The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 46, October 30, 2005, Article 3

WILLIAM BLADES: THE ENEMIES OF BOOKS

Coincidentally, Larry Mitchell writes: "A digital version of
William Blades' 1888 work--the sections on damage from fire,
water, gas, heat and dust remain just as relevant today. From
the "Universal Library" at Carnegie Mellon University, here are
a couple excerpts:

[On books lost at sea]

"Next to Fire we must rank Water in its two forms, liquid
and vapour, as the greatest destroyer of books. Thousands
of volumes have been actually drowned at Sea, and no
more heard of them than of the Sailors to whose charge
they were committed. D'Israeli narrates that, about the
year 1700, Heer Hudde, an opulent burgomaster of
Middleburgh, travelled for 30 years disguised as a mandarin,
throughout the length and breadth of the Celestial Empire.
Everywhere he collected books, and his extensive literary
treasures were at length safely shipped for transmission to
Europe, but, to the irreparable loss of his native country,
they never reached their destination, the vessel having
foundered in a storm.

In 1785 died the famous Maffei Pinelli, whose library was
celebrated throughout the world. It had been collected
by the Pinelli family for many generations and comprised
an extraordinary number of Greek, Latin, and Italian works,
many of them first editions, beautifully illuminated, together
with numerous MSS. dating from the 11th to the 16th century.
The whole library was sold by the Executors to Mr. Edwards,
bookseller, of Pall Mall, who placed the volumes in three
vessels for transport from Venice to London. Pursued by
Corsairs, one of the vessels was captured, but the pirate,
disgusted at not finding any treasure, threw all the books
into the sea. The other two vessels escaped and delivered
their freight safely, and in 1789-90 the books which had
been so near destruction were sold at the great room in
Conduit Street, for more than L9,000"

Full Story

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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