The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-23

NEW YORK, Feb. 22.-There was prob
ably never in this city or country. col
lectors say. so striking an instance of the
increment of book values as the sale of
rare first editions Of American authors
held here this week, when many volumes
showed that in six years they had n
creased in value three-fold, in some as IS
even six-fold The collection sold vas
that of William Harris Arnold, Of this
city, and some of the prices obtained have
been reported from day to day, but the full
significance of these figures is revealed
only by study OF the prices at what was
heretofore the most important auction Of
rare first editions of that group Of Amer
Jean men of letters-Bryant, Emerson.
Hawthorne, Holmes. Longfellow, Lowell.
Whittier, and Thoreau.
In nearly every case the books sold
wherever they are comparabl" with the
great Foote sale in November 1894. in
this city of first editions of The same au-
thors. have brought very much larger
prices than ever before. Some notable
instances were the exceedingly rare
"FaushaWe," Of Nathaniel Hawthorne.
which fetched $40. though six years ago
It was bought for Sl55; The Professor at
ihe Breakfast Table which grew in
value from $3.50 ia 1884 to 1913 in this
iirst month Of the new century; L3Dgfel-
lows 'Outre-Mer," which vent six years
ago for mere song. that is. $50. yet
when put up recently. excited such a
shower Of bids that it took 1910 to Sc
cure the treasure.
Csrlyie's phrase. Trust not the heart
OF that man for whom old clothes are not
venerable" was recalled to observers at
the sale, at the sight of that small body
Of men and women who sat reverently
and patiently through the long afternoon
10 admire and desire, and secure, some
times al almost fabulous prices, the rare
books there offered to the best bidder. At
some OF the prices even the professional
buyers stood aghast. nevertheless they
bid furiously and bought freely. for in
more than one instance the collectors for
whom they acted had set no limit to the
amount of money they were to spend in
securing a certain coveted treasure in
original boards. That was because they
saw before them such things as the very
book that had been seen through the press
by Hawthorne in 1928. and had never
known another binding than the one en-
closing 1t; or an unpublished manuscript
poem by Bryant, written in 1909, when he
was mere lad; or the complete holo-
graph copy Of Emersons "Threnody,'
composed in 1912; or Lowell's famous
"Commemoration Ode" privately print
ed presentation volume with autograph
inscription.
or the sixty-three Hawthorne editions
sold. "Fanshawe." a 12-mo. in original
boards. with cloth back and uncut edges,
was easily the leader in respect OF price.
1t was a remarkably fine copy of the
Boston, 1928. edition, of which only
very few remain. II was secured by an
agent representing a private collector of
this city. A still rarer book of Hawthorne
was Peter Parley's Universal History"
printed at Boston In 1887, and in its origi-
nal cloth. The latest price for 1t was 500,
while s35 bought It at the Foote sale.
Twice Told Tales" Boston, 1887, in which
was inserted a bill OF repairs to the Gus
tom house at Salem with Hawthorne's au-
tograph, sold for Sal, its price six years
ago being s22. Some other striking adj
vances in price, using respectively the fig