Princeton Reveals Treasures from Bequest

Princeton University has revealed its largest-ever bequest, which includes Beethoven’s autograph, the 1455 Gutenberg Bible and an original printing of the Declaration of independence. 

The 2,500 volume collection belonged to philanthropist William Scheide that was started by his grandfather in 1865.  The collection had been housed at Princeton since 1959, and when Scheide died in November, he left the university everything.  Below are a few of the highlights:

• The Gutenberg Bible.  It was the first substantial book printed in Europe using movable type, and the Scheide collection includes the next five printed editions. 
• Shakespeare’s Folios 1-4. 
• Beethoven’s Music Sketchbook for 1815-16.
• An Autograph Speech by Abraham Lincoln.  This lengthy speech was written in 1856 on the problems of slavery.
• 14^th Century Copy of the Magna Carta.
• Emily Dickinson’s Recipe for Chocolate Pudding.
• Copy of the Koran from 1700. 

See Kat Brown, Emily Dickinson’s Chocolate Pudding Recipe and Nine Other Highlights from Princeton’s $300M Book Haul, The Telegraph, Feb. 18, 2015.

Special thanks to Joel Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.