The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-05-30


Anderson galleries here in New York
for one little volume of viii Shake
spears complete works, with Cham
dler's portrait. dated 1923. 1t was
first edition, of course, in remarkably
good condition considering its vast
age, and considered by the gratified
purchaser to be a great bargain as
first editions go.
Here is something yell worth re-
membering the next time you feel i'm
posed upon at having to pay $3.50 for
the latest product of your favorlte au-
thor. You never can tell-in few
years his works may be worth a good
deal more Some of Joseph Conrad S
already bring as much as $65 per copy,
while a first edition of Walt Whit
mans Leaves of Grass" recently sold
for $3.50.
But first editions. like all other an
tiques, grow more valuable as they get
older. An author has to be dead a
| long time before his books will bring
as much as $1,000 apiece, and few of
the books published nowadays are ca
! pable of surviving through several
centuries. Not that some of them are
not of lasting merit, but the materials
of which they are made are too fragile.
| The EliZabethan literature was
printed on strong, thick paper, made
! by hand from rags, and in many cases
remains whole and firm today. The
! Shakespeare volume mentioned above,
| for instance. is in as perfect condition
as it was in the seventeenth century,
except for a front page, where an ex-
pert eye can detect a break in the
watermark of the old paper, showing
that it has been mended.
"A good many of the old books have
to be doctored,' explained Mr. A. Babe
of the Anderson galleries, as he point
ed out to us the almost imperceptible
flaw in the precious Shakespeare vol
ume. There are, of course, experts
who specialize in this restoring work
Some of the books have been washed
and ironed in which case it is always
apparent. Many have been virtually
ruined in the big English libraries
where they remained for centuries
without proper care, and now have tc
be extensively repaired.
Others fell into the hands of care
full collectors, and have been passed
down in surprisingly fine trim. W.
can usually tell from the owners labe
in the front of book just what to eX
pect To mention one example. book
from the library of the late Rober
Hoe. which up until 1911 was the laTg
est private library in this country, are
always in good shape Mr.. Hoe evi
IDENTIFY took elaborate pains with them
Then we have several volumes here
from George Washington's library
which are in astonishingly good condi
l., 1r1
tor for his day, and took excellen
p, care of his books. Fortunately, so die
those who later acquired them"
Americans Are Collectors
Americans have always displayed al
unusual interest in collecting rar,
books. according TO Mr.. Babe, although
they have not been given much credi
for it. There were book catalogues
as far back as 1880. Fortunatel.
many of these early collectors took
: patriotic interest in the development
of the United States and carefully col
: Ilected all material relating to its his
toric growth Thus there is a grea
= deal of valuable historical data scat
tered about the various private libra
ries of the country, which some da.
will doubtless be turned over TO unive1
: the public.
In one case A wealthy American col
leCtOr financed the preparation of
complete history of all the variou
tribes of American Indians. Severa
5 of the finished volumes. containin
infinitely exact historical details an
accompanied by large numbers of re
( markable Photographic plates, were re
ian ,rrIN 70 A. l.,
p les and placed on exhibit. They wi
/ have to be sold because unfortunatel
+ the wealthy collector died before tn
monumental work was completed. an
i. his heirs have not the same interest i
4 supporting it. The Library of Congress!
t which is an extensive buyer at thes
l. rare book auctions, is said to be int,
I ested in obtaining the material.
q BY the way. gentle reader, if 70
S should suddenly come across any al
tcient data packed away in your garre
n or cellar, don't give it to the ashmaI
d but look it over carefully and then col
e suit a book expert. 1t may turn OF
t to be extremely valuable, like you
great-aunt's old bureau, which you foo
ishly sold to the secondhand man onl
\ later to discover that it was a tru
| pIOuuCL VI tu6 DIOlleIS Audlu NJ
| long ago a man sent in to the Ande
son galleries a few historical pan
iphlets handed down by his grandfatl
3 er, estimating their worth at s..
q the auction which occurred few day
e later, they brought s1,400. The SUI
a ject of the pamphlets was the earl
S development of the American West.
:. Rare Books Coming Here
- The majority of the high-priced vC
It umes which are handled by the Ande
3 son galleries, however. come from E
ropean instead of American priva-
d, libraries. This has been especially tn
n since the war. Gradually the world
If greatest book treasures in the En-
N lish language are coming to this cou
n try, as the result of the dwindling fo
s. tunes of the English nobility. No me-
a, can enjoy luxury while he is hungr
u so, in spite of their cherished fami
y, traditions, the remonstrances of Br
lie lsh booklovers and the scorn of an j
dignant government, the owners
some of the most remarkable book Ct
j. lections abroad are reluctantly putin
m them IN for anCtiOp They bo-a n,