The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-09
FOOK REpAIRER'S BUSY TIME
SEASON WIEN Libraries IRE
PUT INTO GOOD SHAPE.
Work That suits y Woman and Is Well
Paid-Precautions Made Necessary
by the Way Some People Garry or
Books-Hoeton4 Literary Elevation.

Books-Hoetone Literary Elevation.
my busy season has begun and 1
haven't time to wink my eyes.' was the
greeting Of a woman who makes her Hv-
ing by repairing books in private libraries
TO the reporter when they met the other
day at luncheon. $50 many Of my GUS
toners have gone abroad or are going
abroad earlier than usual that my work
Is fully six weeks ahead.
sOh, no, / don't have to do all the liz
braries Immediately. That would be
quite impossible. The thing that is keep
ing me busy now IL taking charge.
Il always look after libraryl while the
people are In the house. The more valu-
able the books the more particular l am
about this point. Books are very easily
misplaced or even slipped away. and a
person in my business can't be too care
full to make sure no valuable volume has
been misplaced before she begins the work
of repairing.
4There are few people as suspicious
as the collectors of valuable books and
manuscripts. and they have reason to be,
because so many people in the world.
really decent people, think nothing Of
picking up a book that strikes their fancy
and new troubling to return it. This is
true Of rare editions, Just ss 1t is OF the
popular novel Of the season.
An instance OF this that / call to mind
just now was a book that was picked up
from beside the desthbed of a woman
whose daughter has since become a well
known author. TWAS The first o Of
that girl's first book. She was devoted
to her mother and the novel was dedi-
Gated to her. The fret copy that came of
the press was sent 10 the mother after
being autographed.
There were many valuable books in
their library but the mother let 1t be known
that she valued this Hrst copy Of this first
book by her daughter above them all.
That alone was never to be taken from
illness that book disappeared, and I am
sure some Of the friends who came, to
inquire about her took IT, -
@In another ass that happened last
year a woman who was fond neither Of
reading nor of buying books lifted one by
one a complete set Of Shakespeare from a
library that had been under my care for
several years. 1t was a handsome set
but BY no means rare. 5
when the disappearance came to my
ears ] said at once the thief was a person
ignorant of the value Of books. There
were 30 many really valuable volumes
In the samerQom that knew onlya stupid
person would make such q choice. The way
l detected that woman was simple.
Il Just set to work to find out the LATEST
and most pretentious woman who had
aocess / that library as a friend Of the
family. / wanted a person who didn't
read, wouldn't spend money on books
and a. the same time made a pretence
Of being literary.
As the books were too heavy to be
slipped int6 the pocket OF a mans coat
1 felt sure that the person was looking
for was a woman. With the assistance
Of the daughter of the house I studied the
visitors who had been in the habit Of
stepping into the library while waiting
for the ladies to come down; and picked
out one Of them as the thief.
IA she proved to be an acquaintance
of mine I called TO see her. She not only
had the books, but called my attention
to them, saying they were given TO her by
a friend on her latest birthday. What
did j dor Y told the daughter of the
fatally of my discovery and after a few
weeks, just before the family was leaving
for the summer, the girl wrote Mrs. Blank
a polite and friendly note saying they
we're to have their library overhauled that
sufsner and should be very glad il she
woim return the set Of Shakespeare lent
herfyf her father.
grhs messenger who took the note
was' Instructed to- wait for the books.
He got them. They were in very good
cohdieon and only required to have
ths hook plates she had pasted over the
owners name removed.
@Arc-the people still friends? Oh. dear.
yes. Why, the owner OF that library
says n he fell out with everybody who
~apprspriates his books he wouldn't have
twoedoaen speaking a~cquaintances in New
York.
when I take charge of a library of
yaIu able books I lock IL and seal it until
I begin the work OF repairing. While
working in a library. unless I am sure Of
the honesty Of the servants, l put the
finest volumes in the library safe.
@Of course there are not many librar ies
In New York where such precautions are
necessary. but there are some. In Pitts
burg there are several others. Oh, yes;
] 70 to Pittsburg every summer and
sometimes In the winter. Several Of nv
best paying customers live over there.
ard they know what when it TO
buying rare books, i can tell you.
" d y I--- - 49,
ton. Their books, though used much
more than in the other libraries that
I Keep in repair. seldom require much
attention. Nobody who knows about
the use and abuse of books will contra
dict the statement that people need to
be educated to the proper use of books.
AS O proof OF this you need only TO
COMPARE the condition OF the books cir
culated from the public libraries in Bos.
ton and those circulated here in New
York and Pittsburg, A book in Boston
having had twice as many readers as
In New York or Pittsburg will be in much
better condition. The Boston people
have had their public circulating libraries
for a century and more, while the two
a them. Yes, indeed, people need 10
be educated in the use OF books just as
IN everything else.
Another point in which the Boston
book lovers surpass those in the two other
places is that books are seldom stolen,
People over there look upon books as
property. while over here I don't really
think many of them do not as property
that Is worth fighting about.
"A Southern woman who had been
educated IN Boston once said in speaking