Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-09-26
SECONDHAND SCHOOL BOOKS
Dealers Who Sell TO New Generations
the books That Others Have Used.

From the New York Sun.
"The trade In secondhand school books
though recent industry" said dealer, "has
grown into considerable proportions, and to-day
there is not an important city or village in the
country which has not its dealer in secondhand
school books. Here is my last catalogue and
price list, which will give you some idea of the
magnitude Of the business
The catalogue contained a list Of more than
5000 text books. mostly standard works, all
listed at about One-half publishers prices.
where do you get your bOOks?" the reporter
asked
There are manv sources. Publishers fire.
quently Introduce their books into schools by
taking the text books already in use and allow
Ing something for Them We could formerly
get these books for q little advance on paper
dealers prices, but many publishers now guard
against this by having chOpping blocks and
cleavers In their establishments and chopping
each book In two crOsswise. There ia no way
In which such book can be made salable
The old plan Of tearing OFT covers was no safe
guard. since we can recover school books at
medium size for twelve cents per hundred
We get great many books. most Of which
are unused. from teachers in district schools,
TO whom they are mailed by the publishers.
But OF course a majority of the books
come from the pupils themselves. who
are glad to part with them. and old school
book having no value to most of them. Then
we get an immense number from the smaller
dealers IN other parts of the country Our larger
New York houses have men constantly ont for
that purpose. 1t may be that a secondhand
dealer In Omaha will be the man to supply me
with the particular text books need to COM
plete my stock. Publishers try to meet our
competition by constantly changing their edi-
TONS But these changes react against both
teachers and pupils in many schools being op-
posed TO the changes and adherng to the old
editions The only text book which is not much
changed with each new edition Is .Webster's
Spelling Book, of which million copies wear
are published. and which has been changed in
NO important respect since it was first published
In lSOO. You can buy one Of the latest editions
Tor i've cents. but one of the first would be
worth more than IS. Five wears is the average
life OF a school book. After that time the edi-
valueless"
where do you find your purchasers?"
"Ihey are scattered all over the country As
the board OF education furnishes the text books
used In the public schools Of this CITY, our trade
Is entirely from the select and private schools.
Even then 1t is very large. Here is my mail for
to-day. You see l am sending books to nearly
every state In the Union. This year have sent
books to Iceland, Russia, China, Turkey. and
Italy. The most desirable thing we handle Is
the classics, since they less liable to change
and one text book il often as good tor the
student as another. The publisher who told
me the other day that New York publishers
proposed to change their editions often enough
70 make 1t impossible for secondhand dealers
70 handle their goods. couldn't accomplish much
with the Classics. The school book trade of the
principal dealer In secondhand books In this
city exceeded 800, 600 last year.
There are ways In which secondhand school
books get value aside from that which comes
from the demand for their use In schools. /
know several gentlemen who are making COL
iections OF old editions Of school books and very
curious some Of them are. Now, here ia an
Appeal from the British System of Eng
nsh Grammar to Common Sense by James
Brown, published in Philadelphia In 1885, It Is
remarkable work, but it was so deep that II
never came into common use will sell that
book to William Fl. Wells. president Of the Chi
caeo board Of education, who is making O col
lection OF gramn1ars and has, understand,
5000 different works. l know other men who
are collecting ar.thmetics or Biographies OF
spelling books or reading books In the same
way"