Belle Greene at Auction Magnet
Belle da Costa Greene had a keen eye for developing the Morgan's collection and was always on the lookout for rare editions of early printed books. The holy grail in that respect was Thomas Mallory's Le Morte d'Arthur, printed by William Caxton in 1485 and surviving in only a single complete copy. Sold at the auction of Robert Hoe's library in 1911, this book is arguably her most famous acquisition. Morgan was willing to pay $100,000 , and the high threshold was necessary because a new collector, Henry E. Huntington, was driving prices sky-high. Greene and Morgan won out in the end, successfully bidding at under $50,000. The press was enthralled: "Fifty thousand dollars for that book!" read a magazine headline, which is depicted in the entertaining illustration.
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Belle da Costa Greene had a keen eye for developing the Morgan's collection and was always on the lookout for rare editions of early printed books. The holy grail in that respect was Thomas Mallory's Le Morte d'Arthur, printed by William Caxton in 1485 and surviving in only a single complete copy. Sold at the auction of Robert Hoe's library in 1911, this book is arguably her most famous acquisition. Morgan was willing to pay $100,000 , and the high threshold was necessary because a new collector, Henry E. Huntington, was driving prices sky-high. Greene and Morgan won out in the end, successfully bidding at under $50,000. The press was enthralled: "Fifty thousand dollars for that book!" read a magazine headline, which is depicted in the entertaining illustration.
