The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-03-06
NEW YORK. CITY. Maria 6.-17cy
York probably has more secondhand

VIEW YORK. CITY. Maria 6.-1ISvy
York probably has more secondhand
bookshops than any other city in the
world. Dozens of single shops, with
their outside tables piled high with
books, may be found on every main
thoroughfare, while occasionally whole
clusters OF them appear together, as
Is the case on lower Fourth Avenue
between Eighth and Fourteenth
streets. and on Fifty-ninth street run
ming east from Fifth Avenue.
To book lovers, these dingy book
marts are a never-failing source OF de-
light. There Is an atmosphere of ro-
nance and mystery about their dusty
shelves that Is never encountered in
the new-book stores where the stand
ard prices and neat paper jackets OF
the volumes proclaim their absence OF
an eventful past. There is also a Ger.
tain tranquility about them that Is ex-
tremely gratifying to those who like
to choose their reading matter with
care and elaboration. You can move
slowly about a secondhand bookshop,
inspecting book after book, without In
terruption from brisk, ambitious sales.
men. You can read whole, chapters,
even whole books (many people do) in
utter peace and quiet while the pro-
prietor rummages industriously around
somewhere in the rear of the store
apparently oblivious to your presence
He isn't, though, as you will soon per-
ceive if you carry observation-disclosures
too far and attempt to walk out with
a volume without paying for it.
Secondhand books are interesting
not only because of their bargain pos
sibilities, but because they are mys
FERROUS. They have lived eventful
sometimes hectic, lives, and are us
ually widely travelled. In the second
hand book stores of New York may be
found derelict volumes from all cities
and countries. Some of them have
fallen from high estate, as is evident
! from the names and inscriptions or
the fly leaves, while others have the
tawrdy, battered, and widely rubber
stamped appearance of outcasts tha
have passed restlessly from one book
seller to another. Sometimes bool
of very little value brings a higf
price because of its fly leaf which
bears the autograph of a celebrated
| individual, so that all fly leaves are
generally respected by bookseller:
land are not torn out, even though thell
Inscriptions are seemingly of trivia
nature.
Watch Fly Leaves Carefully.
Some of these fly leaves are wortf
looking at just as matter of human
| interest" declared one secondhand
| book dealer the other day. "Tak'
this classy old Bible now" he suggest
ed, exhibiting the large, fine, blacl
leather-bound volume to which he wa!
carefully administering a coat of shoe
polish. Its family Bible, and YOU
wonder how 1t ever happened to e
astray. It's come all the way from
Schenectady and its got a full recort
Ct family births and deaths in the bacl
of it. I'm getting it ready for a Gus
toner who says she believes sh'
knows some of the people recorded II
| it. Funny, amt it?
| "Such condolences often happen
Once, several years ago, l remember
there was quiet, studious youni
man standing by the table over Their
looking over the days bargains whel
suddenly he dropped the book he wa