Evening star., 1933-07-30

Whats he worth?, while in England they
say, What's his income?" Which u q very
neat description of the difference between the
PHILOSOPHERS of life Of the Old World and the
New.
The person who buys rare books not simply
a. hobby but also as an investment-and
there are many such who have their treasures
locked up in bank vaults throughout the coun-
try-naturally wants to know what type OF
book or manuscript is likely to be, in future,
the object of the collectors most frantic pas
sion. For there are fashions in book collect
ing as in everything else, and the pet Of one
generation is sometimes the stepchid Of the
next. This loss in favor does not happen,
though, according to DR.. Rosenbach If the
book has genuine undisputed literary value
or historical significance.
The most worthwhile books" he says, "are
the first books on any subject that has real
significance In the history Of civilization. The
first books on sports the first on flying. even
the first written about the razor would be
valuable; also the first map Of America, the
first book printed in America, the first news
paper issued in the Colonies-I could 60 on
with the lists of frsts indefinitely. First edi-
tions of great histories will always be sought
after, such those Of Gbbon. Great voy-
ages great biographies, great books tied to
world problems, such the great work OF
Malthus-all these are permanent values.
Theology, on the other hand is one of the
subjects in which the public has little inter-
est. Books on theology used to be collected.
but now people don't give damn for them
That is because everything in theology is SO
uncertain and changeable: the passionate be-
Iefs of one man may seem merely superstitious
to his grandson.
Great documents in history have an ever
increasing value. The modern tendency in
history now is toward realism. toward history
based on original sources" On this subject
DR.. Rosenbach is particularly qualified to speak.
a breath taking collection
Of original documents tied to the great events
of Americas past.
But though historians are tending toward
realism, the trend of literary thought. he be-
Heves is back to romanticism. It Is this con-
viction which has, in part, led him to make
the collection Of famous love letters recently
on exhibition at his New York headquarters
Here the curious may bend over glass cases
and read a heartbroken note from Keats to
Fanny Brawne-"My dearest girl"-Whom he
loved "in secret and apart" or one from Mary
Wollstonecraft Shelley to Percy Shelley-"Ay
Sweet Love"-written at the time when Shelley
was in London seeking custody OF his two
children left motherless by the suicide Of his
wife Harriet; a letter from Elizabeth Bar
reh describing her meeting with Robert Brown
ing, or witty letter from that aged Don Juan,
BENJAMIN Franklin, to Nine. Brillon. Prank
lin is, incidentally. quite a pet Of DR.. Rosen-
bach's. He has used the many Franklin letters
and documents in his possession and that Of
other collectors (but vigorously excluded from
text booksD as the basis for q privately printed
volume called The Au-Embracing DR.. Prank
lin"
A MOTHER CT Rosenbach's enthusiaans. a.
" every newspaper reader knows Is Alice
in Wonderland" While Englishmen sat around
helplessly, groaning and biting their knuckles.
he recently bought the original manuscript Of
this much-beloved book, paying $77.5oo for
It. Once when he was lunching at the White
House during the Coolidge administration the
conversation turned-nirabile dictu-on book
collecting and particularly on this purchase.
which was the sensation Of the year. DR..
Rosenbach referred to Suppressed" edition
compressed actually because the author was
not satisfied with parts Of the text. The
President opened his eyes in real or feigned
surprise. Il didn't know" he exclaimed that
there was anything off color about Alice!"
The wonderland" manuscript Is now In the
possession of Eldridge r. johnson, who is we
trust experiencing secret delight in being able
to read the off-color portions of Alice,s biogra-
phy-provided he can find them.
The seemingly fantastic prices paid for this
and other manuscripts explain why one or two
unobtrusive but keen-eyed men seem always to
be just passing by DR.. Rosenbachs houses in
New York and Philadelphia. His New York es-
tabliShment is, to be exact, two houses one
devoted to books and the other to rare an
tiques in furniture and art. Since 1903 he
and his brother, Philip H. Rosenbach have
been in business together. he concerned with
rare books his brother with rare furniture and
objects dart The furniture is housed In q
beautiful building at II East Fifty first street.
copied from the London residence Of Sir Wat
kin Wiiliams-Wynn It's lovely circular stair
case. marble mantels and hand-carved paneled
rooms remind us once more that no other era
Of interior decoration has ever exceeded the
best of the Georgian in dignity, grace and
feeling for the finer nuances of living.
The thousands of books which line almost
all the walls of the neighboring house seem
pleasantly at home in this setting. Even the
large vault, which contains many priceless
treasures in rare books and manuscripts, does