48 



BOOKS, BOOKSELLERS, AND BIBLIOMANIACS. 



price I do for many thousand ar- 

 ticles. But professed bargain-hun- 

 ters often purchase old locks at the 

 stalls in Moorfields, when half the 

 wards are rusted off, or taken out, 

 and give more for them than they 

 would have paid for new ones to 

 any reputable ironmonger* And 

 what numerous instances of this 

 infatuation do we meet with daily 

 at sales by auction, not of books 

 only, but of many other articles, of 

 which I could here adduce a variety 

 of glaring instances. At the sale 

 of Mr. Eigby's books at Mr. Chris- 

 tie's, Martin's Dictionary of Natu- 

 ral History sold for fifteen guineas, 

 which then stood in my catalogue 

 at four pounds fifteen shillings; 

 Pilkington's Dictionary of Painters 

 at seven guineas, usually sold at 

 three ; Francis' Horace, two pounds 

 eleven shillings ; and many others 

 in the same manner. At Sir George 

 Colebrook's sale the octavo edition 

 of the Taller sold for two guineas 

 and a half. At a sale a few weeks 

 since Eapin's History in folio, the two 

 first volumes only (instead of five) 

 sold for upwards of five pounds ! I 

 charge for the same from ten shil- 

 lings and sixpence to one pound ten 

 shillings. I sell great numbers of 

 books to pawnbrokers, who sell 

 them out of their windows at much 

 higher prices, the purchasers be- 

 lieving that they are buying bar- 

 gains, and that such articles have 

 been pawned. And it is not only 

 books that pawnbrokers purchase, 

 but various other matters, and they 

 always purchase the worst kind of 

 every article they sell. I will even 

 add, that many shops which are 

 called pawnbrokers never take in 

 any pawn, yet can live by selling 

 things which are supposed to be 

 kept overtime. (Lackington's Me- 

 moirs.) 



FIRST ENGLISH ALMANAC. 



The first almanac in England was 

 printed in Oxford, in 1 G73. " There 



were," says "Wood, "near thirty 

 thousand of them printed, besides 

 a sheet almanac for twopence, that 

 was printed for that year ; and be- 

 cause of the novelty of the said 

 almanac, and its title, they were all 

 vended. Its sale was so great, that 

 the Society of Booksellers in Lon- 

 don bought off the copy for the 

 future, in order to engross the profits 

 in their own hands." 



ALMANAC WEATHER WISDOM. 



An English paper tells a pleasant 

 anecdote of Partridge, the celebrated 

 almanac maker, about one hundred 

 years since. In travelling on horse- 

 back into the countiy, he stopped 

 for his dinner at an inn, and after- 

 wards called for his horse, that he 

 might reach the next town, where 

 he intended to sleep. 



" If you Avill take my advice, sir," 

 said the hostler, as he was about to 

 mount his horse, "you will stay 

 where you are for the night, as you 

 will surely be overtaken by a pelt- 

 ing rain." 



"Nonsense, nonsense," exclaimed 

 the almanac maker ; " there is a six- 

 pence for you, my honest fellow, and 

 good afternoon to you." 



He proceeded on his journey, and 

 sure enough he was well drenched 

 in a heavy shower. Partridge was 

 struck by the man's prediction, and 

 being always intent on the interest 

 of his almanac, he rode back on the 

 instant, and was received by the 

 hostler with a broad grin. 



"Well, sir, you see I was right 

 after all." 



" Yes, my lad, you have been so, 

 and here is a crown for you ; but I 

 give it to you on condition that you 

 tell me how you knew of this rain." 



"To be sure, sir," replied the man; 

 "why, the truth is, we have an 

 almanac at our house called Part- 

 ridge's Almanac, and the fellow is 

 uch a notorious liar, that when- 

 ever he promises us a fine day, we 

 always know that it will be the 



