File:Books and bookmen (1899) (14781806634).jpg

Identifier: booksbookmen00lang (find matches)
Title: Books and bookmen ..
Year: 1899 (1890s)
Authors: Lang, Andrew, 1844-1912
Subjects: Bibliomania Literary forgeries and mystifications
Publisher: London, Longmans, Green
Contributing Library: University of Connecticut Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Connecticut Libraries

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ed beautiful books, andlooked forward, as business men do, to the daywhen he should have time to study them. AfterGrolier, De Thou, and Mazarin, Colbert pos-sessed probably the richest private library inEurope. The ambassadors of France werecharged to procure him rare books and manu-scripts, and it is said that in a commercial treatywith the Porte he inserted a clause demandinga certain quantity of Levant morocco for theuse of the royal bookbinders. England, in thosedays, had no literature with which Francedeigned to be acquainted. Even into England,however, valuable books had been imported ;and we find Colbert pressing the French ambas-sador at St. Jamess to bid for him at a certainsale of rare heretical writings. People whowanted to gain his favour approached him Vv^thpresents of books, and the city of Metz gave himtwo real curiosities—the famous Metz Bible and the Missal of Charles the Bald. TheElzevirs sent him their best examples, andthough Colbert probably saw more of the gilt
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VENETIIS, ALDUS, 1559. FAC-SIMILE OF BINDING FROM THE LIBRARY OF GROLIER. BIBLIOMANIA IN FRANCE. 117 covers of his books than of their contents, atleast he preserved and handed down many-valuable works. As much may be said for thereprobate Cardinal Dubois, who, with all hisfaults, was a collector. Bossuet, on the otherhand, left little or nothing of interest except acopy of the 1682 edition of Moliere, whom hedetested and condemned to the punishment ofthose who laugh. Even this book, which hasa curious interest, has slipped out of sight, andmay have ceased to exist. If Colbert and Dubois preserved books fromdestruction, there are collectors enough whohave been rescued from oblivion by books. Thediplomacy of DHoym is forgotten ; the playsof Longepierre, and his quarrels with J. B.Rousseau, are known only to the literary his-torian. These great amateurs have secured aneternity of gilt edges, an immortality of morocco.Absurd prices are given for any trash thatbelonged to them, and the wa

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