Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-06-15
THE REALM OF BOOKS AND AUTHORS

The most unique of the libraries in
the world is the property of James c.
Young of Minneapolis. Mr.. Young is
wealthy and has a fad for the collec-
ton OF the best works of the best au-
thors of all nations and all Languages
On the 1yieaf of each volume there is
an inscription in the handwriting of
the author which attaches his person.
atty to it forever. Nc Young has been
gathering his library for tweHtv years,
and it contains thousands ,otssyoiumes
in all languages so inscribed Mr.
YCIng's purpose is to harness the an
thor to the book by something more
than the printing of his name upon the
title page; t. place upon his shelves
mcmentos Of tnt individuality of a.:
the graz writer's of his generation. II
The author is poet, an original verse,
in his own handwriting, is obtained
and no".Ii-t IS asked - reit.e how he
conceived his plot. a biographical
writer may talk Of the personality of
his subject or give some interesting
"reminiscences which coull not lie i'll
troduced into the printed pages Mr..
''SNAN''
words as 70 his eAi:ericn rs IN tl,, lands
he describes in his work while from a
theolOgian, a philosopher or a scientist
he asks word relating to his interest
in OF dey 1tiun t. the theories he ad-
vances. Mr.. Yorls's methods Of tb-
tanning autographs is as unique as his
ideas. For shipping purposes he has
had made Il large number of trunks of
different sizes. Some will hold three
and some thirty books, and they are so
built that their contents will not be in
jured, no matter how carelessly hand
died by trainmen or express people. The
small trunks like those that chill
dren use for their dolls, and the larger
ones are of the size and shape of hat
boxes Mr.. Young purchases a set of
books and mas them bound according
to his ideas. He then places them in
one of these trunks and sends them by
express to the author and the latter
has but to remove the key from a
small pocket attached to the trunk, lift
the lid, write the inscriptions requested
and return to the express company, for
the return charges are always prepaid.
When this collection was started Mr..
Young met with many difficulties. He
was riduculed and rebuffed, but he per
severed until, when his purpose began
to be understood, he secured character
istic autographs from almost every
writer, among them kings and Queens
who WELD the pen. The Queen of Rou-
mania, Carmen sylvia, has given him
manuscript volumes of all her poems
and a number of famous French
LIVE, bn
their books for his collection. The book
stalls of Europe and America have
been searched and other collectors
have become interested, until Mr..
Young has obtained not only books of
living authors, but of those who are
dead, hearing upon their blank leaves
autograph inscriptions revealing the
sentiments or personality of the author.
Many of these are presentation copies
sent by the writer's to friends, who for
some reason .have disposed of them.
Scarcely a week goes by that this orig
inal collector does not receive an in
voice Of books from some direction,
from which he is asked to make selec-
tions. Through living authors Mr..
Young has secured many mementos of
the dead, and as much interest has this
curious library caused among both
publishers and writer's that scarcely
Il book ins cribed with the autograph of
the author ever comes into the market
without it being offered to Mr.. Young
first Mr.. Young is an Iowa, man, who,
twenty-five years ago, invested all his
capital i'm Minneapolis real estate. from
which he has accumulated fortune.
He however, devOteS almost his entire
time to his autograph library. He has
several competent librarians and, in
different countries, he has committees
of literary critics who select works
that are worthy and who aid him in OBJ
1t is Mr.. Young's purpose to so endoW
his curious library that the collection
may be carried on indefinitely by COM
petent critics, because such work as
he has undertaken can never be COM
pleted as long as a printing press eX-
lists. Aside from the printed books Mr..
Young has collected many valuable
manuscripts of living and dead authors,
which is the nucleus of n separate de-
partment.
The ]. r. Lippincott Company OF
Philadelphia have just published 1.-The
Princess Dehra," a new novel by John
Reed Scott; THE Sriall Country Place
Nv Samuel r. Maynard; "Why Worry.