Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-12-24
Sound First Aid in
Finding the Books
Purchasers Wish
Gift Buyers Do Not Always
Hare Correct Title, but
KnOw What 1t Is Like.


The difficulty which Solomon expert
enced in selecting his favorite wife from
the 700 would have been a simple process
of mathematical elimination in compari-
son to the troubles Of befuddled indt-
vidual who tries to choose a Christmas
present at the book counter where the
200" scream at him with startling titles
and dazzling covers. not to mention glar-
ing pictures. But the man who provides
information upon anything north of the
Panama Canal and south of the North
Pole has a soft Job likened to- the quality
and degree of the knowledge furnished
by the clerk at the book department, when
she explains to the aspirant OF extensive
reading that Hume's History of Eng
land in six volumes is not light reading,
and that the Garden Of Allah" is not a
| description Of che harem of Mahomet.
The trend of light conversation upon the
subject of books was gliding along
gracefully until the customer asked for
something in friction" The clerk i'm
mediately examined the titles of the
books furtively, but without light upon
the subject
DIRECTION, FIsHIN'
AND FICTION"
Perhaps it was fishin'," suggested the
customer hopefully, with the result that
the clerk looked more troubled. But
after the storm comes the light" and
radiant expression lighted her counte-
nance as she asked; "Do you mean ftc-
! tion?" to which the customer responded
that she guessed" that was It with the
question. What Is fiction. anyway"
The latest addition to tho department
was handling her trade with q dexterity
and self-assurance that was a slur on
the old members. The classical gentle
man was seeking an embelished copy Of
THE Rubyiat" for his equally scholarly
friend.
THE Ruby Yacht" returned hts help
full director. I'VE don't carry them up
here. You will have to go to the toy de-
partment."
Having disposed OF that trouble she
diverted her attention upon the college
girl who wanted Dickens BLEAK House"
The title being unfamiliar to her fund
OF information she called across the
room to the head OF the department,
, Have We any such book by the name OF
the author, the dickens7'"
over at the other end Of the counter
a determined woman was demanding
/ THE Victims" while the saleswoman
assured her that she had made a mis-
take and wanted The Captives." While
the customer was debating the question
OF her own ability versus that OF the
clerk. the latter disposed OF the high
school boy who wanted pony" by
directing him 10 the toy department
In the meantime the latest addition
TO the department was frantiCally hunt
ing through the catalog for The Sleepy
Bee" An expert appeared upon the
scene with the suggestion that said Gus
toner desired "slippy McGee" TO which
the customer assented while the new
addition murmured, "Oh, yes. slippery
MCGEE. why didn't I think OF THAR"
MIND READING EASY
IN COMPARISON.
According to the opinion Of the New
York buyer the psychology Of mind
reading was weak expression for the
art OF knowing what the customer wants
when he doesn't say IT,
Book business is seven-eighths bluff
and one-eighth real knowledge upon the
subject. Look wise and say nothing is
the best advice you can get upon the
subject" he declared. when man
comes In aud asks for the ended Egg
and means 'Guda Of or. you have 90
look at him inteiligenuy until you can
get your breath and get TO work think
ing what process Of revolution bis Gran
ium went through before he arrived at
that time
THE other day n woman asked for
The Man OF All Ages instead OF "The
Man for All Ages which was a very
mild misnomer IN comparison to the
puzzles which we unravel in the way
Of names every day"
But the troubles OF the ribbon counter
where the woman wanted TO return half
a yard OF ribbon because her baby cried
when she brought II home. has absolute
ly nothing on the book department. The
woman In the blue suit was arguing
voluminously. II not effectively. that the
clerk had given her the wrong book the
day before yesterday Despite the evl.
dence that the mistake could not have
been made, since one was on a - cent
counter and the other was parked In
Sl39 lot
This place is getting to be a regular
circulating library" sighed the New York
buyer. They take a book home and
then bring II back the next day saying
that II was a mistake. But what can you
do about it? We know they stayed up
an extra half hour to read Il, but we
can't prove It on them"
His eyes renectiyely followed the long
legged man on his tour OF inspection
through the popular" novels.
REPRINTS
POPULAR
THE Ligh cost Of books this year" he
continued, has caused an extra heavy
run Of the popular novels; that is, what
the publisher calls a reprint The new
first editions are so much higher than
they were last year that many persons
feel that n present Of the reprint type
would be just as acceptable"
He included In his list Of "old time"
favorites which the purchaser can't "go
wrong" in buying, as Cooper's Spy"
Hale's Man Without a Home" Haw-
thorne's "Tanglewood Tales" kip
ling's 1.-THE Light That Failed" Malory's
king Arthur" Sswyer's This Way to
Christmas" Stoves "Uncle Toms
Cabin" Blackmore's Lorna Doone"
Dickens "Old Curiosity Shop" Craw-
ford's Little city Of Hope" Eggleston's
'"The Hoosier Schoolmaster" and Irving's
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