, 1879-07-26
OLD.DOOK SELLING.
Confessions Of Ono Of tho Craft.

"ltu htNll III ono Oh TIC tloFuuELl9teA. eucH
a man is eurc to prosper prortted ho sticks to
1,t, cn1ltuc anil IA fnr1y nrudent for the lra,,n
T." s.' os.,',. s.. 1,'. .sssa.'. ". ~, ~ ..
10 'ss5 put'ap'e' t"c ptosps'ops o"v"s ~ Me
ieady 10 nelp eacil a nnh oy ietslne MN nave
the wedding Of our shelves At nominal prices,
and, when 10 has proved himself Trustworthy |
,n1 ot,lc,.nt hv oriv1rr him rrcdt ~, so.v ,c,n.
ton in too ,nonr NJ y. -. havernr thc Xii
w. 49,, ~ soo no"s sa's' no"e'et' .1e vso'uu s
stall kcoher bcFef rises, or cares TO f1ees npoVo
the gutter In which be spcods most Of bis time.
Efficiency In tho craft IA ouly to bc acnui,cd
bv nrnct,cc. Tl,rre nrc h,nlrcds of tbornuph-
t.,a" =. w., ,,n.. nr,na eha.s - ~ e',. W.
l0fEs IN ana apoat Lonaon "nete ola BOOKS sela
well but every one OF these places has IT'S pre-
dotnincnt taste, which must determine tho qual-
jtr Of tho moss Of the stock. which runy bo
then1oo,c,, In onc n,ace. h,etorcat IN n scrona,
Mso'ossai ~ ouo p'aee' l.sso''sa' ~ seeon''
mil pusetS-"h,ca very ottcn mems 'mpnfeiy-
amusing IN third. Then, while sumo quarters
arc conteut With out-of-date articles, published
Win hnni.s a nonora,,on ~ a. IA ,ne,s s,a
WIZ p'ose Eens'at4on ~ ~ o'"' a.e'e "le
people Eho Will buy nothing save what mas
Issued recently from the press. Again, the COLI
Here as in syo NM, 1,t.r.rv valuc, nns,,sh;,ttv
10 ~ wv "ss'"', 'Aas, Na,s".,.:,
ID mstc.Y sfaa.iyo .el!t!i ~ IoueM ee.s'aea.
quarters, TGlatnea fouSn ahu eoiiea 10 aay
they aro % 81 ne proper l,terary order. Here,
where oo!lcf.nihkets, mctal"WofKets. anu mat
sort OF hattitcta1t*tcn resort, Is 1ast the plaza
~ ~ nlspoes VI ncentne soin"'cs "n;ch mets ueeu
dlshsulca ahu snut',atca u scii9ols pu6.tc n.a
private. Respectable peope W. medalc VITA
nothiEg 10 the oook way "nlcn uocs NOT neaf
fespectaDle appearance. - eut.oas ~ r. LACY 70 s,o
taste 1or elu BOOKS. ~ SHOWN " the ttaue aone
a. stalls. Is that eccoou-haila "ofSb III 1nouefu
iaheuaGes, c6nec'a!tF NOVELS, SCH 'nuEu Wy netteF
~ low districts than eiseHhofc. lhG stail-
sncner requires eAf ino9ths at lcast 70 ulscoSes
al thle as We!t as 10 pecg,aG acauala.ea "isn n
u.
cAnnot BUS thrive, II ne cares 70 10 30. oeloee
long he Will nnse ahop o1 ms own anu cease
20 10 M outsloer oI TUG ttaac. 1nslcau oI
70 e. nfeoa s
9uIrcs naneeEs-oa OF ne own: Aonye az, hn IS
allowed to taEo port ~ inst institution pocullat
to dealers 10 eeeonu-u.na art'e!es, nnu 1he q
nSI o xSoeout number ot Us crowd 10 nn
nuctlon-foom; wbaEc liDfary IS nF9uEht 10 t!G "
hammer, hnd Guy every afuelc. Hese VIC AZ
know ono aiothet, anu eacn o. ,,ao " nas ios ,ne
nFst bid uness an outsidcr intefercs' wSen be w W
giye. This tsieK. 5cpeats5! as oitsp :. ny =, 6s
necessary, dseusts tae ousslders q mud secures tnc
reaI yaue The uubile auction ss we tic
purchasGrst fetie 10 neenn1grt! 13 sa'e.n IT. nn 1a
repeat II an'onE onfsetses. !Ins s.9aG t's & Wi.
umca 60 at ihf price, Wnseh altpws 1 u,s oasgI H
~ per cent prott on hts private uusinees. AZ
being sold, wo Gust up ths totals e., o. tue Two
sales, suttrnct the smaller from tie greater,
anu aiv'ug tne teu1aoca sluaslS S. !nofo aoi
present inus an .na; a ',,nut ,TitEa uvGs Ea'
Eood profits a. knacK-oat wltaoat mating
single purchase. II 'a one Of eur customs 70
clca! our eheiVce ol tlie .etlckets annualil anu
sena thcm 70 ihe Eneton'19om. "s,slG s. tEs5 eo
tnsougn taF usua! piuse.e, - ~ ~ =. ~;
" eourset no more LINN t"ons ttlseo 9 o. W ec,u
books to tln same sale; nnd' as tnerc GRO nun
| creds tn tEe trnae III Lofuoh nlohe, mere arc
quite aonen n, OF as 70 KGep ~ sn ,h .n EU
lnE twice or thtlee Meek a. t1e yeaf , sou.%' ~
There arc certain Doors uat never ~ sei a. a!,'
and these return year aites year 70 tic aaet,on-
room, Until tMty become o!a ncqnalntauees ot
ile traue; MG hase gooN .nahy oy,.9a "nys ~ Gu
nahc'nE INC xnuu ~ ~ ~ u"t serreasbe IN y. n te h.
way about 70 % 1eserloea 40 sm1so nic1eJ ,J ate.
rary. arc dyl'g on osory aaE, anu ther MoFatses
atspossd o.; IN tncss eates ~ 'ouh ~ ,ru. .is
sham book.plates md autographs, AID soon t got
rid Of them &C lancy ps'ccs. - Inc. snat "a, a.
ter LoLd Mnena'ays aea.m lnonaa!s d ~ IN. a. o vo,,
u.nes which i!e neVsr saw @ Wssc so'a 1 70 shs way
wo old.boos sollers-haTe msdc ~. q
good thing Of every oao ot Me
revolutions on the continent uaat ~ naEe ,.,n nan
pcned OF iaeo years. AEaln, We est hold o
pay ncedy scholar, oae ot 'aosc laeausmts,s l.fs
Of our atlopa who 10 q coca ucai o1 fra9hE
therein and good oca! Of eossp Win ouEsel9os
and our customers. but VINO only pnfciase now
pay ono of theae people to ~ritc 2 lew wot1s ~
euitablo tongue (tliougn. ios t,e mater Of
that, Latin VIII always slhee} ana soou SIX
tecntll.ccntury caltgraphy on the titlc'pa5e,
With shc addition ot name , .9 nn9Fpos,g @ 70 % no
tile signature Of soma s'xtcehth-centuFy 1opk
man, one Of tltrd'rats repntaloti-a tsni.oo-
scure specimen Of sRst ermditi9,n ~ preference
and the thing IL done. This little trick &C,
cures tlat the volumes TO which II Is applied
shall b. bought up By ,s 5st u bo'e'tsr nt nag
the further back tho better, Is OF tnuch addt-
tional value II the tlY,lsayesZal.waXs numerous
In very old books-bg those originally bound up
with the volume. There Is q great demand iot
manuscript documents Of oil kinds dating BACK X
into the past; and there arc plenty o. men ~ ~
London who can simulate tue familiar stysa oI
my celebrity OF auy period mud country dur!pll::
the last three hundred yrars. Nearly oil u,u
moro celebrated wrote BY secretary, merely
signing tleulselves; SO all that is wanted is to
havo the hody OF tic document IN fair elx.
tccuth.ceutusy callgranhy. Signatures o. niai
date. beug for the most part large, formal, and
rigid, arc very tmltabtt. ld'book hy'lcaTcs arc
ottcli used for purposes much less inMoceut than
| 4ceetvnE a gatllercr of vaEiutlca. lhry nre tl!e