Collecting Literary Treasures

The Wall Street Journal takes note of bibliophiles and those curious collectors of first editions.

From the piece...

Much more successful was U.S. financier J. Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913), who had the financial prowess to spend nearly $1 billion in today's terms on art and books during his life. The Morgan Library & Museum in New York includes highlights such as the circa 1450-55 Gutenberg Bible, the first printed book from movable type in the West; the sole surviving manuscript copy of John Milton's "Paradise Lost"; the 1843 manuscript of Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol"; and Henry David Thoreau's journal that the writer started in 1845, part of which would later inspire his famous novel "Walden." Morgan's drive to collect enriched the U.S. cultural scene and many contemporary collectors are equally keen to publicize their private treasures and share the knowledge and wisdom that often took years to build, requiring money, patience and a meticulous study of the subject matter and the book market.

"About two or three years ago, I realized that I had a large collection and decided I wanted to make it public and share my legacy with others," says Rene Braginsky, a Swiss private-equity investor of Jewish origin. His library includes illuminated manuscripts and printed books of Jewish interest. He says he started to collect to better understand his culture's past. Mr. Braginsky's family, originally from an area in modern-day Ukraine, arrived in Switzerland some 100 years ago. His collection, which includes around 600 items, has been exhibited in Amsterdam and New York, and will be displayed at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem until April 19. While experts say that one of the most sought-after items in the collection is the 1288 legal code of Moses ben Jacob of Coucy, a rabbinic scholar, Mr. Braginsky says he has no preferred pick, adding that his collecting is based on his private penchant for "the beauty of illuminated books."

"I usually have good gut feeling when I decide to buy an item," he says. "Of course, I have the help of a scholar, for example to establish the correct origin of a book. But when one collects over so many years, one becomes an expert oneself too."