The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-04
BOOKS THE ITALIANS READ.
THE BRIGAND CONSPICUOUS AS
A HERO IN THEM.
Literary Tastes OF the Italian Colonies
Here as Indicated by Catalogue
Circulating Library for BootbIacks
-BAnkers Are the Booksellers,

the chairs and his three assistants wer,
loungiug against the saloon front anc
tanning themselves with their hats when
shabby genteel little man carrying heav,
black valise tottered up.
| The four Italians were wide awake in 9
moment and greeted the new arrival with
friendly chatter. He mopped his forehead
| put down his valise in a sheltered corner
| and opened it.
1t was full OF books. The padrone and
his three aids swooped down on them
and first rubbing their hands on their
grimy trousers-to cleanse them, as it
! were-began paving over the collection.
There were two or three gift books in
snowy bindings, done up in tissue paper.
To these the four paid no attention The
rest were all paper covered
They were OF all sizes and sha pes, from
tracts ~ inches by with brilliant picture
covers up to very large octavos OF three
hundred pages or SO. They represented
every stage in the career Of book Some
were brand new, others had seen service,
while others were dogeared, finger Unmarked,
greasy, blackened remnants.
The bootblack contingent went through
them rapidly, but systematically Each
chose one, and then from the recesses Of
the stand the four dug out a book apiece
which they handed over to the owner of the
valise
He looked at them carefully to see that
no leaves were missing and dropped them
into the heap, which he began packing away
again with practised hand. Then there
was some talk in Italian.
The boss, who had taken a new. uncut
No. I,,l n
who were content with books already used,
paid smaller amounts, quarter or 30, and
the business OF the hour was concluded.
The shabby genteel little man and his
valise constituted an Italian circulating
library. Instead of the borrowers going
to the library, the library went to the bor-
rowers
The man lives in Mulberry street tene-
ment house-the boothlack padrone says
he owns it-and keeps there his magazine
OF books. He has regular routes for every
day in the week, ticking in the near towns Of
New Jersey, The Bronx, Brooklyn, and, Of
course, Manhattan
He has muny customers, and Judging
from his dealings with the four bootblacks
he must do brisk trade Italians say he
has one or two competitions. and not
few grocery stores kept by Italians do
small business in selling and exchanging
books, chiefly for the accommodation OF
their women customers.
The man with the valise showed no re-
uctance to tell the secrets Of his business.
Italians love to read he said, in dialect
which type refuses to reproduce; but they
are poor-so poor that they cannot afford to
BUY or own books. Besides, what Ia the use
Of book when you have read it unless you
are -professore"? Oh. books OF poetry
and jests (cansoni burie) that Is differ
snt; one gets such things by heart. and that |
lakes long time; but ordinary books
the best one can do is to sell them when one |
has had the pleasure out OF them.
He said that for the first privilege Of read
ng new uncut book he charged about one
bird Of its market price. The next half |
dozen readers paid about 20 cents on the |
dollar. Finally it ran down by stages as |
ow as 10 cents, or even five, for a weeks |
Use, and then the boys on the ferryboats
md the like got their turn at it.
The books with the snowy covers were
gift books. These, Of course, he sold out
light. but there was nothing in them. He
,nly sold one a week at the most He car
led them as an &C commodation for his
customers.
And where d o you get your books7"
he walking library was asked.
AT the bankers" was the reply.
Nobody can tell just why all the Italian
In New York, except the news
PAPER publishers. are bankers, but they
re. Not all the Italian bankers are book
elers, but every bookseller is a banker.
There are from dozen to twenty Of them,
It least one or two In each Italian centre,
nd some OF them do a very large trade.
la 81
" them every year, chiefly from Milan,
florence and Rome, and besides their
ocal sales one or two OF them send out
OF books to other parts Of
he country where there are large Italian
ettlements.
Some idea OF the extent Of the Italian
ook trade in New York may be formed
rom the fact that one nker-bookseller,
ne Of the largest, publishes a copiously
Illustrated book catalogue Of l7e pages,
tates as a handsome female figure all
pangled over with stars. twining one arm
bout pretty Italian woman with child,
lille with the other hand she points to
ne setting sun. against which the Statue
Liberty and an ocean steamship are sill I
ouetted.
The books embraced In the catalogue
over the whole educational field, to begin
18th. Books for the study OF English and
Italian are numerous; dictionaries and .
religious instruction, Italian and general |
istory are we'll covered. The decorative
rts and sciences, abstract and applied, '
II many pages.
Then the more characteristic features
ppear. Under the head Of -Modelli di
ettere Galanti," or Love Letter Models"
lere are twenty items ranging in price
'om 10 cents, the price OF ~ Delri dele
mime amanti," or @Delirium OF Loving
ouls, to 81 40, which is the price of bound |
opy Of IL Segretario Galante, with twelve I
mes of subtitle extolling the work as a
uide In learning to write love letters and :
J a collection Of the most famous love :
tiers OF historic persons. r
Poetry, serious and comic, the lives OF q
le saints and martyrs and treatises on the +
Of beer, wine and liquors 2
re more or less tangled together, and G
alf page is devoted to Volapuk. Games, q
and -Libri Cabalistichi \
Science Occulte, Chiromanzia,
agnetismo 1pnotismo" form an inter- 7
de between the serious works and the 4
ction, which occupies the best part OF 100
lges. a
In the fiction list student Of character a
tics would find an interesting field for n
udy. There are two dominant factors,
lie or other OF which appears in every =
he. One is the note Of lofty and romantic
the other is the spirit OF q
ime and horror, and the latter is con-
icuously in the ascendant. To the former
ass belongs the "Bibioteca Eroica, Le-
ndaria e Fantastica," in which such p
orks as the KNIGHTS Of t1e Round Table" 4