THE great enemy of books is unquestionably damp, which corrodes the paper, covering it with reddish brown spots, or, in extreme cases, patches. These unsightly marks, if once they have taken a firm hold, cannot be removed, and the most that can be hoped for is some preventive against an aggravation of the evil. Damp, unlike mere surface stains, attacks the tissue of the paper, rotting it completely through, and not infrequently destroying it altogether. It is like a vital disease which insinuates itself into the very seat of life, and, with more or less despatch, consumes its victim.
Unslaked lime, as is well known, has a strong affinity for moisture of every kind, and when there is plenty of this substance about, damp is irresistibly attracted to it. Small saucers full of lime should therefore be placed in close proximity to valuable books, on the shelves if necessary, but never in immediate contact with the books themselves, or the remedy will be as bad as the disease to be guarded against. The action of lime upon moisture has been very well known for centuries, yet no one seems to have thought of applying it to this useful purpose, and books have been doomed to slow but sure destruction for the want of a precaution as simple as it is obvious. Only the other day a correspondent, writing to an American bibliographical journal, pointed out what he called a new remedy against damp, which turned out to be based upon nothing else than the well-known relationship which exists between lime and water. If damp has only just commenced its attack, the part affected should first be touched with a wash of spirits of wine, and when dry with a very weak solution of oxalic acid. If the "fox spots," as they are called,do not then disappear, the injury is permanent and no remedy exists, as far as we at present know.
A really valuable book which stands in need of a thorough cleaning should be placed in the hands of some competent person, as considerable experience is necessary before even a reasonable degree of success can be assured. If the marks to be obliterated are numerous, the book had better be taken to pieces by removing the cover and separating the leaves, first cutting the binder's threads and taking especial care not totearanything. Each leaf must then be examined, both on the flat and when held up to the light, for it is essential that the particular description of dirt should be identified as closely as possible.
If grease is apparent, it should first of all be removed, as its presence will interfere with some of the subsequent processes. With this object, the leaf must be laid perfectly flat on a sheet of glass and the grease marks damped out with a pad of cotton wool moistened with benzine. Rubbing is never resorted to; the spots must be merely patted over and over again until they disappear, which they will do after a time. Sometimes the text itself will vanish as well, but whether it will do so or not depends upon the character of the paper and the quality of the printer's ink. If there is any danger, benzine should not be used, as the whole sheet may be cleared of grease marks almost equally well by covering it with a layer of chalk, placing a piece of blotting paper on the top of it, and pressing with a hot iron. Each leaf will, if necessary, have to be treated in the same way, and it may occasionally be found necessary to work on both sides of the paper.
When this process is complete, the next step is to give each leaf a good general cleaning, and this may be done effectually by placing it in a leaden trough and pouring upon it a shallow surface of water. Two or three days of exposure to the rays of the sun will bleach the paper perfectly white, and all kinds of stains except fixed dyes will come out. The leaf is then dried (not in the sun or it will turn yellow), and is ready for the next process. It may happen that the sun is not available for this, or, indeed, any other purpose, and when such is the case, the surface dirt may be bleached off with a solution of chloride of lime in the proportion of one part to forty of water. The paper must be soaked in cold water before this mixture ispoured on it, and both sides must be operated upon. This solution being essentially weak—if it were otherwise it would eat into the material—it is possible that it may be found unequal to the task of removing some of the more obstinate stains, which must therefore be touched with nitro-hydrochloric acid. Finally, the leaf must be well washed in a stream of running water, and allowed to dry naturally.
Another method of removing surface stains sometimes used by restorers is to cover the paper with a thin layer of fine powdered salt. Lemon juice is then squeezed on the surface in sufficient quantities to dissolve the mineral, and the subject finally washed in boiling water. The chief objection to this process is the use of hot water, which, as may well be imagined, is apt to pulp the paper, or in some cases even to efface the printed text.
Stains which cannot be removed by these processes are of several kinds. Lead pencil marks, for instance, will become fixed if the paper is damped, and they should therefore be helped out first of all with fine bread crumbs. Indian ink stains give way before a camel's hair brush and a cup of hot water, and all kinds of grease marks yield to benzine, turpentine, or ammonia.
Lead stains can be got rid of by an application of peroxide of hydrogen, or even hydrochloric acid; but the greatest care will have to be exercised in handling the latter, or it will corrode the paper in a very short time, causing it to crack and break to pieces. If mixed with its own weight of water, and to three parts of this compound one part of red oxide of lead is added, its power for evil will be very materially diminished; but even under these circumstances it is dangerous to use.
Each of these remedies has to be very carefully undertaken, as the fatty matters in the printer's ink are exceedingly liable to resolve, in which case the book will be spoiled. With care and attention I doubt not that almost any book can be very materially improved, if not made quite as good as new, by a combination of the processes described; and the best plan is to practise on some dirty and worthless specimen until the requisite degree of proficiency is attained.
A "Literary Note" in the magazine entitledBook Lorefor July, 1887, observes as follows: "The renovation of books is, of course, a work of art in itself, and so clever are experts in the manipulation thereof, that many a dirty and decrepitvolume has left their hands looking quite fresh and new. One of the most difficult processes has hitherto been to take dirt off the leaves without injuring the print. With this object bread crumbs were at one time used; but modern science has discovered three ways of effecting the same object in a much more satisfactory manner. Oxalic acid, citric acid, and tartaric acid, when in solution, will eliminate every trace of dirt without in any way acting on the printer's ink. Writing ink is not, however, proof against the attack of any one of the three, and this, too, being considered for the most part as 'dirt,' comes out with the rest. If the leaf is afterwards bleached with chloride of lime, the regenerating process is complete. The remedy for oil stains, it may be observed, is sulphuric ether. If the stains are extensive, it is best to roll up each leaf and insert it into a wide-mouthed bottle half full of ether, shaking it gently up and down for a minute or so. On its removal the oil marks will be found to have disappeared, and, as ether rapidly evaporates, a little cold water is all that is afterwards required. Mineral naphtha and benzoline each possess the property of dissolving oils fixed and volatile, tallow, lard, wax, and other substances of this class."
Worm-holes, another source of disquietude to the collector, are caused by grubs, which are popularly supposed to be the larvæ of beetles. They bore a circular hole through all the leaves, utterly destroying the appearance of any volume upon which they have fixed their attention.
The book worm has a pedigree in comparison with which the family tree of a Howard or a Talbot is a wretched weed. Lucian, in days remote, chides the voracious worm, and other ancient authors have called attention to its ravages. Another pest, called the "acarus," feeds on the paste and glue in the binding; in fact, these two parasites between them will very quickly digest the contents of an ordinary-sized book unless steps are taken for their destruction. The late Sir Thomas Phillipps, in a communication to the British Association in 1837, observes: "My library being much infested with insects, I have for some time turned my attention to the modes of destroying them, in the course of which I observed that the larva of certain kinds of beetles does not seek the paper for food, nor the leather, but the paste. To prevent their attacks, therefore, in future bound books the paste used should be mixed up with a solution of corrosive sublimate, or, indeed,with any other poisonous ingredient. But to catch the perfect insects themselves, I adopt the following plan:Anobium striatumcommonly deposits its ova in beech wood, and is more partial, apparently, to that than any other wood. I have beech planks cut, and smear them over, in summer, with pure fresh paste (i.e., not containing anything poisonous). I then place them in different parts of the library where they are not likely to be disturbed; the beetles flying about the room in summer time readily discover these pieces of wood, and soon deposit their eggs in them. In winter (chiefly) the larva is produced, and about January, February, and March I discover what pieces of wood contain any larvæ by the sawdust lying under the planks, or where it is thrown up in hillocks on the top of them. All the wood which is attacked is then burnt for firewood: by this simple method I have nearly extirpatedAnobiafrom my library."
To surprise and capture a book worm was at one time looked upon as an impossible task; but lately a few successes have been chronicled, but only a few. In order to ward off their insidious attacks, many devices more or less satisfactory have been proposed, but none appear to be absolutely preventative. Dr. Hermann, a noted bibliophile of Strassburg, after careful experiments, has come to the conclusion that a combination of safeguards such as he suggests will have the desired effect of putting to flight not only the worm itself but all other enemies of the library, always excepting biblioklepts and borrowers, against whom there is no defence. The combination suggested by Dr. Hermann certainly seems sufficiently powerful to resist almost any attack, in the same degree that a huge man-of-war may be considered invulnerable when exposed to the assaults of some cockle-shell of a boat. The only objection is the immense amount of trouble and labour involved in preparation, as will readily be perceived after a perusal of the preventives, ten in number.
1. Abolish the use of any wood in the binding processes. 2. Recommend the bookbinder to use glue mixed with alum in place of paste. 3. Brush all worm-eaten wood in the repositories of books with oil or lac varnish. 4. Preserve books bound in calf by brushing over with thin lac varnish. 5. No book to lie flat. 6. Papers, letters, documents, &c., may be preserved in drawers without any danger provided the wafers are cut out and that no paste, &c., is between them. 7. Thebookbinder is not to use any woollen cloth, and to wax the thread. 8. Air and dust the books often. 9. Use laths separated one from the other one inch in place of shelves. 10. Brush over the insides of bookcases and the laths with lac varnish.
Dr. Hermann cannot at any rate be charged with any such sentimental regard for "vermin" as that which influenced Mr. Day, a well-known book hunter of the earlier part of the present century. One day, upon removing some books at the chambers of Sir William Jones, a large spider dropped upon the floor, upon which Sir William, with some warmth, said, "Kill that spider, Day! Kill that spider!" "No," said Mr. Day, with that coolness for which he was so conspicuous, "I will not kill that spider, Jones; I do not know that I have a right to do so. Suppose, when you are going in your carriage to Westminster Hall, a superior being, who perhaps may have as much power over you as you have over this insect, should say to his companion, 'Kill that lawyer! Kill that lawyer!' How should you like that? I am sure to most people a lawyer is a more noxious insect than a spider."
The simplest protection yet discovered against book worms is a liberal use of common snuff, which should be sprinkled all over the shelves, the process being repeated every three or four months. This is almost infallible, and probably quite as effectual as Dr. Hermann's ten preventives rolled into one. There is no magic in the art of preserving books—the great art is to be able to get them, and to know what to buy and how much to give for them. This acquired, the rest will come easily enough. The contents of a whole treatise on the custody and preservation of books might be very accurately and succinctly summed up in a few lines. Keep out damp, let the shelves be lined if possible with good leather, and last, but by no means least, look at the insides of your books as well as at the outsides.
Collectors of books are continually being asked to lend volumes which happen to take the passing fancy of a friend or even chance acquaintance, and it is frequently a matter of some delicacy to refuse. Not one person in a hundred knows how to treat a book properly, and the borrower is therefore usually regarded as but one degree removed from an enemy. Curiously enough, the famous bibliophile, Grolier, stamped his books with a motto of invitation, "Jo Grolierii et Amicorum".So did Charles de Savigny, who went to even greater lengths still with his legend, "Non mihi sed aliis". The private history of neither of these enthusiasts states how they fared, or how many choice tomes were returned dog-eared and stained, even if they were returned at all. For my part I possess no books that I should fear to lend, as my whole library consists of "working copies," useful, probably, but not valuable. The amateur who is the proud owner of a single book out of the common should hide it from the borrower even as from a book worm. He may well lay the couplet which graced the library doors of Pixérécourt to his heart:—
"Tel est le triste sort de tout livre prêtéSouvent il est perdu, toujours il est gâté".
"Tel est le triste sort de tout livre prêtéSouvent il est perdu, toujours il est gâté".
THE revival of classical literature in Europe is generally assigned to the middle of the fifteenth century, and is, perhaps, coeval with the invention of printing, when for the first time it became possible to multiply books not only rapidly but without the multitude of mistakes which invariably occurred in ordinary manuscripts. We have seen that in the palmy days of Rome some of the large publishing houses were quite capable of turning out extensive editions at a few hours' notice. No modern type-setter could possibly keep pace with one of the trained slaves of Atticus, and when some hundreds of the latter were assembled in a room transcribing the MS. of some favourite author through the medium of a professional reader, many copies would be completed in an incredibly short space of time. If, however, the reader made a mistake, it would be faithfully and universally reproduced, while in addition each transcriber might fairly be credited with a number of errors of his own. To this extent the printing press was a great improvement. If it did its work more slowly, less workmen were required; and though each movement of the machine would perpetuate the same errors, these might be reduced to a minimum by the very simple expedient of carefully reading and correcting the "proofs".
The year 1450 ushered in, as is supposed, the great art which was destined to revolutionise the world; and although the pen was employed for many years after that, it gradually gave place to its more convenient if less nimble rival, taking at last a position more congenial to it. "The pen for the brain,the press for reproduction," became henceforth a motto which had for its basis a new division of labour as convenient as it was efficacious.
In the same year,[7]at Sermonetta, a little Italian town, Aldus Manutius, the great printer and editor, first saw the light. The earlier portion of his life was devoted entirely to scholastic duties and in preparing himself, by hard and assiduous study of the Greek and Latin classics, for the more important work of revising and printing the text. It was not until 1490 that the preliminaries were complete, and he found himself, with a little money and an immense stock of knowledge, a comparative stranger at Venice, where already 160 printers and publishers had been engaged for some time in glutting the market with almost worthless books. The old Greek manuscripts especially were a source of inconceivable trouble and continual annoyance. They were written for the most part in bastard characters, and crowded with mistakes and omissions, the result of some hundreds of years of repeated transcriptions. They were, moreover, almost as difficult to procure as they were corrupt in text. Nor was this the only difficulty that faced the intrepid pioneer editor. Greek was a language but rarely used, having given place to Latin in all but the most cultivated circles; the demand for books in that character was accordingly limited, while even at that early period competition was ruinous. To say nothing of the army of printers at Venice, there was a large number at Rome who more than supplied the Italian and foreign markets, turning out books in such profusion that the important and oldest printing house, that of Sweinheym & Pannartz, was compelled to petition the Pope to save themselves from bankruptcy. In their petition they state that they had printed no less than 12,475 separate volumes, a statement most likely exaggerated, but none the less cogent evidence of the fierce struggle which was being carried on when Aldus determined to swell the ranks of the already crowded profession.
He was disgusted with the slipshod efforts of the ignorant proprietors of these numerous printing shops, who were so eager to forestall one another that they could not pay anyattention to the quality of their work, even assuming they had the aptitude for doing so. He took his stand upon his accomplishments alone, apparently not doubting for an instant that conscientious work, coupled with a superior education, would in the long run repay him for the years of anxious toil which he well knew would be his lot.
The Greek types of Rome, Milan, and Florence, hitherto in use, and all cut to a single pattern, were abominable, and Aldus commenced by casting types of his own. A fount of Roman and Italian letters consisted of only 24 capital and an equal number of small letters—the J and U were the same as I and V—but a complete collection of Greek types with all the varied accents and double characters, with which the language abounds, amounted to no less than 600. Many of these he was compelled at the outstart to forego, and he set to work upon his first book, theGrammatica Græcaof Lascaris, with barely a tithe of that number. It was well that Aldus should commence with this work, for it was the first which had been printed in Greek, some eighteen years previously by Paravisinus, of Milan, whose small and crabbed type presents a remarkable contrast to that of Manutius. Closely following upon this venture comes theEditio Princepsof Aristotle, which, in its 5 vols. folio, is unquestionably the most splendid and lasting monument of the Aldine press. It was issued, one volume at a time, between the years 1495-8, and was sold by the editor and publisher for a sum equivalent to about £5 of our money. Next comes theEditio Princepsof Aristophanes, also in folio, and dated 1498, which, like all the other productions of this press at that early date, was printed from large open types with broad margins. The expense of production and consequent cost of these sumptuous volumes were great, too great in fact to command a speedy sale, and Aldus at last began to realise that it was infinitely preferable to print and sell a large number of works at a cheap price than a smaller number at a high one. Accordingly he had a more minute fount of type cast, and in April, 1501, published his famousVirgil, a small book of 228 unpaged leaves, measuring not quite 8 inches by 4. The text, so it is said, was modelled after the neat handwriting of Petrarch, and became known throughout Italy as the Aldino type, though in France it was calledItalic, the name it goes by to this day throughout Europe.This book was sold for about 2s. of our money, and was the first serious attempt ever made to produce cheap printed classics.
No sooner was the success of this venture assured than an unknown printer of Lyons took advantage of the opportunity to issue a wretched reprint, alike in every detail except the quality of the workmanship. Aldus' painstaking textual corrections were slavishly copied: even his title-page was stolen, and the whole immoral production foisted on the public as a genuine example from Venice, and at a little more than half the cost. Horace and Juvenal, Martial and Ovid, shared the same fate as fast as they issued from the legitimate press; the Lyonnese printer was as persevering as he had proved himself unscrupulous, and kept good time with the movements of Aldus. But the fame of the latter was proof against servile imitations, his types alone being so extravagantly praised by his admirers that there were some who seriously contended that their beauty was owing to the silver of which they were made. There is, indeed, no mistaking them, and the collector has only to place an original side by side with one of the reprints from Lyons, to fix the superiority distinctly and irrevocably in his mind. Aldus during his life printed altogether 126 editions known to bibliographers, 78 of which are in quarto or folio, and many in two or more volumes. Some of these consist of choice copies printed on white linen paper, notably theOperaof Ovid and Plutarch, and many more passed through several editions during his lifetime and after his death, which, to the great loss of the world of letters, took place on the 6th February, 1515, when he was 65 years of age.
The distinguishing mark of the Aldine press is the well-known dolphin and anchor which first makes its appearance on the edition of theTerze Rimeof Dante of 1502, and with few exceptions on all the books afterwards issued from the press. The story is that Aldus was engaged in printing Columna'sHypnerotomachia Poliphili, which appeared in 1499 (a good copy sold in February last for £80), and which contained numerous illustrations, most probably by Andrea Mantegna. One of these represents a dolphin twining about an anchor, a mark so pleasing to Aldus that he subsequently adopted it, using it over his office door as well as on the title-pages of all his books.
The first Aldine Anchor, 1502-1515.The first Aldine Anchor, 1502-1515.
Mark of A. Torresano, and that of his Sons.Mark of A. Torresano, and that of his Sons.
At the death of Aldus Manutius his son Paolo, or Paulus, being only three years of age, went to reside with his maternal uncle Andrea Torresano, himself a famous printer of Asola, who subsequently, with his sons, carried on the Aldine press at Venice for the benefit of the parties interested. From that date until 1524 most, if not all, of the books printed at the press bear the imprint: "In ædibus Aldi et Andreæ Asulani soceri," and though, as usual, bearing the anchor, a fresh block had been cut which slightly alters its appearance.
The second Aldine Anchor, 1519-1524. Last appearing in this form on the "Homer" of 1524, the first anchor being again used from 1524 to 1540.The second Aldine Anchor, 1519-1524. Last appearing in this form on the "Homer" of 1524, the first anchor being again used from 1524 to 1540.
From the year 1524 to 1529, when Torresano died, an exact copy of thefirstanchor was again employed and continued to be so used until 1540, when Paulus Manutius, the son of Aldus, took exclusive possession of his father's business. It will be noted that during the three years following the death of Torresano (1530-31-32) no books were issued from the press; and when it recommenced operations in 1533, it was for the benefit of Paulus Manutius and the representatives of Torresano "In ædibus hæredum Aldi Manutii et Andreæ Asulani soceri". In 1540, as before stated, Paulus Manutius took entire control of the business, and a third variation of the anchor was introduced, the inscription on the title-pages being "apud Aldi Filios".
The third Aldine Anchor, 1540-1546, called the Ancora grassa.The third Aldine Anchor, 1540-1546, called the Ancora grassa.
The fourth Aldine Anchor, 1546-1554.The fourth Aldine Anchor, 1546-1554.
From 1546 to 1554 yet another variation of the anchor was adopted, sometimes without the surrounding device. In 1555 a slight modification of thethirdanchor, surroundedsometimes with scroll work, came into fashion again, and so continued until the death of Paulus Manutius on the 6th of April, 1574.
Modification of the third Anchor, 1555-1574.Modification of the third Anchor, 1555-1574.
With the death of Paulus, the glory of the Aldine press departed. He, like his father, had patiently striven to infuse neatness and accuracy into his work, and is said to have been in every respect his equal.
Aldus, the son of Paulus, who is known among bibliographers as "the younger," had not perhaps the same opportunities as were afforded to his predecessors. The art of printing had advanced universally, and there was not so much room for improvement as there had been formerly. He printed in a good, but by no means exceptional, style, from 1574 until the time of his death in 1597, when the Aldine press ceased to exist. During a period of 103 years some 823 books had been issued, many of which are among the prizes of book collecting.[8]
Aldus Junior, like his father and grandfather, used theanchor, but between the years 1575-81 it is so hidden in the foliage of a magnificent coat-of-arms which had been granted to the family by the Emperor Maximilian, that it is likely to be overlooked by any who have not made the Aldine press their special study.
The Aldine Anchor, enclosed in a coat-of-arms, as used by Aldus Junior, 1575-1581. On some occasions, and always after the latter date, he used the anchor alone, sometimes without the word ALDVS.The Aldine Anchor, enclosed in a coat-of-arms, as used by Aldus Junior, 1575-1581. On some occasions, and always after the latter date, he used the anchor alone, sometimes without the word ALDVS.
The collector will need to be cautioned against accepting every work bearing the anchor as a genuine example from the Aldine press. Some are mere forgeries, but so badly executed as to deceive nobody who has seen half-a-dozen of any of the originals. Some printers assumed the mark by licence, as did Torresano, who used Anchor No. 3, with the words "Ex Aldina Bibliotheca," and occasionally Anchor No. 1, but, these exceptions apart, it may usually be taken for granted that a book if well printed and bearing the mark in question is authentic. Ifany doubt exists it is easy to turn to the pages of Renouard, where every genuine example is catalogued and described. Some fifty years ago, Aldine collectors were more numerous than they are now, and as a consequence prices were higher. This particular branch of bibliography demands the sacrifice of much time, and cannot be even approached without a fair knowledge of Latin, Greek, and French. As a consequence, the new school of collectors, whose knowledge of those languages is not always as well grounded as it might be, have long since severed their allegiance from old traditions and now confine their attention to sober English, where, it must be admitted, there is plenty of scope for good work.
Even yet, however, the earlier productions of the Aldine press maintain their former position: perhaps they have even surpassed it, for as specimens of ancient typography they stand unrivalled. Reference is made chiefly to works dated before 1500, and to such exceptional specimens as theVirgilof 1501, some of which are still worth more than their weight in gold. The majority of works from this famous press have, however, fallen enormously in value of late years, as witness the fine copy of Augurellus, 1505, 8vo, beautifully bound in blue morocco, which quite recently was sold by auction for less than a sovereign: some few years ago it would have brought three times the amount, and been considered cheap even then.
By way of illustration, I cannot do better than give a few examples of modern prices, comparing them with the approximate amounts which would have been obtained some twenty-five or thirty years ago.
Homeri Opera, 2 vols. 8vo, red morocco extra, gilt edges,Venetiis, Aldus, 1524, £3 15s. Would have sold for £9 or £10.Silius Italicus de Bello Punico, old Venetian binding, gold tooling, lettered in gold, gilt edges,Venetiis, Aldus, 1523, £1 18s. Would have sold for about £5.Virgilius, cura Aldi Pii Manulii, red morocco, gilt edges, by Roger Payne,Venetiis, Aldus, 1514, £4 5s. Sold in 1825 at from £10 to £12 in equally good binding.Psalterium Græce, a fine copy, in blue morocco, with gilt edges,Venetiis, Aldus, no date, but about 1498, £12. Notwithstanding the fact that this is one of the few fifteenth century books from the Aldine press, its value has declined about 25 per cent.Quintiliani Institutiones, fine copy in russia, gilt edges,Venetiis, Aldus, 1521, on title 1522, 14s. Former price about £4.Aristophanis Comœdiæ, first edition, fine copy in russia, gilt edges,Venetiis, Aldus, 1498, a rare book, £4. Former price about £15.Thucydidis Historia, first edition, and one of the few copies printed on fine paper, old russia, gilt,Venetiis, Aldus, 1502, a very scarce book in this condition, £2 14s. Former price from £12 to £15.
Homeri Opera, 2 vols. 8vo, red morocco extra, gilt edges,Venetiis, Aldus, 1524, £3 15s. Would have sold for £9 or £10.
Silius Italicus de Bello Punico, old Venetian binding, gold tooling, lettered in gold, gilt edges,Venetiis, Aldus, 1523, £1 18s. Would have sold for about £5.
Virgilius, cura Aldi Pii Manulii, red morocco, gilt edges, by Roger Payne,Venetiis, Aldus, 1514, £4 5s. Sold in 1825 at from £10 to £12 in equally good binding.
Psalterium Græce, a fine copy, in blue morocco, with gilt edges,Venetiis, Aldus, no date, but about 1498, £12. Notwithstanding the fact that this is one of the few fifteenth century books from the Aldine press, its value has declined about 25 per cent.
Quintiliani Institutiones, fine copy in russia, gilt edges,Venetiis, Aldus, 1521, on title 1522, 14s. Former price about £4.
Aristophanis Comœdiæ, first edition, fine copy in russia, gilt edges,Venetiis, Aldus, 1498, a rare book, £4. Former price about £15.
Thucydidis Historia, first edition, and one of the few copies printed on fine paper, old russia, gilt,Venetiis, Aldus, 1502, a very scarce book in this condition, £2 14s. Former price from £12 to £15.
The above examples are taken from a single catalogue, and, if occasion demanded, the list could be indefinitely increased. They will, however, be sufficient to show that if the good old days when Eliot'sIndian Bibleof 1661, now worth considerably more than £500, could have been got for thirty shillings or less, are not likely to return, there is yet plenty of opportunity for picking up rare books at a moderate price, and for much less than would at one time have had to be paid for them.
Who knows that the fashion will not change again some day, and that the most coveted of all volumes will not be choice examples from the Aldine press?
FOOTNOTES:[7]M. Firmin-Didot inclines to the year 1449 for the date of Aldus' birth—videhisAlde Manuce et l'Hellenisme à Venise, p. 1, Paris, 1875.[8]In addition to this number there are about sixty "Doubtful Editions". The number of recognised Forgeries is about forty-five.
[7]M. Firmin-Didot inclines to the year 1449 for the date of Aldus' birth—videhisAlde Manuce et l'Hellenisme à Venise, p. 1, Paris, 1875.
[7]M. Firmin-Didot inclines to the year 1449 for the date of Aldus' birth—videhisAlde Manuce et l'Hellenisme à Venise, p. 1, Paris, 1875.
[8]In addition to this number there are about sixty "Doubtful Editions". The number of recognised Forgeries is about forty-five.
[8]In addition to this number there are about sixty "Doubtful Editions". The number of recognised Forgeries is about forty-five.
The Elzevir Buffalo's Head, from the "Cæsar" of Leyden, 1635.The Elzevir Buffalo's Head, from the "Cæsar" of Leyden, 1635.
IF Aldine collectors were at one time numerous and enthusiastic, amateurs who affected the Elzevir press, and were never tired of extolling the excellence of the little books which issued therefrom, were more so. Long before the death of the last member of the great printing family, a whole mass of rules, some of them arbitrary, others founded on subtle distinctions, were already regarded as binding on the community of bibliomaniacs which looked uponL'Aimable Mère de Jésusas their pole-star, andLe Pastissier Françoisas something to be seen only on rare occasions, and to be touched, if touched at all, with bated breath.
There is something harsh, comparatively speaking, about Aldus and his works. He was the taciturn, frugal-living man of letters, who for five years, as he himself confesses, never spent a single peaceful hour save when he was asleep. His very doors were barred with the inscription—
"Whoever you are, Aldus entreats you to be brief. When you have spoken, leave him."
"Whoever you are, Aldus entreats you to be brief. When you have spoken, leave him."
Compared with this grim old editor-printer of a bygone age, the Elzevirs one and all were literary children, playing with their master's text—children who never grew old, and whose many liberties were not only endured, but excused out of consideration for their engaging ways. They were pirates, too, without exception, but they turned you out well. If they mutilated your text, they at any rate supplied you with the best of paper, ornaments and type; from their hands you emerged a well-dressed gentleman, a little ignorant perhaps, but decidedly aristocratic.
A short sketch of the history of the Elzevir family will be found useful for reference:—
The founder of the family, Louis, was born at Louvain in 1540, and, curiously enough, as in the case of Aldus Manutius, did not establish himself at the scene of his future labours until he was forty years old. In 1580 he started as a bookbinder and bookseller at the University city of Leyden, and at first confined his attention entirely to retailing such works as fell into his hands. Three years later, however, he set up a press and printed his first book, theDrusii Ebraicarum quæstionum ac responsionum, 8vo, 1583, which, though desirable, is not to be compared, either in intrinsic merit or in value, with some of the latter productions of the press; in fact, what are known as the "good dates" do not commence until the latter portion of the year 1625. Louis died in 1617, and is remarkable only as the founder of a famous family of printers; not one of his 123 different books can be considered important from a collector's point of view; and although a specialist would no doubt endeavour to make his collection as complete as possible, and with that object might be disposed to pay more for these early examples than anyone else might think it worth his while to pay, even he, if well advised, would draw the line at anything like lavish expenditure. Louis left five sons, whom, with a view to further development, it is necessary to bear in mind—Matthieu, Louis, Gilles (Giles), Joost (Justus), and Bonaventure. The last-named son—Bonaventure—commenced business on his own account as a printer in 1608, and on the death of his father in 1617 he took the management of the Elzevir press. In 1626 he took into partnership Abraham, a son of Matthieu, and the newly-constituted firm, which continued to exist until 1652, are entitled to most of the credit which attaches to the name of Elzevir.
Though the Greek and Hebrew works issued by this firm are inferior to those of Aldus and the Estiennes, their small editions of the Latin and French Classics in 12mo, 16mo, and 24mo cannot be surpassed for elegance of design, neatness, clearness, and regularity of type, as well as for the beauty of the paper which they used. Mention may be made especially of theNovum Testamentum Græcum, 1624 and 1633; thePsalterium Davidis, 1635 and 1653; theVirgilof 1636; and theComediæof Terence, 1635; though the works which gave the press its chiefcelebrity were the collection of French authors on History and Politics, in 24mo, known asPetites Republiques, and the series of Latin, French, and Italian Classics, in small 12mo.
It seems to be an almost universal belief that all the works issued from the Elzevir press are small in bulk, and various terms, more or less foolish, have been invented by careless or incompetent persons to give expression to this idea. One of them, and perhaps the most hideous of them all, is "dumpy twelves". In the first place, works issued from the Elzevir press in 12mo are perfectly symmetrical in shape, and not at all dumpy; and, secondly, many books are in 4to, some even in folio, as, for example, theAcadémie de l'Espée, printed by Bonaventure and Abraham in 1628. The amateur must avoid being misled by the poetical effusions which from time to time make their appearance, and which for the most part are written by persons who know nothing whatever of the subject. To obtain a rhyme for "Elzevir" is difficult, but it has been done at much sacrifice of common-sense.
Jean, the son of Abraham above mentioned, was introduced into the firm in 1647, five years before it came to an end through the death of the two partners in 1652. On this latter event taking place, he entered into partnership with Daniel, the son of Bonaventure, but the firm was not very successful, and was dissolved by mutual consent in 1655. Jean continued to trade on his own account until 1661, when he died, and Daniel joined Louis, the third of that name, and son of the second Louis, who had been printing at Amsterdam since 1638.
From 1655 to 1666 Daniel and Louis printed a series of Latin Classics in various sizes. Louis died in 1670, and Daniel ten years later.
We now come to the closing years of the press, though reference must be madeen passantto Isaac, another son of Matthieu, who established a press at Leyden in 1616, and continued to print there until 1625. None of his editions, however, attained any fame.
The last representatives of the Elzevir family were Peter, the grandson of Joost, who, during the years 1667-75, printed seven or eight volumes of little consequence, which were published at Utrecht, and Abraham, the grandson of the first Abraham, who, from 1681 to 1712, was University printer at Leyden. As the family pedigree is considerably involved, or, like most other pedigrees, appears to be so at first sight, I givea chart for the convenience of the reader, with the dates during which each member of the family flourished, omitting, however, the names of many other members of the family, who do not enter into the scope of the inquiry, and who were, in fact, not printers at all.
The number of works issued from the press of the Elzevirs, whether at Leyden, Amsterdam, or Utrecht, numbers, according to Willems, 1608 different publications, of which 1213 bear the name or mark of the firm which issued them. Of these latter, 968 are in Latin, 126 in French, and the remainder in Greek, Flemish, German, Italian, and Hebrew. There is also a single volume, printed in English, which seems to have escaped the notice of bibliographers. It is entitled "Confessionof Faith, and the Larger and Shorter Catechisme, &c., Amsterdam, printed by Luice Elsever, for Andrew Wilson, and are to be sold at his shop in Edinburgh, 1649". It is usually stated in works of reference that none of the Elzevir publications were printed in English, but the above, if it is genuine, affords an exception.
As every amateur is aware, the Elzevirs frequently—but not always—marked their title-pages with devices, of which the most frequent were the Sphere, the Hermit, Minerva, and the Eagle on a cippus (low column) holding in its claws a sheaf of seven arrows. As each firm adopted or relinquished the family marks to suit its convenience at the time, it becomes necessary to tabulate them for the purpose of avoiding confusion. The number in brackets gives the total number of books, not including catalogues, produced by the firm to which it is annexed.
The Leyden Press.
Louis Elzevir.1583-1617 (102 books).Marks.—A hand, with the device—"Æqvabilitate".An angel with a book.The Eagle (with seven darts representing theseven provinces of the Netherlands) on acippus, with the inscription—"Concordia resparvæ crescunt" (most frequent).A book of music, opened.Matthieu and Bonaventure Elzevir.1617-1622 (71 books).Marks.—The Eagle on a cippus.The book of music, opened.The Hermit, first appearing on theActa SynodiNationalis, 1620 (Isaac Elzevir), motto—"Nonsolus".