RARE BOOKS, AUTOGRAPHS AND PRINTS

The new volume of "English Book Prices Current, 1918," edited by J. H. Slater, has made its appearance. Mr. Slater notes in the introduction the interference of the war with the book auction market but says that during the season that has drawn to its close the prices obtained for books of a really important character ruled higher than they have ever done before in this country. This is due to a considerable degree to the activity of American buyers who were large purchasers at the Huth, Fairfax, Murray, Fitzwilliam, Vernon and George Dunn sales. All these brought many rare items into the market, notably the Vernon sale, with its unknown Shakespeare quartos and early English plays. As long as the American market holds firm, or advances as it has this season, current prices, at least, will be maintained in England.

A bibliography of Robert Louis Stevenson by J. H. Slater, was published in London in 1914. In addition to the bibliographical description the editor added many valuable notes and gave the auction room value, in London, of each item. “With few exceptions," said Mr. Slater, "every book in the survey is valued as closely as possible with reference to auction prices, having regard to the circumstances surrounding each particular case.' Again, he said, "it should also be noted that collectors of Stevenson's works are more than usually punctilious in the matter of condition and binding. The binding should be original and the condition sound and good." Based on these conditions a comparison of London prices of five years ago with New York auction prices of this season may be of interest.

1914.

£6 15

1919.
.$200.00
75.00

80.00

92.50 365.00

ΙΟ 0 5 10 ΙΟ 0 IO IO 66

125.00

16.00

28.00

8.25

8.50

7.00

12 0

5 5
2 2
I 12

ΙΟ
I O

Before me, a Notary Public in and for the State and County aforesaid, personally appeared J. A. Holden, who, having been duly sworn according to law, deposes and says that he is the Business Manager of the PUBLISHERS' WEEKLY and that the following is, to the best of his knowledge and belief, a true statement of the ownership, management, etc., of the aforesaid publication for the date shown in the above caption, required by the Act of August 24, 1912, embodied in section 443, Postal Laws and Regulations, printed on the reverse of this form, to wit:

R. R. BOWKER Co., 241 West 37th St., New York. R. R. BOWKER, 241 West 37th St., New York. A. H. LEYPOLDT, 241 West 37th St., New York. J. A. HOLDEN, 241 West 37th St., New York. S. B. LYND, 241 West 37th St., New York. F. G. MELCHER, 241 West 37th St., New York. 3. That the known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1 per cent. or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities are: NONE.

4. That the two paragraphs next above, giving the names of the owners, stockholders, and security holders, if any, contain not only the list of stockholders and security holders as they appear upon the books of the company, but also, in cases where the stockholder or security holder appears upon the books of the company as trustee or in any other fiduciary relation, the name of the person or corporation for whom such trustee is acting, is given; also that the said two paragraphs contain 18 statements embracing affiant's full knowledge and belief as to the circumstances and conditions under which stockholders and security holders who do not appear upon the books of the company as trustees, hold stock and securities in a capacity other than that of a bona fide owner; and this affiant has no reason to believe that any other person, association, or corporation has any interest direct or indirect in the said stock, bonds, or other securities than as so stated by him.

This season's quotations are all taken from the Jones sale in March. All were clean cloth-bound copies meeting Mr. Slater's requirements. A full set of the first editions of Stevenson would probably be worth three times as much in New York to-day as it would have been in London five years ago according to Mr. Slater's figures. And the indications still point to steady advances in the price of the first editions of Stevenson in choice condition-and especially for the rarities and presentation copies.

J. A. HOLDEN, Business Manager.
Sworn to and subscribed before me
this 22nd day of March, 1919.
DELLA M. GRAHAM,

Notary Public, Kings Co., N. Y., No. 206.
(My commission expires March 30, 1919.)
[Seal.]
Certificate filed in New York Co. No. 263.
New York Register No. 9229.

RARE BOOKS, AUTOGRAPHS AND PRINTS

Walter R. Benjamin, the autograph dealer, in September, 1915, declared that "when the Great War broke out over a year ago I expected that many foreign autographs would come on the market, and that a fall in prices would follow. My expectations seem to be wrong. Nothing of the sort has happened. I still think it will happen later on." Some book collectors and rare book dealers held the same opinion in regard to rare books. And yet to-day literary rarities of all kinds bring more in London and New York than ever before with no indication of a drop in prices or an over supply of stock.

All kinds of rare books are having a chance in the present market--early English litera

B

OOKS.—All out-of-print books supplied, no matter on what subject. Write us. We can get you any book ever published. Please state wants. When in England call and see our 50,000 rare books. BAKER'S GREAT BOOKSHOP, 14-16 John Bright Street. Birmingham, England.

Otto Sauer Method French German Spanish Italian With Key $1.25 Without Key $1.00

Generous Discounts to the trade

Wycil & Company, New York

ANTIQUARIAN BOOK CO.

Evesham Road, Stratford-on-Avon. England Catalogues of Rare Books and First Editions mailed free on request. Out of print books sought for. Send want lists giving price limits. Prompt attention and fine copies guaranteed.

(ESTABLISHED 1868)

ture, first editions of modern authors, presentation and association books, desirable autographs, colored plate and sporting books, fine sets of standard authors, Americana, books along all these lines are in active demand frequently at record prices. Collectors are very particular, however, that their purchases shall be in good condition.

At the sale of Americana held in Philadelphia March 21 at the rooms of Stan V. Henkels, Franklin imprints brought good prices. A copy of a "Sermon on Education" by Rev. Dr. Richard Peters, printed by Franklin, in 1751-a presentation copy from Franklin-brought $575. An essay on the "Faith of Assurance," brought $475.

Autograph letters and manuscripts from the collection of the late James Carleton Young were sold at the Anderson Galleries on March 31 and April 1 and 2. The autographs formed a large and miscellaneous list, many relating to the books inscribed by their authors for Mr. Young which had been sold in previous sales. The rarer items brought fair prices; the more common material was not in much demand.

Many collectors do not quite understand the high prices which the plays of Robert Greene have brought in recent years. "It should be remembered," says "The Bibliographer" in the Boston Transcript, that "apart from the extreme rarity of these plays he was one of that triumvirate, Greene, Peele and Marlowe, who really created the English drama. They were the first in whose plays human passions and actions were expressed with true dramatic effect. Peele and Greene were not inventive, so far as plots are concerned, but they made their characters

C. D. CAZENOVE & SON act and react upon one another. Greene wrote

largely under the influence of Lyly, but his
plays contain some fine lines among much
bombast, and his poems, scattered thru his
writings, are full of grace. No collector of
early English literature, therefore, can afford
to neglect them."
F. M. H.

English Catalogue of Books, 1918

8vo, cloth, price $3 net

This annual is being pushed for early issue and will probably be here in April.
The London price has been increased to 10s 6d net; the American price will be
$3 net.
As the edition is necessarily limited we ask subscribers having a file
of the catalogue to send in their orders at once.

241 W. 37th St., New York

The Publishers Weekly