Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-05
Queer Things Among Old Books.

'There is probably no dealer in old books, -
said one Of the best-known men in that bust
ness in this city the other day, ''who has so
much experience and sharpness as not to be
caught mapping now and then. spend most
Of my leisure time going about among other
dealers, and it is wonderful to see what
valuable things they will sell sometimes for a
small price, and what absurd sums they will
charge for things that are worth next to moth
ing. The other day l was looking over the
books placed outside the door OF q shop and I
found, tied up in bundle, file of a little
paper published at Brook Farm, that expert
ment in cooperation tried years ago at West
Roxbury, Mass. 1t is now one of the rarest of
American periodicals. The bundle was marked
80 cents could scarcely believe my eyes.
is that the price you ask for this bundle?' I
said to the dealer.
''He looked at the bundle and then said care
lessly: Oh, no; you can have that for IS
cents, if you want it,
"And in buying books people don't know,
often, when they are getting a good bargain.
Here is an old French book that few know
anything about, but il is exceedingly curious
Librarians see it on my catalogue, but they
never heard Of it before and think it isn't
worth anything. Well, IL somebody doesn't
buy it shall double the price of it in my next
catalogue, and If it doesn't sell then I shall
double the price again, and by that time
some one win be sure to want IL"
"Do you never get hold of books that yon
End it Impossible to sell at alp"
mo, never; have had so much experience
that I can tell when see any book whether I
have ever had calls for it or am likely to have
any.
"a good many queer things happen in this
business, but here is one that sounds almost
like fiction, though it is every word true. A
man came into my shop here one day and in
troduced himself. saying that though he had
had good deal of correspondence with me he
had never seen me, but being in New York he
thought that he would call, though for no other
purpose than to say good day. a. he did not
want to buy anything at present. We talked
about the shop. What is in that big basket
he said, at last. 81
''The basket that he pointed to was the same
one that is there behind you now, and it was
full Of old legal documents.
"'Oh. nothing OF any consequence, replied,
setting the basket on the counter for him to
look at.
.'He turned over the papers and finally asked
me what would take for them. i don't know,
I said, what will you give for themT
"'Tll give you $10 for the lot, he said, and
took the offer at once.
HE picked out two of the papers and put
them in his pocket, and then said: "Send me
the rest any time; there is no hurry
'.'But now that you have bought this stuff
and paid for it,, said, i suppose you won't
mind telling me what You want of it,
".Not in the least was the reply. 4 am the
executor Of an estate up in one Of the northern
counties, and it has been impossible to prove
the title to certain parts of it. Nobody ever
disputed the last owners title, and he was care
less about his papers. And now, here in your
basket, find the genuine deeds of the
property
any customer was naturally delighted with
what he had found, and he wrote to me after
ward to cay that he had collected over CSC, 900
in rents that he could not get before for want
OF those deed"