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

NEW YORK. July For DAYS al
} tirle It frequently happens that
a. a single customer makes a
rNfchase al Z little basement book
\ on Manhattan's upper east side
~ BUSINESS AZ 50 good that Miss
Bare Ira Barnes and r.. w. Nichols.
the proprietors, 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 copv
OF Louisa May Alcott there for lsss
and many Of the rare volumes and
manuscripts range as high as $4,000
each. a few run into the tens or
thousands.
The shop itself resembles a coziIv
furnished living room. but two loeb
ed doors and ir0n-barred windows
guard the treasures on the shelves
OF glass-front bookcases. The cases
are packed now, with some OF the
volumes wedged in horizontally. for
Miss Barnes and Nichols have had
TO add 100 new nieces 10 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
IN this country. II was only three
months ago that he started the
thcusand-dollar book shop in part
nership with Miss Barnes. a New
York society girl who has made n
study or collections. But in that time
they have sold volumes 10 collectors
Investigators. book lovers. and even
millionaire who chose certain az the
costly pieces because their bind
ings would lock we'll on library tables.
Many women are among their Gus
toners.
Both are particularly interested in
Americana now. for the profession
they say. has just begun 10 boost
American items. Edgar Allan Poe
II the best bet Nichols declared.
Tor one reason because his earlier
pamphlets were produced on his own
press with the help Of a friend.
strangely enough. neither The
works OF Poe nor any other Ameri-
can writer are being discovered in
anything like the numbers you might
expect. But the fact that these
finds occasionally arc made only
adds 20 the romance OF book collect
ing.
For instance. there was the dealer
who paid $3.50 for u number Or old
books. An agent for a larger COM
pany took M look az the odd lot
and offered $3.50. When the sale
was made. he called Owen d. Young.
one OF the most ardent collectors In
the country. and announced that he
had a first edition OF The Muir
ders Ia the Rue Morgue.' ard Of
fered IN for $4,000. Mr.. Young said
no would pay ss5 900. and although
I do not know the amount finally
agreed upon. the book was sold.
Hawthorne. Emerson. Melville.
Twain and o. Henry are some Of
the other American authors who
are interesting collectors. In four
o. five years the Scarlet Letter
has jumped In value from $50 to
about $1,000. Whitman'g Leaves or
Grass rs valuable. and SO are first
editions Of EmrrS0n'S Essays.
Coed Copies Rare
" Tom Sawyer II the book Is In
excellent condition. may bring as
much as $1,000 now. on the other
hand H~uckieberrv Finn has depre-
ciatcd In value from about $500 20
$50 because the market has been
flooded with newly discovered books
These volumes. like Alice in
Wonderland. which may bring from
$4,000 10 5000. are very difficult to
find IN good condition because. on
account OF their popularity. they
usually are literally read 10 pieces
OF course. many Of the rare books
now IN circulation between collectors
have been catalogued for some time.
but others are almost constantly
being discovered. Dusty shelves and
attics Of old houses have. Welded
many n valuable find. although IN
many cases the original owners are
unable To 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 Cabell. But collectors
are finding no inspiration in Nathan,
Mencken and the rest Of ther con-
temporaries.
Other domestic items which arc
att-ancting moro and more attention
from collectors arc early historical
documents. The shop has two hiqh-
ly-prized pieces. one a description
Of Virginia. dated 1920. designed as
a petition to King George to abol-