The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-31
ECCENTRIC COLLECTORS.
The Queer Whims of People Make
Business Good for Old Book Stores.

The Queer Whims of People Make
Business Good for Old Book Stores.
From the Brooklyn Citizen.
''The rage just now among book collec-
tors" remarked a literary junk shop
proprietor, is four copies Of the early
American editions Of standard authors.
Next in order is a great demand for his
torical books and pamphlets in relation to
New York City and Brooklyn.
"Of pamphlets alone the most sala-
bic ana greatest in demand by col
lectors are those touching upon slavery.
A great interest is manifested in every
thing touching on the rebellion also,
while pamphlets containing anything in
relation to the early history of the
Mormous are largely sought after. |
learned a curious fact in relation to the
Mormons," added my informant, from
a gentleman who called here the other
day. He had just returned from the
west, and stated that while there he
had been shown the original manu-
script of the Mormon Bible which,
singularly enough was not in the pos
session OF the MOrmOns. 1t is owned by
an old westerner who lives near the
place where the MOrmOns first settled.
How he came in possession of it is not
known.
He will not sell it for less than
$4,000, and this sum the MormOns will
not give for it, so the Gentle still holds
the precious document
You must have some curious customers
in your business l remarked further.
well, you would say so were you to see
some Of them or read some of the letters
l receive A day or so ago one of my
Oldest customers was here; he is an old
gentleman of this city, and is a collector
of advertising calendars. He boasts of
l., Ill
the number reaching into the thousands.
Another odd one is an old lame man, with
white hair, who is a veritable antiquarian
in appearance as well as in ideas.
He was collector of pub
lished articles and resolutions on
the subject of President Gar
fields death When he began his collec-
ton he sent printed postal card to
every postmaster in the country request
ing that all publications of resolutions
on the subject be sent to hiuf at his ex-
pense. | found him one publication that
pleased him greatly. II was a resolution
passed on board a steamship, only a few
copies Of which had been printed on a
hand press while the snip was on her
voyage
How many of these special collectors
have yOu?' l inquired
Between 200 and 200 They are scat
tered all over the country, and are
curious set"
For instance, there is man in Ice
land who for the past four years has been
collecting everything he could find relat-
ing to American history. In Oregon there
Is one gathering everything written by
Belzac, the younger, and a Dakota resi-
dent wants everything in print there is
about Orange county, New York in
Denver there is one who is collecting
early American biographies, and l know
of collector of grammars, over 80 years
of age, who has between 1900 and 4, 900 of
them.
"A prominent man in the pension de-
partment at Washington wants every
thing published about the rebellion: a
Texas man wants all he can get about
his state another man wants every
thing relating to colleges, and my
latest customer is one who wants
everything that has been published
pertaining to the New York board of
health.
"A curious instance Of how man gets
into the way of becoming book collec-
tor, - continued nv informant, was that
of a Boston man who started a series of
copy books, but was sued by the origna-
tor Of the Spencerian system of such
books. In order TO make d good defence
and show that the managers of the
Spenceriau system did not have prior
right, he began the collection of copper
plate copyboOks and everything which
would help his case which he finally
won. He was between three and four
years at this work, and now he is most
enthusiastic collector of Copybooks of all
dissertations -