Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-03-31

ONDON, March 2l.-Here is the
rather pathetic little story OF how
a rare Dickens book that once was
the pride OF small London
"greengrocers' heart recently became
the property OF rich American biblio-
phie The story comes from W, I.
Spencer, the London bookseller and
Dickens specialist. who owns the larg-
est and most perfect collection of this
authors works in the world, and was
told me the other day In the course Of
a talk on book collecting generally.
Remarking that nowadays there are
six men who collect Dickens for one
who collects Scott, and perhaps four to
the one who collects Thackeray, this
London specialist in Boz" declared
that of the many Dickens enthusiasts
who have dealt with him by far the
'keenest" have been those least able 10
afford such Injuries, and he instanced
the greengroccr already referred 10 as
a case In point.
For several years, 1t seems, this hum
bic tradesman, who did business In
Pmlco, was one OF Mr.. Spencer's best
customers, aud the dealer says he sold
him the only perfect copy Of The
Strange Gentleman that he has ever
seen. II cost the little seller OF vege-
tables exactly $3.50, and he paid for 1t
In monthly instruments of $25 each.
Their dealings had funny side, too.
for It seems that the grocers wife, eX-
cellent. no doubt, IN other respects, did
not sympathize with her husbands love
for rare 'Dickenses" and he had to en-
ploy all sorts Of strategems I'm order to
smuggle his cherished volumes on to
his shelves without detection by her.
Occasionally, In fact, declared Spencer
some of the costly Dickens first edl-
lions would be tied on to the greengro-
GERS back under his coat. and thus
conveyed by him TO his modest library.
At other times. If his parcel Of books
was too big for secretion In this way,
q man from Spencer's would carry II
down 10 the street I'm which the green
grocer had his shop and when the coast
was clear, the bibliophile shopkeeper
would make Il signal TO that effect. He
always insisted however, that the book
dealers messenger should have bottle
of ginger-beer, so that II his wife sud-
denly looked In It would seem as II an
ordinary customer was being served.
MY greengrocer client finally fell on
evil days, however, added Spencer. for,
having endorsed an old friends bill for
about $50 he was suddenly obliged to
furnish the money. and IN order 10 do
this he had to sell his beloved collec-
tion, including The Strange Gentle
man This valuable copy was even
tually sold for 1920, and quite recently il
was acquired by an American million
alre whose name ! am not at liberty
10 mention for $500, and it Is now on
the other side of the Atlantic"
Among many other Dickens treas
uros, w. T. Spencer's priceless colec-
tlon includes the famous first edition OF
"Pickwick Papers" which was In 20
parts. The mere wrapper of part one is
alone worth $500
Meanwhile. the Gath anniversary Of
the birth of Charles Dickens has led one
Of his admirers to search the London
directory for names borne by his char
acters. The results disprove the popu-
lar notion that Dlckens's exercises in
nomenclature were too weird to be true
to life. One oliver Twist was discov-
cred and two members OF the Skies
family, but the creation Of the dis~.pu-
table "Bill' Is doubtless responsible for
the fact that a much larger number
have changed the spelling of their pa
tronymic to Sykes. One Pickwick was
found and six Wellers. Other Pickwick-
ian characters are represented by one
Wrinkle, nine Trotters, one Bardell'
81 Sawyers-none OF whom, by the way,
are doctors-and one Wardle. Pau
Dombev appears as tailor and Dom
hey & Son carry on the same business.
There arc II Chicks, and six Tapleys
four Ridges, four Guppys and 81 Mrs.
Harris. but diligent search failed 20
discover one Mrs. Camp. But the ranks
OF the dressmakers dlscloses Mantali-
nj In real HE
Queer sounding as are most Of the
Dickensian names It cannot be as
sumed that the great novelist invented
them. IL was at Sherborne. according
10 an old resident that he first ran
across the name of Guppy. He was
out walking with Macready OF histrion-
&c renoNu when he noticed the patrony-
mic inscribed on a brass door plate.
Il caught his fancy at once ana ne
jotted It down In his notebook Not
long afterward appeared the story that
made the name a familiar one 10 the
Engllsh-speaking world.
II Mrs. de Horne Naisey had pub
lished her recent amusing little book.
"Uow Like TIE King in Germany, she
might have been held guilty OF lese
maleste" She makes Edward VII OF
England spend n week or 50 at small
suburban residence To mud out now
what she describes as great big solid
steady going, loyal middle class lives
some people have supposed that the in
cldent might really have happened, buy
much as his majesty would no doubt
have enjoyed such an adventure that
1ivinitv which doth hedge about KING
would have prevented him from UNDER
taxing II There can be no doubt. how
ever mat the middle class Is excess
slyely loyal and dearly loves lord too
The transterence ~ Baron Won hey-
King OF tho German diplomatic service
from the legation at Belgrade to a
much better post at Hamburs Is Of