Chester, February 4th.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHEST PRICE EVER PAID FOR A VOLUME?--In the course
of my reading lately on Bibliography, I observe that at the sale of
the Duke of Roxburgh's Library in May, 1812, the first edition of the
Decamerone of Boccaccio produced the enormous sum of £2260. In the
Catalogue the work is entitled--
"Boccaccio il Decamerone. Fol. M. G. Ediz. Prim. Venet.
Valdarfer, 1471."
It was bought by the Duke of Marlborough, and again sold by public
auction from his Library, by Mr. Evans, Pall Mall, in June, 1819, for
the large price of £918. 15_s._ In that Catalogue it is entitled--
"Boccaccio il Decamerone, (Venezia), per Christoful
Valdarfer di Ratispona, MCCCCLXXI."
At this time it was purchased by Mr. Longman, apparently for Lord
Spencer, in whose library it is said at present to be. A note to the
above Catalogue mentions that, "notwithstanding the publicity of the
extraordinary sum which this book produced at the Roxburgh Sale, all
researches throughout Europe to procure another copy have proved
entirely fruitless. This volume still continues to be the only known
perfect copy of this edition, and is, in all probability, the only copy
which will ever be offered for public sale. Its unparalleled rarity,
however, is not its only recommendation, as it contains many important
readings which have not been followed in any subsequent edition."
If any of your learned correspondents could give us additional
information as to this rare and apparently valuable volume, it would be
doubtless interesting to Bibliographers. Has any volume ever brought a
higher price, or any work even in a series of volumes?
It is most probable that the other copies of this Edition have fallen
under the ban of the Pope.