Sales catalogue 39: Martin Breslauer

Date:
1927
Reference:
WA/HMM/CM/Sal/27/3
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sales catalogue 39: Martin Breslauer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    women who throughout the British Isles and in our early colonies have collected Mss. and printed books from the XIV™ to the XIX” century, Bernard Qua- ritch’s Contributions towards a Dictionary of English Book-Col- lectors as also of some Foreign Collectors, whose libraries were incorporated in English Collec- tions or whose books are chiefly met with in England, G. A. E. Bogengs Die groken Biblio- philen. Geschichte der Biicher- sammler und Bichersammlungen. Sie kinnen dazu dienen, uns bei unseremN achforschen einen guten Schritt vorwarts zu bringen. Die ernzelnen Titel, aus einem engen Gebtet herausgegriffen, sollen nur an einem beliebigen Beispiel er- weisen, wie der Herausgeber sich etme Bibltograpme der Hilfs- wissenschaften der Handschriften- forschung denkt. In einem seiner reizvollsten Romane schildert AnatoleFrance, wie Sylvestre Bonnard, Membre de VInstitut, durch eine kurze Notizim Katalog des Sir Thomas Raleigh eine besonders kostbare Hs. der Legenda aurea des J aco- bus a Voragine entdeckt, die sich ernst in dev A btet von St. Germain- des-Prés befand. Wo aber ist die Bibliothek. des Sir Thomas hingekommen, und wo die Hand- schrift? Wir zittern mit Sil- vestre Bonnard um seine Legenda aurea, wir versen mit thm nach Girgenti, sind trostlos, dap er sie nicht findet, und schlreblich be- gliickt, als ihm ein gtitiges Schick- sal die langgesuchie Hs. zuftihrt. Nehmen wir an, dap Sir Thomas Raleigh zu den bertihmten eng- lischen Sammlern gehérte, oder daB er seine Bibliothek bet Messrs. Vil research by a good step. These single titles, picked from a narrow sphere, may be an example of what the editor considers a bibliography of the auxiliary branches to manuscript research should be ltke. In one of his most attractive novels Anatole France describes how, through a remark in the catalogue of Sir Thomas Raleigh, Sylvestre Bonnard, Membre de V’Institut, discovers a precious ms.. of Jacobus’ a Voragine Legenda aurea, which had in former times been kept in the abbey of St. Germain des Prés. Now, what has become of Sir Thomas’ library and what of the manuscript? With Sylvestre Bonnard we are gathered round the Legenda aurea, with him we qourney to Guirgentt, are dis- consolate that he cannot find it and ave finally delighted when a fortunate coincidence plays the long sought manuscript into his hand. If we assume that Sty Thomas Raleigh was one of the leading collectors in England or that he had his library sold by Messrs. Baker and Leigh, the predecessors of Messrs. Sotheby, Wilkinson and Hodge, then the above mentioned literature would probably have enabled Sylvestre Bonnard to ascertain the where- abouts of the Ms. without neces- sitating the journey so wearysome to a man of his age. One could say: A novel only — but reahty ts often much more romantic than the most fantastic tale. Only a comparatively short time ago — it can be scarcely 20 years — 1t happened that a French seaman brought a purple codex home from the Orient, sold tt to a dealer in
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