The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-03-02

Books in themselves are such delightful
things. Then there is the fascination of
opening a consignment of books. the pun
gent odor of good leather and printers ink
combined. scent more precious to the nos
trtls of the book lover than all the per-
fumes of Araby. Then among the multitude
of the ''other kind" is the occasional bibio-
maniac one meets, of whom, himself one of
them, Eugene Field loved so we'll to write,
and whose daily prayer was:
But it, Oh Lord! it pleaseth Thee
To keep me in temptations way.
l humbly ask that | may be.
Most notably beset today.
Let my temptation be a book
Which l shall purchase, hold and keep,
Whereon when other men shall look
They'll wall to know I got it cheap
Then it is a labor of love. Two souls
with but "a single thought" The showing
,, of a beautiful binding the discussion of
the author and the final capture of the
signature-oh therein lies the charm of it
alto the agent. 1t was probably given
with a sigh, and received with a sigh. But
what difference in the signs; the fear Of
extravaganza on one side and the delight
of success on the other.
Then there is the other fellow; his name
is legion He hasn't any use for books. no
time to read them; no place to put them;
don't care for them anyhow. This is the
type that puts the book agent to his met
tie He'll make him buy them. He COM
menCeS ne WHISTLES Will HlIli, do ooiiicDouy
wrestled with the powers of darkness. He
brings all his experience of human nature
all of his physical and moral strength
magnetism if you want to call it that-tO
bear upon him, he gets him, but at what
a cost. He goes away from the man pale
and weak but with a sort of Economical smile
on his visage. He has conquered. The other
man feels though weight had been
taken from him, When he comes to, he goes
out and kicks himself for being such a
fool to buy book.
Many of the great men of our country
have at some point in their career gath
cred experience in life book agents or
canvassers of some sort. These, if they
are of the right stuff and they usually are.
are always easy to approach, compaisant.
They can hardly help themselves: they have
been through it personally, and know how
much encouragement and good kind re-
ceptiOn give.
1t is a queer fact that few ever take up
bookselling seriously, a life business.
They usually drift into it and drift out
again. using it as a stepping stone to some
thing better.
Next to farming, the canvasser has the
most Independent means of earning his
| living. He is his own master. He can COM
mence when he pleases and quit when he
| feels like quitting, because it requires
energy and the very best that is in him
! for a man to sell books; and if his work
is a drag to him he would better go fish
ing or take a stick and go to whiting,
because he will then be recuperating his lost
energy, and that is much better for him
than working for nothing.
| The surprises that come to a book agent
| in winning a signature are numerous and
complete He is taciturn, dark looking
| individual Our agent approaches him with
| a sinking heart. Not much chance of sue
| cess there but on the theory that it won't
| do to let anyone get away, he makes the
| attack.
Mr.. Man gives the trembling book agent
searching, how-dare-you glance, that sends
! her little remnant of courage flying. But she
| opens up and talks. and he let's her. Mr.. Man
| says nothing, changes his quid from one
/ SIDE to the other, perhaps, goes to wait
| on an inopportune customer: returns, asks
| a question or two, gives another suspicious
glance and says: IN thake that set of
books. Whew! That agent is about as near
paralyzed as she ever gets. She has been
| talking simply from a sense Of duty, ut
| terly hopeless Of result. 1t is like burst
! of glorious sunshine from behind dark
| cloud. Why he's not such an ungracious fell
| low, how came she to think so. and ever
| after that she has a friendly feeling for
| that man.
| Ihere lisa certain arrangement of the
cOnStellatlonS,a mysterious influence in the
| waxing and waning of the moon some
| times called fate that seems to have a
| very material effect on the itinerant book
| seller. Otherwise how is it to be accounted
j for that in Centervile orders shower
| themselves upon him like hail stones and
| he leaves the place in the spirit of a con-
| queror? The world is a good place to
! live in after all. In such spirit he en-
| tiers Hades. He doesn't do thing for the
! first day. but that doesn't count; he is
| locating himself. Next day he works very
| industriously He must make this day
| count for two, but evening comes on apace
| and still no orders. SO on the third day he
goes to work in the spirit of do or die. -
| On such days this he is liable to
/ bore somebody. He continues the chase
! OF that Elusive order from palace to
howell, from the stock yards and packing
| house to the parlors Of the modiste, but
! 1t does not seem to be in that town; in
TACT 1t does not seem to be upon the earth
| nor in the waters under the earth" The
| place IS literally no good; it is a ''hoodoo -
! You couldn't get that book man land he
! Is likely to be a prince of agents too) near
| that town by the flutter of a hundred dol
| lar bill before his dazzled eyes Maybe
he mas enough money to get to his next
point, but We draw the veil here. 1t is
wonderful the way the heavenly planets
] do move, and a mighty good thing it is
| too because under a different combination
| that agents luck will return to him. No.
| this is not superstition; it is the wisdom
! of the ancientS
| There are many grades in the art OF
| book selling as there in any of the
! other lines of earning a livelihood. and
! according to the grade of intelligence used
! in the work, just that measure of success
| comes to the agent.
! However. as a sort Of contradiction ia
this, there is sometimes found one with
no great degree of intellect and still less
| of education. What little he has been
! absorbed from others on his way through
| life. yet he is making as much out of it
| as is the man Of good brain power and
n Of ninyp ny,tc EJn &c. LII
| lack of these things by hard work and
| keeping rlaStingly at 1t.
| We are told that Mr.. johnson is a book
| buyer. We call on him. He receives us
| very pleasantly, we are bouyant. We lay
| ourselves out as well as our specimens he
| appears very interested, very appreciative.
| We are fairly eloquent. That author would
| have better opinion of himself if he could
| only hear us. We anticipate putting in a
| nice little list here, that per cent looms up
| enticingly. Mr.. ]. excuses himself. I'll
| be back in minute. Look around a little
1 must this drummer That interrupt
/ of %ho Mo of