Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-07-11

WICHITA
SECONDHAND BOOKS.
A BIG BUSINESS DONE BY THE DEAL
eRS At THE CAPITAL
A Curious Feature Of washington-
Books from All Quartsrs Of the Coan-
try-Chat with an Antiquarisn-
Books on Special subjecta
The second hand book stores Of Washing-
ton are q curious feature Of the city. There
are q number Of them, sons Of which do
business Of tens Of thousands Of dollars
yearly smaller ones you will find In out-of-
the-way places scattered hero and there,
and in any one Of these you may buy many
valuable and rare books One near the
treasury has the rooms Of q four-story brick
building lined with books Entering its
ground floor is like going into q large pub
lie library, where the books are classified BY
subjects, and where you ask for q set Of the
congressional debates, from the beginning
Of the government until to-day, and il will
BE- furnished you 1t will compromise sew
eral hundred volumes, and its price will b
500. You take your purchase to your
home and look over it, and your mind goes
back to the times Of the past Is you read
the curious marginal notes which you may
find in some Of the volumes, and look at the
various autographs inscribed on the fly
leaves Of others. These books have been
gathered from all parts Of the country. One
volume may have belonged to Andrew Jack
son, and you see his dashing autograph on
the title page Another may have come
from Stephen A. Douglass library, and In
many cases you will find books from the
collections OF Carroll, Of Carrollton, and
other men whose autographs have now Q
mercantile value.
HIGH-PRICED ALMANAC.
The state department paid t22.50 at .
book auction, not long ago, for An almanac,
and it would have readily given 500 for IL
1t was one that Jefferson bad used, and it
contained many notes Ia Jsnersou's hand
writing upon its pages This almanac was
q part Of Virginia collection made by Mr..
Shouey, one Of the stsnographers Of the
senate. and the second hand book man Of
whom Shouey bought tho almanac tells mo
he sold il to him for 81. This man has . shop
near the postofiics department., and while l
was buying Q book Of him talked with him
about his trade Said he: Second band
book selling il o curious business, and 70 the
careful dealer there is money In IL Books
fiuctuate in value according TO tho demands
Of the times, and enc to-day which will not
bring 10 cents may tomorrow be worth Is
many dollars Anything rare comes high,
and the springing up Of interest in ths old
congressional questions brings the literature
Of the times when they were formerly dis
cussed into the market just before the
Garfield campaign began . book collector
named Parish had . rooHa full Of Credit
MobiIier reports which be was thinking Of
selling to the waste paper men Garfield
was nominated, the question was brought
into the canvass, and he sold them for ssv-
eral dollars apiece Just now all reports
and speeches relating TO tho silver question
are Of value, and some old reports which
We invciced ct nothing, bring several dol
lars copy.
Here, for instance, Il o valuable book.
continued the antiquarian, a. he picked up
q volume Of about 100 pages bound in
leather. 1T is worth so at auction, and IL
q government document, too 1t isa report
ON the Alaskan lands, by Henry W. Elliott,
and it contains many fine sketches Only
seyenty-fve Of these books weIS printed,
and II IL almost impossible 70 procure
them
Hwhat class OF people collect booksT !
asked, and what are thar hobbiesi-
They are mostly scholars and readers.
though, indeed, now and then you viii find
some Ignorant fellow who cares for the
binding moro than the contents, and no: .
few people buy books for the pictures that
are in them rather than the reading There
are many picture collectors in Washington,
and in some cases find that IL pays better
TO tear book 70 pieces and sal it, sngray-
tnes By tie piece People ~ho would not
give 50 cents for the volume vii pay 5 cents
apiece for the twenty or more engraving
which il contain
MAGAzISx PICTURES FOR MOUNTING
"A treat many men buy old magazines
for TIE pictures, and have . large SALE Of
Harpsrs and Scribnsr's on this account
They take the fsli-pags pictures from thsss
maSHzines and cut OF the white margin 20
where the engraving bseina Thy thsn
mount this engraving upon cardboard -
carefully a. the mounting Of photograph,
and At a very smal expense procure ehoins
collections Of snsravinsA Tbs World has
psvsr surpassed the magazine fIl1ssrssioos
OF to-day, asd you may fnd gsnius lurking
IA many Of ths pictures Of an ogtof-the-
way periodical =.
Many men coiisct books On special ssb-
jscsA There are . number Of srseures IA
Washington, Who want s~erything 80 can
ind on wins and gAssrooouy. Th> man 70
whom sod yeHsrvoo's almanac took, far