The morning call., 1892-09-08
GOOD BOOKS FOR A SONG.
William I in Morocco for
Two Bits.
Jefferson Davis and Phil Sheridan Stand Side
BY Side at the Auctioneer's and
Bring Equal Prices

"Come, gentlemen. bid lively. Who's
next. Remember the dealer gets what you
leave"
1.-Two bits.''
well, well! Gentlemen, Pm surprised |!
Why, you couldn't gild the edges of the
leaves for four times that amount. Think
of it! the personal memoirs of Phil Sheri-
dan, bound In moro Geo, selling for % cents !!
I'm aStO MS he'd!
Perhaps he was, but he didn't look it. He
just wore the ordinary airs and expressions
of An everyday, intelligent auctioneer.
One more bid was made and then twenty
one sets OF "Sberidan's Memoirs" in two
volumes, bon nd in morocco and gold-edges.,
were knocked down at 81 a set.
Herm an Liebes' Emperor William 1"
In half mo rocco and in full sheep sold for
25 cents.
Appleton's Physical Geography" in two
volumes, bound in sheep. went for 81 %.
Nine beautiful two-yolume, half russia
and gilt sets of Jefferson Davis Memoirs"
brought 81 each.
McClelan's "Own Story" sold for %
cents.
BY this time people began to realize that
good books were being sold cheap, the
Montgomery-street auction-r DOM began to
fill up, and the bidding became more lively.
The dealers were out in full force and
bought everything that was not run up by
individual collectors.
II Was the public vendue of the stock of
books once carried by the Dewing Com
pany on Market street, and most of the vol
umes were well printed, handsomely bound
and from the press OF the standard pub
fishers.
Knowing bidders, who bought just to nil
up their libraries. kept both eyes oh dealer
Healy.
When he bid two-bits on volume they
kupw il ynuli ba a 60 and they
raised accord inglv.
After the first few lots were sold the deal
ers were not in it. They started most OF
the lots. but were outbid by the consumer
The first lot sold was Blaine's political
Discussions" 1t was in cloth, and fifty
volumes were sold to ns many bidders for
% cents each.
The man who bought emperor William
T. in cloth for 80 cents thought he had
bargain.
But you could have bought him out for 10
cents when he saw the same book in mo-
rocco sell for % cents.
Forty-two lots were listed, and about fifty
lots not on the catalogue were sold.
The latter were miscellaneous cOllec-
tion, and the worst of it was that the good
and bad had been tied up in one lot.
For instance, in order TO buy neatly
bound volume of charming Korean Tales"
Mr. Griffin had to take four volumes of
Mrs. Souihwick's trash, or a bound Wsverly
Magazine, which was worse.
Boccaccio's Decameron was bound in all
fiery red.
There's glass OF lime water and ice
goes with each volume" said tile witty
auetioneer, and, thus recommended, the
books brought nearly what they were worth
at retail.
a volume of 'Tales from the Tattler"
and one of the Chronicles of the Cid,"
tied together, sold for 50, about the same
pricesthey bring in the bookstores.
Here's 'Kenyon's Chilly" said the
aucti0neer-he meant "Kenelm ChilIingly"
and perhaps because OF the odd name he
gave IL. the book was run up to IS cents.
Then 25-cent Globe Dictionary sold for
four bits.
The cheapest book sold was Clark's IRE
pubicanism in America" In the store you
pay So for it. The price at the auction yes
terday morning was 80 cents.
The elchngs-some of them really excel
lent-sold for from % cents each to 81.
They could probably not be duplicated for
less than from So to So each.
About 1900 volumes were sold.
There were no rare books in the lot, and
If there had been, the indications were that
they would have brought the least.
After ali the red and geld binding is the
most profitable to sell. 1t doesn't matter so
much what there is inside.