Prices of Books: An Inquiry into the Changes in the Price of Books which have occurred in England at different PeriodsWheatley, Henry B. (Henry Benjamin)
History
Prices of Books: An Inquiry into the Changes in the Price of Books which have occurred in England at different Periods
Wheatley, Henry B. (Henry Benjamin)
Books -- Prices -- History
W. H. Crawford’s imperfect copy, with title, verses, prefatory
matter, and “Cymbeline” reprinted in facsimile, sold in 1891 for
£16, 10s.
In this same year Brayton Ives’s copy, perfect, but rather short,
was sold in New York for 4200 dollars (£840).
Addington’s copy, with verses inlaid, in good condition, but short
(12-5/8 by 8-1/4), fetched £280.
A copy, with title in facsimile, leaf containing verses, last leaf
and a few others mended in the margin, was sold in a sale of Early
English Poetry (Sotheby, 1892) for £208.
Birket Foster’s copy sold in 1894 for £255; and Mr. Toovey’s, with
title and verses in facsimile, for £169.
SECOND FOLIO, 1632.
The most interesting copy of the second folio is in the King’s Library.
It belonged to Dr. Mead, at whose sale it was bought by Askew for £2,
12s. 6d. At Askew’s sale it was bought by Steevens for £5, 10s., an
amount which he styled enormous. At Steevens’s sale this copy was bought
for George III. for eighteen guineas. It formerly belonged to Charles
I., who wrote in it, “Dum spiro spero, C.R.” The King presented it the
night before his execution to Sir Thomas Herbert, who had written, “Ex
dono serenissimi Regis Car. Servo suo Humiliss. T. Herbert.” Steevens
mistook the identity of this Herbert, and wrote, “Sir Thomas Herbert was
Master of the Revels to King Charles the First.” George III. wrote
beneath Steevens’s note, “This is a mistake, he (Sir Thomas Herbert)
having been Groom of the Bed-Chamber to King Charles I., but Sir Henry
Herbert was Master of the Revels.”
Dibdin made the same mistake with respect to this price that he did with
respect to the price of the Grenville first folio. He wrote, “£18,
18s.--the largest sum ever given, or likely to be given, for the book.”
Now in 1895, at the Earl of Orford’s sale, the largest and finest copy
known of the second folio, in the original calf binding, sold for the
enormous sum of £540. This is out of all proportion to the price of the
first folio, and a ridiculous amount to pay for a volume of little
interest by itself, and only of value as one of the four original
editions.
The next largest price realised for a second folio was £148 for Daniel’s
copy, which has some rough leaves, and was bought by Daniel from Thorpe,
who bought it at the Nevill Holt sale for £28, 1s.
The Earl of Aylesford’s copy, with title laid down, and without verses
(13-3/16 in. by 8-3/4 in.) sold in 1888 for £140. Brayton Ives’s perfect
copy was sold in New York in 1891 for 400 dollars (£80). Birket Foster’s
copy sold in 1894 for £56.
It is only lately that such high prices have been obtained for this
edition. The following is a list of some of the prices given at an
earlier date:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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