the book collector
home in Belfast. She could therefore conduct the sale on her father’s behalf when she returned to New York. The subsequent sequence of events is disclosed in a series of surviving documents written by James Weatherup to his daughter Peggy and son Arthur. The correspondence began in late May or early June 1933 when James Weatherup wrote to Rosenbach o V ering the book for sale. The e V ect of this letter on Rosenbach was surely a mixture of caution and amazement. If Rosenbach had only received the letter, it would most likely have been dismissed out of hand. But this accompanying identification based upon the card provided su Y cient evidence to indicate that Mr. Weatherup was at least capable of correctly iden- tifying a copy of the Bay Psalm Book when he saw one. Given that he could inspect the volume at his New York premises and quickly determine its authenticity, Rosenbach replied with a short low-key note dated 13 June 1933 stating that Rosenbach was unable to do anything until he had inspected the book, but confirmed that he would be delighted to meet James Weatherup’s daughter and go into the matter fully. On or about 1st July 1933 Miss Peggy Weatherup set sail for New York. 12 July 1933 she met Dr. Rosenbach, bringing the book with her to his premises at 15 East 51st Street, New York. The positive identification of the volume by Rosenbach was greatly assisted by the availability to him of Wilberforce Eames Facsimile Reprint of the Bay Psalm Book published in 1903 for the New England Society of New York. 7 If anyone could spot treasure when he saw it Rosenbach could. After examining the book and confirming that it was indeed a copy of the Bay Psalm Book, he lost no time in exchanging cables with James Weatherup, who was back home in Belfast nervously await- ing developments. With an economy of e V ort and understatement of the book’s true significance and worth which made him the greatest book dealer of his day, ‘Rosy’ quickly agreed one of the purchasing coups of his career. A day or two later James Weatherup wrote to his daughter Peggy, confirming the sequence of events, an agreed price of £ 150-0-0, and giving instructions for the payment
7 . Wolf, Rosenbach p. 386.
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