A Rare Book Mystery

A few days ago, a friend sent me an auction listing for a book that was once owned by our Sir William Osler.

Pasted onto the cover of the book is a letter from Sir William to Marcia Noyes, our librarian. It was written about six months before he died. At the end is a personal PS "Love to you all."

Marcia and Sir William were close friends from the time he hired her in 1896, until his death in 1919.

But how did this, and two other books signed by William Osler, end up at an auction house in Connecticut?

Of course, I had to do some sleuthing. First, I culled through our records, but could find nothing. Next, I looked through the catalogue from Swann's Auction House in NYC, where we'd sold a number of our rare books in the early 2000's. No record.

Then I called the auction house who told me that the consigner was an old client of theirs. They called him and then called me back to tell me that the client had purchased the book from a rare book dealer in Baltimore about 20 years ago.

Something pinged in my brain. About 20 years ago, a low-level staffer had contracted to sell all of the books in our stacks, about 55,000, to a rare book dealer. When the powers-that-be found out, they put a stop to the sale.

But, in the interim, the dealer must have acquired some of our books, among them, the three that are in this auction, and that was how the consigner acquired them.

Not everyone appreciates history the way I do, nor understands how important it is to retain items from our past.

Most people won't understand the relationship between Marcia and Dr. Osler. As mentioned above, they were close friends from the time he hired her in 1896 until his death in 1919.

There are dozens of letters between the two of them, all very friendly and affectionate. There are little cards from bouquets that Osler sent Marcia wishing her a happy birthday, or sending congratulations.

When Osler moved to England in 1905, they stayed in touch and she visited him in Oxford several times. He frequently sent rare books for the Library at MedChi, including two copies of Vesalius Anatomy.

We will bid on the books, but I am sure the final price will exceed my budget. All that I can hope is that the book finds a good home.