Some volumes, for which the demand was indeed slender several
generations ago, are today the real prizes of literature. Take for
example the earlier pamphlets and books of Poe, which today are
virtually beyond the means of the average collector. But this
circumstance need not stifle collecting enthusiasm. There are other
volumes, which, while no longer cheap in terms of dollars and cents,
should nevertheless double or treble in value, or perhaps even better
than that, as time goes on. Of course it would be foolish to promise
this as a certainty, and we shall therefore content ourselves with
pointing out some “first edition nuggets” that seem to have an excellent
chance of “coming into the money” at some future period. But before
doing so, let us whisper in your ear, the desirability—we might almost
say the necessity—of only acquiring “firsts” in fine condition. Yes, we
know they’re hard to get, and also that they cost more, but in our
opinion, they’re well worth the difference. Auction records have
demonstrated this time and time again. And now, let us “amble beyond our
preamble,” and point out a few, present-day good buys.
Were we going into this branch of literary speculation, we should
endeavor to acquire the first edition, first issue of Walt Whitman’s
“Leaves of Grass,” and which was published in Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1855.
No need to specify here all the necessary “points,” because, unless you
are a 100% bibliophile, you will probably do better acquiring this
treasure through some trustworthy and sophisticated rare book dealer. In
his worthy volume, “The Romance of Great Books and Their Authors,” John
T. Winterich quotes an assertion made by A. Edward Newton to the effect
that the first edition of the “Leaves of Grass” will reach a higher
figure than any other important book published in the nineteenth
century. When this declaration was made in 1924, asserts Mr. Winterich,
“Leaves of Grass” was selling in the market for $200 or less. Three
years later a copy was auctioned for $800, and in the interval since,
the price has risen, at auction and rare booksellers’ catalogues, to as
high as $3,000, with no indication that a summit of value has been
reached. The Chaucer Head Bookshop, of New York, recently offered a fine
copy without foxing for $1,000.
Another book with a definite speculative future is the first issue of
the first edition of Mark Twain’s first book, “The Celebrated Jumping
Frog of Calaveras County, and Other Sketches”, with the original blue
cloth binding, and all the “points”. It was published in New York in
1867, and at the Effrem Zimbalist sale, held at the Parke-Bernet
Galleries on Nov. 15, an immaculate copy brought $610. Beadle, the daddy
of lurid American literature on a large scale, had previously published
in No. 3 of his “Dime Book of Fun” an abridged version of the “Frog”.
And if you should happen to run across a copy in good condition, there
should be no difficulty in collecting at least $200 therefore.
Or if pocket-book limitations do not justify “eating quite so high on
the hog”, we commend the issues of HARPER’S MAGAZINE from January to
August, 1894 inclusive. These contain the first printing of George Du
Maurier’s “Trilby”. It was later published in book form, but a picture
and a paragraph, which J. McNeil Whistler claimed lampooned him, were
omitted from the latter, although they had appeared in the magazine,
which explains why it is more sought after by collectors than the book.
Bound volumes of the Du Maurier HARPER’S without the covers are not
particularly scarce and hardly to be considered from the standpoint of a
speculative future. Therefore, endeavor to secure the unbound monthly
parts in good condition, and with the original wrappers. At the William
Harris Arnold sale in 1924, they brought $70.
(_To be continued._)
ESSENTIAL FOR SHEET MUSIC LOVERS
ANNALS OF MUSIC IN AMERICA
By Henry C. Lahee
The book traces the development of music in America in chronological
order. Divided into periods with a brief review of each. The work is
systematically indexed.
First mention of various musical instruments.
First performance of significant orchestral, choral, and operatic
works.
First concerts and musical performances given in various sections of
the country.
Opening of the earliest theatres, opera houses and concert halls.
Establishment of the first schools and conservatories of music.
American debuts of noted singers, pianists, violinists, and
conductors.