Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-21
LIBRARIAN P Ut N A M
HE HAS RETURNED FROM HIS TRIP
TO EUROPE.
hooks Which He Purchased to Build
Back the Collection of
the Library.

Mr. Herbert Putnam. librarian of Con-
gress, has returned from a trip TO Europe
extending over three months, all of which
time, save three weeks, was devoted to
purchasing books for the Library of Con-
gress and arranging for future purchases
Mr.. Putnam visited the leading booksellers
in London, Paris. The Hague, Amsterdam.
in the book centers of Germany and in
Vienna
Congress. at the last session, appropriated
$5O, 900 for the purchase of books for the
Library of Congress during the fiscal year.
the purchases to be of books of a character
necessary to a well-appointed library. ard
which are not included in the existing col
lection. Mr. Putnam ordered books to the
amount of $4,000 or $4,000, and laid the
foundation for future buyings sufficient to
exhaust the appropriation within the year.
To Build Back the Collection.
These purchases are to build back the col
lection of the Library of Congress- and 1t
is said that nine-tenths Of the books of this
class are in the hands of dealers in second
hand books in Europe. In many countries,
especially in England. this class of the
trade considers itself almost professional.
The dealers are connoisseurs, they have
their own peculiar customs and the trade
While most of these dealers issue cata-
logues, it is not wise to depend upon them
alone, for there are numbers OF valuable
works which do not get into the catalogues.
Furthermore better terms can often be
made by dealing directly than through or
ders from catalogues. The market price of
valuable books varies, influenced by many
things, and oftentimes artif1cially stimu-
lated, especially by fads among coiiec-
tors.
Rivalry Among Booksellers.
There is keen rivalry among the book
sellers and often among the buyers, and
prices in open market go UP and down. but
do not frequently vary in the catalogues.
The stocks of books are not well displayed
by the dealers, whose establishments lack
facilities, and the purchaser has to stum-
BILE through ill-assorted plies from cellar to
garnet in search of what ne desires. .-.
Librarian Putnam took with him lists of
books which ne wanted for the library. and
other lists were sent him from time to
time. With these he consulted the dealers
and compared prices. No book was bought
for its value as curio and none purchased
at artificial prices He covered the whole
field in arrangements for future dealings.
which will enable the library to secure
what it needs in a reasonable way, as Con-
gress makes provision from time to time.
Range Of the Purchases.
The purchases included valuable works in
y,
tics, history of diplomacy finance. Juris-
prudence in the larger sense and general
literature. In addition there were extern
sive purchases of books bearing upon colon
ial administration of the world, notably Of
the orient, and the relations Of all Euro
pean countries with their colonies.
There were some valuable collections OF
Dutch East India books, fair representa-
ton OF standard French. German. Italian.
Spanish. Scandinavian and Dutch authors
in the original. These books were general
literature bellies letters. There were also
some definitive editions of standard English
authors. The list also includes some books
upon the fine arts.
These works are coming in all the time,
and as they arrive they are placed in the
library and entered upon the card cata-
logue of current accessions in the main
reading room. where they will be accessi-
BILE to the student and the reader On this
trip Mr.. Putnam also made arrangements
for further exchanges of government publ
cations with several foreign countries.