SALE OF BOOKS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26544, 20 August 1947, Page 4

SALE OF BOOKS

LITTLE INTEREST TAKEN LOW PRICES REALISED Although it is almost two years since a public book auction of any size has been held in Dunedin, there was only a small attendance yesterday when several hundred volumes from the “ Marinoto ” residence were put under the hammer. From the prices which were realised, it is doubtful whether any real collectors were present, and the sale once again reflected the fact that few books retain more than a fraction of . their original purchase price. The collection offered was comprehensive, although there was little of outstanding interest. Several works on early New Zealand might have been expected to meet with keen competition, but a Gilkison’s “ Early Days in Central Otago,” a volume which is always in only 10s, while a copy of Pember Reeves’s “ Long White Cloud ” sold for 7s. French-English, Latin, and English dictionaries sold for reasonable sums, a 1928 Webster bringing 77s 6d. Compared with £9 10s for the latest edition, this might be regarded as a fair price for the 20-year-old volume. A well-bound set of 100 of Scott's works was knocked down at £7 10s, a low price for the set, which could be regarded as, if nothing else, a handsome addition to anybody’s library shelves.