The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-14
SEARCH FOR RARE BOOKS
THE SECONDHAND STORE 4 MECCA
FoR MANY PEOPLE.
West Compared with the East fin This
Observation-Disclosures Not Well
Established Here.

libraries IL an interesting work from the
fact that II calls the man engaged in IL
into many queer places in searching for
book-lore of various kinds. Often it is in
the study of the man who has devoted his
life to books that the buyer is called 10
place an estimate On the entire collection,
which 10 the student has no cash value, and
the only reason II is ever sold is because
he has died and his heirs are dickerinS
over the estate. II is seldom that man
who is a student and who has collected a
fine library sells 1t. To him his books APP
pear a. friend and have no value in money,
and when he considers the many happy
hours spent In their midst he would soon
think of selling the friendship Of his best
friend as some little book from his collec-
ton. This class OF men, If poverty stares
them in the face, will part with everything
rather than their library. When misfortune
overtakes them IL IS only I'm it that they
find consolation.
The man who buys books and libraries
has 10 be 2 lover of them, because the
knowledge that is required of him can only
be gained by years of close association with
books and various authors. He is COM
PEELED to make himself thoroughly ac-
quainted with the history of literature con-
corning all ages and he must be so familiar
with the different authors. both ancient
and modern. that he can tell which of their
works Is the best and which ones are in
the greatest demand. 1t is well known that
every author has only one or two books
that the general reading public wants and
IL is for these that the booy buyer has to
be on the lookout. Take Victor Hugos
works. for instance: while everything he
pie, II Is only his Les Miserables'' that
there is any call for by the general run of
readers. and this is true of all authors
with the exception of Dickens and Scott.
There is always large demand for the
entire set of their books. The works of
these two authors are more sought after
IN the secondhand book stall than any
other. No doubt the reason for their con-
tinuei popularity is that they both deal
with themes that the average man can read
and appreciate.
SECONDHAND BOOK STORE.
A secondhand book store certainly pre-
SCENTS an interesting appearance with its
numerous shelves covered with a miscel-
laneous assortment of books which could
only be found in such a place The SUBJ
jects that the books in one of these estab-
Ishments deal with are such as could be
found nowhere else The popularity of the
secondhand book store is growing all the
time, for it Is found that il keeps nothing
but the best class of books and that they
are in the best possible condition There
are, however, some concerns in the city
that buy all kinds OF trash and which cover
the raEge of novels of the cheaper sort that
appeal to Juvenile readers who are more
or less interested in the adventures of
s"Deadwood Dick and Sure Shot Charlie"
Such books as these only sell for and 10
cents when they are new, but the estab-
lishments that sell them second hand offer
three or four volumes for this sum. AS the
average boys spending money is generally
limited TO not more than Is cents such an
tnducement in literature is very tempting to
him. These concerns are not particular
whether the books they sell are clean or
not, and the places that their stock some
times come from might breed most any
kind OF disease, and it is often thought by
health authorities that it is through such
places that epidemics. such measles and
scarlet fever, originate. The secondhand
book stores that deal in first-class books
take precautions against such things. They
buy no books that come out of the trash
pile unless there Is some great value at
tached to them. All of the volumes that
they handle are in frst-class condition.
and the man who buys and sells watches
very closely the kind of people from whom
ne is buying. The popularity of the sec
ond-hand book store has grown remarkably
in the last few years in this city. Where
formerly there was only one now there are
three frst-class concerns of this kind, and
all are doing an excellent business among
the very best class of people
In speaking of the kind of books that the
secondhand buyer is looking for the other
day. one of these local dealers said: 1.-The
average person makes a great mistake con-
corning this business in thinking it is rare
old books that we are after but they are
by no means the object of the dealers eff
forts. In this city there are very few
rare books, and If one does happen to run
across any 1t is hard matter to get them
of his hands. for there is no call for books
printed hundred or two hundred years
ago. There are few book collectors To-
Gated here. and in the whole city know of
but six libraries that are devoted to the
gathering OF rare literature. / suppose one
OF the principal reasons for this is that the
city Is comparatively young. and few of
the families that came here in the early
Gays brought libraries WITH tnem, whereas
IN New York. Boston or any of the East
ern cities the families have resided i'm the
same locality for generations. and there
fore the libraries have been handed down
from one TO another until the present time.
Many of tho books that compose these
collections were imported from Europe long
before the time steamships were known.
Consequently in the secondhand book shops
of these old Eastern cities is where one
that desires TO collect old books should 60.
OF course stores i'm New York and other
large cities have the advantage over the
dealers in place OF this size. because peo-
pie from all over the country will send rare
books TO them for the reason that these
concerns are well known everywhere. An
other advantage that they have is that
book collectors travel from other cities to
these places for the express purpose OF
buying these rare volumes. Books that are
fifty and seventy-five years old are not
considered old books according TO collectors
These people demand the volumes that were
printed during the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries, but the demand for them is not
large because there are only a few people
who devote their time TO the collection OF
such books. and they are only valuable to
that class.
DEMAND FOR STANDARD WORKS.
There Is a great demand for ALL "a