The Portland daily press., 1900-12-13
HOW One Man Came to Start a
Circulating Library.
There Are Four or Five
Of Them Here,
And They Are Mostly Patron
lied by Readers Of Fiction.


libraries which have anywhere from two
to four Thousand volumes of fiction. and
they are well patronized. Many people go
to the circulating libraries to secure
books Of lotion because they find 1t more
convenient to do SO, are more sure OF
securing the book they want and there
Is less trouble in getting the book in a
small library than is the case in the
public library. These public libra
RES for the most part carry little fiction.
while those who are in search of stand
ard works, books of science, travels, bio
gtAphy, art, etc, can find very little of
this sort in the circulating libraries.
One of the best patronized Of these
libraries is that of John Ill. Allen on
Congress street, near Chestnut. 10 ac-
commodities ths people In that section
of the city, while those further up town
aud on the hill have their own patrons.
Mr.. Allen told PRESS reporter the
other day about how 1t happened to
start q circulating library. He said that
four years ago when "Irilby'' was 50
popular and the book was in great de-
mand, many people came into Mr.. Al
lan's news and tobacco stand opposite
the Central Fire station To ask for books.
One of his friends suggested that MIR.
Allen purchase copy OF Trilby and let
1t out by the day, and he bought one
copy and tried 1t. The price he charged
was i've cents day and SO greats was the
demand that MIR. Allen was forced to
buy eleven more copies of this book
and In six or seven months had made
profit Of about 500 from this book alone.
People began to come to Mr.. Allen for
other popular novels as they came out
end SO his library commenced to grow.
He now has about 1000 books, nearly
all having been issued during the last
four years. He has. so he says, 800 pat
rons, and there are usually 4J0 or 900
books out OF his library nt one time.
Saturday is his busy day and on an aver
age 700 hooks are taken out on that day
alone. Since his experience with Trilby,
MIR. Allen has come down to the prices
charged by other circulating libraries IN
Portland, He says that he has never
lest a book ana none OF the psople W no
have besn his patrons, with one exception,
have ever failed to return the volumes
they lease from him.
81 buy every work of fiction as soon
as 1t is published, said Mr.. Allen i
do not wait to find out whether the book
Is to be a popular volume or not, as /
have found that II does not ray to walt,
Hardly a day goes by Without my buy
ing three or four new books and some
times purchase as many as 20 or ID
day. The books which make the money
are, of course, those which attain much
prom inenee and are generally talked
about ami largely advertised. But even
the poor hooks ray for themselves.
When 1 find that book is being eagerly
sought after / Immediately increase the
number of copies and Of some OF the
more popular works have as many as
tan or twelve copies and These are in de-
maud all the time.
II nnd that the so-called romantic
novel issued OF this kind is much read
by PATRONS. For @ long time Richard
CaryeI aud Janice Meredith were much
sought after. had ten or twelve OF
these books going all the time for many
months. Now the demand for them has
fallen off a good deal and they are being
read but little. I1avid Harum, has had
a big run and now comes ont the book
'The Real David Harum,' by Arthur
L. Vance, which IL being much read by
those who read the first David Harum.
Eben Holden, book alter the style of
David Harum, Is being widely read. /
might SAY that Wanted, Match
Maker by Paul Leicester Ford, au-
thor of Janice Meredith; Tommy and
GrizsL' by Barrie; THE Cardinals Snuff
Box by Harlan; The Master Chris
tian' by CoreIii; "A Friend OF Caesar
by Davis; Monsieur BeaucaiFe,' by
Harrington; In the Palace OF the King,
by Marion Crawford; Alice Of Old
Vincsnnes, by Maurice Tnomrsnn;
Ian HamiItnn's March, by Winston
Churchill; Rays Daughter, by Capt.
king; Eleanor by Mrs. Humphrey
Ward; 'Quisante,' by Anthony Hope,
and Stephen Cranes last hook, Wounds
in the Rain,' are perhaps being read
most by the people who come here. BE
sides these there are scores OF other
books, most of them new this yaar. which
are being much read, especially those of
a romantic nature. no Have and to
Hold, by Miss johnson. had the biggeat
run OF anything In my library for
long tine and is even now being much
read. or conrse j might mention many
more books, but have given You the
list which Is today the most sought