£10,000 FOR A BOOK.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XXVI, Issue 3365, 10 March 1915, Page 4

£10,000 FOR A BOOK.

The late Mr. Piernont Morgan haa lefb among. h*s vas^ collection of) unique articles tho only perfect copy in existence of. Caxton's " Morte d'Arthur." It is one of tho rarest books in the world, and fell to the late millionaire) at the H'oo sale for tho tremendous price of £S,oGO. That is tp say, each page h worth about £50.

Some years ago, wlien the Antwerp Collection was sold at Sotheby's, a great American .collector coveted the First -Folio Shakespeare which was included in the sale. His'agent-travelled G,OOO miles to .secure the treasure, and returned to the States with the great book. But ho had left behind him the record price, £3,(500. In 1812 this book fetched £121 16s/

There is a story of the unearthing: of a. Cast on at Thorneck Hall, Lincolnshire., The butler was entrusted with the work of weeding out superfluous books. A perfect copy of Dame Juliana Berner's "Boke of St. Albans" was thrown aside and sold to a pedlar for ninepence. The latter thought he was lucky when lie sold it to a, Gainsborough chemist for three shillings. It was soon sold to a bookseller for £2, and he sold it to another bookseller for £7. It was subsequently sold to Sir Thomas Grenville for £80. At the time of this transaction Dibdin valued this book at £420, and in 1882 a perfect copy changed hands for £630.

The most valuable printed book in the( world is the first ever issued from the press—a Gutenberg Bible. But even in those early days there were, "editions de luxe." An ordinary paper copy, with three leaves "restored," fetched £2,960 the last time it appeared on the market, but at the Hoe sale a tremendous sensation was caused by the inclusion of a fine copy on vellum, printed by the very first printer.

Dealers hurried like homing' pigeons from all quarters of the globe to view this treasure and also to bid for it. It was finally secured by Henry E. Huntingdom, tha greatest- book-collector on the globe, for the r.ecard priei of £10,000. '