BIB'LIOMA'NIA 1143:\loy, biblion, book wavia, mania, madness. frenzy, mania). A word formed from the Greek to express the pas sion for rare and curious books. which has mani fested itself to such an extent during the last century. While the ordinary collector is satis fied with the possession of works which are valu able either on account of their established repu tation or as assisting him in his literary or professional pursuits. the bibliomaniac is actu ated by other motives. With him utility is of secondary importance, rarity being the first and great requisite. The history of the auction-room reads like a romance. In 1812 occurred the famous sale of the library of the Duke of Rox burghe. Among the treasures which that library contained was the only perfect copy known to exist of the first, or at least the first dated, edi tion of Boccaccio's Decamcron (Venice, Christ. Valdarfer, 1471). After a spirited competition with Lord Spencer, this volume was purchased by the Alarquis of Blandford for the sum of £2260—probably the highest price ever paid up to that time for a single book. One of the re sults of the sale was the establishment of the Roxburghe Club (1812), the object of which was to reprint, for the use of the members only, works hitherto unedited, or of extreme rarity. The example thus set was speedily followed by the Bannatyne and Maitland clubs in Scotland, and by many more in other parts of Great Britain. In 1884 the Grolier Club was established in New York City. Books of the first printers, especially from the press of Gutenberg and Fust (second half of the Fifteenth Century), bring enormous prices. A Mazarin Bible (so styled from the first discovery of a copy in Cardinal Mazarin's library), printed by them on paper. brought, in 1873, £2690; and eleven years later a splendid copy on vellum was sold for £3000 (resold in 1898 for £2950). This latter book is assigned to the year 1450, and is believed to he one of the very oldest of all printed books in existence. At the same sale a beautiful Psalter, Psalmorum Codes, printed by Mist and Sehoeffer (1459), brought £4950. Caxtons also run high. the
Eneyilos going in I8S5 at £2350. Some of the Aldines and the genuine Elzevirs are also much prized by collectors. In 181)9 the Pickering edition with inserted plates of Walton and Cot ton's Complete .Ingler sold at $2870; The Troublesome Raignc of John, King of Ragland 1391, at 1510; and the Ashburnham manu scripts at £8500. The beautiful books from the Kelmscott Press of the late William Morris, re productions of the style or the old masters, arc in great demand; a Chaucer in I Irdinary binding sold in 1900 for $600, a copy in pure white pig skin for $950, and in 1902 :t copy on vellum for £520.
Though the old books are maintaining values, many collectors are satisfied with the first edi tions of Warcrley, Pickwick, Vanity Pair, and the books of other recent writers. The first ob scure publications of authors afterwards famous are also much sought after. In 1895 Poems by 7'•o Brothers, by Alfred and Charles Tennyson (Louth. 1827), sold for $170; and in 1892 the original autograph manuscript of the poems brought £480. In 1801) Stevenson's Father Damien 1890) brought £41, and Kip ling's Schoolboy Lyrics. in the original light brown paper wrappers (Lahore, 18S1), brought £135. In 1900 Poe's Tamerlane and Other Pucms (Boston, 1827), of which only three copies are known to exist, sold for $2050.
The word 'bib] iomania c,' too suggestive of mad ness. is being displaced by bibliophile (lover of books). Consult: Book-Prices Current (Lon don, ISS7—) ; Livingston. American Book-Prices Current (New York. 1895—) : lllgdru. hitA,,, nytnia (London. Itil 1 ) ; Fitzgerald. The Book Fancier (London, 1886) : A. Lang. The Library (London, 1881) ; Burton, The Book-Bunter (New York, 1882) ; E. Field, The Lore Affairs of a Bibliomaniar (New York, 1896) : F. S. Merryweather, Bibliomania of the Middle Ages ( London, 1849) ; reprint with introduction by C. On (New York, 1900).