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LIBER'S NOTE BOOK.

A Famous Bookseller. The cable messages this week record tho death of tho most famous bookseller in the world; tho famous son of an equally famous father, Mr. Bernard Quaritch. Wherever books, "collectors' books," are bought and sold, wherover bookmen - congregate, the name of Quaritch is sure to crop up. Quaritoh senior was, I believe, a German Polo by birth, and arrived in London with a very small storo of cash. And yet ho rose to be called the "Napoleon of tho book market," his shop—originally near. Piccadilly Circus, but of late years situated in Grafton Street, off New Bond Street, becoming known all the world ovor as a storehouse of old and rare and often immensely valuable books. It is said that ho was always a conspicuous "bull" on the book market, and that ho always maintained, high prices on his own purchases rather than "break" the market. A notable instance of this was in the caso of tho Fust and Schooftcr Psalter. This ho bought at tlio Syston sale, paying £4950 for it. His price—and it remained his price till the cherished volumo finally wont to an American buyer —was £5250. Tho last timo "Liber" was in London ho was shown- round the famous shop, not, unfortunately, by the groat Mr. Quaritch, who was absent in Paris, but by a courteous assistant. On one shelf, in a sort of strong-room, reposed exactly forty-two volumes, mainly illuminated missals. The value of that row was only somo seven thousand was all. I did not like to remind the assistant of tho days when some forty copies of tho paperbacked slender littlo first edition of dear old Edward FitzGorald's "Rubiayat of Omar Khayyam" were being "remaindered" in the "four-penny box" which stood "outside little Quariteh's door," and wore there found by Danto Gabriel Rossetti, who lauded the now famous poem to his artistic and literary friends. In theso days I don't suppose there wore many £5000 books in tho since famous shop. The Late Henri Roohofort. English and Frcnoh papers by tho last mails are full of storie3 about tho late Henri Rochefort, otherwise tho Marquis de Roohcfort-Lucav, for tho redoubtable editor of "La Lanterno," the fierce old Republican, was himself of the vicillo noblesse. Ho had a splendid literary style, and c.'jukl write, when-he likod, tho best,' tho purest of French, but ho had a trick of verbal violence which appeals moro to the taste of tho extremists in French politics than to that of Englishmen. Thus ho described that personification of presidential respectability, M. Fallieres, as tho "Old Satyr of tho Tuilerios"; Jaures, tho Socialist —Rochefort quarrelled with everyone, his own side included—as a "decayed turnip"; Clomenceau as a "lepor";

and Premier Briand as "a moulting vulture." And yet ho was a man of great artistic taste, and 'had an- expert's knowledge of painting: Rochefort used to tell with great glee how he presented tho National Gallery in London with a portrait of Landseer and his favourite dog. "Tho authorities," he said, "positively refused to enter it as tho gift of M. Henri Rochefort, and in spito of my protests it figures as having been presented by the Marquis do Rochefort Lucay. You aro great sticklors for titles in England." Liko his yet moro distinguished compatriot, Victor Hugo, Rochefort not only never learned English, although he lived in Loudon for some years, but actually prided himself upon his ignoranco of that language. Asked, one day, if, during his period' of oxile in England, he had learned to speak English: "No," ho replied. "But you could have donep" ha was asked. "Yea, but I did not want to." "Why?" "Because Victor Hugo forbade me to. He said to mo one day, 'Wo writers must not learn foreign languages. Such knowledge makes us run the risk of changing tho purity of our own tongue. During tho tfholo of his life M. Rochefort never smoked, and onlv drank ono single glass of a liqueur, wliich, he declared, mad© him ill for two days. His life, says the "Evening Standard," was peppered with duels too numerous to mention. He fought with Prince Murat and Paul do Cassagnac. Rochefort • and Paul do Cassagnac were so nearly matched that they decided, after ono encounter in whicli both were badly damaged, to leave each other severely alone. □ostoevsky In English, _ As a rule I do not enthuse over Russian fiction, but there is ono Russian novelist, Dostoovsky, the author of "Crime and Punishment,"',who has of liito years, thanks to. the eulogies of Maurice Baring and other English admirers, won tho appreciation of an everwideming circle of readers outside his native country._ To M. Heinemann's fine scries of this author's works, translated by Constance Gamett, has now beon added what is said to bo Dostoevsky's most characteristic and personal story, "The Idiot." Tho hero, Prince Myshken, the "wise fool," suffers from epilepsy. Tho disease destroys all those sides of his intellect which complicate the simplicity of character, and ho becomes, though as were a serpent, aa harmless as a child. Miss Garnett's translation is said to bo both sympathetio and accurate.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19130913.2.93.2

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1854, 13 September 1913, Page 11

Word count
Tapeke kupu
857

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK. Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1854, 13 September 1913, Page 11

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK. Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1854, 13 September 1913, Page 11

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