New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-09-22
London. August %.

4 the slA-sh
,bo present public demand is
'@u, host work Of the best men at
~ J" price. The six-shilling book
T Cor cash at four shillings ana
: 80 20 except at the railway book
" vbilh enjoy, each in its own
s'n monopoly, and use il ruth
S'"' Nor can you be sure Of finding
~ .ssss places the book YOU want;
- popular kind. Nor can you
"'a .ry circulating library. especially
- Nude, and the rivals Of Nude
." censorship and undertook
,sn US what We might read and
mat We might not
~ssre is a sufficient censorship on
=. pnder Lord Csmphelrs act;
,'.h the police sufficiently enforce
~, EXCEPTED. the public is its own
~ ~. censor. and the worst Of all is a
.s,sman's censorship. Nude and his
.r.v tradesmen assume risht
.,,h does not belong to them, and
.s.r violate their contract with their
-,.c,Ibers when they refuse to sup
T. h,oks which they have agreed TO
,,y in consideration of fixed year
: - noyment. l believe these gentlemen
- nth some alarm on the change In
81, or,ces from six shillings 10 two
.,mngs. They gain by II in one way
49,. thew buy cheaper, but what they
,-.,d is that the public, tempted by the
.,..pness, should buy books instead
= narrowing them.
rsey had the same fear when prices
.,. down from a guinea and a hair
q, ,ss orthodox three-volume novel 10
!, ,hnlings for a single volume. In
=. sdpea and a half days almost no
ssv bought novels. They borrowed
A,r from Nude or went without.
y d, shillings they have bought large
! and AZ two shillings they buy more
L-s,ly still A circulating library
,srly subscription varies from So TO
M. according 10 the number of books
r,plled. the promptness Of the supply
IA the frequency with which they
-r be exchanged You may wait
,.ts for a popular novel and when
,u, librarian condescends TO send 1t
n,u II Is likely to be worn and dirty.
faese drawbacks may be inevitable to
n, system, but they are drawbacks
md they send many people to the
ssoksellers who give you clean copies
.Y your money.
lean remember buying but one three
rolune novel Lord Beaconsfeld's
1othair" | suppose II was the magic
ia sreat name that led me into this
Etravagance. and led many others.
m Balm, the learned and amlasle
uokstller in the Haymarket long since
lsad, told me he had never sold 80
many copies Of any other novel in that
form and al that price. I suppose II
nay now be bought for a nominal sum.
Il vas not. therefore, a good invest
nsnt Nor are many books OF modern
sue a good investment, though the
booksellers Will often tell you they are.
q may be. They said so when there
gss craze for huge sets OF books
Thich It was for a time the fashion TO
all editions dc lure The French
;hrase became Anglicised, but is now
more seldom used as a pun or a bait.
Too many buyers bit and were bitten.
hey had one value. When bound, II
vel bound, they were decorative; and
fled great deal Of wall space. They
vers kind Of furniture and did the
otlce Of furniture. But that is not, in
truth. the primary purpose Of books.
love tribute 10 Mr.. Balm. lie had
I good knowledge OF books and OF
human nature. His little shop. which
after his death became part of a bank
snd exists no more as a bookshop,
sn long a rendezvous for book lovers.
Ven Of letters, artists, collectors, men
u rank and position, pillars OF the
nurch, distinguished women, all these
sad many more were TO be met there.
iney we're all friends with Mr.. Balm,
iho went there not only 10 buy with
I'M but 10 talk with him. He knew
snething more than the market value
" books. He knew the books them
ksts. He was a reader as well as a
sisr, and he read the literary reviews,
isepihg thus IN touch with current
w'hlon / am sure he never knowing
y misied customer; nor often UNI
knowingly: fallible though all special
ats are.
Would anybody say that Of the late
a. Quaritch. the most famous of all
N'tnsh booksellers, and the least Eng
'''f Quaritch was a gambler in
.'0As' and a successful gambler. Mr..
'A'ns business was on a smaller scale
sn0 OF different principles. He thought
N0uesty the best policy, but II ne had
,0' thought 50 he would sill have been
WEST There are dealers who are
s'a''' because they have not the Wit
: e otherwise. Mr.. Balm was shrewd.
s''eeing, competent, knew the tricks
: 'ne trade and left II 20 others 10
rs'use them. bought more books OF
=. H man Of all other London dealers
'se'ne' Never once had TO com
=, ,'h Of my bargain, nor ever once
=, lug Mr.. Balm anything but straight
,"siu' ana not only straightforward
- Intelligent a stupid uprightness