Page:Livingston, Auction Prices of Books, 1905, Volume 1.djvu/13

PREFACE ix is, and this may, with a very few exceptions, be taken for granted, other copies have been sold, perhaps many, but the prices brought were less than five dollars or one pound. In some cases, single records of this sort, especially of comparatively recent books, have been thrown out, and do not appear at all.

The user consulting Auction Prices of Books, with some old book in hand of which he wishes to learn the market value, will, in a multitudinous number of cases fail to find any sale whatever, of his particular book, recorded. He must not, on this account jump to the conclusion that his book is excessively rare or extremely valuable. While it is very likely to be rare (most old books are rare) it is also likely to be of small money value. In such a case he will do well to stop and ask himself why any collector should care for the book, what features recommend it as a possible treasure chest of some past age which now floats by with others which are little more than drift-wood, wreckage and rubbish of old times and hardly worth the picking up, or if picked up only to be again thrown down.

Those who know the ways and whims of book-collectors know that in his collecting he, or his class as a whole, is omnivorous. There is a buyer, somewhere, at a price, for every printed book, but it is sometimes a very difficult matter to find the buyer and the price is sometimes very low. And each collector has his own hobby and collects generally, only along certain lines which are often narrow. Books which are sought after by a large number of collectors are likely to increase in price though not rare. On the other hand rare books not sought after are often difficult to sell at any price. Supply and demand fix (in the long run) the price of old books as of all else which mankind buys and sells.

The general arrangement of the work is believed to be the most logical and simplest possible, that is in one straight dictionary alphabet, by author where the author is known, otherwise by the first important word of title, and with numerous cross references. In a few obvious cases books are entered under their subject.

The various books by the same author are arranged in alphabetical order. As the entire title is seldom given this arrangement may be sometimes a little misleading, and the arrangement in some cases may be open to criticism. Translations generally follow the originals even though out of their alphabetical place.

Different editions of the same book are arranged by date of publication, and the lists of records are generally chronological by date of sale.