The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-04
-Impecunious Readers lIowed To Ex-
change Books.
New York Commercial Advertiser.

New York Commercial Advertiser.
One of the peculiar features of the mod
ern secondhand book store is its "eX-
change" department. In fact. the eXchang-
ing of books has developed TO such notable
proportions in the last decade that II is
now one of the recognized branches of the
trade as well as a source of considerable
profit TO the "old bookmen, who invariably
get ahead in the negotiations.
That it must pay is evident from the fact
that many of the booksellers advertise con-
stantly in the magazines and literary pa
pers. It is also a boon for the INDECENT stu
dent or impecunious litterateur who cannot
afford to buy new books and has no time to
go TO the library. One of the booksellers
interviewed mentioned a case.
lone young fellow, evidently a literary
man. he said, comes in here regularly
every week with a trunkful of books which
he doesn't wish 10 sell. Oh, no. But only
to exchange. This has been going on for
over a year, and 1 guess that by this time
he must have read every volume in the
house.
I so informed him the other day and he
seemed a little perpleXed for a moment
Then a light came to him and he cried,
Well, you remember that set of Thacke-
ray / exchanged here some time ago; have
you got that yet? Yes? Good; let me have
his own old books"
Where the booksellers profit comes in is
easily enough explained. Surprising. for
instance, a person brings here "A set of
BalZac, in reasonably fair condition and
bearing the imprint of a ~ll-kno pub
fishing house, which he desires to exchange
for other books.
Now, a set of Balzac is worth at any time
SO, and can be easily disposed of at that
price by any bookseller, although he him
self would not pay more than 81 for II. This
makes a clear profit of 81, OF ZS l-3 per
cent.
Making these figures his basis of calcula-
ton. the bookseller will give the other $40
worth of books for the Balzac set. and the
man or woman will 90 home chncklinR at
his or. her bargain. But, as a matter OF
fact. since the $50 books only cost the
bookseller So, his profits on a deal which
only involved a few minutes consideration
was just 81. which the layman will admit
is not SO bad.
Some of the larger secondhand book
stores i'm New York, with an eye toward
this particular branch of the trade and
the purchase of old books, employ what is
known in the vernacular of the business as
a buyer a man whose position bears a
vague resemblance to that of a publishers
reader with this vital difference. how
ever, that whereas the reader passes upon
the merit of the raw material-the manu-
scripts-the buyer pronounces judgment
upon the finished productive book.
In other words, people desiring to dis
pose of rare and valuable antique volumes
or any ephemeral new novel, and who 60
TO a bookstore with the idea OF converting
| their wares into coins of the Republic, are
referred to the buyer, who examines the
offered commodities, and, If acceptable,
names a price -
And right here it may as well be said
that, once a piece is offered, no haggling
| and pleading, be the seller ever so per-
suasive, will raise the bid one farthing
1t is either Take what We offer or go to
some one else" The owner, If he be a
wise man Cor woman), will choose the
former alternative, for in some manner
inconceivable and mysterious-to the lay
man, at least-there seems 10 exist a sort
of mental telepathy service" between the
| different stores, and the bid OF the second
buyer is likely to come so close to thai
| of the first that the difference would no
pay car fare. One ~well-known buyer said.
9TH position OF a buyer is a most ex-
acting one. 1t demands a thorough ad'
| mixture of those two seemingly incom-
patible attributes, the literary and the
commercial instincts, as well as an expert
knowledge of books, an exceptionally clear
memory and the finely cultivated taste of a
cCnnoisseur-bibliophile.
yet. despite all these necessary qualif-
cations. it is not a very remunerative pro
fession. The salaries range between 81
and $50 a week. One young chap-a col
lege graduate who failed in the newspaper
business, actually gets $40 a week. but
then. he is considered, both by his en-
ployer and his confreres, as a wonder. He
knows the history of every book printed
since Adam