The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-01-04
From the washington Post.

From the washington Post.
Washington Is a city of book collectors.
and, In view of this it is no surprise
that the book shops are unexcelled by
those of any other city in America AS for
the collectors, they are everywhere. The
variousdepartmentsof the government are
full of them-men and women who spend
their earnings in book collecting. Ihey
various departments of government are
conditions, from the wealthy collector OF
rare and beautiful bindings to the man
who has made a collection of dime novel
and Deadwood Dick literature, from the
earliest specimens and from the old lady
who buys everything on cats to the man
who Is hungry for mushroom lore.
Book collecting as fine art, has
history singularly romantic and replete
with interest. Slater states in one OF mis-
excellent works on rare books that one
of the most remarkable events In book
collecting occurred at the shop OF Robert
II. Evans, bookseller Pail Mall. London,
on May is, 1872 and forty-one days follow
ing, when the great library of the Duke
of Roxburghe was sold at auction. This
sale was interesting by reason of the fact
that the collection was the most ex-
tensive, varied and important that had
hitherto been offered for sale in Eng
land" and owing also to the collection
having formed sort Of connecting link
between the old and the new methods OF
collecting.
The collection was of a general charac-
ter that appealed to all classes of book
men. yet at the same time 1t was not
quite such library rs n modern collector
might be expected to get together, for tho
tendency is now to specialize. and many
of the books which the duke obviously
took an interest In are today almost
worthless, Among the choice works In
this library were number OF volumes OF
SCOTS Law. Cheyne on the Gout. Sir r..
Bloknore on the Spleen and Vnpours,
and other nonsensieal books.
However. there were others like tho
147l Boccacio, which produced regular
waterloo of book battles between Earl
Spencer and the Marquis OF Biandford.
resulting In a victory for the latter, who
secured the work, paying for 1t the sum
of 9226o, or sll. 300. which Slater says was
the most "idiotie price ever paid for n
book" and ths Festyvala and Book Of
Common Prayer, printed by the Caxtons,
in 1883, This sale took place during the
British literary renaissance, when books,
literature, education and learning had
become n great popular tau, ana, HotWllhs
standing the worthiessHass of many OF
the works of this colisetiep of 30, 600 yoi-
.umes they We're all sold at fair prices,
One phase Of book hunting In which
every collector IL deeply interested has
to do with the mattsF of lucky finds, Vail
liable books, magazines and pamphlets in
soled and unattractive covers pftentimea
fail to attract the attention of the dealer
and find their way to the two, three. five
e--f IL SO
that here, as in all literary centers, there
are men and women who would rather do
without dinner than miss their daily
search and scrutiny of the cheap litera-
ture STANDS in front of the book stores.
Windfalls, however, do not occur often,
and when they do the department clerk
who spends his spare time and earnings