The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1894-02-10
PAPER.COvERED NOVELS.
4 Dealer Mn kes Both Ends OF the Business
Pay-Chea> Reading In Demand.

A Dealer MA kes Both Ends OF the Business
Pay-Chea> Reading in Demand.
There are good profits TO lie made
by dealing in second hand looks in a
city like New York, and one dealer
aas found out how TO 'eat his cake
and have it too" which careful
mothers tell the children cannot be
lone. This dealer, with an eye to
The pennies. will take a pal e~r-covered
aOyel, published at 20 C nts. but
which he has bought for 80. and sell
L for 80 cents, with the understand
ing that the buyer is to return IL
when read. When the book comes
back he pays 20 cen S for II, and puts
il for sale again at 80 cents The
second buyer returns the book and
receives Is cents, AID for a third
time the book Is on the shelves, this
time marked 20 cen-O Again IL
comes back. the reader lakes 10 cents,
and the book. il by careful patching
it can he kept in decent condition,
will change owners half "A dozen
times, leaving TO the dealer a profit
Ot a nickel every time IL comes TO the
store. Books have often, through
careful handling, lid 200 per cent.
on the original investment and at
the end found their way back to the
shelves OF the dealer, who has the
profits and the hook.
Another system then into
play. Books will be sold on the 1.-TWO
for-One" plan. In this scheme a buyer
will take two books at, say, 30 cents
each, paying 40 cents In cash; when
these have been read they a C return
able, and the dealer will give any 20
cent book In the place for the two
brought back. When this 20-cent
book is returned a lO-cent volume
may be taken in exchange. AID when
this last comes back a nickel and the
book will bring out another l0-ccnt
book. This process may be kept up
as long as the buyer sees lit The
thrifty dealer is always ready for a
trade.
or course, 1t sometimes happens
that a buyer In the frSL instance will
keep the book, but as the store caters
TO a class OF customers who a hard
~ be termed collectors, but who like
highly seasoned literature, the chance
OF a diminution In profits In this way
is exceedingly Slight In this par
,ticular branch or the secondhand
book business the demand for love
stories and blood -and-thunder"
literature Is large and steady. Hulk
ley, Tyndall, Emerson, or ~Swineburne
find little favor among the readers
nnA onant nnrnpNnnt nm tho chnlyn.
but "Old Cap Collier" is a stanch
fayorite, while GaboriaU, Fergus
Hume, Conan Doyle, Iola, A. g. Gun
ter, and SylvanuS.4obb always com
mand "a respectful hearing from the
men and boys, The girls, and there
are lots OF them who are ready Gus
toners, favor THE Duchess"
'Ouida," Mrs. Southworth, and
Laura Jean Libbey.
Once in "A while some OF the vel
low covered "B6adle's Dime Novels"
OF thirty years ago stray into the
place, but they stay there only a
short time, as "Snaky Snodprass. the
Sorrowful Scout and painted
Pete, the Pottawatomie Prisoner"
are quickly dragged away to Tighten
the gloom OF a winters night and TO
form the basis OF many a castle in
Spain inhabited by maidens in dis
tress surrounded by a hideous crew
OF yelling ''varmints" or ''redsklns."
Common, everyday Indians were
never good enough for the yellow
novel heroes To kill.
An idea Of the magnitude OF this
out-of the-way branch OF trade may
be gathered from the fact that on the
shelves OF II of the two 'sto:cs"
run by this c%nterDrising tradesman
are no less than 1000 pape covered
novels, and in addition to this they
arc piled away in corners, stacked
against the walls, and one room in
the rear OF the place is practically
given over TO them for a repair shop
Pity for the Biundcrcr.
Whenever a man i'm the emDlOy OF