Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - March - 2005 Issue
James Cummins Features Two Centuries of Literature
Rochefoucauld graces us with his moral maxims.
It seems a bit odd in these days when American television stations are fearful of showing the likes of "Saving Private Ryan," so intimidating has become the hand of government censors, but in 1920, D.H. Lawrence first published his final book in America to avoid the hand of censors. Lawrence had antagonized the sensibilities of England's censors, so when he published Women in Love, he did so on a subscription basis only and published it in New York. Only 1,250 copies of the first edition were printed, and item 62 is copy number two. $2,500.
Francois de la Rochefoucauld was a 17th century sometimes in, sometimes out member of the French court noted for his witty though often cynical sayings, many still remembered today. His book of maxims, first published in France in 1664, was an immediate success, which quickly went into five editions. Here are a few of his maxims. "Our virtues are usually just vices in disguise." "Good advice is something a man gives when he is too old to set a bad example." "Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors." "How can we expect another to keep our secret if we are unable to keep it ourselves?" "It is easier to be wise for others than for ourselves." "We all have enough strength to endure the misfortunes of others." "Our repentance is not so much regret for the ill we have done as fear of the ill that may happen to us in consequence." Do you want more of these gems? There are more. Lots of them. Over 500 in all. What makes Rochefoucauld's maxims so intolerable is that there is too much truth in them. He understood human weaknesses and was generous enough to share them with us. Thanks. Item 60 is the first English translation of Rochefoucauld's work, Moral Maxims and Reflections. Published in 1694. Enjoy the opportunity for introspection. $1,000.
One of the great literary forgeries took place in the late 18th century when William Henry Ireland came upon a trove of original "Shakespearean" documents. William's father, Samuel Ireland, was an illustrator and antiquarian book collector who totally idolized Shakespeare. Samuel's blinding desire to obtain anything Shakespeare, which made the father exceedingly gullible, led to his son's experimentation with forgery. Obtaining blank sheets from old documents and experimenting with inks, William created some minor Shakespearean documents and signatures. Samuel, and others, were fooled. William's success led to more. There were manuscripts, plays with Shakespeare's margin notes. Finally, there was the discovery of an unknown Shakespeare play, "Vortigern and Rowena." All supposedly came to William from a collector who insisted on anonymity. In 1796, one of the leading theaters staged a production of this new Shakespearean play. It was at this time that the ruse began to unravel.
