THE VALUE OF GOOD BOOKS

Taranaki Daily News, 16 October 1930, Page 13

THE VALUE OF GOOD BOOKS

TURNBULL LIBRARY TREASURES. THE SOUTH SEAS COLLECTIONThe Turnbull Library has tfip opportunity of acquiring Gquld’l “Birfls pf Australia,” ? publication in eigl4 large volumes, published in 184.8-1869, illustrated with 681 plates ip pplpum, drawn by Mrs. Gould. Gould, a noted naturajijst,' published several pthpr works, such as “Birds pf Great Britain,’’ “Birds of Europe,‘/Hupfeipg Birds,” “Tho Family of Trpgpps,” etc.-—a set of which fetches, when .offered, over £1600; but the, “pirds pf Australia” is the , rarest of his work's. The Turnbull Library* already has Gould’s smaller twfl-yolume handbook of the “Birds of - Australia,” and his beautiful ’‘Synopsis pf Birds pf Australia”; also his three _ large yolujpep. “Mammals of Australia’’;. gud fife eight bird volumes referred to above are needed to complete the library set of his works on Australian biifls. A few New Zealand' birds are included; very little was known about New Zealand birds at the time this great work was brought out; and the volpmes aye important as ' containing, the first descriptions of a great many of tflp birds of Australia. t

Tho Turnbull Library hag Rrpinowski’s six volumes, “Birds pf Australi 1890-91; Digglcs'e twp volunies (companion to Gorki’s Handbook), 1877; Cane’s original ppiptingfi of “Birds of Australia,” large voluipp, 1889-90; Mathews’ “Birds of Aus--1 Jia,” twelve volumes, with four supplements. These are ajl ip qflditiqn to the works on' “New Zealapd Birds,” by Buller, and “Extinct Birds” (including mba), by Ow en Rothschild. So it will be seen that these \ eight volupips of Gould will form a , valuable addition to the library be- , sides rounding off the Gopld volpnieq already on the shelves. The price , i £2so—a prjee that has been fetched ( more than once in the past, and wBl b e i emeeded in the near future, seeing that j , the number of complete sets' is limit- ,

ed. , An indication of the .way the prices of modern books have increased may be of interest. TJio first edition of Conrad’s first book “Almaycr’s Folly,” for an autographed cO Py °f which the late Mr. Turnbull paid £I _ 8 l Bs b a year or no ago for £ 4~5. 1 he first edition of Robert Browping's first book, “Pauline,’’ was sold a few months ago for £32OQ. The Turnbull Library has a copy with a note in it by Brownipg, which enhances, its value. Mr. Turnbull paid' 130 guineas for it. Mrs. Browning's “Battle of Marathon,” at the same pale, fetched £3500. A copy is in the library, for which Mr. Turnhull paid 70 guineas. First edition copies of Kipling’s two “Jungle Books,” only . published in 1804-95, now fetch £(”'• Steyenson s “Treasure Island,” published jn 1883, fetches £125.' Most recent of these enhanced prices is that paid for a copy of one of a limited signed edition of the “Testament of Beauty.” issued by Robert Bridges, the late Poet Laureat?, just before his death. The volume was published at £1 Is; tho copy mentioned was bought for ~00 times as mpch. Thefse volumes by Gould are now rarely met with. The drawings are works of art jn themselves, Mrs. Could beimr an artist of great ability; and thp "pictures show the birds mostly in life size, with appropriate surroundings of native plants and flowers, all in natural colours. The public are asked to assist in perfecting the bird collection housed there, by the addition of this rare, and beautiful set. Had the

late Mr. Turnbull been alive, he yqpld not have hesitated to acquire it. As an instance, it may bp noted that pp one occasion a rare hook 4 -was gent to him for his consideration, its.- prjpe being £854. He did not rpsifefe long. He acquired it. It is now in the library, and its value is between £3OOO apfl £5OOO to-day. It will spoil exceed the latter figure . Unfortunately, no endowment was left 1 enable similar p'opks to be acquired to enhance the future value of this unique collection. \ The Turnbull Library is open to tfip and is very much used by' stUr dents of New Zealand matters and Epgr lish literature; not only students resident in Wellington, but ipapy frpn; other towns in New Zpalapd, who find here a mass of material not available elsewhere. The collection of Spilth Seas literature, including Australia and New Zealand, ranks with the Mitcfiell Library, Sydney, as the best extant; and when the section, including English literature, is tr.ken into account, the T ’.rnbuli Library ranks not with the best of Dominion libraries, but wjth the best in the world; not so much from $ numerical point of view (its numlrpr being only something over 60,00(1) but from the point of view of rare, unique volumes pf the befit English writers. Visitors from abroad, cpmp, not becrpise they hear of the library when they com: to New Zealand, but because they have heard of it before coming.