The John Rylands Library Manchester

Date:
31 October 1926
Reference:
WA/HMM/CM/Sal/52/72
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The John Rylands Library Manchester. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Lord Spencer was by no means so intolerant of manuscript notes as was Reviczky, but he shared his appreciation of the external beauties of a choice book with a just and keen estimate of its intrinsic merits. And the almost unrivalled condition of many of his later acquisitions make them quite worthy to occupy the same shelves with the cherished volumes of Count Reviczky. The accession of Count Reviczky’s books was an epoch-making event in the history of the Althorp Library. It gave, as parr we have already hinted, direction to Lord Spencer's $8 Gor taste in collecting, and at once placed his library amongst “°°* the most important private collections of the time. From this time onward, for something like forty years, Lord Spencer is said to have haunted the salerooms and bookseller’s shops, not only in this country but throughout Europe, in his eagerness to enrich his already famous collection with whatever was fine and rare—even to the purchase of duplicates in order to exercise the choice of copies. One very striking instance of Lord Spencer’s bold yet successful attempts to enrich the Althorp collection is of sufficient interest to be recorded here. Among the many attractions of the Royal Library at Stuttgart were two editions of Vergil, so rare as to be almost priceless, One was the second of the editions printed in Rome by ‘Sweynheym! and Pannartz in 1471; the other was an undated edition, printed at Venice, probably in the same year, by the printer ‘‘ Adam” of Ammergau. Lord Spencer coveted these volumes, and commissioned Dr. Dibdin to go to Stuttgart in quest of them, despite their royal ownership. After many conferences with the librarian of the King of Wirtemberg, the scheme was submitted to the King, and Dibdin was received in audience, when he dwelt adroitly upon the magnificence of the Stuttgart Library in theology and its comparative insignificance in classics, as affording a reason why a judicious exchange, which should give the means of supply- ing what was still lacking in the former class at the mere cost of a couple of Vergils, would strengthen his Majesty’s library rather than weaken it. The King gave his assent, provided the details of the exchange were made satisfactory to his librarian. The terms were