622 BIBLIOMANIA BICETRE Holland near the close of the 17th century, and passed thence into England, where it has held its principal seat, though it has more recently become to some extent a passion in France and in the United States. Numerous collections have been made of the editions of the Bible, of which the most complete is in the British museum, though rivalled by that of Mr. James Lenox of New York ; of editions of the classics in tiaum Delphini and cum noti-s variorum ; of first editions of the clas- sics (editiones principes), and of many books which appeared in the infancy of typography (incunabula) of Bipont editions, and those cited by the academy della Crusca; of the " Republics " of the Elzevirs ; and works printed by Aldus, Comino of Padua, Bodoni, Mattaire, Foulis, Barbou, and Baskerville. In France the jest books, burlesque treatises, and macaronic poems of the 16th century, which proceeded from the school of Merlin Coccaie and Rabelais, have been much sought after by bibliomaniacs. The bindings on which the highest prices are set in France are those of Derosne, Padeloup, Simier, and Thouvenin; and in England, those of Charles Lewis and Roger Payne. The most extraordinary prices are paid for splendid old editions, copies with a likeness of the author and painted initial letters, impressions upon parchment, morocco, paper furnished with a broad margin, or upon asbestus, printed with letters of gold or silver, or having all the text set in an impression of copper. The material is more highly esteemed if tinted rose color, blue, yellow, or green. The library of Lord Spencer, in England, con- tained an J^schylus of the Glasgow edition of 1795, the binding of which alone cost 16 7*. sterling. The binding of Macklin's Bible, in four volumes, cost 75 guineas ; and that of Boydell's large edition of Shakespeare, in nine volumes, cost 132 sterling. The London bookseller Jef- frey had a volume of the " History of James II.," by Fox, bound in fox skin, in allusion to the name of the author ; and the capricious biblio- maniac Askew is said to have pushed his mad- ness even to having a book bound in human skin, that he might possess an entirely unique volume. The edges of books have sometimes been adorned with beautiful pictures. Books formerly were often bound in copper, silver, or gold leaf, and embellished with precious stones. It is not unfrequently a passion of men to ob- tain an extensive library in some particular de- partment, or a complete set of the editions of some favorite author. Thus, Boulard spent a fortune in pursuit of the editions of Racine ; a professor in a university is mentioned who pass- ed his life in collecting obscene books ; and So- leinnes made a library of all the dramatic pieces that have ever appeared on any stage. He searched for new pieces with painful anxiety, purchasing a mass of books in languages which he could not read. A certain Frenchman pur- chased at exorbitant prices all astronomical books that he could find, though he did not un- derstand a word of that science. Bibliomani- acs are the principal purchasers in the great an- tiquarian book auctions which are occasionally held in London and Paris. The Mazarin Bible, supposed to have been printed in 1455, was sold in 1827 for 504. A gentleman of New York has obtained a copy of this work at an expense of $2,500. Alcuin's MS. Bible, which was made for Charlemagne, was purchased by the British museum for 750. At the sale of Car- dinal Lomenie's library in Paris 3,800 livres were given for a copy of the Grammntica Jthythmica, in folio, printed in 1466 by Faust and Schoft'er. A copy of Virgil, printed by Sweynheym and Pannartz in 1469, brought 4,101 livres. Dr. Dibdin mentions that 500 guineas were offered for a Livy printed by Vin- dclin de Spira in 1470, "a most extraordinary copy, bound in three volumes, in foreign coarse vellum." One of the most memorable compe- titions for bibliographic treasures occurred at the sale of the duke of Roxburgh's library, in London, in 1812. A copy of the first edition of the " Decameron," published by Valdarfer at Venice in 1471, was sold for the immense price of 2,260. An illuminated missal, exe- cuted for the duke of Bedford in the reign of Henry VI., was sold in 1786 for 203, in 1815 for 637, and in 1833 for 1,100. Eliot's Indian Bible sold in New York in 1857 for $200, and 18 numbers of Franklin's "Poor Richard's Al- manack " for $12 per number. The most ex- pensive single work in the United States is a copy of De Bry's " Voyages." The biblioma- niac forms the subject of the 13th chapter of the Caracteres of La Bruyere, and Dr. Dibdin has published a volume entitled " Bibliomania, or Book-Madness." I li:i: 4. Ernst TOD, baron, a German naturalist and author, born at Schwebheim, Bavaria, June 9, 1806. He studied law and afterward chemis- try, and published several medical and chemi- cal works, 1840-'48. He explored parts of Chili, Peru, and Brazil, and since his return from South America has resided in Nuremberg, where his scientific collections have acquired some celebrity. His works include Verglei- chende Untersuchungen uber dan Gehirn des Memchen unA der Wirlelthiere (1854); Seisen in Siidamerika (2 vols., 1854); Die narkoti- scfien Genussmittel vnd der Mensch (1855) ; Erinnerungen aus Siidamerika (3 vols., 1861); Aui Chile, Peru und Brasilien (2 vols., 1862) ; and Hoffnungen in Peru (3 vols., 1 864). He has also published novels and other writings, and in 1869 the first part of an archasological work. BIBBACTE. See ATJTCN. KH'KTKK, a village of France, in the depart- ment of the Seine, near Sceaux, on the way from Fontainebleau to Paris, celebrated for its hospital ; pop. (including inmates of the hospi- tal) about 5,500. It derives its name from and occupies the site of a chateau built in 1290 by John, bishop of Winchester. A military hos- pital was founded here by Cardinal Richelieu in 1632. The inmates were afterward removed
