The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-07-28
The Auction Season of l9l7-18
Some Memorable Sales
Statistics of Auction Rooms
About 100000 of Books Sold

value Of all auction purchases might b
given. In estimating this amount only ap-
proximate figures can be given. From tho
replies received it would appear that about
$4,000, 900 worth of books were sold the
country over.
Went to Private Collections.
A very considerable part Of what was
sold went into private collections which will
never be dispersed, finding a final resting
place in the Libraries of institutions. or IN
public libraries and never again appearing
at the auction block. Few Of our present
day collectors have the feeling that actuated
Edmond de Goneourt, who provided IN his
will, my wish is that my drawings, my
prints, my curiosities, my books-in word,
these things of art which have been the JOY
of nv Gfe-shall not be consigned to the
cold tomb of a museum and subjected to
the stupid glance Of the careless passerby;
but require that they shall be dispersed
under the hammer Of the auetiOneer, 30 that
the pleasure which the requirement of each
one of them has given me shall be gwen
again in each case to some inheritor OF my
own tastes. -
Places of Sale.
The rooms in which sales were held were:
G. F. Libbie & Co., Boston; Anderson Gal
leries American Art Association, Scott %
o 'Shaughnessy, the Walpole Galleries, New
York, and Stan. V. Henkeis, Philadelphia.
Sales have been held in other places at va.
rious times. but a. these places are not
regularly engaged in selling such material
as comes within the scope of this depart
hoe fnE nj
results, and this is also true of certain
places which purport to be auction con-
Germs whose methods are not recognized by
buyers generally.
As whole, the season past leads to one
conclusion: good books will always sell, the
limit of their value being measured solely
by the desire of buyers to own them. One
hears frequently the statement that there
are no more great collections to come on the
market; that scouts who go out searching
for rare items report their inability to find
anything worth while. or that those they
meet decline to sell. However this NAV be,
it is yet fact that each season sees one or
more important sales in which collectors and
dealers in all specialties find what they
want. There are many old libraries in this
country that have never been touched, and
there always comes n time when these pass
into hands that place little value upon them.
Then they come on the market.
Facts and Figures.
The Anderson Galleries report that their
season opened December 10, 1917, since
which time they have held fifty sales. Tho
returns from book sales were $777, 7S2.65;
from letters, s44,62l.7O; from prints, s39,-
2l2.3j and from miscellaneous sales, which
included objects of art, paintings, &C., SILL
1850. Their notable sales were: The
Huntington, parts 4-8; the Hagen; the
Groves; Robinson; Shakcspeariana, and the
Crimmins. The season closed on June ;,
and will reopen October |.
The American Art Association report:
Season opened November 10; number Of
sales, -; returns from book sales, $l1S,359.-
%; notable sales, Nuggets of American
History; Roberts ; Quakeriana; Brady IL
brary; Haywood first editions; Hutchinson
EeirlOoms; Bergen books aud papers Sea-
son closed April 30; will reopen at the end
of October. No figures are given for letters
or prints.
Prospects for IeI8-1o.
For the season of 19lS-l9 it is said that
an abundance of high class material is of
fered in ali lines, and that there will be
many interesting sales The auction houses
may be relied upon to find and secure many
choice lots, and the settlement of estates
will furnish 4 fruitful source of supply, to
say nothing of other regular sources To
those who have material TO dispose of it NAV
be suggested that there is no better time to
sell than when money is plenty and new col
lectors are coming into the field, ready to
pay any price they may have to in order to
secure what they want.
making tents and getting ready for the
summer again.