Scientific-books treasure will be sold in New York

[flashl]

NEW YORK - More than 300 books, including the only known copy of the first telephone book, will be auctioned this week in New York City.

The collection, which spans six centuries, contains works by Nicolaus Copernicus, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Sir Isaac Newton and Johannes Kepler. It's expected to bring $6 million Tuesday at Christie's New York auction.

...

Einstein's set of reference copies, including key papers on the theories of special and general relativity, quantum theory and unified theory, is estimated to bring $150,000 to $250,000.

The collection is being sold by Dr. Richard Green, a retired physician and amateur astronomer from Long Island.

Baltimore Sun

[tridim]

1. This stuff should be in the public domain, not for sale to filthy rich people.

Just my opinion.

[Poll_Blind]

2. I agree but, ya know, that's how it works right now. I don't mind so much...

...because usually those who have the money to purchase expensive items like this also have an ego which requires they put it on display so everyone knows they own it. Which usually means putting it in a museum as part of a "family" collection.

  I don't mind so much, unless it's an item which has some direct tie to the government or The People. Like the Liberty Bell, original copies of The Constitution- that sort of thing.

  I totally agree with your sentiment, though, but that's just how things work now.

  It's an extension of medieval patronage where a family or wealthy individual (or the church) would commission an artist to do something- like paint the Sistine Chapel.

PB

[RainDog]

3. tax laws used to be structured in such a way

that it was better to donate items to a special collections library, or to endow one (these were done at public universities too.) Now the tax laws are structured so that ppl take things to auction.

this man spent his lifetime collecting these texts. it's too bad they'll most likely be split up rather than kept together, but that's the case. but the truth of the matter is that many great collections available for research were first put together by a collector.

most special collections around the country specialize in certain eras, not just subjects, and this man's collection is probably too expensive for most libraries to afford.

The Getty could, I'd think.

But even if they were to go to libraries, that doesn't mean you'd have access to them. A lot of spec. collection libraries require a letter of recommendation from a research institute, etc. for ppl to have access to the items. Some great special collections are open to the public, tho. Not like you can browse shelves, but you can look at items in a reading room.

it's even worse in Europe, as far as access.