University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-04-15
AN AUCTIONEER OF BOOKS

| range than he can to one afar off. and
then the auctiOneer puts up another
book and goes on talking.
His Stories Are Serious.
NO Jokes: he is not here to make
Jokes: he is here to sell books: he NAV
now and then tell story. but it ia
| likely to be of Il serious turn. and it is
always of nature calculated to pro-
mote the sale of the book he is orerinc
The story may come when you least ey-
pect it. as for instance when he is offer
| ing Bible.
lie holds this book up for moment
and announces it and then he laws If
down upon his table and proceeds to
tcl,-not Bible story. but the story OF
thrilling incident in Il mans life in
which to this man most unexpectedly A
Uible figured: Il story to which all the
people in the auction room listen silent.
" and intcntly. Then the auctioneer
sells the Bible.
III there l. one regular thin" here
that strikes You more than another it
i the readiness with which the auction
nominal value. True. they are here to
sell, but the prices at which they are
sold may for all that surprise You If
Won forget for the moment with what
marvellous facility and chcapnc>s. by
he aid of modern machinery. books are
turned out.
He brings out now all at once five
slightly books. alike in print ing and
binding. but "f as many different IL
ties and by five widely known writers.
book, published as lie tells Us. to sell
ut Sl.J0 volume. and holIin" up one
OF these books and again reading its
title. he says:
But They Go for "a Quarter" Apiece.
You all know the book. one of the
most popular of this author's famous
works. How much am | bid for it.
iiltt'h ''H'H- onC
"Twcnty.' says another.
"'Twenty-tive. says a third.
sold says the auctionccr. tossing
the book down To be- wrapped up As he
says it. and then he adds as he holds
them up.
Would some gentleman like any OF
the rest OF these books ut the same
price, and SOME gentleman would. and
then in Il iiify the auctionecr sells the
says to his assistant:
I'VE have some more of those books.
Brin" out some more of them There
are produced Il dozen more. which the
rests for Il moment on his
table. while he reads aloud their titles:
so and So by So and So and SO and
So by So and So and aS he reads peO-
pie one after another reach up for them
I'LL he has sold of this bunch nine max
in" fourteen altogether sold in less than
half as many minutes: and then at the
when the demand for these
books ceases he put those remaining
back on shelf and passes on to some
hing else.
Il love to drop into the book auction
md stand around and see the people
md see the auctioncer and hear him
ak and see him sell books and see the
'eoplr buy them: but this has always
'een Just little entertainment for me.
helped to swell the crowd but | had
lever any thought of buying But yes
erday-we all have our weak moments.
-ou know yesterday he put UP a book
hat | wanted that | had Ion" been
to buy but simply hadn't.
'ook that I had long had on my list of
ookS that | was goin" Ia buy some
ay. and
$50 | have fallen at last a victim to
he wiies of the book auctioneer: and
You don't watch out he will get YOU.
20. for he is an able man. and pcrSrla-
i've. New York sun.