San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1888-02-09
NUMBER 6.
A BOOK WORMS DEN.
THE QUEER PEOPLE WHO HAVE n
MANIA FOR OLD VOLUMES.

How tho Habit Of Book Buying Grows
and is Cultivated by Book Sellers.
Hobbies Of tho Old and Young Worms.
Rare Books.
"There goes one Of the most confirmed
book worms In the city Of New York."
said clerk In big Broadway book store
the other day as an old man with a be-
| nevolent looking face and long white hair
passed out of the store with twewery old
and very valuable books under hissarm.
His face bore q look Of contentment and
he seemed to be satisfied with himself
and all the world. watched him until
he boarded a Broadway car and sat down
to gloat over his latest possessions. Tho
sight was fascinating, and gazed ut the
fast disappearing car until the voice Of
the clerk called me back from mental
vision of old musty shelves filled with
older and MUSTER books, whose bindings,
time has fringed and scalloped with q gen.
erous hand.
''Rather interesting to look at real
book worm, isn't itr' said the clerk.
'You hear people call each other book
|
reading, but they are not true, musty
smelling book worms. What are theyf
What's the genuine articlep Well, III
tell you. A genuine book worm Is a man
or woman (which latter is rarely the case)
who goes to a book store cnce or twice o
week, without knowing just what he
wants. He has no definite idea of buying
anything, but before he knows IL he has
one or two good books. They come to see
IL anything new has been received II so,
and 1t is interesting, they buy II, and
never object to the price. AS q rule they
are men past middle age, but there are
some young men who are studying for o
profession, but they usually buy only
those books which treat of the profession
they are studying Then we have some
doctors and lawyers who are confirmed
book worms Altogether / think there
are about 100 book worms In New York,
and about eighty Of them are regular GUS
toners of ours"
A strange fact In connection with book
worms, the clerk said, was that they very
seldom visited the public libraries. They
think that'if book Is interesting enough
to read It Is interesting enough to buy,
and buy 1t they do, even II they have to
deny themselves the necessaries Of life to
raise money enough to get the book
''But are they not great and insuffer-
able bores," l asked tho clerk, as I
thumbed disreputable looking copy Of
an old Latin prayer book that bore the
date 1915. The clerk smiled.
"BoresP / should say not do not
think there is bookseller in this city
who would be hard hearted enough to
discourage u book worm that pays him q
professional visit. In fact, they will
gladly put up with the 'worn,s' .quips
and fancies in order to have his trade
Why, know a bookseller who refused TO
sell an old Bible-one that was yellow
with age--just because he saw q worm
looking at 1t the day before; and he was
right. The worm bought the Bible and
now Is u regular customer. It's pity,
too, for he spends every cent he can get
for books, old books, new books, and
books, books, books seem to be the only
things he lives for"
While speaking of book worms in gen.
eral, an old man entered the store, fol-
lowed by younger one. The old man
looked musty himself and the clerk
whispered:
"fhere Is one Of the antiquarians-
genuine worm. That young man is
worm, too Now, II we approach him
gently, think the old gentleman will
give You some tips. He's one Of the most
confirmed worms / ever saw, and, al
though he wears shabby clothes, he lives
fairly well. He spends fully $1,000 a
year OH books, and manages to live on
from $400 to $500. He's genuine"
The old gentleman was introduced, and
talked freely about his hobby, winding up
by inviting me to inspect his collection.
AS left, the clerk said: 'Now, you'll see
$4,000 worth of books. Don't ask too
many questions, and when he gets started
keep quiet and listen to him. He'll tell
you all he knows"
The old gentleman was Chesterfieldian
, In his politcness, and as gallant as the
knights YOU read about In the medieval
ages. Uptown in the elevated to One
Hundred and Twenty-fifth street we went,
: and then to One Hundred and Thirty
second street near Eighth avenue. Here
, Is n little two-story building: and this was
the book worms home. The old gentle
man apologized for his untidy house, and
conducted me to his "den," room In the
second story. Books and books and
booksl Did ever see 80 many books out
, side Of a book storei What Jolly mid
night lunches the worms and the mice
, and the moths must have among those
, musty, time decorated, dust hidden vol
umes. would live in One Hundred and
Thirty street near Eighth avenue
were I mouse. The little old man looked
: as dried up and as musty as his books.
He picked up a volume with beech wood
. covers. There were faint lines on the
. covers-lines that looked as II they had
been traced there by some hand, which
, was now like the dust that covered the
3 book. The lines were ghastly In their
fantastic tracery.
'sThis Is a Bibla Sacra Latina, ~ he said.
cit was printed I'm Venice, and u what
D they usually call Monk Latin. II is very
0 old. The date says It Is over 400 years
q old. The date Is 1885. Look inside. II
Is my prize. You see the initials are
drawn by hand I'm red, black and blue ink.
? They are bright. They used good ink in
Q those days"
3 The book was indeed treasure. The
pages were not numbered, and the text Il
in sections IN the center Of each page.
Surrounding these are various interpreta-
D tions By the monk who did the nlumtnat-
T ing of the initials
= Here" said the worm, smiling. Is 4
/, book prize next 70 my 'Bibla Sacra Iaff
ua.' Il Is, as you see, a copy of dis
! course IN Latin by Zwingli, the Swis'
reformer. II is bound IN parchment. II
Wa. printed in 1880. and the woodcuts an
very fine for that time I woudnt pan
q with IL for the word. Here between N
> covers is a lock q hair and letter 20 N.
dated in June, 1924, and signed NAY
That was before I married her, and y = I
=, love letter. she's dead nov and-wel
p" Il