadequate
for the accommodation of his biblio-
graphic acquisitions. When he decided
10 build a modern palace in Dupont
Circle, Washington, he planned that
there should be room enough for addi
ttonal thousands of volumes. But as
long as he lived he continued to buy.
From the resultant accumulation 263
items have been selected to be sold on
Wednesday and Thursday evening next
- one OF the largest of Manhattan auc-
tton galleries. These are the cream of
the collection. The character of the
lot may be judged from the first num-
ber on the list, The Voyages and Dis
coveries Of Christoval de Acuna in
South America" fine copy of the first
edition in English O698) of the narra-
tives by "the first Europeans who ira
versed the Amazon country" and the
last number, 1.-THE Strange and De-
lectable History of the Discovery and
Conquest Of the Provinces of Peru, in
rate, a very large copy of the first edi-
tion In English of "the foundation of
all subsequent histories of the subjec-
tion Of the native peoples of Peru"
printed In 1881.
Historic Papers Included.
Between these two extremes are an
unparalleled series of titles dealing
with scores of different themes. Not
all are bound books Many are precious
pamphlets, documents, letters and
drawings. The William Faden plans
and maps of the American Revolution
are included; also the papers of David
Hartley, about 180 letters and docu-
ments dealing with negotiations be-
tween the United States and Great
Britain for the treaty of peace to liuui-
date The Revolutionary War. In the
latter group is a map of the newly
organized 13 States, supposed to have
been drawn by Thomas jefferson or by
Benjamin Franklin.
or especial value are about 300
books, pamphlets. manuscripts and let
tiers. composing a single unit, printed
In the Confederate States In the period
l861-l865, and Of inestimable signifi-
canoe to students of the Civil War.
Further selections from the Letter
collection are to be auctioned in Wash
ington next month. Hope that the
entire accumulation might pass to the
ownership of public institution in
the Capital was abandoned when the
trustees OF the Letter estate decided
upon the auction plan.