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AMERICAN

BOOK-PRICES CURRENT.

VOL. VI.

Of this volume of AMERICAN BOOK-PRices CurrenT only five hundred copies have been printed from type at the University Press, and the type has been distributed.

BOOK-PRICES CURRENT.

A

RECORD OF BOOKS, MANUSCRIPTS, AND AUTOGRAPHS

SOLD AT AUCTION IN NEW YORK, BOSTON, AND
PHILADELPHIA, FROM SEPTEMBER 1, 1899,

TO SEPTEMBER 1, 1900, WITH THE
PRICES REALIZED.

COMPILED FROM THE AUCTIONEERS' CATALOGUES

BY

LUTHER S. LIVINGSTON.

NEW YORK:

DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY.

Copyright, 1900,

BY DODD, MEAD AND Company.

University Press :

019 Am3

V.6

PREFACE.

T

HE number of books sold at auction in the United States seems to be increasing year by year, and consequently the number of sales reported in American Book-Prices Current is increasing. In this volume we record 9662 lots of books and autographs, being by far the largest number recorded in any volume since the beginning of the work. It is, in fact, more than 50 per cent in excess of the number of sales recorded in our initial volume, which was only 6025.

These 9662 records have been selected from something over 113,000 lots, described in 164 catalogues, representing 279 days' sales. The New York auctioneers generally hold but a single session each day. Occasionally, however, they hold two sessions, as is done also generally by the auctioneers of Boston and Philadelphia. We find that of the 279 days on which sales took place, two sessions were held on 61 days. The total number of sessions therefore was 340. Last year the total number of lots was about 102,000, but the number of catalogues was only 117 and occupied only 250 days' sale. It would seem from this that, on the average, the sales this season, though more in number, were individually of less consequence, and this no doubt is the case. The library of Augustin Daly, comprised in its two catalogues 5263 lots. Aside from this one great sale there have been no first-class sales during the season. If the reader will glance over our chronological list, he will see that by far the majority of the catalogues described books brought together from various sources, or consigned by booksellers here or abroad, and which we designate as "Miscellaneous Collections." We give below the titles of the most important sales of legitimate libraries, where the books were all, or for the

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