PRECIOUS BOOKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13938, 21 December 1908, Page 3

PRECIOUS BOOKS.

. Sir, —Will you permit me to heartily thank 1 Auckland's distinguished connoisseur and i lover of books, Mr. Henry Shaw, for his in- ] forming letter regarding the Mazarin Bible? j This Bible is valuable for one reason—if for no other—because it was the first book of ' any value to be printed with movable metal- ' lie type. As supplementary to Mr. Shaw's < epistle I take leave to remark that on June \ 15, 1887, the Earl of Crawford's copy of the ( Mazarin Bible ' was sold by auction at Sotheby's sale room. An unusual number ! of gentlemen interested in bibliography were 1 present, and just before the time came for i the book to be sold a few ladies, as well as f Lord Crawford and other gentlemen, joined j the audience. When the book was put up *. (quoth Bookworm) Mr. Quaritch said that he well remembered buying the identical ' copy 30 years before for £695. The Bible 1 was "put up" at that figure, and the bid- j ding, £100 each bid, immediately commenced. Finally tho book was knocked down to Mr. Quaritch for £2650. This ex- S cessively rare edition—in two volumes, as £ Mr. Shaw has pointed out, and of which a t cony sold for £3900 in Sir John Thorold's E sale—has been styled, unjustly to Germany, tho» Mazarin Bible ever since the discovery r 'by Debure of a copy in the library of Cardinal Mazarin. but latterly is called the 1 Gutenburg Bible. Experts declare that for 1 firmness of paper, brightness of ink, and c exact uniformity of impression this Bible has never been surpassed by any other, work. ' Tn contemplating the splendid workmanship 1 it seems marvellous that the invention of c printing should by a single effort have ex- s hibited the perfection of tho art. , Wif. S. Brtce.