Gifts of The Friends Valued at $100,000
DURING the past year Baker Library has received more than $100,000 worth of rare books, manuscripts, prints, and paintings through The Friends of the Dartmouth Library. Prof. Herbert F. West '22, director and secretary of The Friends, stated in his annual report that the richness and variety of gifts during the past year have made it one of the best in the history of the organization.
Among the contributions were two letters written by George Washington, one with a postscript by Alexander Hamilton, and also letters and first editions of books by Benjamin Franklin, including TheWay to Wealth; as clearly shown in thePreface of an old Pennsylvania Almanack intitled 'Poor Richard.' The same donor also gave a presentation copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with an inscription by the author, Lewis Carroll, and other rare copies of books by Walt Whitman, John Cotton, and Charles de Aurab.
Donated by Walter J. Brownstone '28 and his son, Clyde, was an extremely rare 1645 first edition of John Milton's Poems. This volume, coming originally from the library of Lord Birkenhead, contains the first appearances of Milton's works L'Allegro and Il Penseroso. Another of the Brownstones' gifts was a two-volume first edition of Lord Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, presented by Byron to his friend Hobhouse.
Richard H. Mandel '26 presented fifty rare first editions and seven items, including books, manuscripts, and letters, to be added to Baker Library's extensive collection of Joseph Conrad material.
William B. Jaffe contributed the original manuscripts, including the editor's foreword, of a book called The Ten Commandments. The manuscripts are based upon separate commandments of the Decalogue and were written by such authors as Thomas Mann, Franz Werfel, Sigrid Undset, Rebecca West, Andre Maurois, and others. Mr. Jaffe also contributed some pre-Columbian sculptures and several Chinese pieces.
Sherman Adams '20 and Charles Brigham '13 were co-donors of about 25 rare lithographs, and Mr. Adams also donated some other historical material.
Professor West remarked in his report that many more of the more than 400 Friends of the Dartmouth Library had also made substantial contributions during the past year.
