Prices of Books Part 18

Dr. Bernard?s copy (1698) sold for 1s. 6d.

J. Ratcliffe?s (1776) was bought for ?16 by R. Willett; and at his sale in 1813, the Duke of Devonshire bought it for ?173, 5s.

_Le Recueil des Histoires de Troyes_ (3).

James (1760), ?2, 12s. 6d.--Jacob Bryant. This copy was presented by Bryant to George III., and made perfect with a few leaves presented by the Duke of Roxburghe. It was retained by George IV. when the Kings? Library was presented to the nation, and is now at Windsor Castle.

Payne, bookseller (1794), ?5, 5s.--sold to the Duke of Roxburghe, at whose sale in 1812 it fetched ?116, 11s. It has been sold several times since, each time for less money. Among Lord Spencer?s duplicates (1823), for ?73, 10s., to J. Dent; at Dent?s sale in 1827, for ?36, 10s., to P. A. Hanrott; at Hanrott?s sale in 1833, to the Earl of Ashburnham, for ?27.

Second part of Ashburnham sale (1897), ?600. Wanting thirty-three leaves.

G. Watson Taylor (1823), ?205, 16s.--Earl Spencer (perfect, and uncut).

G. Libri (1844), ?200 (a perfect and unusually fine copy)--sold to British Museum.

The copy, slightly imperfect, in the National Library, Paris, was purchased at Brussels in the early part of the century by M.

de la Serna for 150 francs.

_Les fais du Jason_ (4).

The perfect copy in the National Library, Paris, was purchased in 1808 by M. de la Serna for 2 louis from a stranger, who had obtained it for half that sum.

_Propositio Johannis Russell_ (7).

The Althorpe copy formerly belonged to John Brand, and at the sale of his library the Marquis of Blandford bought it for ?2, 5s. At the White Knights sale in 1819 Lord Spencer bought it for ?126. The Earl of Leicester has the only other known copy.

Both copies are perfect.

_Infancia Salvatoris_ (8).

The only existing copy known is in the Royal University Library, G?ttingen. It was from the Harleian Library, and was purchased from Osborne in 1746 for 15s.

_The History of Jason_ (9).

Richard Smith (1682), 5s. 1d.; Dr. Bernard (1698), 3s. 6d.

J. West?s copy was sold in 1773 for 4 guineas to J. Ratcliffe, at whose sale in 1776 it fetched ?5, 10s.

John Erskine?s copy was bought in 1817 by G. Watson Taylor for ?162, 15s., but at his sale in 1823 it only brought ?95, 11s., Richard Heber being the purchaser. At Heber?s sale (1834) it was bought by Payne the bookseller for ?87. This uncut copy, which is the finest known, came afterwards into the possession of the Earl of Ashburnham. It sold at the second part of the Ashburnham sale (1897) for ?2100.

The White Knights copy (Marquis of Blandford) was sold (1819) for ?85, 1s. At W. S. Higgs?s sale (1831) it was bought by J.

Wilks for ?87, 3s., and at his sale (1847) it was bought by J.

Dunn Gardner for ?121. This copy was returned as wanting a leaf, and resold for ?105. Gardner bought it afterwards from Pickering, who had in the meantime supplied the leaf from another copy. At Gardner?s sale (1854) it was bought for Mr.

Lenox for ?105.

_The Dictes and Sayings of the Philosophers_, first edition (10).

Francis Child bought his imperfect copy at Bryan Fairfax?s sale (1756) for ?6. It was bound with ?Moral Proverbs,? and was one of the copies from the Harleian Library. At the Earl of Jersey?s sale (1885) it brought ?141.

John Ratcliffe?s copy was bought by Ralph Willett in 1776 for 15 guineas, and at his own sale in 1813 it brought ?262, 10s.

Sales since the publication of Blades?s book:--Rev. T. Corser (1868), ?100. C. H. Crawford (1876), ?87 (Corser?s copy). Duke of Buccleuch (1889), ?650. Earl of Ashburnham, 1897 (one of four complete copies), ?1320--Quaritch.

---- Second edition (28).

James West (1773), ?21--George III. John Towneley (1814), ?189--Duke of Devonshire (erroneously described in the catalogue as ?first edition?).

---- Third edition (83).

John Munro (1792), ?16, 16s. Dr. Vincent (1816), ?99, 15s.--Singer, for Marquis of Blandford. In 1840 some books were turned out of the Blenheim Library, and sent for sale at Oxford. The Bodleian Library bought this copy at that sale for ?50. Blades was misled into saying that the Bodleian gave ?199, 15s., by the fact, in this copy some irresponsible person has altered the price it fetched at Vincent?s sale to ?199, 15s. by the addition of the figure 1. Fuller Maitland (1885), ?165--Quaritch (described as a second edition in the catalogue, three leaves in facsimile).

_Chaucer?s Canterbury Tales_, first edition (12).

J. West (1773), ?47, 15s.--George III. J. Ratcliffe (1776), ?6.

White Knights supplementary sale (1820), ?31, 10s.--T. Payne (imperfect); not recorded by Blades.

The highest price recorded by Blades is ?300, given by Mr. Huth at Lilly?s sale, 1861. In 1896 two copies (both imperfect) were sold for over ?1000; Mrs. Corbet?s (Barlaston Hall), wanting nineteen leaves, ?1020; R. E. Saunders (wanting only two leaves, a few wormed, lower margins in Melibeus mended), ?1880. Earl of Ashburnham (1897), ?720--Pickering & Chatto (imperfect, also some leaves from a shorter copy).

---- Second edition (57).

Brand?s imperfect copy (1807) was bought by Heber for 10 guineas; it was sold at his sale in 1834 to the Earl of Ashburnham for ?78, 15s. Lord Ashburnham (1897), ?300--Pickering and Chatto (wanting twenty-eight leaves).

_Boethius de Consolacione Philosophi?_, translated by Chaucer (25).

B. Worsley (1678), 5s. J. West (1773), ?5, 10s.--G. Mason. J.

Ratcliffe (1776), ?4, 6s.--George III. S. Alchorne (1813), bought by the Marquis of Blandford (Spencer duplicate, imperfect) for ?53, 11s.; sold to Watson Taylor, at his sale in 1819, for ?22, 11s. 6d.; at Taylor?s sale (?1823) Thorpe bought it for ?13, 5s.

Thorpe bought a copy in old Oxford calf from Browne Willis?s library, ?without the slightest defect or repair,? for ?59 in July 1849, and he sold it in December of the same year for ?105.

The Grenville (very fine, clean, and perfect) copy was purchased for ?52, 10s.; Duke of Hamilton (1884), ?160 (perfect, stained and mended); n.o.bleman (Earl of Westmoreland), 1887, ?156 (perfect, excepting the blank); Earl of Ashburnham (1897), ?510 (two leaves in facsimile).

_Cordyale, or the four last things_ (26).

Osborne (1748), ?2, 2s. J. West (1773), ?14--W. Hunter.

Stanesby Alchorne bought W. Fletewode?s copy in 1774 for ?6, 12s. 6d., and at his sale in 1813 George III. bought it for ?127, 1s. Dr. Valpy?s copy, bought in 1832 by Henry G. Bohn for ?26, 15s. 6d., is not mentioned by Blades; Valpy is said to have given ?87 for it. Earl of Ashburnham (1897), ?760--Pickering & Chatto (wanting eight leaves).

_The Mirrour of the World_, first edition (31).

R. Smith (1682), 5s. F. Child bought Bryan Fairfax?s perfect copy in 1756 for ?3; this was sold to Mr. Quaritch at the Earl of Jersey?s sale (1885) for ?195. J. West had two copies, which were sold in 1773--a perfect one to George III. for 12 guineas, and a very imperfect one to Richard Gough for ?2, 13s. The latter sold at Gough?s sale (1810) for ?4, 14s. 6d. Mr.

Cracherode?s perfect copy (now in the British Museum) was bought by him at Ratcliffe?s sale (1776) for ?2, 15s. The Duke of Roxburghe?s fine and perfect copy, for which he gave 9 guineas, was sold at his sale (1812) to the Duke of Devonshire for ?351, 15s.

The following copies (in addition to the Earl of Jersey?s, mentioned above) have been sold since the publication of Mr.

Blades?s book:--

In 1877 Mr. Quaritch had a copy for sale with a vi, a viii, and the last leaf in facsimile, which he priced ?200.

Sir John Thorold (1884), ?335--Quaritch (perfect, excepting the blanks). Earl of Hardwicke (1888), ?60--Quaritch (very imperfect). W. H. Crawford (1891), ?160 (perfect, with the exception of one blank). Earl of Ashburnham (part 2, 1897), ?225 (leaves in facsimile).

_The Mirrour of the World_, second edition (84).

West?s perfect copy was bought by Willett in 1773 for ?9, 15s.; at his sale (1813) it was bought for Lord Spencer for ?136, 10s.