The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-12-03
Observation-Disclosures
Some interesting Facts About
Strange VOIums.

Not long ago ] answered q haSty sum
mons TO = certain house in Brooklyn, and
made an offer for its immense library,
said a downtown dealer. recounting one
Of his most peculiar experiences. 1T cam,
from the wife OF a bibliomaniac. who Wa.
widely known throughout the city.
Il knew the idiosyncracies of the man
for L had visited him once several years
ago. 1 wanted to buy some books that
he owned. He literally kicked me out
OF his house so ! felt no surprise when
l saw his widow OF a few hours tear from
their shelves, in sheer bitterness of spirit
the books he had fondled.
She had lived with her family in three
rooms on the second floor of her hus-
bands big dwelling. lie had forced her
to vacate tho other apartments. Two OF
the children mad been driven from home
in order TO make more space for MS
| books His special hobbies were the civil
war of which he was a veteran and China
No scrap of literature that ne could md
on either subject was spared. He gath
cred all into his overweight house ana
kept them there The third floor was
diied with magazines and newspapers.
They formed almost a compact from wall
! to wall When the columns grew so high
and broad that the doors could not be
! opened. a panel was removed and the pa
/ pers or books were thrown through the
/ crevice. The window was open. and the
/ the havoc of rain and snow had ruineo
1 all within reach.
No one ever was permitted 10 dust the
/ books or remove a fragment of q clip
ping The grimeof years was shaken
/ from their covers when the widow owned
! them for the first time She not keep
| them one minute longer than was uece>.
sary. She sold the entire collection for
/ $4,000 and 1 removed it IN ninety-three
cases of eighteen thousand volumes Il
/ represented the abnormal labor of thirty
years and at least two wrecked lives.
That is one of the sad extremes to which
a love of books may lead hobby-rider
who is not strongly balanced.
Women sometimes send Tor me from d
great distance TO inspect their library,
with view to purchasing what they de-
! scribe as a fine collection Of books
have dashed TO the scene and found sew
eral hundred paper-backed novels. nor
worth the energy spend in catching the
rext train home. The car-fare is my loss.
Of course-and it reaches a considerable
sum IN a year. I can do nothing except
leave the premises and try not TO be even
silently profane.
Have YOU any paper for shelf-covers?"
said a woman shopper who entered the
store at this moment and Interrupted the
conversation.
r.,offar, 17,,r,,f.,e-
tnued THAT is typical of most women's
appreciation Of old books. 1 answer ques-
lions similar to that several hundred
times d day I cant understand it, Ws-
men have revived a fashion for the an
tique in furniture but they maintain
serene indifference TO antiquities in bihli-
osraphy. And yet oliver Wendell Holmes
said: There is TO furniture like books
II found "a manual worth $3.50 in q young
housekeeper's coal scuttIe once. She had
asked me to buy some old books that had
been swept together when she cleaned the
storeroom. She had picked out the bright
est and best-looking ones. and arranged
them in orderly rows for my inspection
They were not worth three dollars The
others she had thrown aside for the ash
bin. have learned by experience to rev
erence rubbish heaps. So ! quietly asked
for a glance NJ the debris ana was led 10
the coal-scuttle j held my breath as
drew forth the shabby manual It 7as a
arst edition Of the star Chamber one n
the earliest books printed 10y the famou,
Rrolicr club
This IS an attractive little book. hop-
much VIII you take for ite
You msy have thar Tor nothing. vas
the regly.
Il said no more then. but when i reach
"a ms shop sent her "a gc0d-sized check
But when Il reached the woman she sud-
denly changed he~ mind and decided that
she wanted her gift returned. ii took
an my logic and elaqueace 10 persuade
Ter n ssu il Ter The sum offered
II rcver have met amoE women ccn-
noisseur or extensive collector II RAKE ol8
books. or even OF new -rcs Agd There are
fewer men. auouE The younse- generation
col 4eti0n today than there vas decade
age yet hundreds ~ books are rutl shed
ROW f5r every ts.rty az "a earller rlqA
Coiectfeus OF cIpuias~ from newspapers
anf uagazires are increaains in Goaaar-
i0. and zet she's ~. almost worthless
from 3 dealers star51dl to- tha
that 10 two herman b. se1 te ~ ir-
serss1ea In exactly rhe same sah3ect ~ lhe
same phase IS H. The assortment mas BE-
worth huaartds 81 dollars 81 ths mar vh1
gathers &. ana SET b 6lacrit q dlsross .
~ q auv price. There are Jew e1cr-
tons. Clippings % tha drar,a- on tle eve
elulion ~ rawr ~ ci-y ~ re the -e-
! OK ~ the Weather Bureau usually have