Page 13 Advertisements Column 1

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20026, 6 September 1930, Page 13

Mr Percy 11. Muir, in an essay introductory to a first edition catalogue of Messrs Elkin Mathews, deals with "Points in Modern First Editions," a subject which has been wrapped in confusion and error: Ths technology of bibliography la certing In its ambiguity. The words Impression and edition are so loosely Inter changed, that ft is difficult to make »ny clear ruling which will be at once all-inelu-give and universally acceptable. More heartburning has been occasioned aniong coi lectors by the word issue and its implies tion than by any other word in the English language. Chicanery and lpnorance have made considerable Pj°y W'th this useful word until, confronted with » now point about a modern first edition, one iB tempted to abandon the collection of contemporary authors in favour of some mow simple pas timo like philately or the collection of Jacobean glass. In fact, the "point-snatcher, from being & harmless lunatic, at whose activities one could afford to smile, has de veloped into a dangerous nuisancd. In the past, valuable discoveries have been rnade about modern books. Mr T. J. Wise a painstaking research in connexion with the bibliography of Joseph Conrad is an example of information which is invaluable to the cdl lector. He discovered, among other things, that there were three binding states of " 'Twixt Land and Sea/' ; - • An example of another kind is afforded In tM case of Mr H, G Wells's **The Dream, where a misstatement of fact, offensive to members of the bookselling trade, had to be removed from a preliminary leaf. Such "points" are interesting and important; but often what are alleged to be "points" of bibliographical Big nificance, are no more than minor variiations in the printing of the book, or of the advertisements bound up with it: It is not too much to say that a careful search would discover variations in the nrintin* of almost every book tnat is Is sued. I would further suggest, as a Bate general rule, that where one copy of a book is normal and another J. 1 ficrentrioity of type or page numbe Ig. the normal copy in the■ "bsencj Mrf evidence to the contrary, »'»»» ered th* earlier. Modern P rl ° U "* d h the woof «nrh a fine point of accuracy, and tne proof *ucn a nne uuim «• best printers are ta K factions being noted an 4 t letters and S are en devoh? 1 ol bibliographical sls° lflca ""; fe always aris Bibliographical #n(J ing in al periods of *V° s frequen tly difflcu.t. the solution of . , .v.t thev have dlscov Many people .11 that they have actuerfd' the solution, whe blem> Bibliography ally done is to state t P wqu i < j so i VP Is an exact science. * h them sceptically its difficulties must app ~ over y with the He will regard °™7 nt £ g 7, truth only utmost »n, s P lc '°?;_ flidenoe, and his sceptic when convinced by e gnt, neg# lam will be in d\ r ® ct €fy " | a announced with which the ' f l8 <™ th u policy hj« If the collector wUI pn«u the Tgßt will be rewarded by w « bßfofe his eyes Ity of '. P olllt ,® h- w?» Bave himso,f * e T eat and, incidentally, ne w » s|| hltll<l rto gone Into deal of money, wnic , Jgb or unscrupulous the pockets of tne 1 undes i ra bl# practices people who indulge indicated. d the nalura w« *»»• •»