Monday, April 25, 2011

History Files: What's in YOUR attic?

The Nuremberg Chronicle is a history of the world printed 500 years ago. While several hundred copies are known to exist, the book is treasured as one of the milestones in the printing of illuminated manuscripts. Known copies are housed in museums and private collections. A complete copy in near-perfect condition has gone for a million dollars at auction.
So when a Utah man who's had an old German-language book in his attic for generations handed a local book dealer a copy of the Nuremberg Chronicle, jaws dropped. The man thought the book might be worth something and was donating it for a local auction. The copy is falling apart and has only about a third of its pages, so the estimated monetary worth is "only" $50,000. But it's the classic story that's appealing here. What else is in the nation's attics?

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