NAPOLEON'S BOOKS

Evening Star, Issue 20255, 16 August 1929, Page 5

NAPOLEON'S BOOKS

A RARE EXHIBIT 'Among the books and manuscripts 01 uuuost/ priceless rarity being exhibited by K. G, Maggs, junior member of the firm of Maggs Brothers, booksellers, of London and Paris, aro two books which proride a curious duo to the individuality of Napoleon, says the ‘ Christian Science Monitor. 1 One is his Bible, a small book printed in Latin, bound in morocco, and bearing his amorial stamp with its decoration of the Imperial Eagle. The other is his copy of Goethe’s 1 Werther.’ The Bible was originally from the library of Malmaison,' and was printed at Cologne in 1630. The Bible is in the condition which suggests, not that it was read and handled with, consummate care, but that it was scarcely read. The 1 Werther ’is worn and thumbed, fib support to the legend that, when Napoleon had fumed oVor it for a long while by himself, ho summoned Goethe, held a long wrangle with him over various parts of the story, and finally wound up by announcing severely to the author: “Anyhow, you spoilt it; if 1 had written it the tale would have had a happy ending.” The other .single item in the small selection is a letter written by Diego Columbus, son of Christopher Columbus, from America on the 12th of January, 1512, to Cardinal Zimenez, Regent of Spain. The letter, which is in a singularly fipe state of preservation, with its writing strong and clear, describes the animal, vegetable, and mineral products of Ciiba, and the harsh treatment to which Indians, both in Cuba and San Domingo, wore being submitted by the Spaniards. Cardinal Zimenez may have been assumed to bo particularly interested, because it was to him that Queen Isabella had entrusted the spiritual welfare of the Indians of the New World. Besides the books, there is a collection of Persian and other miniatures, some exquisite chant /sheets of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, with illuminated decorations, and first editions of Boswell, Bunyan, Defoe, Dryden, Fielding, Johnson, Looke, Milton, Pope, Spenser, and Swift. The original script of John Drinkwater’s _ ‘ Cromwell ’ is included, with an edition published in Boston in 1812 of Charles Lamb’s : Poetry for Children.’ The publishers were West and Richardson and Edward Cotton.