The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-23
EXPERTS SEVEREON
EDITIONS De LUKE"
James Farmers Costly Volumes
Are Valued at % Cents
to $40 Each.
TRIAL CONTINUES TO-DAY

Eiglr' ana ten dollars volume ls a liberal
valuation Of the books which James
Farmer. Col. Sin Hartley and Samuel
Wariield sold for 800 II volume and up
experts testified yesterday at farmers
trial before Judge Foster in the United
States District Court.
Frederick NJ. Hopkins Of Henry Maikan's
bookstore ~ broadway. told the Jury
ina when Mrs. Marian Preston OF
Weston. Mass. paid Sa0.SO0 for Oscar
Wide. Theodore Roosevelt. Shakespeare
and other sets she really got books worth
s2.34l Miss Mary \. Watts OF Boston
had told OF paying about SAL. 500 for de
luxe works. II was Mr.. Hopkinss best
judgment that her acquisitions were
worth s,7S27b.
The expert found precious Shake
speares very ordinary" aud remarked
that the wbtrrcolor illustrations OF Eng
Iish scenery hau no connection with the
text ana were the acme OF bad taste
THE text with these illustrations presents
TIA. sublime and the ridiculous side by
side he commented
Tn. se, OF Arabian Nights Mr. Hop
klns pronounced n genuine example of
counterfeit siNty-twO volume Thack-
cray had misleading illustrations. maxi
ing II Worthless ard unsuitable" The
Oscar Wilde was worth 50 a volume Miss
W aus llshl Ddlh SNO a Nolhlne. An AUTO
graph letter Of Wildes In tho first volume
seemed To- Mr.. Hopkins genuine IL 80, IL
If worth $40. he thought.
British Poets which were sold for
about 800 u volume. are possibly worth
So volume. said the expert but he
added that ho has often seen tho same
books on dealers open stands labelled
ANY Book Here 20 Cents The sets Of
Lincoln had been extra illustrated with
halftOnes. woodcuts. and even illustrations
taken from mOnthies like the Century
and MoChreS. 1t was testified.
\ picture OF Roosevelt was appraised
at 20 cents and his autograph at $50. "
the purchaser is eager only one work
got anything like u good word This was
the st Duustsn Collection" of sacred
legends "a which Mir Hopkins said some
of the Illustrations are good But the
ret suffers because IT bears the imprint
of a publisher IN bad yepute." he added.
Maybe the twelve Volumes are worth
$40 each-->GOU FOR tho lot"
The most Interesting part OF the tes-
timOny concerned "A collection Of supposed
first editions OF Dickens. All had been
rebound IA ornate leather and Mr.. Hop
kiHs said thai this detraCted seriously
from their value
In rebiudiug first editions. especially
Of Dickens. the very earmarks Of gcnu-
inoness are destroyed" said the expert
Therefore The rebound book lies always
under a strong suspicion. OF nineteen
pamphlets composing, IL would appeal.
the first edition OF the Pickwick Papers
not one IL genuine. In the cases OF sew
ertL glance At the date shows this--it
IN 1897 instead Of 1886. But the others
require hours OF examination.
TN" formula for determining a first
edition " Dicke MSS Pickwick Papers IL
~ long and 80 complicated that the ex-
pert no more thinks OF memorizIna IL
than the lawyer thinks OF Inemorizing "A
statute. The only practical way is to re-
Ter 20 il when Ueeded. There are dozens
OF points abou; the volume to be exam
med and the copy must meet every test
The trial will be continued to-day