Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-07-06
Dusty Shelves
Yield First
Editions

NY NA
t-me L frequently happens that
lC = single customer makes a
r'~"haSe AZ n little basement book
on Manhattan's upper east side
~ business IS so good that Miss
Barrara Barnes and +. w. Nichols.
the cropTietorS, believe they see
signs Of returning general prosperity.
For the books that they sell are
priced from $1,000 upward. You
couldn't even buy a dog-eared CODY
Of Louisa May Alcott there for less
and many OF the rare volumes and
manuscripts range as high as $4,000
eacn. "A few run into the tens 81
thousands.
The shop itself resembles n cozilv
furnished living room. but two lock-
ed doors and iron-barred windows
guard the treasures on the shelves
Oh glass-front bookcases. The cases
are packed now. with some OF the
volumes wedged in horizontally. for
Miss Barnes and Nichols have had
70 add 100 new pieces to keen I'D
with the demand.
Women Among BUYERS
Being the editor OF a magazine for
the bookseller and collector. Nichols.
an Englishman. has been in close
touch with the American demand
during the six years he has been
III this country. III was only three
months ago that he started the
thousand-d0llar book shon I'm rart-
nersnip with Miss Barnes. a New
York society girl who has made a
study OF collections. But III that time
they have sold volumes % collectors.
investigators. hook-loverS. and even
milliCnalres who chose certain of the
costly pieces because their bind
ingS would look we'll on library tables.
Many women are among their GUS
toners.
Both r particularly interested in
Americana now. for the profession.
they say. has Just begun to boost
American items. Edgar Allan Pee
Is the best bet" Nichols declared.
for y reason because his earlier
pamphlets We're produced on his own
press, with the help of a friend.
Strangely enough. neither he
works Of Poe nor any other Amcri-
can writer are being discovered III
anything like the numbers you might
expect. But the fact that these
finds occasionally are made only
adds 70 the romance Of book collect
ing.
For instance. there was the dealer
who paid $3.50 for " number az old
books. An agent for a larger COM
pany took one look ar the odd lot
and offered $3.50. When the sale
was made. he called Owen y. Young.
one 0f the most ardent collectors IN
the country. and announced that he
had a first edition OF The Muir
ders in the Rue Morgue.'' and Of
fercd Ii for SIS. OC0. Mr.. Young said
he would pay Sl5.0 600. and although
! do not know the amount finally
agreed upon. the book was sold.
Hawthorne. Emerson. Melville.
Twain and o. Henry are some al
the other American authors who
are interesting collectors. IN four
OF five years the Scarlet Letter
has jumped IN value from $50 TO
about $1,000. Whitmau'S Leaves OF
Grass II valuable. and so are first
editions of Emers0n's Essays.
Good Copies Rare
" Tom Sawyer If the book is in
excellent condition. may bring rs
much al $1,000 now. On the other
hand 'Huckieberry Finn has deDre-
ciated i'm value from about $500 to
$50 because the market has been
flooded with newly discovered books
These volumes. like Alice III
I N~nwmI~wNuN~G q uwaynamr- w~-~w A-4w~- 49,
$4,000 20 5000. are very difficult 10
find i'm good condition because. on
account Of their popularity. they
usually are literally read 10 pieces"
or course. many or the rare books
now IN circulation between collectors
have been catalogued for some time.
but others arc almost constantly
being discovered. Dusty shelves and
attics Of old houses have yielded
many a valuable find. although IN
many cases the original owners are
unable 10 recognize their real value.
Among modern American authors.
first editions Of Sinclair Lewis. Theo-
dore Dresser and Ernest Hemming-
way are beginning TO assume some
value. So IS CabelI. But collectors
are finding no inspiration In Nathan,
Mcncken and the rest Of Their con-
tempo1aries.
Other domestic items which arc
attrancting more and more attention
from collectors arc early historical
documents. The shop has two high
ly-prized pieces. NM a description
of Virginia. dated 1920. designed as
a petition TO King George to abol-
ish slavery in Virginia. II was sign
cd IN l772 by Peyton Randolph.
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