The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-03-05
OLD BOOKSELLERS.
Those Who Flourished in New York
 One Hundred Years Ago.

| IHOSG w IlO II lOuIlSi16Qt III NEW DIk 1 One Hundred Years Ago.
 One hundred years ago the man of let 1 ter6 in this city who was anxious to se-
 cure the latest volume from London or
 a printed sermon or oration delivered
 by one of his own countrymen would in-
 variably visit the booksellers shops, to
 be found on Maiden Lane and Pearl
 street. On those two thoroughfares in
 1900 were fourteen bookstores, one-half
 the number then doing business in New
 York. Ten were on Pearl street, making
 that street enthusiastically the literary
 headquarters of the town. The news
 papers of 1900 gives us the names of
 twenty-eight persons who were book
 publishers and dealers, to a greater or
 less extent. A few advertised their
 wares literally, but the majority were
 content with an occasional few lines, or
 eagerly called attention to the publica-
 tion of a pamphlet or book of local in-
 terest. Such was the case with the ser
 mons of Dr. Linn and pr. Mason on the 1 life and deeds of George Washington, delivered before large congregations on l Feb, 22, 1900.
 Among those early purveyOrs of lit erature are a few names that have at- tained more than ordinary limits of re-
 membrance. There was Evert Duy-
 ckinck, a miscellaneous tradesman in
 his early years, but who later made speciality of books, fact which, un-
 doubtedly had it's influence upon his cons and led them to compile their very
 thorough, but not absolutely perfect,
 "Cyclopaeda of American Literature"
 William Dunlap, artist, theatrical man
 ager, and author, was managing the Park Theatre that had been opened late in 1798. Kotzebue's German plays were the rage of the town century ago, and in February, Dunlap advertised his translations of those plays at 37ta cents each.
 Two prominent editors whose papers had been suspended were making their living IS book dealers-Hugh Gaine and William Cobbett The former succeed ed much better than the latter. for in June, Cobbett. shook off the dust of his tumultuous experiences and sailed for England, leaving bis business in the hands of John Ward Fenno, who few years before had published newspaper in Philadelphia. Before the Revolution Gaine was the proprietor of a successful newspaper, known as the New York Mercury. He was anxious to enlist up- on the winning side, and after several clever manoeuvres decided that the British held ultimate victory in their hands, and his newspaper was continued as a Tory publication. Gaine' found himself in unexpected difficulties at the close of the war, and was obliged to pe- tition the Legislature for permission to remain in New York. He kept book store and general printing office until his death. in 1S07 at 14S Pearl street better known in those days as the Sign of the Bible.' His old sign years be- fore had been the Bible and Crown" but for obvious reasons the crown was taken down after the British troops left l New York.
 Cobbett was well known to the read ing public 100 years ago, for the vitu of hie Poroupines Gazette had l made the editor hated with an intensity deeper perhaps than had been shown for | any other wielder of the pen. His two | years as a Philadelphia editor were full 1 of troublesome experiences. and when Dr. Rush won libel suit against him, | with it $5,000, Cohbett aband- oned the town in which he had neither enjoyed nor given any brotherly love. He came to New York, and lost no time In opening a book shop at Al Water street, near Hanover Square, and was a prominent advertiser on January 1, IS00. He published the Court Calendar. and 500 began that series of pamphlets known as the Rush Light" in which, among other things, he continued to hold pr. Rush up to ridicule When Jobbett got an idea that he was right he t 1eld on to it with the pertinaoity of bulldog. He claimed that 1860 began he new century instead of 1901, and beneath his advertisement of Jan. 9 he gives a sample of his style:
 N B.-Mr. Fenno calls it contumacy n the editor of the Court Calendar, to insist on it that this year 1900 is the first year of the nineteenth century. What loes MT. Fenno look upon himself as a udge and view the editor as an offender brought to his bar? Contumacy with 'engeance Why, the very air of Phia- lelphia seems to be impregnated with yranny-iileraIy, legal, ana medical ,ontumacy or not, the editor does still persist in asserting that the year 1800 $ the first of the. nineteenth century, nd that to believe the contrary is to be- ray a degree of ignorance excusable in 10 one but a Philadelphian. Where the Drexel building now stands | n the corner of Wall and Broad streets, { las a popular book store kept by John 'urman, who enlarged his business by aking Samuel c. Loudon as part CT, and purchasing the entire stock of .leXander Somerville. The name of c ariat was one of the most prominent in y he book world, of New York for many q ears. He kept large store at 133