AmendReportBk

From the November 8, 2007 posting to my, "Writing About Old Books," page:

(http://www.whatdubhghalldoes.org/writing_about_old_books.htm)

About, the 1906 "Annual Report of the National Academy of Sciences"...

One of the more unusual books I discovered on eBay was being sold so it could be "dissected". The seller was selling it for, "bookmakers to disect [sic], study". I couldn't have that! It was a nice leather bound book from 1907. The seller said that there wouldn't be a, "loss to world literature," if it were dissected. They also said it would make a "good writer's journal".

This, "drier than dry," subject book, is none other than the, 1906 "Annual Report of the National Academy of Sciences". It was printed by the, United States Printing Office. The description said that 4/5 of the book was filled with blank pages.

The bidding was started at, $1.99. I was trying to keep this book from being, "dissected". I don't really need such a book as this, and it wouldn't really interest me completely. (Although I am curious now as to what is in there, and what scientists are mentioned.) It's just that I couldn't bear to see a nice example of the printer's art, get trashed. Besides, I reasoned, that it might make a neat book to try and re-sell--if I found the, "right," market. I didn't know if the seller was a, "book dealer," or just somebody who sold old books on eBay. A book dealer would know what the book should go for. In order to see if I was getting a, "good deal," I went onto www.bookfinder.com and www.addall.com to see if there was another example of this book. I didn't find it exactly. Most of the issues I found were from the 1970's. I did find two from the 1800's. A volume with the first three reports (from, 1863-64) runs, US$ 225.00. And one from 1880 runs, $36.66. [Those prices are without shipping.] I forget what my highest bid was, but I figured this book was a good price even for that amount.

I won the auction, and I got it for less than my highest bid. I paid, $5.65 and then, $2.85 for shipping. That would make an $8.50 total. There were six bidders on it. All through the process, I wondered if my situation was like this lady I once knew. She would go to a farm to buy eggs. They had auctions in a barn. There was an orphaned calf up for auction. The initial bid was around $5.00. She couldn't see it selling for that so she bid on the calf. She might have thought that the higher the bid, the more someone would take care of it. In the end she ended up with the calf, and had no place to put it really. I wondered if I was going to end up with this book to sell which no one else would want.

Selected Scientists Found in Report of the National Academy of Sciences Book

Members of the National Academy of Sciences---

A. Graham Bell

Foreign Associates---

Sir George Darwin

Robert Koch

Lord Lister

Deceased Foreign Associates---

T. H. Huxley

≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈

Below is the July 26, 2012 entry from my, "Writing About Old Books," page:

(http://www.whatdubhghalldoes.org/writing_about_old_books.htm)

July 26, 2012 (I kept thinking [hoping] I wrote about this but...)

I thought I wrote about, Gertrude Stein's, "How to Write", but evidently I haven't.

I have, "writing" and "how to write," books saved as a search on eBay. I get an e-mail every day with, new listings of how to write books. I mainly look for recent and vintage Christian, "how to write," books, "good," modern books that are recommended in other books, and, "old," "how to," books. (old being 1980's back to the 1800's --- not that I buy many of them)

One book that has come up quite a bit is, "How To Write," by Gertrude Stein. The version that comes up is normally a paperback reprint. These are ones published anywhere from about 1975 to more recent times. They are intended for use as university text books from the looks of things. I see one and say to myself, "Who would want to write like Gertrude Stein?" and then I skip over it.

One day in July of 2011, a listing came up for a book called, "How to Write". The photo showed an old looking hard backed book. In the title of the auction telling what the name of the item is, there was no author's name. That is common at times, as there is limited space to write an attention grabbing title. I would have had no idea how old the book was or who the author was, until I clicked on the listing. It could have been written by anybody. There are lots of books with, "how to write", or similar phrases in the title. There are, books on how to write cookbooks. I've seen, "How to Write Children's Books". One odd one claims that the reason someone is overweight is because they have pent up, "creative," energy. If the overweight person would turn to writing they would turn their energy into something, "creative," rather than overeating. [At least that is my simplistic interpretation from reading the Amazon page for it.] That one is called, "The Writing Diet". There is even an, M. L. Stein, who wrote, "How to Write Plain English," and, "How to Write better Compositions, Term Papers and Reports".

When I looked at the auction page for, "How to Write," on eBay, the seller did not list the author. They only wrote that the book is called, "How to Write"; it is a, "first edition," a "limited edition," and it was published in Paris at the Darantiere Press etc. They also said it is an ex-library book. The seller probably had photos on there. And I think they showed the rough condition of this book. I wanted to know the name of the author. I wanted to know if I had this book already. I also wanted to know if I would even be interested in owning it. A lot of the time I have to say, "I don't really need it".

Out of curriosity, I went to www.bookfinder.com and I typed in, "How to Write," as the title, and, "Darantiere Press" in the, "key words," field. Up came listings for Gertrude Stein first editions of the book. The ones on Bookfinder start at nearly $200.00 and go up. The ones she signed and gave to her inner circle, go for well over $1,000.

I did win the eBay auction. Dollar signs flashed before my eyes briefly. I think I knew the book looked, "rough". I did know it was an ex-library copy. But the library it came from is the, Beverly Hills Public Library. At one point I noticed that one of the top priced copies on Bookfinder, had a sticker from Sylvia Beach's bookshop, "Shakespeare and Company," on the inside of the back cover. I waited and hoped that when my copy arrived it would have such a sticker on the inside back cover. No. It had a sticker from, the "Gotham Book Mart". That was a famous bookshop in New York City.

I didn't pay a lot for this book. I figured that if I couldn't make any money on it, I would at least have an interesting book in the collection. Since this volume was once in the Beverly Hills, (California) library, I imagined someone like, Clark Gable reading or thumbing through it. I don't know if Mr. Gable read books much. I heard that when he wasn't working, he was busy chasing women. I regret not printing out the description the eBay seller had on there. I am not sure they knew what they had.

Bought, (auction ended) July 19, 2011. Price, $3.00. Economy shipping, (USPS Media Mail) was, $2.42. The total price was $5.42. It was shipped, July 20, 2011. It arrived, July 26, 2011.

How To Write

Gertrude Stein

First Edition

Plain Edition

27 Rue De Fleurus Paris

November 1931

“Of this book there has been printed for Plain Edition by the Darantiere Press at Dijon, France one thousand copies.”

Ex library, “Beverly Hills Public Library”