Ref605.3 BOOK-PRICES CURRENT, VOLUMES I. TO XIX. Being a Record of the Prices at which Books have been Some of the earlier volumes are out of print and others are at a premium. Reports will be made in answer to queries by the publisher. Opinions of the Press. "We acknowledge, with much pleasure, that 'Book-Prices Current' is now the most carefully edited work of its kind published in this or any other country."-Athenæum. "Book-Prices Current-the Whitaker's Almanack of book-buyers and booksellers."-Illustrated London News. "A very useful and admirably edited and printed publication.”—Morning Post. NOW READY. In demy 8vo., bound in buckram, uniform with BOOK- THE INDEX TO THE FIRST TEN VOLUMES OF BOOK-PRICES CURRENT (1887 to 1896): Constituting a Reference List of Subjects and, incidentally, a Key to Anonymous and Pseudonymous Literature. "If money, as Anthony Trollope neatly put it, be the reward of labour, too much is certainly not asked for the labour which has marshalled into order a manuscript involving 33,000 distinct titles and considerably over 500,000 numerals. The typographical arrangement of the volume will receive praise from those who can understand the difficulties of the printers' task."— The Guardian. INTRODUCTION. A REFERENCE to the "Table of Contents" in this present volume of BOOK-PRICES CURRENT will disclose the fact that the average for the season 1905-6 amounts to £2 11s. 3d., that being the amount realised for each of the 37,414 lots comprised in the sales which it has been thought necessary to report, assuming, of course, that the total amount realised (£95,829) were evenly distributed. This system of striking an average, and in that way shewing the comparative importance of each season's book sales, practically commenced in 1893, when the figures stood at £1 6s. 7d., and has continued to the present time, the table standing as follows: It may be said that very little difference is observable in the general prices of books during the last two seasons, the higher figure for 1905 being accounted for by the fact that an unusual number of extremely scarce and valuable books were offered for sale as reported in the Nineteenth Volume of BOOK-PRICES CURRENT. A list of them will be found in the Introduction to that volume; and I now give similar tables, commencing, as before, with Shakespeariana, all in 4to, unless otherwise mentioned. The list during the season 1905-6 is as under :— Realised £ Much Ado About Nothing, morocco extra, restored, 1,570 Midsummer Nights Dreame, modern morocco, re- 480 Realised £ First Folio, neither port. nor verses, old calf, 13ins. .. Othello, morocco, uncut (Sir Henry Irving's copy), 245 200 161 .. 150 150 A Yorkshire Tragedy, unbound, 1619 125 Fourth Folio, 147ins. by 9ins., contemporary calf, 1685 .. 119 Whole Contention between Lancaster and York, un- Plays (Johnson and Steevens), 10 vols. in 20 (on 106 Many other entries relating to Shakespeariana will be found in the following pages. One copy of the first folio appeared for sale during the season, four copies of the second, one of the third, and seven of the fourth, as well as two copies of the Poems' of 1640, and many specially printed Lyceum Plays and Plays as altered by Dryden and Kean. These will all be found indexed in their proper places, but being for the most part imperfect or comparatively unimportant by reason of circumstances, it is not necessary to dwell upon them now. Among the other Books offered for sale during the season the following are worthy of special mention. All were in 4to, except when otherwise mentioned. Forster (John).-Life of Dickens, extra illustrated, Realised £ 380 Biblia Sacra, Ben Jonson's copy, old morocco, 1599 Common Prayer Book, formerly belonging to Charles Enterlude of Youth, a Play, unbound (1560 ?) Garrick (David).—Life, a Memorial," 5 vols., folio, Interlude of Welth and Helth, a Play, unbound 285 233 Bulletins de la Convention Nationale, folio, complete set, 1792-95 Still (John).-Gammer Gurton's Needle, a Play, .. .. Wapull (Geo.).-Tyde Taryeth No Man, a Play, .. Realised £ 190 180 176 170 169 169 168 .. 165 160 Sporting Magazine, 156 vols., half calf, and Sir Walter Preston (Thos.)-Life of Cambises, a Play, unbound Nice Wanton, a Play, unbound (1560) Shelley (P. B.).—Queen Mab, orig. boards, clean as Haden (F. S.) Etudes à l'eau Forte, 1866, two copies, The Triall of Treasure, a Play, unbound, defective, New Custome, a Play, unbound, title defective (1573?) 155 151 Impacyente Poverte, a Play, unbound (1560) 150 148 Gould (J.).—Birds of Australia, 8 vol., and 2 vol. Lusty Juventus, a Play, unbound (1560 ?) Dallaway and Cartwright.-History of Sussex, extra In addition, seventeen other works realised £100 or over, while many more are credited with very substantial amounts, though on the whole it cannot be said that these high-priced books are as numerous as they have been on recent occasions. In one respect the most important sale of the season was that held by Messrs. Sotheby on May 7th and following days, when the late Mr. Truman's fine collection of works illustrated by George Cruikshank, was brought to the hammer. The collection was also rich in caricatures and other prints attributed to the same artist, and, speaking of it as a whole, it may be said with every confidence that such an important and extensive accumulation can hardly be seen again. In very many instances Cruikshank had verified illustrations by initialing them, or had rejected them altogether as not being by him, so that this collection was as authoritative as it was possible to make it. The next best collection of the kind was that formed by Mr. H. W. Bruton, and sold, also at Sotheby's, in June, 1897. Mr. Bruton prepared the Truman catalogue, itself an excellent memorial, and one which will no doubt prove not merely interesting to collectors of Cruikshank's works, but useful as well. Another important feature of the season's sales was the collection of 17 pre-Shakespearian plays, sold on June 30th. Some of these realised large amounts, as mentioned above, and it is worthy of congratulation that a few of them, at any rate, yet remain in this country. Two are known to have gone to the United States, but the British Museum acquired several, and private collectors in this country one or two. English plays of the 16th century are, of course, extremely scarce and correspondingly valuable, and to find so many in the possession of a single owner is a circumstance which can only be described as highly exceptional. CROYDON, SURREY. September 29th, 1906. J. H. SLATER. |