Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-06-03
A FEATURE OF WASHINGTON
The Big Business Done by the Second Hand
Book Stores of the Capital.
Cleveland Trade

The secondhand book stores of Wash
ington are curious feature of the CITY.
writes Carp in the Leader. There are a
number of them, some of which do a bus
mess of tens of thousands of dollars year
ly. Smaller ones you will find in out-of-
the-way places scattered here and there,
and IN any one of these you may buy
many valuable and rare books. One near
the treasury has the rooms of four-story
brick building lined with books. Enter
ing its ground floor is like going into a
large public library, where the books are
classlhed by subjects, and where you can
lind almost anything you want. Youmay
ask for set of the congressional debates
from the beginning of the government
until to-day, and it will be furnished you.
1t VIII comprise several hundred volumes,
and Its price will be $780, You take your
purchase to your home and look over it,
and your mind goes back to the times of
the past as you read the curious marginal
notes which you may find in some of the
volumes, and look at the various auto
graphs inscribed on the fly leaves of 9th
ers.
These books have been gathered from
all quarters of the country. One volume
may have belonged to Andrew jackson,
and you see his dashing autograph on the
title page. Another may have come from
Stephen A. Douglas library, and in many
cases you will find books from the collec-
tions of Carroll, of Carrollton, and other
men whose autographs have now a mer-
camille value.
The state department paid so so at
book auction, not long ago, for an altman
&C, and it would have readily given 800
xuaS hot L
ed, and it contained many notes in Jeffer
sons handwriting upon its pages. This
almanac was part of Virginia collec
ton made by Mr.. Shouey, one of the stem
ographers of the senate. and the second
hand book man of whom Shouey bought
the almanac tells me he sold it to him for
81. This man has shop near the post-
Office department, and while was buvinp
book Of him yesterday talked with
him about his trade. Said he: Second
hand book selling is a curious business.
and to the careful dealer there is money
IN 1T. Books huctuate in value according
to the demands of the times: and one to-
day which will not bring 10 cents NAV
tomorrow be worth as many dollars Any-
thing rare comes high, and the springinp
up OF interest IN the old congressional
questions brings the literature of the
times when they were formerly discussed
into the market. Just before the Gar
field campaign, began book collector
named Parish had a room full of Credit
Mob1lier reports which he was thinking
Of selling TO the waste paper men. Gar
field was nominated, the question was
brought into the canvas, and he sold them
for several dollars apiece Just now all
reports and speeches relating to the sill
yer question are of value, and some old
reports which we involced as nothing
bring several dollars COPY.
''Here for instance is valuable book"
continued the antiquarian as he picked
up volume of about one hundred pages
bound in leather.
at is worth $50 dollars at auction, and
it is a government document too. 1t is
report on the Alaskan islands, by Henry
W Elliot, and it contains many fine
sketches. Only seventy five of these
books were printed and it is almost i'm
possible to procure one of them"
'What class of people collect books?"
I asked Sand what are their hobbies?"
''They are mostly scholars and readers,
though, indeed, now and then you will
find some ignorant fellow who cares for
the binding more than the contents, and
not few people buy books for the pic
lures that are in them rather than the
reading. There are many picture col
lectors in Washington, and in some cases
I find that it pays better to tear book to
pieces and sell its engravings by the
piece. People who would not give me so
cents piece for the volume will pay five
cents piece for the twenty or more en-
cravings which it contains. A great many
men buy old magazines for the pictures,
and I have large sale of Harper's and
Scribner's on this account. They take
the full page pictures from these maya
zines and cut off the white margin to
where the engraving begins. They then
mount this engraving on cardboard as
carefully as the mounting of a photo
graph, and at very small expense pro-
cure choice collections of engravings.
The world has never surpassed the mag
azine illustration of to-day, and you may
find genius lurking in many of the pic
lures of an QUITO -the-way periodical.
"Many men collect books on special
subjects. There are a number of epicureS
in Washington, who want everything we
can find on wines and gastronomy. The
man to whom / sold Jeffersons almanac
took for one year everything on Virginia,
and at another time he made a speciality
of whist collections, and bought every
book that related to whist or whist play
ers. Old county histories sell we'll here at
Washington. and state historical colIec-
tions bring more than when they were
first printed. All branches of Americans
sell well, and, indeed, if you keep any
kind of book for a number of years
you are sure to find buyer in the end.''
Speaking of secondhand book stores,
Washington has many book auctions
every winter, and very valuable collec-
ton is to be sold during the present sea
son in the shape of the books of the late
ex-Gov. Thomas BARLEY, of Ohio. Bart
ley was great collector, and he had a Ii
brary of choice volumes running into the
thousands.
Such book auctions are always held in
the evening, and you may find supreme
court judges. senators, congressman, and
literateurs mixed up in the crowds which
attend them. The books are sold by
catalogue, and each man has catalogue
in his hand as the sale goes on. The bid
ding is always spirited, and standard
works bring their full value. There are a
number of collector who send to such
auctions orders for books, giving the linn