THE HELMAN-TAYLOR CO., Cleveland, O. Seklemian, The golden maiden......... $1.50 E. R. HERRICK & Co., N. Y. Birch, Tents on the plains...... 1.00 1.25 new issue... LOTHROP PUB. Co., Bost. A. C. MCCLURG & Co., Cbic. Ervin, As told by the typewriter girl..... 1.25 Latimer, My scrap-book of the French 1.25 1.50 1.25 50 2.50 1.00 1.25 Revolution.... When Cupid calls..... 1.50 Svetla, Maria Felicia.... Lest we forget..... 5.00 McManus, Told in the twilight.... Porter, Tennyson's men and women. Shakespeare, Complete dramatic and Treasure bits, 2 v. Reichel, Cloud rifts.. Stell, Aleck Hormby. 1.00 FREDERICK M. Noa, Box 383, Geneva, N. Y. .$4.50; $9; 9.75 1.00 Noa, The pearl of the Antilles........ 1.25 .$5; 12.50 4.00 75 .... 1.75 Stevenson, By way of Cape Horn. LITTLE, BROWN & Co., Bost. Argyll, Organic evolution cross-examined.. Cassell Browning, O. Charles XII. of Sweden. Cr. 8°, 7% X 5; 380 p, 6s... ...Hurst. Cornish, C. J. Animals of to-day: their life and conversation; 16 il. Ex cr. 8°, 8% x 5%, 332 p., 65.. Seeley Dunderdale, G. Book of the bush: containing many truthful sketches of the early colonial life of squatters, whalers, convicts, diggers, and others who left their native land and never returned; il. by J. Macfarlane. Cr. 8°, 7% x 5, 328 p., 3s. 6d... Ward & L Gambling world: anecdotic memories and stories of personal experience in the temples of hazard and speculation; with some mysteries and iniquities of stock exchange affairs, by Rouge et Noir; app. by Blue Gown on turf gambling and bookmakers' practice: por of nouard. 8°,9 x 54, 384 p., 16s........ ..Hutchinson Hyne, C. Through Arctic Lapland. 8°, 8% x 55% 296 p., ros. 6d. Black author; sketches at Monte Carlo drawn by Paul Re Kitton, F. G. Dickens and his illustrators: Cruik· shank, Seymur, Buss, Phiz," Cattermole, Leech. Doyle, Stanfield. Maclise, Tenniel, Frank Stone, Landseer, Palmer Topham. Marcus Stone, and Luke Fildes; 22 pors. and facsimiles of 70 original drawings now reproduced for the first time. 4°, 115 x 84, 272 P, Redway Maxwell, H. Salmon and sea trout: how to propa 428., net.... gate, preserve, and catch them in British waters; 1. by Mrs. Graham Moir, E. F. T. Bennett, the author, and others. Cr. 8°, 71⁄2 x 4%, 284 p., 7s. 6d. (Anglers' lib.). Lawrence & B Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam: a paraphrase from several literal trans. by Richard Le Gallienne. 32°, 5% x 3, 102 p., leath., 38., net Richards Sculptors, Painters, and Gravers, International Society; illus souvenir catalogue of Exhibition of International Art, Knightsbridge; prepared by Carl Hentschel & Co. 4°. 9% x 7, 84 p., and plates, 3s. 6d., net. Heinemann Seddon, J. P. King René's honeymoon cabinet; il. from photos of panels painted by D. G Rossetti, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Ford Madox Brown, etc., with drawing by the author. Super-roy. 8°, 10 x 7, 26 p, 5S., net...... ......Batsford Shand, A. J. The war in the peninsula, 1808-1814: pors. and plans. Ex cr., 8° 84 x 53%. 328 p., 58.. Seeley Zimmern, Alice. The renaissance of girls' education in England: a record of 50 years' progress. Cr. 8°, 734 x 5, 264 P., 58............. Innes NOTES ON CATALOGUES. (No. 237, CATALOGUES OF NEW AND SECOND-HAND Books. Arthur M. Allen and Charles C. Allen, 412 River Street, Troy, N. Y., Miscellaneous. (No. 2, 117–342 titles.)—Breslauer & Meyer, 134 Leipziger-Str., Berlin, Scarce and valuable books of the xvth, xvith and XVIIth centuries; also, a number of manuscripts. An excellent catalogue for reference. In an appendix are given the titles of nearly 200 bibliographical works. (No. 1, 152 p. 8°.); also, Werthr lle Bibliothekewerke aus allen wissenschaften, sowohl zeitschriften. (No. 2, 247 titles.)-Brown & Townsend, 410 N. 9th St., St. Louis, Mo.. Political Economy, etc. (8 p. 12°.)- William J. Campbell, 1218 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Americana, genealogy, rare Mexican imprints, etc. Mr. Campbell's catalogues are always interesting reading. (No. 20, 228 titles.)-A. J. Craw ford, 312 N. 7th St., St. Louis, Mo., Americana, religion, political, magazines. (No. 43 1269 titles.)--W. O. Davie & Co., 224 E. 4th St., Cincinnati, O., Theological and miscellaneous, mental and moral philosophy. (No. 88, 153 p. 8°.)-Oto Harrassowitz, 14 Queerstr., Leipzig, Theologie u. kirchengeschichte. 4068 titles.)-Hall N. Jackson, 36 W. 6th St., Cincinnati, O., Americana, local history, etc. (551 titles )— John Joseph McVey, 39 N. 13th St., Philadelphia, Americana, general history and biography. (No. 15, 458 titles.)-Pickering & Chatto, 66 Haymarket, St. James's, S W., London, Illustrated Catalogue of old and rare boks. Illustrated with reproductions of rare prints and illustrations, and title-pages of curious books. (3752 titles. 6d.)-Bernard Quaritch, 15 Picadilly, London, Numismata and medallic history, oriental literature and languages, works on China, India, Persia, and Eastern art. (No. 184, 815 titles +22 p. 6d.) -M. V. Simon, 89 Rue de Vaugirard, Paris, Miscellaneous. (No. 31, 70 p. 12°.)— Walter T. Spencer, 27 New Oxford St., London, Miscellaneous. (No. 85, 110r titles.)-M. SpirSatis, 23 Marienstr., Leipzig, Semitica, Abth. 1: Aramäisch, Aethiopisch, Assyrisch, Hebräisch. (No. 63, 870 titles); also. Mittel- und OstAsiatische Sprachen. (No. 64, 457_titles.)— Karl Theodor Völcker, 3 Römerberg, Frankfurt a/m., Kunst (works of art, chiefly from the library of the late Dr. R. Adamy, inspector of museums in Darmstadt. (No. 219, 2170 titles.) The Publishers' Weekly. FOUNDED BY F. LEYPOLDT. DECEMBER 10, 1898. In Publishers are requested to furnish title-page proofs and advance information of books forthcoming, both for entry in the lists and for descriptive mention. An early copy of each book published should be forwarded, as it is of the utmost importance that the entries of books be made as promptly and as perfectly as possible. many cases booksellers depend on the WEEKLY solely for their information. The Record of New Publications of THE PUBLISHERS' WEEKLY is the materia! of "The American Catalogue and so forms the basis of all trade bibliography in the United States. "I hold every man a debtor to his profession, from the which, as men do of course seek to receive countenance and profit, so ought they of duty to endeavor themselves by way of amends to be a help and an ornament thereunto."-LORD BACON. BOOKS AT AUCTION IN AMERICA, SEASON OF 1897-1898. THE season during which books are sold at auction in America usually begins about the last week in September and ends the last week in the following June. There are three houses - Bangs & Co., in New York, C. F. Libbie & Co., in Boston, and Stan V. Henkels, in Philadelphia-that do the bulk of the business, though occasional sales take place in Chicago, Cincinnati, Washington, and other cities, and sometimes books are offered by auctioneers who ordinarily deal in furniture, pictures, or other goods. But the three houses mentioned are the only ones that have experienced cataloguers in their employ, and that make a regular business of selling books and autographs at auction. "The market—or current-prices of in-print books," according to Luther S. Livingston in The Bookman, "are set by the publishers, sub. ject to certain regular discounts and slight variations brought about by competition among booksellers. But the market prices of out-ofprint and rare books are fixed by supply and demand Some old books are, comparatively, quite common, and yet high in price. That is, several copies might be found at one time in the stocks of the various dealers in old books in New York City, and copies might turn up several times during a season in the various auction sales, but still the buyer would always be obliged to pay a good round price to secure a copy; for example, certain first editions, and some 'best' editions of works which are considered necessary in every great library. The demand keeps up the price. On the other hand, there are many books printed three or four hundred years ago which are in the nature of the case rare, but which are kicked about the auction-rooms, figuratively speaking, and to which booksellers dislike to give even storage room. In this class are thousands of old theological books and old editions of the classics. They are rare, but not in demand, and so prices are low." The best guide, generally speaking, to the value of out-of-print books is the prices they Dealers fix their bring at public auction. prices according to what the books have brought in various "sales." A systematic record of books sold at auction in England was begun by Elliot Stock in London in 1887, and has been published annually ever since, under the title of "Book-Prices Current." In 1895 another similar publication, with the title "Book Sales," was begun, and is also published annually. In both of these works the sales are arranged chronologically, and to find any book it is necessary to consult the alphabetical index at the end and to refer to the various sales. They do not, with an occasional exception, record any lots selling for less than £1. In 1895 was also issued the first volume of a similar compilation treating of American sales, with the title of "American Book-Prices Current." The first volume was arranged exactly like Stock's English "Book-Prices Current," but in the volumes of 1896 and succeeding years the books have been arranged alphabetically according to authors, and the various copies of the same book have been placed together, thus greatly facilitating reference. Three dollars has been taken as the limit of price, and almost all lots selling above this price are recorded. The period covered by the American work is not the twelve months of the calendar year, but of the auction "season," that is, from September 1 to September 1. During the three months, July, August, and September, when no sales take place, the book is printed and the record of the preceding season is in the book buyers' hands almost as soon as the sales begin in the autumn. The volume covering the last four months of 1897 and the first eight months of 1898 is now ready and may be recommended as a creditable piece of work.* The season, in some respects, has not been as important as the previous one, but in one great class of rare books, Americana, it is much more important. The volume records 7547 lots, 7047 being books, and 500 autographs, selected from catalogues of 114 sales. These 114 catalogues represent 219 days' sales and aggregate more than 85,000 lots. *Livingston, Luther S., comp. American Book-Prices Current: a record of books, manuscripts, and autographs sold at auction in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, from September 1, 1897, to September 1, 1898, with the prices realized; compiled from the auctioneer's catalogues. New York, Dodd, Mead & Co., 1898. c. 13+416 p. O. cl. ALL BOOKS PUBLISHED. THERE have lately appeared in the London Morning Post letters proposing the formation of a society which should collect, arrange, and index all books as soon as published. The root idea of the society is the prompt display at a convenient centre of everything in the nature of a new book, including published plays, and, if possible, a good number of foreign publications. The books so collected would be retained by the society for a minimum period of one year, and would then be disposed of to the members at reduced prices. Criticisms on notable new books would be col The most important library dispersed during A PROPOSED PERMANENT EXHIBIT OF the year was that of the late Charles Deane, which was sold by C. F. Libbie & Co. in two sales-the first March 8 to 10, and the second March 29 to April 1. This collection contained some of the rarest books relating to New England history, and, while many of them were not faultless in condition, still they brought high prices. One of the most interesting books was a copy of the first edition of Cushman's sermon "On the Danger of Self-Love," being the first printed sermon preached in New England. It brought $1000, and, with one exception, was the highest priced book to be sold during the year. The exception was John Smith's "True Relation," of 1608, his first book, which fetched $1425. Among the Deane autographs, the item which brought the highest price was a letter of William Bradford addressed to Governor Winthrop, which sold for $1030. The total amount realized in the sale of the Deane collection was $34,086.72. Among the other notable libraries dispersed were those of the late Frederick D. Stone, librarian of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, which contained many interesting pieces of Americana, and was naturally rich in books relating to Pennsylvania; the library of the Middlesex Mechanics' Association, which contained a number of long sets of periodicals and series of Government publications that rarely come up in auction sales; the library of the late Dr. Leonard R. Koecker, one of the earlier generation of book-collectors, and one of the few bibliophiles who were able to bind their own books; the valuable musical collection of the late Alexander W. Thayer, of Cambridge, Mass.; an exceedingly rich collection of works by or relating to Charles Lamb; the library of the late James H. Brown, of Malden, Mass., a collector of everything relating to the drama and the American stage; and the fine library of the late Francis B. Hayes, of Boston. As "American Book-Prices Current" is consulted primarily for prices as a guide to estimating values of other copies of the same books offered for sale, the compiler, in order to aid the bookseller or collector in his estimates, has this year incorporated, in the form of notes to 470 of the more important and interesting items, records of 1540 previous sales of the same books at auction in America or England. He has also this year, for the first time, prefixed to the date of the sale the name of the owner of the library where such name was made public. It is well known a book will bring a better price when sold in an important sale than when sold with a quantity of uninteresting items. In other respects the arrangement is identical with that of the two preceding volumes. lected, and could be examined by members. Informal discussions upon selected books would be encouraged among the members, and formal weekly discussions in which authors would be invited to take part, might be held once a week. Such, in outline, is the scheme put forward by W. Green, the secretary (pro tem.) of the Sanctum Society. By "Every new book" Mr. Green means every novel, every new French primer, every child's picture-book, every volume of sermons—in a word, literally every book published in the English language. LICENSES FOR WASHINGTON BOOK SELLERS. THE booksellers in the District of Columbia the municipal authorities to apply to them the are naturally agitated over an attempt made by provision of a law enacted March 3, 1891, relating to junkmen and dealers in second-hand personal property of any kind, who are The act also provides that no sale shall be obliged to pay a yearly license tax of $40. made by such dealers of any second-hand property in their possession until after the expiration of ten days from and after the time at which report has been made to the major of police of the purchase thereof. The authorities, in their zeal to increase the revenues of the District, are likely to go beyond the intention of the lawmakers. So, for instance, they are interpreting the law to extend to shop-worn goods and hold that those who sell them are liable to the license tax. It is also held that newsdealers who return unsold papers and magazines come within the provisions of the law. Already business men are combining to make an effort to test the validity of the law, and the Court of Appeals will therefore shortly be called upon to give its decision. Should the Court of Appeals uphold the decision of the lower court, all dealers who accept secondhand goods in part payment for new will come within the provisions of the law. COPYRIGHT MATTERS. MRS. SNOW VS. LAIRD & LEE. decided on November 29 by the United States A CASE of much interest to publishers was Circuit Court at Chicago. The suit was brought by Blanche L. Snow against Laird & Lee for $30,000 damages for alleged wrongful publication of a copyrighted photograph. The photograph in question was entitled "Javanese Bride and Groom," and was taken by Mrs. Snow on the Midway Plaisance during |