THE BOOK SHOP 



Operation of The Book Shop continued at a high level during the 

 year. Total sales (including books, souvenirs, and educational toys) 

 amounted to $188,615.59, a decrease of about $8,000 from the figure 

 for 1958. The decrease was entirely in sales by mail. Over-the- 

 counter sales, however, increased 10 per cent over those of 1958. 

 Early in the year a specially prepared collection of fossil specimens, 

 with a leaflet "Your Own Fossil Collection" written by members of 

 the Department of Geology, was placed on sale. The set had wide 

 sales (about 6,000 units), both over the counter and through the 

 assistance of a Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company "New Horizons" adver- 

 tisement, and the Museum again is grateful to Philip K. Wrigley for 

 his interest in the Museum and its educational work. A new Museum 

 Storybook, fifteenth of the popular booklets written by members of 

 Raymond Foundation staff, was on sale. Sales of color-transparency 

 duplicates (of Museum exhibits) continued through General Bio- 

 logical Supply House and in the Museum and totaled 13,209. 



PUBLICATIONS AND PRINTING 



Again in 1959 the gross income from sales of Museum publications 

 reached a new high. A total of 56,203 copies of publications was 

 sold. Free distribution of publications to other scientific institu- 

 tions under exchange agreements totaled 15,305 copies (see page 81), 

 and, although the number of copies decreased in 1959, the actual 

 bulk of material increased because the publications issued during 

 the year contained considerably more pages than the output of the 

 Museum Press in 1958. Also, the continued rise in Museum mem- 

 bership (see page 34) resulted in increased activity in the Division 

 of Publications because all mailing plates for Members are main- 

 tained and run off there. Raymond A. N. Gomes and Miss Hilda 

 Nordland capably handled the increased volume of work. 



During the year the Museum issued nineteen publications in its 

 scientific series, two in its popular series (one a reprint), one hand- 

 book, two Museum Storybooks (one a new edition) , two guidebooks, 

 three indexes, and one annual report. Of these, copies printed by the 

 Museum Press totaled 32,918 from 2,791 pages of type composition. 

 Twelve issues of Chicago Natural History Museum Bulletin were 

 printed, averaging 7,650 copies an issue. Other work included post- 

 ers, lecture schedules, programs, looseleaf Museum Stories for Ray- 

 mond Foundation, and tags, totaling 876,346 impressions. 



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