Limited Editions and the Pleasures of Collecting
It would be quite impossible within the limits of a short chapter to
deal with such a great subject as the above title represents. The
subject, however, is fascinating not only to the book collector but to
those in the trade, both new and second-hand, through whose hands the
books pass.
Until the introduction of printing, what may be termed books or
literature were all limited editions, as in olden times it was only
by the industry of the scribes that other copies could be produced.
Privately printed originally meant printed in a university or private
residence and not in the offices of an ordinary printer. Now, however,
privately printed and limited editions have each much the same meaning,
as they are both practically limited in the numbers printed.
I must confess that I have a profound sympathy with all collectors
of this particular class of book-producing, for it is with great
pride that one takes down from the shelves a volume of this class
of literature and reads how many copies of it were printed, and any
history that may be connected with it. This attraction is from my
point of view as far apart as the poles from that of collecting works
produced before the origin of printing or even those in the centuries
afterwards, where frequently the mistakes in printing make the value of
the book. Such, for instance, as that of the Bible where the word "not"
is left out in one of the commandments, or where a chance misprint or
mistake is noted in some of Shakespeare's or other Elizabethan plays. A
long list could easily be made of the small things that render some of
these ancient volumes valuable.
To-day, these limited editions are produced in the most careful,
complete, and perfect manner possible. From a real book-lover's point
of view, the beauty of the type, the excellency of the paper and the
artistic merit of its binding, coupled with the literary value of the
book itself, make a volume which one is proud to possess and have upon
one's shelves. For some years past there has been a considerable demand
for the limited issue of well-illustrated books numbered and signed by
such artists as Rackham, Dulac, and others; these are widely sought
after and collected; so also are those works issued by private presses
of which the past fifty years has seen some splendid developments.
Take, for instance, the Ashenden Press, with its beautiful edition of
Dante; the Kelmscott Press, under the guidance of William Morris, which
issued many of his own books (the wood-blocks of his works are now in
the keeping of the British Museum, with whom they were deposited on
the understanding that no one is to be at liberty to print from them
for a hundred years); the Vale Press, which limited its editions to
200 copies; the Cardoc Press; the Eragny Press; the Essex House Press;
the Dove Press, which finished its course in 1917 by the type being
"cast" into the Thames and "distributed" at the bottom of the river;
and Mr. Daniel's Press at Oxford. Although these various presses appeal
to the collector, first editions and rare books have a greater number
of collectors, whose lives are frequently passed in hunting after and
trying to discover and secure lost old volumes.
This pleasurable following to-day has not the advantages that
existed in the middle of the past century, as not only are there
now more seekers after these treasures of the past, but America has
so many collectors of old books that the demand is greater and the
prices higher. These drawbacks will greatly interfere with both the
business and the enjoyment of future collectors. The chances, too,
of the old-book collector are not nearly so great as formerly, for
the changes which have taken place, particularly in London, have
certainly swept away many of their favourite haunts. It is to many a
very great pleasure to look back in memory upon old Holywell Street,
with its scores of book-hunters turning over the boxes and seeking
for treasures. Mr. W.E. Gladstone and many dignitaries of the Church
could often be seen there. Fleet Street, the Strand, Holborn, and many
of the by-streets between Oxford Street and Trafalgar Square, were
great thoroughfares for the book-hunter; and although the barrows of
Farringdon Street are still in existence, either the bookstall man now
knows his business better than his predecessor or the gems are sold
before he places these precious books on his barrow. Many times I have
turned over the stock of old books on these Farringdon Street barrows,
but have never yet been able to find anything of value, although others
have been more fortunate. We have now no such opportunities as those of
Charles Lamb; and I cannot say if we would avail ourselves of them even
if we had. Lamb writes (March 25, 1829):--
"I have just come from town where I have been to get my bit of
quarterly pension. I have brought home from stalls in Barbican the old
'Pilgrims Progress' with the prints Vanity Fair, etc., now scarce,
four shillings, cheap. And also one of whom I have oft heard and had
dreams, but never saw it in the flesh--that is in sheep-skin--'The
whole Theological works of Thomas Aquinas.' My arms ached with lugging
it a mile to the stage, but the burden was a pleasure."
All lovers of books must at some time feel the fascination of the
second-hand bookseller's shop, and especially when it has a "Tuppenny
Box" attached to it. At such shops, you may examine every book in
the place, read a little, look at the pictures and the binding, have
a gossip with the intelligent bookseller, and never be asked to spend
a penny. The keeper of such books usually knows his business and the
origin and history of much of his stock, and is able to tell some good
bookish stories in keeping with his profession. A true lover of books
thinks little of their monetary value but treasures a volume because of
its contents, or perhaps for some association or memory connected with
the author.
One cannot get away from the feeling, when surrounded by old books,
that there is probably some unsuspected treasure hidden among the
volumes handled with so much pleasure. What a thrill would pass through
you if you discovered one of Shakespeare's original plays or some other
of the many precious dramas of the Elizabethan age. Or a first edition
of Scott, Lamb, Burns, Blake, or even one of Dr. Watts' Divine Songs
containing "Let dogs delight to bark and bite," a copy of which was
sold for £155. It is said that the bibliomaniac fever generally begins
at the bookstall. Of all kinds of human weakness, the craze for buying
and collecting old books is the most excusable. In the early phases
of this complaint, the book-lover is content to purchase only books
which he reads; next, he buys books which he means to read, and, as
his stores accumulate, hopes to read; by and by he takes home books in
beautiful bindings, or artistic illustrations, or of an early date, and
sometimes printed in a language which he cannot read. Once a lover,
always a lover, is a true saying, particularly when applied to a lover
of books. As old age draws near, the lover of books finds a solace
and joy in the companionship of his silent friends, which not only
increases as the years pass on but undoubtedly helps to maintain his
interest in life. He may retire from active business at any time, and
still in his retirement be as happy and contented as at any period of
his more strenuous days.
In my own case many of these ideals have been realized. Numberless
volumes have been written on the pleasures of book-hunting and its
results. Some glory in their collection of books upon certain subjects,
such as Angling and all other kinds of sport; some have libraries
on Philosophy, History, Biography, Architecture, and other branches
of intellectual study; others collect fiction and first editions of
celebrated authors, many of which have only a fleeting value. In
whatever way we regard book-collecting, there can be no doubt that
if carried through from an intellectual point of view, there are few
things in life which are so rich in quiet satisfaction or which give
such gratifying results to both mind and body.
It has been well said by Mr. J.A. Langford in his interesting volume
entitled "The Praise of Books": "A wise man will select his books, for
he would not wish to class them all under the sacred name of friends.
Some can be accepted only as acquaintances. The best books of all kinds
are taken to the heart and cherished as his most precious possession.
Others to be chatted with for a time, to spend a few pleasant hours
with, and laid aside, but not forgotten."
Such are some of the pleasures and the profits to be derived from
collecting, be it first editions, scarce books, or limited editions.