The Washington times., 1901-07-07

J lllttit. uuNulDWH ana hNloNlis -Hti has
anyone ever made the slightest approach
to that success in the selling Of old books
which attended William and Robert Cham
bers in Edinburgh.
Beginning with a tray of volumes,
| chiefly family herlooms. the brothers
grew so prosperous in a few years that
they We're publishing on their own ac-
| count. contributing a class of literature
which became popular on both sides Of
the Atlantic; and the story of their
achievements and eminent usefulness has
remained one with which to adorn coun-
sci to the young The inferior success Of
New York shopmen is explained by one
of the two men who have been in the
trade here for nearly a half century,
All the readers of books, he declares,
formerly lived in Boston. When he be-
gan in business in 1850, it was essential
to tempt the few who did read by very
exceptional bargains, and the burden %
educating the great majority in a desire
for knowledge was left to the second
hand dealers After that great task had
in some respects been accomplished, and
the monopoly Boston enjoyed as the
centre of culture was diminished, the era
of cheap reprints came in. With that
event the trade in old books became a
fty, has continued to the present day.
The collector, therefore, who counts the
cost of his purchases owes his good for
tune in obtaining a library at small eX-
pense nowadays to the food of reprints
which began to come in about seventeen
years ago. What was considered bar
gain in books thirty years since would
offer no temptation now. 1t is related by
the man whose memory of bookshops in
New York goes back without effort TO the
years following closely the civil war, that
what may frequently be picked UP for a
dime, or at least a quarter, at the present
time would have been "A bargain then at
a dollar. Three men who carried the
largest stocks and transacted the most
business in second hand books in 1870 We're
all situated in Nassau Street between
John and Beekman Streets. The same
street also possessed several other dealers
who made less pretension In the way of
stock. and who passed out of sight long
ago. There were in Ann Street at that
period three or four shops where a lively
trade was done in second hand books. In
an alley leading from Fulton Street an old
Irishman kept a large collection of old
law and medical works in frames against
the outside wall There were other such
around the corner from Broadway and
in Bleecker Street.
Nassau Street, though was the centre
Of the trade; ana the sidewalk display
of the books offered for sale always in
duced l0iterers to linger in small crowds
Il was the day of war stories III glaTiug
paper covers, of dream books. ready
letter writer's, Peterson's paper-covered
edition of all the popular foreign nov
elists, and Of Beadle's dime novels.
Down in one ccTner of the old Middle
Dutch Church, where the postofice had
headquarters, was a very lank. cross eyed
man who had built up. in four OF five
years. a thriving business in the sale and
lending Of Bead,e.s product The young
clerk, and all to whom a dollar was Of
some serious consideration could net
readily indulge in the purchase Of stand
ard literature at the prices il was Of
fercd then even by the second -hand deal
ers. Eventually D. Appleton & Co. began
10 put out some of the poets in yellow
paper covers, web printed on substantial
paper at half a dollar the volume. Next
a bookseller by the name of SwayGe, who
had large bookstall outside Of Fulton
Market. ana rejoiced in being the only
bookseller of new publications in Brook
lyn, started IN with cheap paper-COvered
editions Of Shakespeare. Burns Byron,
and Moore. which obtained large sale.
Harper * Bros had for several years
published the current English novels in
paper covers. but these were not cOusid-
cred cheap. and at secondhand they often
brought good prices.
II was really left for a publisher in
Chicago, about the year 1892. who came
forward with a monthly series. in small
quartO called the Lakeside Library" TO
start the fan in prices Of all foreign re
prints. The man in the West put on the
market the most expensive and popular
works, on which there was no copyright,
at 10 Is and ~ cents. George Munro.
printer Of a sensational story paper
seized this idea, bought out the Western
man. and In the course Of a year OF two
his large output Of the Seaside Library
made hard lines" for many in the trade.
Next again. ia tl,e sequence of events
which tended toward the reduction in the
prices especially Of secondhand books.
was the selling at auction by several
publishers Of the plates Of the works of
some other popular foreign authors
These plates were believed to be too
much worn, or not in good enough cOndi-
tOu, for another edition. BY the pur-
chasers they were used To bring out
new product SO far as the manufactured
book was considered The plates had
heer bought for small amount, the pa
per and binding We're very inferior and
the Insignificant price asked was a sur
prise. That product has steadily in
creased and multiplied throughout the
land.
The collector who has any knowledge
Of books does rot buy these editions.
But there is "A great majority which pre-
for them to the old and secondhand.
The prices on these. therefore. have grad
ualiy fallen until $500 or 800 is sufficient,
If judiciousiy expended. to collect an eX-
ccptioual library of 300 volumes. One
such collection Of that number of vol
umes NEST Of which has been gathered
within the last seven years, is given as
an example. 1t is a miscellaneous col
lection. containing two sets of eucyclO-
pedias and several books Of reference,
most of the notable historical sets. the
poets leading essayists. all the standard
English and American fiction in sets.
more than two hundred volumes of biog-
raphy a large collection Of books Of
travel works on language, two shelves
Of writer's on science, a bookcase of
French literature III the original, and an
i.nassorted number Of all sorts and kinds
Of books picked up in New York, Brook
lyn. Boston. Philadelphia, Glasgow, Lon
don. and Paris.
Among these books are some first edi
tious that have been acquired at small eX-
psnse and by chance. They include the
first edition Of Poe's works In three vol
umes published for the benefit of Mrs.
GLENN. his mother-in-law, by Redheld, in
1873: "Sartur Resartus,' ~ with EmcgSOn'S =
introduction of Carlyle to the American
reader published IA Boston by James
Munroe &. co. in 1896; Emerson's Twelve
Essays" with Caryie's Introduction, pub
most OF the first editions Of Hawthorne
and De Quincy.
The best bargains of this collector are
said to have been obtained in New York
II IS also asserted that there is no other
city where old and secondhand books are