The sun., 1918-11-17

III
from the activities of the rare book
trade is matter of much regret on
the part of many persons, collectors as well
as colleagues, as for about forty-6ve years
he has been wen known as one of the leading
dealers in Americana, as well rs other choice
things in literature. In that long business
career he has numbered among his clientele
about every well known book buyer, and his
advice and assistance have been sought by
most of them.
When Mr.. Dodd began to sell rare books
Brinley, Barlow, Murphy and Lenox were
active collectors, and John Carter Brown
had just died; the great English libraries,
the Sunderland, Ashburnham, Syston Park,
Hamilton Palace, HUH, Christy Miller,
Devonshire, Earl Spencer and Rowfant were
yet intact. Mr.. Dodd has seen all of them
dispersed. He has been purchaser at prac-
tically every important sale at home or
abroad, securing many treasures either for
stock or for those whose orders he executed.
A Half Century's Experience.
For at least thirty years Dodd, Mead &
CO., Dodd & Livingston and Robert II. DOdd
have been a power in the rare book world
both at home and throughout Europe, and
two of the most prominent of our present
day rare book sellers were his apprentices.
He was quite largely responsible for the be-
ginning, carrying on and completing OF that
masterpiece of photography, the catalogue
of the great collection formed by L. d.
Church, which has since passed into the
hands of Fl. Z. Huntington.
In conversation with the reporter Mr..
DOdd said: IL have seen the average stand
ards among collectors change and improve
1.fery decidedly, for copies of rare books
which when 1 began business were readily
accepted would not now even be looked at;
and the values have increased enormously.
- For instance, l bought some twenty
Eve years ago from Mr.. Ellis of Bond street,
London, 4 collection of Walton s Angler.
consisting of the first edition in original
binding, the second, fourth and two copies
of the fifth, selling them to Mr.. Church for
about 81 100. In 1907 Quariteh paid about
$6,400 for copy of the first edition alone.
l also sold Mr.. Church his copy of the first
fclio Shakespeare, which Quaritch said was
the finest known copy. for $1,000. In 1907
and, having been bought by bookseller. it
must have cost the client at least 100000
before it reached his Shelves
The Vogue of Americana.
1.-The advance in values has covered all
branches of literature but that in Ameri-
cana has been perhaps the most striking
feature of rare book history, as may be seen
bv the price obtained for the first issue of
Settle s True Report Of FrObisher's Second
FOgdge, u copy of which Mr.. Church OBJ
tanned in 1907 for $1,000. The second issue
sold in one of the Huntington sales IN 1917
for 5000. Perhaps the rarest and most
important item of Americana that has ever
been sold is the New England laws of l647,
of which only one copy is known to exist. 1t
is the first book of laws printed in what is
now known as the United States, one of the
earliest books printed in this country, and
was a rare book twenty years after it left
the press. The history of this copy is a
romance that may some day be written. Its
money value at this time is what any one
would be willing to give for it; $4,000
would be fair price, although that is much
more than Mr.. Church paid for it.
As has been heretofore announced, the
sale of Mr.. Dodd : stock will take place at
Andersen = during the present month. the
first catalogue containing the books. All the
manuscripts and letters will be sold in
January.
In the Auction Rooms.
At Anderson 5 on Friday. November 9,
there was sold 4 collection oil first editions
and association books. the property of the
e Brick Row Book Shop of New Haven, Conn.
Al -