The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-05-30

you pay SIS, 900 for one little book?
This is the price recently paid at
the Anderson galleries here in New
York for one little volume of Will
Shakespeare's complete works, with
Chambers portrait, dated 1923. 1t
was a first edition, Of course, in re-
markedly good condition consider
ing its vast age, and considered by
the gratified purchaser to be
great bargain as first editions go.
Here is something well worth re-
membering the next time you feel
imposed upon at having to pay
$3.50 for the latest product of your
favorite author. You never can
tell-in a few years his works may
be worth a great deal more. Some
of Joseph Conrad's already bring
as much as $65 a copy, while a first
edition of Walt Whitman's Leaves
of Grass" recently sold for $3.50.
But first editions, like all other
antiques, grow more valuable as
they grow 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 pub
lished nowadays are capable of
surviving through several centur-
les. Not that some of them are
not of lasting merit, but the ma
terials 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 to-
day. The Shakespearean volume
mentioned above, for instance, is in
as perfect condition as it was in
the 18th century, except for a front
page, where an expert eye can de-
tect a break in the water-mark Of
the old paper, showing that it has
been mended
"A good many of the old books
have to be doctored," explained A
Babe of the Anderson galleries, as
he pointed out to US the almost
imperceptible flaw in the precious
Shakespeare volume. 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 virtual
ly ruined in the big English libra
ries, where they remained for cen
turtles without proper care, and now
have to be extensively repaired.
"Others fell into the hands of
careful collectors, and have been
passed down in surprisingly fine
trim. We can usually tell from the
owners label in the front of a book
just what to expect. To mention
one example, books from the library
of the late Robert Hoe, which up
to 1911 was the largest private Ii
brary in this county, are always in
good shape Mr.. Hoe evidently took
elaborate pains with them. Then
we have several volumes here from
George Washington's library, which
are in astonishingly good condi-
ton. Washington was great col
lector for his day, and took excel
lent care of his books. Fortunate
ly, SO did those who later acquired
them"
Americans Are Collectors.
Americans have always displayed
an unusual interest in collecting
rare books, according to Mr.. Bade,
although they have not been given
much credit for it. There were
book catalogues as far back as
1880. Fortunately many of these
early collectors took a patriotic in
terest in the development Of the
United States and carefully col
Iected all material relating to its
historic growth. Thus there is a
great deal of valuable historical
data scattered about the various
private Libraries of the country.
which some day will doubtless be
turned over to universities or 9TH
erwise made available to the pub
lie
In one case a wealthy American
collector financed the preparation
Of a complete history of all the var
ious tribes of American Indians.
Several of the finished volumes,
infinitely exact histori-
cal details and accompanied by
large numbers of remarkable pho
plates, were recently
brought to the Anderson galleries
and placed on exhibition. They