Two Old Bookshops in Paris I Like to VIsit In Books

THE OLD BOOKSHOP AS A MEETING PLACE OF AUTHORS, ARTISTS, ANTIQUARIANS, POETS AND PHILOSOPHERS

THE REAL HAUNTED BOOK SHOP, AND PLEASANTLY SO……

     AS A MATTER OF CURIOSITY, AS IT DOES RELATE SOMEWHAT TO THIS BLOG, AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE TORONTO STAR TODAY, JANUARY 31ST, ENTITLED "FINNEGANS WAKE SELLS OUT IN CHINA," SEEMED WORTH INCLUDING, IF JUST A MENTION. IT SEEMS IRISH WRITER JAMES JOYCE, IS STILL POPULAR AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, ESPECIALLY SO IN CHINA. IT WAS THE FIRST CHINESE TRANSLATION, AND 8,000 COPIES WERE SOLD. ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW THAT WE STILL HAVE RESPECT FOR BOOKS AND GREAT AUTHORS…..DESPITE THE FACT, A STORY IN THE STAR EARLIER IN THE WEEK, WAS DEALING WITH BOOKS AS "DECORATOR ITEMS," IN THIS MODERN ERA OF ELECTRONIC READERS…..BUT BIG INTEREST IN MAKING THE DIGS LOOK GREAT. SO READING THIS STORY ABOUT JOYCE TODAY, WARMS A BIBLIOPHILE'S HEART. EVEN THOUGH I'M NOT MUCH FOR FICTION, I STILL HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR THE CLASSICS, AND THE MOST REVERED AUTHORS IN HISTORY, OF WHICH JOYCE IS WELL UP THERE. THE BLOG TODAY WILL PUT JAMES JOYCE, BACK QUITE A FEW DECADES, AT TWO VERY IMPORTANT BOOKSHOPS IN PARIS, FRANCE……ONE OF THE TWO SHOPS, WHICH ACTUALLY FINANCED PRINTING COSTS OF "ULLYSES," ANOTHER OF JOYCE'S WORKS

     MY HARDCOVER COPY OF "THE VERY RICH HOURS OF ADRIENNE MONNIER," THE TRANSLATED ENGLISH COPY (ORIGINAL IN FRENCH) BY RICHARD MCDOUGALL, IS PRETTY BEAT-UP AND THE DUSTJACKET IS TORN TO SHREDS, BUT IT IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT REFERENCE BOOKS I OWN. IT IS THE BOOK, PUBLISHED IN 1976, BY CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, NEW YORK, THAT I ROUTINELY CALL UPON WHEN I START QUESTIONING MY RELATIONSHIP WITH OLD BOOKS AND WELL, THE OLD WAYS OF PACKAGED PRINT. THE BOOK JACKET, SHOWING A CASUAL ADRIENE MONNIER, AT HER DINING TABLE, IS, AS IT CLAIMS, A BIOGRAPHY OFFERING "AN INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF THE LITERARY AND ARTISTIC LIFE IN PARIS BETWEEN THE WARS."

     IT IS ANOTHER BIOGRAPHY EVERY BOOKSELLER SHOULD OWN, AND HOLD CLOSE, AS IT OFFERS SO MUCH INSPIRATION, WHETHER YOU ARE A MAJOR SELLER, OR JUST A HOBBYIST WITH A BOOTH IN AN ANTIQUE MALL. IT'S THE PROFESSION THAT IS SO WONDERFULLY ADDRESSED IN THIS BIOGRAPHY. IT'S THE COMPANY THAT MISS MONNIER KEPT, THAT IS WHAT COMPELS ME TO COME BACK TO THE BOOK, TIME AND AGAIN; AND WHAT INSPIRES ME TO NEVER TAKE A DAY FOR GRANTED IN THE ANTIQUE BUSINESS. I LOOK UP EAGERLY, FROM BEHIND OUR SHOP COUNTER, WHENEVER THE DOOR OPENS, AND ANOTHER INTERESTING SOUL WANDERS INTO OUR COLLECTION OF BOOKS, AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT KEEPS AN ANTIQUE DEALER IN BUSINESS. WHILE I'M A MILLION MILES FROM THE CALIBRE OF THE PARIS BOOKSELLERs, AND MY GUESTS HAVEN'T BEEN INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED AUTHORS, OR SO I SUSPECT, I HAVE NONE THE LESS, MET SOME FABULOUSLY INTERESTING FOLKS…..AND THE BOOK BUSINESS IN PARTICULAR, IS FAMOUS FOR THIS. BUT IF I COULD TIME TRAVEL, FOLKS, I'D WANT TO BE IN EITHER OF THESE HISTORIC BOOK SHOPS, WITH MY HAND OUTSTRETCHED, AS A VOLUNTEER GREETER, BECAUSE THEY HAD SUCH A FABULOUS ALLURE EVEN THEN…..FOR SOME OF THE GREATEST WRITERS IN HISTORY. SO LET'S NOT BEAT ABOUT THE BUSH ANY LONGER. WE'LL CATCH A TIME WARP FOR A LITTLE VISIT OF OUR OWN…..TO PARIS, FRANCE AT AROUND 1915.

     "ADRIENNE MONNIER WAS THE OWNER OF THE BOOKSHOP, LA MAISON DES AMIS LIVRES, IN PARIS, A CENTER FOR THE BEST CONTEMPORARY FRENCH WRITING AND FOR ITS AUTHORS; ANDREW BRETON, GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE, JULES ROMAINS, ADRE GIDE. THROUGH HER FRIEND SYLVIA BEACH, WHOSE SHAKESPEARE AND COMPANY WAS JUST ACROSS THE STREET, SHE BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH HEMINGWAY, FITZGERALD AND OTHER AMERICANS IN PARIS. ABOUT THE WORK AND LIVES OF THE WRITERS OF THE PAST AS WELL, SHE WROTE WITH GRACE AND THE INSIGHT OF ONE WHO WAS PERFECTLY AT HOME IN LITERATURE. THE THEATRE HAD FOR HER AN ALMOST MAGIC CHARM (SHE REMEMBERS MAETERLINCK, DE MAX, AND BERNHARDT), AS DID THE CIRCUS, THE FOLIES-BERGERE, AND ALL THE SPECTACLES OF PARIS. SHE PUBLISHED PAUL VALERY, SPONSORED JAMES JOYCE IN FRANCE, AND PAID T.S. ELIOT A RETURN VISIT TO LONDON, SHE REMAINED VERY MUCH A COUNTRY PERSON, SURE OF HER ROOTS IN SAVOY WHERE EVERY SUMMER WITH SYLVIA BEACH, SHE RETURNED. HER CHRONICLE FAITHFULLY ILLUMINATES AN ERA."

     IN THE INTRODUCTION, AS WRITTEN BY RICHARD MCDOUGALL, HE WRITES, "BUT WE ARE CONCERNED WITH A MUCH LATER ERA, ONE THAT BEGAN IN THE SECOND YEAR OF WORLD WAR I, IN NOVEMBER, 1915, WHEN AS A YOUNG WOMAN OF TWENTY-THREE, ADRIENNE MONNIER, THE FOUNDER AND CHRONICLER OF ODEONIA, THE NAME IS HER OWN INVENTION, OPENED HER BOOKSHOP, LATER TO BE CALLED LA MAISON DES AMIS DES LIVRES, AT NUMBER 7 RUE DE L'ODIEN, ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE STREET GOING UP TOWARD THE PLACE DE L'ODEON. 'BUILT IN A TIME OF DESTRUCTION,' AS SHE SAYS IN HER ARTICLE THAT TAKES ITS NAME, THE BOOKSHOP, THROUGH WHAT COULD ONLY HAVE BEEN THE SHEER COURAGE AND INTELLIGENCE OF ITS OWNER, ENDURED THROUGH THE WAR AS ONE OF THE FEW INTELLECTUAL CENTERS OF THE BESIEGED CITY, A PLACE WHERE WRITERS, SOME OF THEM, LIKE ANDRE BRETON AND GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE, IN UNIFORM - COULD GATHER AND, AT MEETINGS, ARRANGED BY ADRIENNE MONNIER, READ FROM THEIR OWN WORKS. AND IT WAS HERE ONE DAY TOWARD THE END OF THE WAR, THAT SHE WAS PROVIDENTIALLY VISITED BY THE AMERICAN, SYLVIA BEACH, WHO WITH MONNIER'S ENCOURAGEMENT FOUNDED HER ENGLISH-LANGUAGE BOOKSHOP, SHAKESPEARE AND COMPANY IN 1919 - ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT DATE IN THE HISTORY OF ODEONIA - AT 8 RUE DUPUYTREN, JUST AROUND THE CORNER FROM ADRIENNE MONNIER.

     "IN THE SUMMER OF 1921, WHEN THE TWO WOMEN WERE ALREADY CLOSE FRIENDS, WHEN SYLVIA BEACH HAD ALREADY UNDERTAKEN THE PUBLISHING OF JAMES JOYCE'S ULYSSES, THE PROUDEST ADVENTURE OF HER CAREER, SHAKESPEARE AND COMPANY MOVED TO NUMBER 12 RUE DE L'ODEON, ACROSS THE STREET FROM LA MAISON DES AMIS DES LIVRES. THE MOVE WAS AS SYMBOLIC AS IT WAS PRACTICAL, FOR THE CLOSENESS OF THE TWO SHOPS WAS TO STAND FOR AS WELL, AS TO FURTHER CONTACTS BETWEEN THE FRENCH WRITERS WHO FREQUENTED ADRIENNE MONNIER AND THE ENGLISH SPEAKING PATRONS OF SYLVIA BEACH; IT REPRESENTED AS WELL THE ENDURING FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO WOMEN AND CONSOLIDATED THE PHYSICAL REGION OF THAT COUNTRY OF THE SPIRIT."

AN OVERVIEW OF RUE DE L'ODEON THROUGH THE EYES OF JUSTIN O'BRIEN

     THE BOOK CONTAINS AN OVERVIEW SECTION, WRITTEN BY JUSTIN O'BRIEN, "THE SCHOLAR AND TRANSLATOR OF FRENCH LITERATURE. ALTHOUGH HE WAS RELATIVELY A LATECOMER TO THE STREET, HIS IMPRESSIONS HOLD TRUE FOR THE ENTIRE PERIOD BETWEEN THE TWO WARS," WRITES RICHARD MCDOUGALL. THE ARTICLE BY O'BRIEN WAS PUBLISHED IN JANUARY 1956, IN THE MERCURE DE FRANCE, AND WAS WRITTEN IN HOMAGE TO ADRIENNE MONIER:

     "For the young American in the thirties, the Rue de l'Odeon was the intellectual centre of Paris. On the right side going up the street, he stopped first before the narrow shop window of Shakespeare and Company, which was filled with books in his language, but most often in editions that he had not encountered anywhere else. The volumes by T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Virginia Woolf stood near limited Parisian editions and the enormous paperbound 'Ulysses'….Almost opposite Shakespeare and Company, La Maison de Amis des Liveres, perhaps even more attractive for him who had everything to know about the French domain, revealed to him the latest Gide, the latest Valery, the latest Fargue, along with the avant-garde reviews and books thirty, or fifty years old, but for him absolutely new.

     "From time to time, entering one or the other of those welcoming houses, he could see up close - what he used to dream about in New York - some of this gods. James Joyce in dark glasses and with a light-colored moustache, Gide arrayed in his flowing cape, Cocteau with his prestidigitator's hands. Even those whom he did not see there were present, thanks to the fascinating pictures hung on the walls."

     O'Brien writes, "Le Maison des Amis des Liveres, was well named, for Adrienne Monnier received there with an equal goodwill all those who really loved books. There was only, in the matter of hierarchy, those who knew from farm back, the mistress of that salon covered with books and with who she conversed at length, sitting in front of a big table spread with papers. From the day when she invited the young American to take a place near her, between the table and the stove, her rosy race with its mauve-blue eyes became the symbol of that friendly house. Those conversations by fits and starts, in the course of which Adrienne Monnier informed herself about his readings and suggested others to him with that so communicative enthusiasm, of which she had the secret, were precious initiation for him to all the best that modern literature offers."

     In the same issue of the mercer de France, German writer, Siegfried Kracauer, noted of Adrienne Monnier, that " She listened more than she spoke and looked at you often, attentive, before answering or drawing your attention to an idea that had come into her mind while she was listening. Her eyes, were they blue?  I know only that her look came from a depth that seemed to me to be not easily accessible. The brightness of her outer aspect, of the room, and even of her voice, was not an ordinary brightness, but the covering of the form of an inner self that was lost in the shadows. Perhaps it was this interference of a foreground and a background, of a luminous exterior and a secret spiritual ground that thus drew me to her.

     "I made myself a precise image of her. The character trait to which my veneration and my love went out, it remains forever engraved in my heart - was that mixture of rusticity and aristocracy that Proust never wearied of praising in the old Francoise and the Duchesse de Guermantes. Around these characters there is still the good smell of French soil, and as they personify in their bearing and their language, centuries of ancestral traditions, how would it be possible that they were not of an authentic distinction. It is thus that I see Adrienne Monnier before me."

     We will return to Le Maison des Amis des Livres, and both Sylvia Beach and Adrienne Monnier again tomorrow…..two bookshops that extend well beyond the definition of legend. Thanks for joining me today for this little bookshop adventure. Much more to come in future blogs.

Tom Thomson, Blodwen Davies, Sir Frederick Banting

BOOKSELLERS HAVE BEEN ALLIES FOR HISTORIANS AND AUTHORS SINCE THE BEGINNING

THE TOM THOMSON MYSTERY COMES TO A THE NEIGHBORHOOD OLD BOOK DEALER

     IN 2013 IT'S INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO FIND A CANADIAN ARTIST HISTORIAN / BIOGRAPHER, OR COLD-CASE SLEUTH, WHO HASN'T ADOPTED THE "MURDER" EXPLANATION, FOR THE DEATH OF LANDSCAPE ARTIST, TOM THOMSON, IN ALGONQUIN PARK'S CANOE LAKE, IN JULY OF 1917. FROM 1917, ON TO THE LATE 1990'S, MOST RESEARCHERS BELIEVED IN WHAT THE CHIEF CORONER HAD RULED, THAT JULY EVENING AT CANOE LAKE. THOMSON DIED THE RESULT OF ACCIDENTAL DROWNING, WHILE TRAVERSING CANOE LAKE FROM WHERE HE HAD BEEN LODGING, IN THE TINY INHABITATION KNOWN AS MOWAT, SPECIFICALLY AT SHANNON FRASER'S MOWAT LODGE. CERTAINLY INTO THE LATE 1990'S, THOSE BELIEVING HIS DEATH WAS THE RESULT OF FOUL PLAY, WERE SERIOUSLY OUT-NUMBERED BY THOSE WHO FELT THE ARTIST HAD PROBABLY BEEN PEEING OVER THE SIDE OF THE CANOE, (AFTER TOO MUCH BOOZE) AND SIMPLY TOPPLED INTO THE WATER……HITTING HIS HEAD ON THE GUNNEL, ON THE WAY DOWN. THUS, BEING KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS, HE HAD NO WAY OF SWIMMING OUT OF THE JAWS OF FATE.

     TODAY, THERE ARE FAR MORE HISTORIANS AND RESEARCHERS, CONNECTED WITH THE THOMSON STORY, WHO ARE OF THE OPPOSITE OPINION. THE LATEST BOOKS OUT, AND ARTICLES ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING HIS DEATH, POINT TO FOUL PLAY AS THE ONLY REASON, THE TALENTED ARTIST DIDN'T LIVE ON, TO PAINT MANY MORE AMAZING LANDSCAPES. YET EVEN AS THE INQUEST WAS BEING HELD, MINUS THE BODY (THOMSON HAD ALREADY BEEN BURIED BEFORE THE CORONER COULD ARRIVE FROM NORTH BAY), THERE WERE REPORTEDLY MANY IN ATTENDANCE, WHO DID NOT AGREE WITH THE OFFICIAL FINDING. THEY KNEW THOMSON AS A MORE COLORFUL, AGGRESSIVE PERSON, AND RECOGNIZED HE HAD ADVERSARIES IN THE CANOE LAKE COMMUNITY. FOR WHATEVER REASON, AND IT WAS PROBABLY ASSOCIATED WITH SMALL-COMMUNITY LOYALTIES, THE CORONER, DR. RAINEY, DIDN'T RECEIVE ONE RESPONSE WHEN HE ASKED IF ANY ONE IN THAT ROOM, HAD REASON TO CONTRADICT THE FINDINGS, AND THE THEORY OF ACCIDENTAL DROWNING. SO WHILE THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT CONCERNS, ONLY DAYS AFTER HIS DEATH, THAT THOMSON HAD BEEN MURDERED, IT WOULD BE ALMOST A DECADE BEFORE ANY OF THESE CONCERNS WERE EXPRESSED, TO SOMEONE WHO COULD TAKE IT FURTHER THAN GENERAL CONVERSATION.

     WHILE WORKING ON A BIOGRAPHY OF THOMSON, WELL KNOWN CANADIAN WRITER AND RESEARCHER, BLODWEN DAVIES, BEGAN FINDING SOME DISCREPANCY IN THE STORY OF THOMSON'S FINAL HOURS. IT ACTUALLY BECAME SO GLARING, THAT THE THOUGHT PROBABLY CROSSED HER MIND, ABOUT WHY THESE RESIDENTS AND FORMER ASSOCIATES HAD NOT RAISED THE CONCERN TO THE CORONER, WHEN THEY HAD THE CHANCE. WHO WERE THESE PEOPLE PROTECTING? KEEP IN MIND, MANY IN THAT ROOM WERE CONSIDERED THOMSON'S FRIENDS. IT IS REPORTED THEY WERE MUMBLING ABOUT MURDER AMONGST THEMSELVES, MINUTES AFTER THE CORONER ENDED THE INQUEST.

    DAVIES WAS SO DISTURBED BY WHAT SHE WAS HEARING, THAT SHE GATHERED UP THE CONTENT OF THE STORIES, AND APPROACHED THE ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE, ASKING THEM TO RE-OPEN THE COLD CASE. AFTER A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION, THE MATTER WAS RULED A NON-STARTER. NOT FOR DAVIES, BUT AS FAR AS THE OFFICIAL PROVINCIAL STAND…..IT WAS GOING TO REMAIN AS ACCIDENTAL DROWNING. SHE WAS PRETTY MUCH AWARE THERE WERE A NUMBER OF ROAD BLOCKS BEING ERECTED TO STOP THIS FROM GAINING MOMENTUM. THIS HAS BEEN A CONTINUING ISSUE IN THE INVESTIGATION OF JUST HOW TOM THOMSON DIED. IT IS KNOWN THERE WERE HIGH RANKING PROVINCIAL OFFICIALS WHO REFUSED OUTRIGHTLY TO RE-OPEN THE CASE, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS COMPELLING EVIDENCE OF MURDER. BUT HERE IS WHERE A BOOKSELLER ENTERS THE HISTORY BOOKS, ON THE THOMSON FILE.

DORA HOOD MEETS AUTHOR BLODWEN DAVIES

     "Fame came, as everyone knows, to Sir Fredrick Banting, at a very young age," wrote Toronto Bookseller, Dora Hood, in her 1958 biography, "The Side Door - Twenty-six Years In My Book Room," published by the Ryerson Press. "With the perfecting of the discovery of insulin by him, in association with Dr. C.H. Best, he emerged from the sheltered life of the laboratory into the turmoil of publicity. When I met him this phase, so overwhelming to one of his nature, had passed and he, through his new friends, the artists of the Group of Seven had discovered another talent. He reveled in his ability to paint the wild scenery of Northern Ontario and Quebec and this led him to begin his collection of books on exploration. I believe he was happier then than at any time in his short life." (Banting was more than a proficient painter, and his works today sell for many thousands of dollars, at fine art auctions in Canada)

     She notes that, "Among the friends who influenced his taste was Miss Blodwen Davies. At that time, about the early 1930's, she had won a reputation as a writer collecting material for a life of Tom Thomson, the artist who had lately met a tragic end in the northern woods. Many years after Miss Davies told me Banting had helped her theory of how Thomson met his death. Together these two interesting persons visited the Book Room. They generally came in the evening when they had plenty of time to examine the bookshelves. His taste for first editions of fur trader journals, such as Hearne was expensive, but he wisely did not deny himself this extravagance.

     "He had an ambition to study and perhaps later write a paper on Indian medicine and remedies. I doubt, however, that he ever got beyond the desire. Miss Davies' interest in artists and local history led her to other shelves and between these two brilliant personalities I was kept on my toes and enjoyed my evenings. Once Banting asked me to see his collection and to give him some advice as to how he should proceed. We spent an interesting hour in his studio-study-library, and alas, that was the last time we were to meet. With the breakup of his first marriage and his home life, he ceased to collect Canadiana. Had he lived through the war I feel sure he would have returned to the interests of this happy period of his life. Dr. Lloyd Stevenson, in his biography of Banting, refers to his visits to the Book Room. Thus is this small business immortalized."

     It is more than just an old rumor that Blodwen Davies was part of the marital issues at this time.

     The theory that Blodwen Davies and Dr. Banting had been examining, in regards to Thomson, was that he had most likely met with foul play, and that accidental drowning could not explain all the circumstances of his mysterious disappearance at mid-day on a calm lake, on a waterway he had traversed many hundreds of times. In later years, Judge William Little would use her theory, in the 1950's, and arrange an informal (without proper permission from the Park Authority) exhumation of the allegedly empty Mowat gravesite. It has been documented that Thomson's body had been moved from the Mowat plot, to a family gravesite in Leith, Ontario, as arranged by his brother George Thomson, and Tom's girlfriend, Winnie Trainer of Huntsville. Judge Little, of course, found that the empty grave was still occupied. There were skeletal remains found in what appeared to be the same coffin that had been afforded Thomson in July 1917. The name plate hadn't been inscribed, due to the fact the funeral had occurred quickly because of the decomposition of the body. An undertaker, by the name of Churchill, had been hired to move the body, but there have been many doubts about what was in the metal shipping casket, taken from Canoe Lake by train. Most likely enough Algonquin soil to make it seem a body was inside. In the early 1970's, Judge Little wrote the book, "The Tom Thomson Mystery," based in part of the suspicions raised initially by Davies, and Banting in the 1930's. A CBC documentary was aired on the allegations made by Judge Little, and once again, Blodwen Davies was mentioned in the film, as one who had suspicions Thomson had been murdered.

     Ever more books are written about Thomson and his demise, and most theories today, shine an adverse light on Mowat hotelier, Shannon Fraser, as being the one most likely to have killed Thomson. It is believed that a drunken fight broke out between the two men, at the Mowat Lodge, over an outstanding amount of money owing to Thomson, and the bigger man, Fraser, had knocked the artist to the floor, where he hit his head on a fire grate……knocking him unconscious. There is a scenario discussed amongst Thomson historians, that Fraser and his wife loaded Thomson's body in a canoe, towed it with a rowboat out into Canoe Lake after midnight, and dumped the body and set the canoe adrift. It is also suggested they had lashed a weight to his legs with fishing line, but the action of the waves on the rocks below, severed the body from the anchor. The bottom line. It's much easier to put forward the "murder" theory today, than it was in Blodwen Davies' day, when she was scorned for suggesting it, and the same held, much later for Judge Little…..yet both books today still serve as reference for a host of Thomson books.

     The author of the bookseller's biography, Dora Hood, wrote, "Occasionally during my busy years in the Book Room I thought it might be worthwhile to record my experiences. But beyond keeping a brief diary for a few months of the requests of my callers, I made no effort. Two years after I retired, Mr. Stewart Wallace, who succeeded me in the business, suggested that I write a book on the subject of buying and selling Canadian books. By then I had begun to miss the stimulation and excitement of my book work and decided to try my hand at authorship. I had my letter files, and many of my old customers were still coming into the Book Room or buying by mail from the catalogues, and it was therefore not difficult to recall incidents of my former occupations. As more than one third of my life had been devoted to books and collectors it was chiefly a matter of selection, which proved quite a formidable task. Many of my collectors came to have a talk (while in Montreal) and I thoroughly enjoyed it, for I am convinced, that by and large, book collectors are among the most delightful people one can meet."

     She writes, "My decision to retire came about as swiftly and easily as had my determination to be a bookseller. I was seated as usual at the large table in my office surrounded by piles of books, and was about to take up my pencil to trace the words 'Catolgue 47,' when suddenly the thought came, 'You've done this long enough. Why not do something else in what remains of your life?' The business was still flourishing, and until that moment I was conducting it with as much interest and vigor as I had from the beginning, but the incentive was now lacking. My two children were married, and I began to realize that  I must seek companionship outside my house and work. I was anxious, too, to give more time to the work for the deaf. I had been partially deaf myself for many years and was intensely interested in what is now known as the Canadian Hearing Society, and had been a member of the board for some time. On my retirement I was able to act for three years as President of the Toronto Women's Auxiliary of this society.

     "As I looked back over the years, I knew how fortunate I had been. Although not endowed with unlimited strength, my health had been remarkably good. I had not made a fortune but I had been free from financial crises and had no bad debts, which speaks well for book buyers as a class. i had customers all over the free world who honored me with their business and those whom I met in my office were highly intelligent and nearly all of them friendly. But like the 'folios and quartos,' there seemed no rest for the bookseller as long as his door remained open and his telephone connected."

     She notes in conclusion, "All beginnings must have endings. But it seemed unthinkable and above impossible simply to bring the business to an end. I began to look for a successor. Once again, with very little effort on my part, events were favorable, and I was able to pass the business on to the one person I knew who would more than do it justice. The name has been carried on and the quarters remain the same. An old customer returning would scarcely notice any change except that now a well known and scholarly man sits at the office table. Dr. Stewart Wallace, on his retirement in 1954, after thirty years of distinguished work as Librarian of the University of Toronto, has become owner and proprietor of the Book Room."

     "Never again shall I feel as pleasant a glow of accomplishment as I did in bygone years on reading such letters as - 'Dear Mrs. Hood: Last night I spent a very pleasant hour perusing your fine catalogue. I have all your catalogues and treasure them as the most important series of Canadiana offering that have been issued. I would like to purchase any of the following that are still unsold…..yours sincerely, F.C.K."

     You can search for this book, by visiting the Advanced Book Exchange collective of old book dealers, and typing in the author and title. Suzanne and I buy books from the ABE with confidence, so I can heartily recommend their wonderful service to bibliophiles around the world.

     In tomorrow's blog, we're headed to Paris, France, to visit two of the most historic booksellers, from the early to mid years of the 1900's. The places James Joyce and F. Scott Fitzgerald liked to hang-out. It will further enforce, why some of us get hooked on the book collecting - book selling thing. Dora Hood's departure from the business was a class act. I'd be kicking and screaming; my wife having to throw me over her shoulder, to separate this bibliophile from his enterprise.

     I'm so glad you had a few moments to visit today. We didn't need a fire on this evening, and it's so hot in my office, that I've had to disrobe several layers to keep from melting away. It's supposed to be much colder tomorrow. Suzanne has had three snow days in a row at High School, and we're betting on what tomorrow will bring. Another cancelled day of school must be a record……at least it would be the longest continuous class cancellation due to weather in her 31 years on the job.

     What are your bets for Groundhog Day? Early spring. More winter?  Hey, remember the Gravenhurst Winter Carnival coming up the third week in February. The carnival mascot is an otter by the name of Skokie.

Condition of Non-FIction Versus Condition for Fiction

NON-FICTION CONDITION VERSUS FICTION - WHY I STUCK WITH NON-FICTION AS A BUSINESS MAINSTAY

HISTORY APPEALED TO A EAGER AUDIENCE - CANADIAN ART….. TO LOVERS, COLLECTORS AND HISTORIANS

     THE FIRST BOOKS I BEGAN SELLING FOR PROFIT, COINCIDENTALLY, AND RATHER CONVENIENTLY, WERE THE ONES I USED FOR SOME OF MY REGIONAL HISTORY FEATURE STORIES, WHILE WORKING FOR MUSKOKA PUBLICATIONS, IN BRACEBRIDGE. IT HAPPENED LIKE THIS. ON OCCASION, A STAFF MEMBER, REGARDLESS THEIR STATION AT THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE (WHICH ALSO PRODUCED "THE HERALD-GAZETTE," AND "THE MUSKOKA SUN") MIGHT HAVE TO TAKE A TURN ON THE FRONT COUNTER TO COVER LUNCH HOUR, OR AN UNEXPECTED DEPARTURE OF THE CLERK, ON A PUBLISHER'S URGENT ERRAND. BENEATH THE FRONT COUNTER, WERE HUNDREDS OF "HERALD-GAZETTE PRESS," REGIONAL HISTORIES, THE COMPANY HAD PUBLISHED YEARS EARLIER, THE MOST POPULAR BEING "A GOOD TOWN GREW HERE," BY BRACEBRIDGE HISTORIAN ROBERT BOYER. AT THE TIME I WORKED AT THE PAPER, FROM 1979 TO 1989, BOB WAS THE EDITOR OF THE MUSKOKA SUN, SO I GOT TO TALK ABOUT LOCAL HERITAGE MATTERS ON A DAILY BASIS. WHICH WAS GREAT FOR A FLEDGLING HISTORIAN. BOB WOULD START CHEWING THE END OF HIS CIGAR IF I STARTED TO ANNOY HIM WITH TOO MANY QUESTIONS. I KNEW THE SIGN TO BUGGER OFF, ESPECIALLY ON A PRESS DAY WHEN THERE WAS A DEADLINE TO MEET….AND WE WERE ALWAYS LATE.

     IF I GOT A SUDDEN RE-ASSIGNMENT FOR A HALF HOUR OR SO, TO WATCH THE FRONT DESK, I WOULD INEVITABLY SELL A BOOK. MAYBE BOB'S HISTORY, OR HIS FATHER GEORGE'S, "HISTORY OF MUSKOKA," OR HIS MOTHER VICTORIA'S INTERESTING LARGE FORMAT PHOTOGRAPHIC BOOK ON THE HISTORIC HOUSES OF OUR TOWN. THERE WERE LOTS MORE. THE HERALD-GAZETTE, AT ONE TIME, EVEN OPERATED A SEPARATE BOOK STORE ON MANITOBA STREET, IN CONJUNCTION WITH ITS LOCAL PUBLISHING ATTRIBUTES, AND THE WORK OF ITS PRINTING PRESS, TO PRODUCE VARIOUS OTHER ITEMS FOR SALE. I'M PRETTY SURE THEY HAD POSTCARDS FOR SALE AS WELL. THE BOOKS AND ASSORTED PRINT MERCHANDISE WERE KEPT AT THE FRONT COUNTER, DURING MY TENURE, AND ALMOST EVERY TIME I HAD TO WATCH THE DESK, SOMEONE WOULD COME IN OFF THE STREET TO MAKE A PURCHASE. THESE WERE ALL BOOKS THAT WEREN'T GOING TO BE REPRINTED ANY TIME SOON, AS THERE WERE STILL BOXES REMAINING, TUCKED IN A BACK ROOM. WHAT I HAD BEEN USING AS AN HISTORICAL REFERENCE, IN ORDER TO WORK ON FEATURES FOR BOTH THE HERALD-GAZETTE AND THE MUSKOKA SUN, HAD A DECENT MONETARY POTENTIAL, YEARS AFTER THEY HAD BEEN RELEASED. SUPPLY AND DEMAND, AND FROM WHAT I SAW, IT WAS STILL HALE AND HARDY. NOT ENOUGH TO SUPPORT A SEPARATE BOOK SHOP, AS THE PRINTING SHOP AND PUBLISHING COMPONENT HAD CHANGED DRASTICALLY, WITH NEW OWNERSHIP IN THE LATE 1970'S.

     WHEN THE NEWSPAPER WAS SOLD, IN THE FINAL YEARS OF MY EMPLOYMENT THERE, MOST OF THE BOOKS WERE TAKEN TO AN OUT-OF-TOWN BOOK STORE, AND NO LONGER COULD LOCALS DROP IN, AND PURCHASE SOME OF THESE POPULAR TITLES. BUT THE PEOPLE STILL KEPT COMING IN, AND IT DID REMIND ME THAT IF I WAS GOING TO SELL BOOKS AT SOME POINT, I SHOULD CONSIDER STARTING WITH LOCAL, LIMITED PRINTING HISTORIES, THAT WOULD SURVIVE THE RIGORS OF TIME, AND CONTINUE TO BE HALLMARK BOOKS FOR MODERN FAMILIES WITH VESTED INTERESTS IN THE LOCAL, REGIONAL RECORDS OF THE PAST. BOB BOYER'S BOOK OFFERED A HUGE NUMBER OF NAMES, OF NEWS MAKERS FROM THE EARLIEST DAYS OF INHABITATION, UP TO THE TIME OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR. THIS IS A BOOK THAT DEFIES SHELF LIFE, AND AT ONE POINT, I WAS SELLING GOOD CONDITION COPIES FOR A HUNDRED DOLLARS EACH. BUT WHAT I FIGURED OUT, FROM THAT POSTING ON THE FRONT DESK, AS A JUNIOR BOOK SELLER, WAS THAT THE SAME WAS LIKELY TRUE FOR MOST REGIONS IN CANADA, AND THE UNITED STATES, AND THAT NON-FICTION COULD BE A LUCRATIVE MARKET IN THE FUTURE. MOST OF THE FIRST AND LIMITED PRINTING REGIONAL HISTORIES, WOULD BE IN DEMAND AT SOME POINT. SO I PRETTY MUCH DECIDED THAT I WOULD HUNT AND GATHER REGIONAL HISTORIES AS A START-UP, TO MY GENERAL FORAY INTO THE OLD BOOK BUSINESS. THE BONUS, WAS THAT I USED SO MANY OF THE IMPORTANT MUSKOKA HISTORIES, TO BACK-UP FEATURE ARTICLES, I WROTE FOR A VARIETY OF PUBLICATIONS, THAT I CAME TO KNOW THEM INTIMATELY WELL AS AN INFORMATION SOURCE, AND COULD RECOMMEND THEM TO CUSTOMER'S WITH SPECIAL INTERESTS. I USED THEM CONSTANTLY IN MY PROFESSION AS AN HISTORIAN. AND I MADE MONEY FROM THEM, WHEN I HAD EXTRAS FOR SALE. SINCE 1989 SUZANNE AND I HAVE HELPED FILL A NUMBER OF COLLECTOR LIBRARIES FOR HOBBY HISTORIANS IN OUR REGION, AND THIS WAS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT I FELT GOOD ABOUT…..AND AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, WE'RE STILL SELLING AS MANY MUSKOKA TITLES AS IN OUR HEYDAY. PRICES FOR MANY OF THE BOOKS HAVE GONE DOWN, BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN REPRINTED, SUCH AS THE "MUSKOKA GUIDE BOOK AND ATLAS," WHICH WAS PRODUCED IN VOLUME SOME YEARS AGO, KNOCKING DOWN THE PRICE OF EARLIER REPRINTS, FROM THE 1970'S, OF THIS RARE AND SIGNIFICANT 1800'S GEM OF INFORMATION.

     I CHOSE NON-FICTION AS MY SPECIALTY, FROM MY FIRST YEAR IN THE BOOK-SELLING AREA, OF THE WIDER ANTIQUE TRADE. IT WAS DUE TO MY EARLY CLERKING WORK AT MUSKOKA PUBLICATIONS, AND THIS WAS REINFORCED WHEN I BEGAN A MENTORSHIP WITH BOOK COLLECTOR, DAVID BROWN OF HAMILTON…..WHO REFUSED TO HAVE A WORK OF FICTION IN HIS COLLECTION. ACTUALLY, FOR ALL HIS BLUSTER AND OUTRAGEOUS COMMENTS ABOUT THE WORTHLESSNESS OF FICTION, IT WAS FOUND THAT IN HIS 100,000 BOOKS, AT THE TIMES OF HIS DEATH, HE HAD THE COMPLETE SET OF THORNTON BURGESS ANIMAL BOOKS; EACH OF COURSE, FICTIONAL STORIES FOR CHILDREN. AND HE HAD A NUMBER OF BOOKS WRITTEN BY WASHINGTON IRVING, THAT WERE ALSO OF THE NON-FICTION CATEGORY. IRVING DID WRITE NON-FICTION AS WELL. I AM TOLD, THAT THESE BOOKS WERE LEFTOVERS FROM HIS OWN CHILDHOOD, AS HE LOVED BOTH AUTHORS AND THEIR FICTIONAL ACCOUNTS. WHILE I DIDN'T SHARE DAVE'S DISLIKE FOR FICTION, AS A FLEDGLING BOOK SELLER, WITH LIMITED STORAGE SPACE, I HAD TO HIT MUCH CLOSER TO THE MARK TO MAKE THE EFFORT PROPORTIONAL AND PROFITABLE. BY SPECIALIZING IN MUSKOKA AND ONTARIO HISTORIES GENERALLY, I BEGAN SELLING QUITE A FEW BOOKS, WITH A DECENT ONGOING PROFIT.  EVEN WHEN WE SWITCHED TO ONLINE SALES, IT WAS THE SAME. I WAS ONLY ABLE TO SELL ONE WORK OF FICTION, IN TEN YEARS, AND THAT WAS A FIRST EDITION JOSEPH CONRAD. BUT HERE'S WHY.

     BOOKS OF NON-FICTION ARE LARGELY SOLD FOR CONTENT. THIS ISN'T TO SAY THAT NON-FICTION BUYERS AREN'T FUSSY ABOUT CONDITION, BUT THEY ARE FAR EASIER TO GET ALONG WITH, IF THERE IS SOME MINOR DAMAGE, TO THE DUSTJACKET OR TEXT, THAN WITH FICTION. THE ISSUE OF CONDITION BECOMES PARAMOUNT. THERE ARE EVEN FICTION BUYERS WHO WON'T BUY AN INSCRIBED OR AUTOGRAPHED COPY BECAUSE THE INTRUSION OF INK, HAS ACTUALLY DEVALUED THE CONDITION OF THE BOOK. ON THE OTHER HAND, I'VE HAD HARD TO GET AUTOGRAPHS, IN FIRST EDITION NOVELS, BUT COULD NOT SELL THEM BECAUSE EITHER THE DUSTJACKET HAD A LITTLE TEAR, OR THERE WAS SOME WEAR ON THE BOTTOM AND TOP OF THE SPINE. LITTLE THINGS. TINY IMPERFECTIONS. A MISSING DUSTJACKET, FOR EXAMPLE, CAN DEVALUE A BOOK BY SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF ITS VALUE. NOT SO FOR NON FICTION, DEPENDING ON THE WORTH OF THE CONTENT.

     WITH NON FICTION, THERE'S MUCH MORE TOLERATION FOR WEAR AND TEAR, AS LONG AS THERE IS NO COMPROMISE TO THE TEXT ITSELF, OR MISSING PAGES, MAPS OR ILLUSTRATIONS. AS I DON'T WISH TO GET INTO THE STRICT FOCUS ON CONDITION, AS THE MOST IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION OF A BOOK'S VALUE, THE BLESSING GENERALLY OF NON-FICTION, IS THAT THERE IS A FLEXIBILITY ATTACHED. AND USUALLY HAVING A GROUP OF EAGER HISTORIANS WAITING IS WHAT WORKS FOR ME. TRUTH IS, I'M JUST AS HAPPY TO HAVE AN UNINTERRUPTED CYCLE OF BUSINESS…..AS PILES OF LITERATURE WITH BLEMISHES LEFT TO GATHER DUST.  IT HAS BEEN THE ONLY WAY, FOR ME AT LEAST, TO SURVIVE IN THE BOOK BUSINESS, AND MAINTAIN EFFICIENCY. IT DOESN'T MEAN I WOULD TURN DOWN A FIRST EDITION OF A MAJOR TITLE, AND AUTHOR, BUT THE BOOK WOULD HAVE TO BE IN AT LEAST EXCELLENT CONDITION BEFORE I'D MAKE EVEN A SMALL INVESTMENT.

SOME MORE INSIGHTS ABOUT THE OLD BOOK BUSINESS, ACCORDING TO DORA HOOD

     "What books do Canadians collect? Before launching on this, one of my favorite subjects, I must try to clear up some of the misconceptions on this book collecting game as it is played in Canada," writes legendary bookseller, Dora Hood, in her 1958 biography, "The Side Door - Twenty-six Years in My Book Room," (Ryerson Press, Toronto)

     "Do not expect from me advice on how to become a book collector. The libraries are full of books on this very subject. I have dipped into many of them and remain convinced that you can not make a true book collector out of a person who has to be told how to go about it. In all my long years in the business no one has ever asked me, 'how shall I begin to be a book collector?' It is possible that this independent spirit is characteristic of the collector of Canadiana. I hope it is, and my experience points that way. I can not be quite so dogmatic on the next point. It has pitfalls and is not as simple to explain," writes Dora Hood, of the industry that consumed her, from the period before the Great Depression, through World War II, and into the mid 1950's. "The term book collecting is often considered synonymous with the acquisition of first editions. This is not necessarily so among Canadian collectors for several reasons. One of these may be that we in Canada are far removed from the great book centers where world-famous first editions repeatedly change hands at fabulous prices. This lack of stimulation may have something to do with our indifference. Again, our own literary output as yet, is known scarcely at all beyond our own borders and the books of many of our best writers have never gone beyond their first issues. (This was her opinion circa 1958) Moreover, the collectors of these first editions are few, and they are, therefore, comparatively easy to acquire. This lack of competition gives little impetus to the first-edition quest. Fortunately for posterity, a few far-sighted Canadian collectors have over the years consistently gathered the first fruits of our writers," she notes of bibliophile associates.

     "For the most part, however, the majority of Canadian book collectors who came my way were more interested in the subjects they collected than in first editions in general. And they would probably have agreed with one delightful book buyer who wrote thus on the subject: 'Some of the greatest lovers of letters who ever lived - Dr. Johnson, for example, and Thomas De Quincy and Carlyle - have cared no more for first editions than I do for brussels sprouts.' Augustine Birrell who penned this devastating indictment wrote many diverting essays on book buying and even on antiquarian booksellers. The small edition of his 'Selected Essays,' I have had since 1909; and in reading it again lately, found it had an unsuspected Canadian interest. Birrell wrote in the preface, 'When asked lately by my friend John Buchan to allow a selection (made by him) of my essays be added to this series, I readily assented, for when all is said and done, circulation is an author's life.' The book was published by Thomas Nelson, and probably cost me not more than a dollar. Buchan was then a partner of T.A. Nelson who had been his friend at Oxford. That the editor of essays became our most literary-minded Governor General, and that the author has so much to say about second-hand booksellers doubly endears this book to me. I have read it many times these forty years."

     Dora Hood adds, "Now, having made some statements that may be challenged, it is to be hoped I have left a loophole or two, in case I have to withdraw in the face of an attack. I shall feel on firmer ground if I proceed to describe some of the many fields that have been successfully explored by Canadian collectors. I even may recall some ardent first edition collectors among them! Canadian art as a collector's subject is a comparatively recent development. What makes it interesting is that it has an intense appeal especially to the younger generation. It was William Colgate, an early researcher in this subject, who first drew my attention to the attractive vistas it opened. I soon began to tuck away odds and ends in any way connected with Canadian art in order to have something to show him the next time he dropped in for a talk. I had some early annual reports of the Ontario Society of Artists. The first of these were issued in 1873, when the exhibition was held at Notman & Fraser's Galleries on King Street East in Toronto. There were no illustrations but the names of the exhibitors were given and among them Verner's name appears so often in both the oils and water color sections that it is surprising why examples of his work are now hard to come by. Verner was born in Sheridan, Ontario, and was noted chiefly for his pictures of buffalo. It was not until 1886 that some paintings were reproduced in these little O.S.A. folders; they were the forerunners of many hundreds of pamphlets on the subject that passed through my hands. Mr. Colgate is the author of a number of biographies of the early artists, many of who dwelt here briefly, leaving samples of their work, only to move on perhaps to greener fields. It was in 1944 that The Ryerson Press published Mr. Colgates fine book, 'Canadian Art, Its Origin and Development'."

     "There are two approaches to Canadian art collecting. The purely artistic, 'whose subtle power could stay yon cloud and fix it in that glorious shape,' and the definitely historical side. Both have their devotees and are sometimes combined. My duties to all these collectors were to provide all the literature, old and knew, that would enlarge their knowledge of the subject. It is not possible here to tell of the many delightful avenues I explored with my customers. I content myself with stories of only a few of the collectors. writers and artists who came my way. The great collection of Canadian pictures, known as the William H. Coverdale Collection, gather for the adornment of the walls of the Manoir Richelieu, at Murray Bay, stimulated interest in the art of this country to a high degree. Old prints, engravings, maps, oil and water color pictures were gathered and catalogued under the direction of Percy F. Goldsmith, and by 1930, when the printed list appeared, they numbered 1,598. In the preface of this catalogue we read: 'The deep current of Canadian history moving through three centuries has carried on its flood tide countless diaries, intimate letters, biographies, reminiscences and state documents which were the living chronicles of their time. But the ever-moving tide of generations has swept vast quantities of this rich substance down to oblivion. Diaries, unappreciated by contemporaries, are discarded and lost. Letters, often the richest of historical sources, are put aside and forgotten or crumble with brittle age. Even books, famous in their day, have been literally read out of existence. So, the passing of time has left only comparative fragments of the casual or deliberate writings of those who went before us in the making of Canada. Pictures, unlike the written word, seem to have survived the restless movements of generations'. I was told by Georges Ducharme that after the Coverdale agents had scoured the country there was not a picture of Canadian interest or even an illustrated book to be found. This dearth continued for a few years but in the mysterious way in which the secondhand market works, it has since recovered. The Coverdale collection was a brilliant though somewhat wholesale effort, and the pity of it so comparatively few people see it, and then only in summer months during which the hotel is open.'"

     Dora Hood concludes, "To refresh my mind on the development of interest in this subject, I looked through the volumes of my bound catalogues and found it was not until 1949 that 'Art' appears as a separate section. It had gradually worked its way into the collectors' esteem so that it could no longer be classified with 'Literature and Handicrafts.' Art has in fact now become an important subject in any Canadian bookshop."

     In tomorrow's blog I will share a little insight about Dora Hood, and research that was conducted, with her assistance, regarding the mysterious death of Canadian landscape artist. Tom Thomson, one of my favorite subjects. It's a neat sidebar story in Canadian history, and Dora Hood played a small but interesting role. In my humble experience, booksellers are never just that……and are never too conservative to "tick their oar in," when a subject of interest rolls around. I shared this story with a Thomson researcher recently, and I'd like to think it shed a little light on his research.

     I hope you enjoyed today's study of Canadian bookseller, Dora Hood. I will conclude the brief series in tomorrow's blog. I appreciate your company, and everyone is welcome to join in. I've got lots of antique hunting stories to tell, and a honking big white screen to fill each day. Can you imagine how many trees I would kill, to accommodate my copy output? A whole forest would disappear, and as I love my woodlands, this is a much better use of resources. Thanks again for visiting and please come back again soon.

     As I predicted, for Monday of this week, my Gravenhurst blog had officially passed the 50,000 "hits" mark, after less than fourteen months. I'm delighted to say….as any regional writer would be, that the daily average now has increased to between four hundred and four hundred and sixty each day. A year ago, I was lucky to hit forty or fifty for each blog. The most delightful aspect, is that the past blogs are being actively archived, and in both North America and Europe. Apparently, I've got a pretty good following in Poland, and that has to do with the feature series I wrote last spring, on Polish-Canadian artist, Richard Karon, formerly of Lake of Bays, here in the District of Muskoka. If you haven't read it, but wish to, I have a special Richard Karon blogsite, complete with video of his work, and many paintings included for viewing. I know 50,000 hits would be a tiny readership for better known and celebrity bloggers, but by golly, for a country lad like me…..well, it's nothing short of inspiring. So thanks for your ongoing support. I hope I can continue earning your respect.

Dora Hood Part 3, Toronto Bookseller and Historian

THE PROVENANCE OF FOUND BOOKS AND DOCUMENTS - THAT MAKE THE HUNT WORTHWHILE

DORA HOOD WAS A MASTER OF DISCOVERY IN THE FIELD OF CANADIANA

     I HAVE JUST THIS MOMENT, ARRIVED AT MY HUMBLE STATION, MY OFFICE OVERLOOKING THE BOG, HERE AT BIRCH HOLLOW, HAVING SHOVELED THE LANE AND THE TOPS OF OUR TWO OUT-BUILDINGS, WEIGHT DOWN HEAVILY WITH WET SNOW. WITH RAINFALL PREDICTED FOR LATER IN THE DAY, I WAS WORRIED THEY MIGHT COLLAPSE UNDER THE ADDED STRESS. DESPITE THE FACT I DETEST SNOW REMOVAL, AS EITHER WORK OR WINTER RECREATION, THERE WAS NO DENYING THAT THE SCENE IN WHICH I WAS IMMERSED THIS MORNING, WAS ABOUT AS PICTURESQUE AS A ROBERT FROST POEM, IS MINDFUL, OF NATURE'S PRECIOUS ENCHANTMENTS. I SPENT LONGER OUT THERE THAN USUAL, BECAUSE I KEPT PAUSING AT MY LABORS TO LOOK OUT OVER THE FOREST AND LOWLAND ACROSS THE ROAD, WATCHING TWO DEER MOVING FROM EAST TO WEST ON THE FAR RIDGE. WE MOVED TO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, IN 1989, BECAUSE OF THIS SMALL ACREAGE OF HINTERLAND, STILL THRIVING AMIDST THE URBAN COMMUNITY THAT SURROUNDS IT. I CAN'T REALLY DESCRIBE HOW PLEASANT AND BRIGHT IT IS HERE NOW, WORKING AT THIS OLD KEYBOARD, IN THE NATURAL LIGHT OF A WINTER MORNING……THE MELT WATER OF SNOW ON MY COLLAR GIVING ME A LITTLE SHIVER FROM TIME TO TIME.

     SURROUNDING ME NOW, OUTSIDE OF THIS MAGNIFICENT VIEW, ARE MY PRIVATE COLLECTION OF REFERENCE BOOKS. EVEN AS A KID, I LOVED ANY OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO A PUBLIC LIBRARY, AND DRINK IN THE CULTURE AND HISTORY OF THE PLACE. EVEN BEFORE I KNEW WHAT HISTORY REPRESENTED, OTHER THAN THINGS THAT HAPPENED "YESTERDAY AND THE DAY BEFORE," I KNEW THESE PLACES, SO FRIENDLY TO BOOKS, WERE PORTALS TO OTHER TIMES AND DISTANT LANDS; ADVENTURES AND INTRIGUE. WHAT WAS PRINTED IN THESE NEATLY POSITIONED BOOKS, IN ROWS, ONE ABOVE THE OTHER, CARRIED THE KIND OF INFORMATION THAT COULD LIBERATE THE CHILD FROM THE DAY TO DAY DRUDGERY OF SCHOOL. I FEEL EXACTLY THE SAME TODAY, AND WITHIN MINUTES, I CAN TAKE A HIATUS FROM WRITING, AND PICK UP A BOOK, AND COMPANION WITH AN AUTHOR WHO WILL TAKE ME GENTLY BUT ENTHUSIASTICALLY, TO A HUDSON BAY POST IN THE EARLY 1800'S; AND ALLOW ME TO DINE, THOUGHTFULLY, WITH THE COMPANY FACTOR, IN THE DINING HALL, ON A MEAL OF MOOSE, BEAR OR DEER. OR I MIGHT PREFER TO TRAVEL ABOARD A STEAMSHIP ACROSS THE ATLANTIC IN THE 1870'S, IN THE COMPANY OF MUSKOKA ARTIST ADA FLORENCE KINTON, ON THE WAY TO HUNTSVILLE, FROM LONDON, ENGLAND. I WOULD NOT SURVIVE LONG AS A WRITER IF I DIDN'T HAVE THESE BOOKS WITHIN AN ARM'S REACH. THEY ARE MY COMFORT ZONE. IT WAS THE SAME FOR DORA HOOD, A TORONTO BOOKSELLER, WHO BECAME A LEGEND IN THE CONSERVATION OF CANADIANA…….RESCUING THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS AND BOOKS, CRITICAL TO THE STUDY AND APPRECIATION OF CANADIAN HISTORY.

     WHEN DORA STARTED OUT AS A BOOKSELLER, IT WAS BY HAPPENSTANCE. A FRIEND OF HERS, PRIOR TO THE GREAT DEPRESSION, HAD DECIDED TO GIVE UP HER SMALL ANTIQUARIAN BOOK BUSINESS. AFTER THE RECENT DEATH OF HER DOCTOR HUSBAND, WITH TWO YOUNGSTERS TO SUPPORT, SHE DECIDED THAT A LOVE FOR BOOKS ALONE, SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO KNOW HOW TO PROFIT FROM THEM IN RETURN. ADMITTEDLY, AFTER TWENTY-SIX YEARS IN THE BUSINESS, NAVIGATING THROUGH THE LEAN YEARS OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION, AND THE SECOND WORLD WAR, AS WELL AS SUCCEEDING IN A MALE DOMINATED BOOK TRADE, SHE WOULD ADMIT THERE WAS A LOT MORE TO BEING A BOOKSELLER THAN THE TITLE SUGGESTS. AS I'VE NOTED EARLIER IN THIS BRIEF SERIES, ON DORA HOOD AND HER BUSINESS, KNOWN AS "MY BOOK ROOM," IN TORONTO, WHILE SHE NEVER CLAIMED TO BE A WRITER OF HISTORY, SHE DID BECOME AN ARCHIVIST / HISTORIAN BY IMMERSION. SHE DOESN'T TAKE THIS CREDIT ANYWHERE IN HER BOOK, "THE SIDE DOOR - TWENTY-SIX YEARS IN MY BOOK ROOM," (1958 RYERSON PRESS), BUT ANYONE WHO READS IT, WHO HAS AN INTEREST IN CANADIAN HISTORY IN PARTICULAR, WILL RECOGNIZE THAT HER CONTRIBUTION TO THE CONSERVATION OF NATIONAL HERITAGE WARRANTED MORE SERIOUS CREDIT TO HER NAME. MOST BOOK COLLECTORS TODAY HAVE PROBABLY NEVER HEARD OF DORA HOOD. MANY HISTORIANS MAY FALL INTO THE SAME SITUATION, AND HAVE NO CONCEPT OF HER WORK ON THEIR BEHALF MANY DECADES EARLIER. I WISH TO GIVE HER THIS BENEFIT NOW, AND OFFER A FEW MORE STORIES FROM HER BIOGRAPHY, BECAUSE I THINK IT IS A CRITICAL BOOK OF STUDY FOR ALL COLLECTORS……AND NOT JUST THOSE WITH AN INTEREST IN BOOKS. HER ADVICE ON COLLECTING IS WELL PRESENTED, AND BASED ON CONSIDERABLE EXPERIENCE……AS SOMEONE WHO DEALT WITH A REGIMENT OF SERIOUS, HARD TO PLEASE, AND DEMANDING COLLECTORS.

THE ADVENTURES OF A BOOK HUNTER / BUYER / SELLER IN CANADA

     "It is one thing to buy accumulations of books as I had been doing up to now, and quite another to be offered a collector's library," writes bookseller, Dora Hood. "In the former, as a rule, no one hand and mind have been at work to bring all the books together; they, therefore, yield many unexpected finds, and in truth are rather exciting to handle. But when one person has, perhaps over many years, devoted himself to collecting all he can find on one or more subjects, it is an education itself to sort and catalogue such a library.

     "One such collection came my way, with very little effort on my part. I was asked to look at a library which had been in storage for many years. It filled a good sized room from floor to ceiling and was not very easy to examine. The books were tied up very securely in bundles of about one and a half feet high. The cord with which they were tied was firm, though soft, and did not, fortunately, cut into the books. I took my small son along to help move the bundles so that I could get some idea of the material that was in it. This time it was summer and hot and we toiled at the work for about three hours, and had only managed to examine about a third of it. It looked extremely good. I asked what the owners wanted for it and agreed to their price and the collection was mine. It arrived in two truck loads, and taxed my storage room to the limits. Would that all other libraries were in such good condition, contained so rich a store, and were easily handled. For months I read nothing else than the books and pamphlets of this collection. Night after night I chose a bundle and took it upstairs for bedside reading. I learned more from it than from any other collection of books I ever bought, and I also learned something of the mind and character of him, who had brought together all these records of the past. Charles Canniff James, whose collection it was, died in 1916, in his early fifties due, it was said, to over-work in the organization of Ontario's agricultural contribution during the first Great War.

     "As I sorted and catalogued the books and papers I was saddened to think he did not live to old age, when he could have enjoyed the fruits of his years of collecting. The only consolation one can find on these occasions is the knowledge that they go mostly into the hand of others who value them," noted the Toronto bookseller. "By 1932 I had acquired a really good stock of books, and that spring had issued my seventh catalogue. Among my letters about this time I received a communication from the American Library Association, asking me if I would consider taking a booth at their annual meeting which was to be held that year in Montreal.

     "I had done practically no advertising so far but was quite well known to many of the librarians of the American universities and institutions, and this seemed a good opportunity to meet them as well as some of my clients in Montreal. I had at that time far more collectors in Montreal and Quebec than I had in Toronto. The rent of the booth did not seem high and I suppose I was ready for a new experience outside the Book Room," she noted of her business at the time. "The books were to be arranged all round the large banquet hall of the Windsor Hotel. Publishers from all over the United States and the leading ones in Canada, all from Toronto had taken booths. I was the only antiquarian bookseller in that great company and a very inexperienced one at that. I bought some pretty clothes, for it was to be in May, packed a big carton of my most outstanding books, and notified some of my bookish friends that I was coming to Montreal for a week, and asked them to look me up."

     Dora Hood reports of the book sale, "In spite of the undoubted fact that the depression was getting deeper, a great throng of librarians attended the meeting, chiefly I think from the United States. There were meetings all day in other parts of the hotel and at McGill University and, in between sessions, groups wandered into the banquet hall to examine the displays of the publishers. Each of us had his name on a placard over his booth and I had my share of inquiries. In the evening the book-loving public turned up, for it was a book fair such as Montreal has never before seen. Many of my collectors came to have a talk and I thoroughly enjoyed it, for I am convinced that by and large book collectors are among the most delightful people one can meet. The next booth to mine was occupied by a German firm from New York. I cannot now recall the name but their children's books they displayed were the most attractive I have ever seen. There were three young women in charge who told me they had been in New York a year, and adored it, but they would soon return to Germany as their visas had expired. I asked them if they would continue to work with their firm, but they said unfortunately, being married women, they would not be allowed to work. This was a year before Hitler seized power, so it could not be laid at his door, but Germany was in the throes of distress and only unmarried women were permitted to work. These young women interested me because I knew they had grown up during the decade after the war when the youth of Germany, was struggling to educate itself and teachers in schools and universities were handicapped for want of money to buy books.

     "I had received pathetic letters from a professor (in Germany) who had spent a year in Canada and was anxious, if possible, to build up a working collection of Canadian literature for his students. He was quite frank in telling me that he and his students hoped gradually to pay me for the books I sent. For two years small amounts came by special permits and then suddenly stopped. I wrote it off as a trifling bad debt, though I still felt it could not be the fault of the professor. Two or three years later came a letter from one of his students, telling me that he had died suddenly at the time the money had ceased to come. His former students were heartbroken at losing him and as a memorial were paying the money still owing, and ordering a further lot of books to complete the collection they called after him."

     She notes of the successful show and sale, "At the end of the week I had a note book full of addresses of institutes of learning in United States, all, it seemed, with plenty of funds for book buying. This was a most satisfactory outlook in spite of general forebodings. Before leaving for home I drove out of Montreal for a brief holiday in the lovely Laurentians. I remarked to my host that I hoped nothing would happen to the United States of America. His smile was rather wan. Well, nothing did happen just then and fortunately I was well established when the American banks, one after the other, closed their doors and the appropriations of many of their educational institutions were cut to a discouraging minimum."

     In the year 1579, Francis Bacon took a shot at describing the value of books…..in non monetary terms of course: "We see then how far the monuments of wit and learning are more durable than the monuments of power, or of the hands…..(but) the images of men's wits and knowledges remain in books, exempt from wrong of time and capable of perpetual renovation. Neither are they fitly to be called images, because they generate still and cast their seeds into the minds of others, provoking and causing infinite actions and opinions in succeeding generations."

     A short while ago, I took a break to read the daily newspaper. I found an article about decorating with books. And the way colorful spines positioned together on a book shelf can enhance the ambience of any room. I had to read the article twice. Now folks, I don't want to be a hypocrite here, because my antique business does cater to home decorators every day of the business week; but when we start putting books together on a shelf because of the color of their spines, I can't help but be aghast at how far we've degenerated as a society…….when we care less about reading them, and more about their decorative value and if they can be stacked artistically and made into lamps. When I see and read this tripe, I know I'm far more a purist than I ever thought. But I do have one story about my book collector friend, David Brown, and of all things, "home enhancements."

     Dave came in to my store one day, and asked if I'd like to make a trade. He was always doing things like this, and I really didn't wish to participate…..but the books he wanted to trade for, had been on the shelves for about three years without a single copy being sold. In return I got some sports related books, our boys would enjoy, and a number of art books he didn't particularly care for. After he boxed up what books he wanted, and loaded them in his trademark Ford pickup with the yellow canoe lashed on top, he came down to chat for awhile, before heading back to Hamilton. "Thanks for the books Ted. They're for a friend of mine," he said. "His wife threw him out of the house, and now he's got this big apartment with empty bookshelves. He just wanted some books to fill the open spaces, and these will do just fine." I just stared at him, and honestly, I didn't know whether to throw him out of the store by his shirt collar (which would have been hard, as he was a substantial size), or strike it up to on-the-job training. I had just traded books away as the attractive good graces of home decor. Now it has reared its ugly head again. Well sir, I don't decorate with books. I have books, which I adore, and read daily. Sure they look good on a shelf, and in a cabinet, but if that was all they were worth…..just to look at from the outside, then I would have them all removed from our house……as I am morally against facades, unless they are items that are solely meant for decoration and functional furnishings….art of course for art's sake. The funny thing about Dave Brown, is that he was my book mentor, and here he was, the broker of fashionable design, to stave off the opinion of apartment visitors, that this gentleman friend was out of sorts with the world. God forbid there should be an empty book shelf.

     I will have another chapter on Dora Hood in tomorrow's blog. I hope you have time to visit again. I could write continually about old books, because they have served me well as both a collector and historian for my entire professional life. I would feel I had lost part of my soul, should someone decide I no longer needed them…..clearing my shelves to make room for china ornaments and glass vases. Thanks again for taking some time on this nasty-weather day, to visit my blog-site. Lots more on tap.

Dora Hoods Toronto Book Room Part 2

ON BEING THE SELLER OF OLD BOOKS AND THE ENCHANTMENT IT CREATES

ONCE BITTEN…….WATCH OUT…..MAYBE YOU WILL BECOME A BOOK DEALER

     EVERY TIME I WALK INTO A SHOP THAT SELLS OLD BOOKS, I AM IMPRESSED IMMEDIATELY BY THE RICH, HISTORIC, WORLDLY AROMA OF SO MUCH BOUND AND PRINTED-UPON PAPER; POSSESSING THE AURA OF OLD WRITERS AND CENTURIES OF CONTENTED READERSHIP; SO MANY SHELVES OF HISTORY AND LITERATURE, FICTION AND NON-FICTION, NOVELS AND BIOGRAPHY, AND SO MUCH SOCIAL / CULTURAL FUEL FOR THE EAGER MIND TO FEED UPON. EVEN STANDING ALONE IN A BOOK SHOP, IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO FEEL ISOLATED OR LONELY. I ALWAYS THINK OF CHRISTOPHER MORELY'S "HAUNTED BOOK SHOP," WHEN I VISIT THESE HAVENS OF GOOD READING. I HAD A SIGNED COPY OF "THE HAUNTED BOOK SHOP," BUT ALAS, THIS DASTARDLY SITUATION, OF A BOOKSELLER ACTUALLY HAVING TO SELL SOMETHING, IN ORDER TO SURVIVE. AH, THE TEMPTATION OF MONEY OVER POSSESSION.

     I HAVE BEEN IN SOME WONDERFUL OLD BOOK SHOPS, SINCE I BEGAN SELLING BOOKS MYSELF, BACK IN THE LATE 1980'S. IT DIDN'T MATTER IF THE SHOP WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A TIGHT URBAN DOWNTOWN, IN A RUSHING-EVERYWHERE CITY, OR IN A SMALL TOWN, OR HAMLET, MAYBE EVEN OUT IN THE RURAL CLIMES, BECAUSE ONE STEP INSIDE THE DOOR, AND THERE CAME ALL THOSE FAMILIAR SENSORY PERCEPTIONS. THE VERY PROFOUND AND HAUNTING, "I'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE," SENSATIONS. WHETHER IT WAS URBAN OR RURAL, IT NEVER SEEMED TO MATTER. THEY WERE ALWAYS RUN BY HOSPITABLE, WELCOMING FOLKS, WHO FELT THEIR BOOKS WERE AN EXTENSION OF THEIR SOULS. THEY DIDN'T OFFER THIS AS A WELCOMING EXPLANATION, BUT YOU KNEW IT, AFTER ONLY A SHORT CHAT. IT WAS A REFLECTION IN THIER EYES, THAT THEY LOVED WHAT THEY WERE DOING IN LIFE. WORKING IN THESE SHOPS WAS NO EFFORT AT ALL. IT WAS THE "LIFESTYLE" SITUATION, I HAVE TRIED TO PORTRAY THROUGH THESE PRELIMINARY BLOGS ABOUT COLLECTORS AND THE ART OF COLLECTING. YOU WILL MAKE A TERRIBLE ANTIQUARIAN BOOK COLLECTOR IF YOU DON'T CHERISH BOOKS…..AND NOT JUST THE ONES YOU LIKE. I CAN HONESTLY SAY I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN AN OLD BOOK SHOP THAT I DIDN'T LIKE…..OR SPOKEN WITH ITS PROPRIETOR, AND FELT THEIR DEMEANOR TO BE COLD OR STANDOFFISH. THE PREVAILING ATMOSPHERE IS SCHOLARLY AND IT WAS THE SAME FEELING I GOT, WHENEVER I WENT INTO THE COMMUNITY LIBRARIES IN MUSKOKA, AND THE MASSIVE FACILITY AT YORK UNIVERSITY IN TORONTO, WHERE I STUDIED ENGLISH AND HISTORY.  AS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY BOOKS, AND LOTS OF THEM, FOR MOST OF MY COLLECTING LIFE, I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO FEEL AT HOME WITH "THE COLLECTION." I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HAVE TO SELL A BOOK, YOU'D RATHER NOT. SUZANNE HAS HAD TO PRY A LOT OF BOOKS OUT OF MY HANDS OVER THE YEARS, SUCH AS A PRISTINE FIRST EDITION, SIGNED COPY OF "BLUENOSE SKIPPER," SIGNED BY CAPTAIN ANGUS WALTERS. WE NEEDED MORTGAGE MONEY, AND THIS WAS A PRICEY BOOK. BUT IT'S BEEN THE SAME WITH ANTIQUES, FOR ME, AND I'VE HAD PANIC ATTACKS, SELLING OFF A FAVORITE BUFFET, OR FLAT-TO-THE-WALL, DESPITE THE FACT WE MADE A HANDSOME PROFIT. THERE ARE MANY READING THIS, WHO WON'T APPRECIATE FULLY, THAT ONE CAN ACTUALLY BECOME MORE ATTACHED TO A BOOK AFTER READING IT, THAN THE ANTICIPATION OF HAVING IT ON THE NIGHTSTAND…..AS A BOOK IN WAITING. I MUST HAVE READ "BLUENOSE SKIPPER," THREE TIMES BEFORE IT WAS SOLD, BUT THE BOOK HAD A LITTLE MAGIC ATTACHED, I CAN'T QUITE EXPLAIN. IT WAS LIKE HAVING CAPTAIN WALTERS READING ALONG WITH  ME, TO POINT OUT THINGS I MIGHT HAVE MISSED DURING A PREVIOUS RUN-THROUGH.

     I FEEL THE SAME ABOUT DORA HOOD'S FASCINATING BIOGRAPHY, "THE SIDE DOOR - TWENTY-SIX YEARS IN MY BOOK ROOM," PUBLISHED BY THE RYERSON PRESS, IN 1958. I WILL NOT SELL MY INSCRIBED AND SIGNED COPY. BUT I WILL SHARE SOME BOOK COLLECTING AND SELLING STORIES FROM WITHIN. IT IS A BOOK EVERY CANADIAN SHOULD BE FAMILIAR WITH, BECAUSE DORA HOOD WAS AS MUCH AN HISTORIAN AS BIBLIOPHILE. SHE CONSERVED A GREAT DEAL OF CANADIAN HISTORY, WITH HER ASTUTE HANDLING AND RESEARCH OF LARGE COLLECTIONS SHE HAD ACQUIRED. ITEMS OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE WERE GIVEN GREAT AND PAINSTAKINGLY CAREFUL SCRUTINY, AND THE CONSERVATION ATTENTION, TO PRESERVE THEM FOR MANY GENERATIONS TO COME.

     "THE SECONDHAND BOOK BUSINESS HAS A VERY LONG HISTORY AND HAS HAD SOME ADHERENTS WHO HAVE BECOME FAMOUS IN OTHER WAYS," WRITES FORMER TORONTO BOOKSELLER, DORA HOOD. "IT IS RECORDED THAT ALEXANDER CRUDEN 'MAINTAINED HIMSELF BY KEEPING A SECONDHAND BOOKSHOP,' WHILE HE COMPILED HIS MONUMENTAL WORK, THE FAMOUS 'CONCORDANCE OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS.' AT TIMES HE HAD PERIODS OF LUNACY, THOUGH WHETHER THIS WAS THE RESULT OF HIS STUDIES OR FROM WORRY OVER THE CONDITION OF HIS BOOKSHOP, HIS DOES NOT RELATE. HE DIED IN 1770 AND EVER SINCE HIS NAME HAS BEEN A HOUSEHOLD WORD, AN ACHIEVEMENT THE REST OF US HAVE NEVER ATTAINED.

     "THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CHARMING ESSAYS AND BOOKS WRITTEN ABOUT BOOKSHOPS, REAL AND FICTIONAL, BUT THEY COME FOR THE MOST PART FROM ABLE PENS OF LITERARY BOOK BUYERS AND NOT FROM THE EVER GRUBBY AND HARDWORKING HANDS OF THE PROPRIETORS. 'HANDBOOKS,' THERE ARE WITHOUT NUMBER ON HOW TO CONDUCT MOST BUSINESS VENTURES, BUT I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ONE ON HOW TO RUN A SECONDHAND BOOKSHOP. WE WHO DRIFT INTO THE TRADE DEVELOP OUR OWN HAPHAZARD WAYS AND WOULD, I THINK, FIND IT DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW RULES WE HAD NOT DEVELOPED OURSELVES. WHAT FOLLOWS, THEREFORE, MAY NOT APPLY TO OTHER BOOKSHOPS BUT IT IS THE INSIDE STORY OF HOW WE WORKED."

     DORA HOOD NOTES OF THE PROFESSION SHE MARRIED, "IT TOOK ME YEARS TO WORK OUT A SYSTEM IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ROUTINE OFFICE WORK, WHILE WAYS OF BUYING AND SELLING AND WRITING CATALOGUES CAME ALMOST BY INSTINCT. WE HAD OUR DAYS OF JOYS AND SORROWS, OF TRIUMPHS AND HUMILIATIONS, OF EASE AND DRUDGERY AND THOUGH THE NET RESULT IN DOLLARS AND CENTS WAS MODEST, THE LIFE WAS SUCH A SATISFYING ONE THAT I NEVER DREAMED OF GIVING IT UP. AUGUSTINE BIRRELL, IN HIS PITHY WAY WROTE, 'NEVER CONVERT A TASTE INTO TRADE,' BUT I THINK HE WAS WRONG. I WOULD SAY YOU MUST HAVE A TASTE FOR BOOKS, OR YOU WOULD LOATHE THE TRADE."

KEEPING COMPANY WITH A BOOKSELLER

     "Contrary to the general belief, we are a fairly honest lot. For instance, as we become more expert in our business, we actually pay more for the books we buy than we did as novices. Luck it seems is often with the beginner for when I was timid about every outlay I made on books, some wonderful bargains came my way. I have no qualms of conscience on this account, however, for had there been any rival buyer in the field, the books would not have become mine. As time went on I gradually built up a first hand knowledge of the value of a great number of books, both rare and commonplace; I could not in all honesty offer less than I knew they were worth to me. Most of us buy more books than we can handle, and lay out much more capital than we should. None of us grows rich! There is a vast difference between buying a few volumes and estimating the value of a large library. I grew to enjoy the latter, for it required skill and experience with the added possibility of something unusual turning up. As time went on, and especially after the 1939-45 War, I did not have so many unorganized collections offered me, such as the Jones and Heyden libraries, for by that time most of the loose collections of papers had been tidied up and unfortunately consigned to the paper drives. The only one of this kind that remained was the Coyne Collection, and that took me years to acquire although I had known of its existence for some time."

     She writes, "More and more frequently I was called on to price and buy well selected libraries belonging to university professors, civil servants or wealthy businessmen. These books were usually arranged neatly on shelves in attractive libraries or in rather chilly basement playrooms, and the task was much simpler though not as exciting as ploughing through piles of miscellaneous books and papers. Gradually I devised a method of arriving at a price which developed into playing a little game with myself. I had in time become so familiar with the appearance of a vast number of Canadian books that without even reading their titles, I recognized them by the size, the color of their bindings and other features very much as we know the appearance of our friends without ticking off each feature. Therefore, when I came into a room full of books, I could take a general look at the collection and size up the trend of character of the library. After a few minutes' thought I would jot down on a piece of paper what I thought I should pay for it and put this away in my briefcase. Then I would go carefully over the whole collection, putting down in one column on my pad, the value of the highlights or really good books on each shelf and in another column, a covering price on what I called 'run of the mill,' books. These included those that turn up frequently and of which I had a good supply and the practically unsaleable others. Often this proved a thoroughly interesting operation, for when unfamiliar titles turned up, I had to spend some time going through them to decide on their value. Then came the final reckoning. The two columns would be added up, the good and the not so good, and putting them together I would arrive at the final price; and here is where the game came in. The original guess would be produced and the two prices compared. In nine cases I do not know how I did this and it amused and astonished me over and over again. Though the carefully detailed estimate was probably nearer the real value, I usually gave the seller whichever was higher."

     So if you've ever wanted to know how book dealers operate in the heat of the moment, Dora Hood provides some valuable insights. "There is one difficult problem which every book dealer has to face. The owners of libraries, almost invariably, will not put a price on their books. Most of them want the dealer to do this, and, having got his expert advice, proceed with this as a basis for further bargaining with others. I do not think it occurs to them that this is somewhat unethical. The only method we can employ to offset this is tactfully to explain that the offer must be accepted or rejected at the time it is made and will not be renewed. Sometimes it is very difficult to be so dogmatic. Most bookish people are disarmingly nice and it is distressing to disrupt the friendship atmosphere. The best way is to take the seller into your confidence by explaining that you have many offers of books and must have an answer there and then lest you have too many unsettled offers. Fortunately, I was able gradually to build up a certain confidence in my business ways and my estimates were accepted among those who knew me. My advice to those who have libraries to sell, is to try one of three three following ways of going about it. !. Try to arrive at a price before you offer your books, keeping in mind that the dealer must make a profit and that he will have to dispose of the books one by one, while you are to get cash for all without further effort on your part. 2. Make a careful list of your books giving author, title, date and place of publication, and exact condition, being sure to find out if all plates and maps are present. Have several copies made and sent them simultaneously to the dealers in the community, asking them to quote a price on the lot. Then accept the best. It is not playing the game to withdraw books from the list after sending it out. 3. Go to a dealer you know and trust him if he offers to buy the entire library. This is much less trouble and will probably give you the best return."

     She indicates, with considerable experience on her side, that "Booksellers are continually plagued by being asked to quote prices over the telephone. Often it is merely idle curiosity that prompts these calls and most bookmen refuse to give this information. Telephones, as we all know to our regret, are tremendous temptations to some people. I was frequently rung up after business hours by people who were comfortably at home and whose own offices were dark and silent. I remember once answering the telephone late at night to hear a cheery voice saying "We have just been having an argument about the value of the first edition of 'X'…..and someone said Dora Hood was sure to know, so we thought we would ring you up to see who was right.' My answer to this was 'That's very flattering, but what time is it at your house?' On several occasions I was asked to price books for probate, but did not particularly care for this work as the collections often contained quantities of miscellaneous books about which I could only guess. But once I was asked by the librarian of an important university as a business proposition, to put a price on a valuable collection of Canadiana. I was not told who had owned the books nor why a price was wanted. It was an interesting piece of work and required a good deal of research as many of the books were extremely rare. Again I applied my own technique of looking over the long list in a casual manner and jotting down an estimate. Then I went seriously to work on it, and as I did not know whether the books were to be sold or donated, I had to use my own judgement and decided to put on them the approximate current price. It took me several weeks to do the work in my spare time. Once again my estimated price and the final detailed amount were within hailing distance of each other, though a good many thousand dollars were involved. I learned later that the books had been left jointly to two heirs. The share of one was given as a gift to the library while the other heir demanded cash. What the final arrangement was I did not hear although I received a letter of appreciation from the librarian."

     As a final note, Dora Hood offers an explanation about book pricing for retail consumption: "To end this account of the inner workings of the Book Room, I must attempt to answer the question I am often asked. How did you know what price to put on your books? It was necessary, in the first place, to learn the universal principle of supply and demand. To do this I studied the catalogues of reputable and well-established bookmen. I went to the reference library to look up auction reports but them only occasionally helpful. I became familiar with the background of the books I had to catalogue from my bibliographies and histories. This took time but once learned stood me in good stead. The current values of the books, for instance, of Champlain, Charlevoix, Heriot and Weld were not difficult to establish, but these were not everyday occurrences in the Book Room. The task became much more of a problem as the flood of later books increased and I was confronted with good books which apparently I had never before been offered. It was necessary then, I found, to develop an acute sense of the value of the content of each books; this and the cultivation of a retentive memory for everything I had ever read or heard about a book was, I believe, the most useful faculty I acquired. There is, of course, another factor not generally, I fear, taken seriously by the trade, summed up in the modern term 'overhead.' There is only one solution to this and that is to keep it so low that you are continually bumping your head and by so doing most of the work yourself. Probably in the end, we fall back on the ancient rule of trial and error. but looking back as a bookseller of long standing, I believe the crucial factor in successful pricing is to possess a deep and absorbing interest in one's vocation."

     To my final breath in this mortal coil, I will be a bibliophile. I will buy books and then sell them. Not as much as I used to, when a little younger, but I could not have an antique shop assigned to my name, and have it void of some interesting books. At one time in my collecting life, I had about 40,000 books, and it has taken about twenty years, to whittle that number down to a manageable collection. I became obsessed with acquisition, but not so much, with selling proportionally, to what I was buying daily, weekly, monthly and annually. I was even resorting to sneaking boxes of books into our house, when Suzanne was at work, so she wouldn't yell at me for my excesses. I started changing my ways, when my old book hound friend, Dave Brown, commissioned me to do his biography. Dave didn't tell me at the time, he was seriously ill, and would likely never see the completed text. He was right. Dave passed away with 100,000 books stuffed into his small Hamilton bungalow. How bad was it? I'll bet you've never heard of load-bearing piles of books before. The handlers of the estate found this out, when they began taking the basement books out of the house, before lightening the load on the first floor. They nearly had a serious collapse. The piles of books, on shelves, were actually wedged at the top, against the floor joist of the upper level. Suzanne was my research assistant for the biography, which sold-out by the way, and it was after this, she put me on a reformation diet……no new books until the quantity was reduce by many thousands. Dave enlightened a lot of us, to the damnation of becoming a hoarder without knowing it. So now I buy only what I think I can sell quickly, and I have paid far more attention to the good advice from Dora Hood, than from what I found out about my old friend David Brown……a bibliomaniac by definition.

     I will have more information from Dora Hood's book in my next blog. Thanks for spending some time with me, in the recollection of one of Canada's well known antiquarian booksellers. Please drop by again soon, for some more wild and wooly collector tales from her in the snowy woodlands of South Muskoka.

The Story of Book Seller Dora Hood of Toronto

"THE SIDE DOOR" ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOKS IN MY COLLECTION

EVERY ANTIQUE DEALER HAS A FAVORITE BOOK THEY HAVE FOUND INSPIRATIONAL

     IT IS A BOOK I CONSULT REGULARLY. IT SHOWS THE INTENSITY OF MY STUDIES. RIPPED DUSTJACKET, AND THUMBPRINTS ON SOME OF THE PAGE-TOPS. I AM A READER WHO EATS WHILE ENJOYING A BOOK. BIG PROBLEM. IT'S A CANADIAN BOOK COLLECTING BIBLE. THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW TIMES WHEN I'VE BEEN TEMPTED TO SELL IT, BUT ONLY BECAUSE THE PRICE HAS BEEN RATHER SUBSTANTIAL. I HAVE RESISTED FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW, AND BECAUSE IT'S IN SHORT SUPPLY, AND A GREAT STORY FOR THE BOOKSELLER-ME, I WANTED TO SHARE A CHAPTER OR TWO WITH YOU. IN MY PREVIOUS BLOG, I MENTIONED THE COMPROMISES OUR FAMILY HAS MADE SINCE THE MID 1980'S, WITH THE RE-DESIGNATION OF LIVING SPACE, IN THE THREE HOUSES WHERE WE'VE RESIDED. I SUGGESTED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE AMONGST ANTIQUE TYPES, AND I OFFERED TO HIGHLIGHT ANOTHER DEALER WHO HAD MADE SIMILAR COMPROMISES OF HER ABODE, TO ACCOMMODATE A NEW BUSINESS SHE HAD ACQUIRED. IT'S AN AMAZING STORY OF RESTRUCTURING AND SUPPORTING FAMILY, AFTER THE LOSS OF HER HUSBAND; AND DEMONSTRATION OF WHAT A STALWART WORK ETHIC CAN DO, EVEN UNDER THE MOST ADVERSE CONDITIONS. HAVING TO SURVIVE THE ECONOMIC CHAGRIN OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION. AND TAKING OVER A BUSINESS SHE HAD ONLY A CURSORY KNOWLEDGE, IN ONE OF THE MOST RUTHLESSLY COMPETITIVE PROFESSIONS ON EARTH…….TUCKED TIGHTLY IN THE DOMAIN OF RARE AND OUT OF PRINT BOOKS.

     "THE SIDE DOOR - TWENTY-SIX YEARS IN MY BOOK ROOM," BY DORA HOOD, WAS FIRST PUBLISHED, IN HARDCOVER, BY THE RYERSON PRESS, TORONTO, IN 1958. QUITE A FEW YEARS AGO, I WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE AN INSCRIBED AND AUTOGRAPHED COPY, DATED SEPTEMBER 1970. PRESUMABLY SHE HAD SOME BOOKS LEFT OVER FROM THE 1958 PRINTING, AND GAVE THIS PERSONAL COPY TO A FRIEND. IT IS INSCRIBED, 'TO MY FRIEND FLORENCE BOYT WITH AFFECTIONATE REMEMBRANCE……DORA HOOD." DORA HOOD OPENED ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED OLD BOOKS SHOPS IN TORONTO, AND WAS KNOWN TO BOOK COLLECTORS AROUND THE WORLD. THAT'S RIGHT, AND SHE WORKED OUT OF HER MODEST HOME, IN A TIGHTLY KNIT, BUT QUICKLY DIVERSIFYING NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS PROVED TO HER GENERAL ADVANTAGE, AS A BOOK SELLER.

     "IT WAS BY CHANCE RATHER THAN BY DESIGN THAT I BECAME A BOOKSELLER," WRITES DORA HOOD, TO OPEN HER BIOGRAPHY. "IT CAME ABOUT IN THIS WAY. I DINED ONE EVENING WITH MY FRIEND, JEANETTE RATHBUN, AND THE CONVERSATION TURNED TO THE CONGENIAL SUBJECT OF BOOKS. I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR HER SAY RATHER WEARILY, THAT SHE WAS TIRED OF BOOKS. SHE THEN CONFESSED THAT FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS SHE HAD BEEN ATTEMPTING TO CARRY ON A MAIL-ORDER BOOK BUSINESS IN HER SPARE TIME, WHICH MEANT THE EVENINGS, FOR SHE HAD A FULL DAYTIME OCCUPATION. SHE HAD AT ONE TIME HOPED SHE MIGHT MAKE THE BOOKS HER BUSINESS, BUT NOW SHE KNEW SHE COULD NOT DROP HER SALARIED WORK IN FAVOR OF THE UNCERTAINTY OF SELLING BOOKS.

     "AFTER DINNER I ASKED TO SEE THE BOOKS AND FOUND THAT THEY WERE ALL OUT OF PRINT BOOKS ON CANADA. I THINK THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAD ENCOUNTERED THE EUPHONIOUS WORD 'CANADIANA' AS APPLIED TO BOOKS, AND IT WAS MOST EMPHATICALLY THE FIRST TIME I HAD SEEN SUCH A MINUTE AND TIDY SECOND-HAND BOOKSHOP; FOR SUCH IT WAS. SHE HAD ISSUED A FEW CATALOGUES AND HAD COMPILED A SMALL MAILING LIST, AND HER FILES AND ACCOUNT BOOKS WERE MODELS OF NEATNESS. I BEGAN TO ASK QUESTIONS. WHERE DID SHE GET HER STOCK OF BOOKS? THAT WAS THE DIFFICULT, SHE CONFESSED. IN HER LIMITED TIME SHE COULD NOT LOOK FOR THEM AND KEEPING STRICTLY TO MAIL-ORDER IT WAS DIFFICULT TO EXPAND. IT HAD ALMOST CEASED TO BE A PAYING ENTERPRISE. I STAYED LATE BUT FINALLY TORE MYSELF AWAY AND STEPPED OUT INTO THE WINDY MARCH NIGHT. I LIKED WHAT I HAD SEEN OF THAT SMALL BOOK BUSINESS. IT HAD A POWERFUL APPEAL TO ME AND I THOUGHT OF NOTHING ELSE ALL THE WAY HOME. SUDDENLY, AS I NEARED MY HOUSE, I FOUND MYSELF SAYING OUT LOUD TO THE SWAYING ELM TREES, 'THAT IS WHAT I WANT TO DO! I'LL MAKE HER AN OFFER.' BY THE TIME I HAD TURNED THE KEY IN MY DOOR, I HAD TAKEN THE FIRST STEPS ON A JOURNEY WHICH WAS NOT TO END FOR TWENTY-SIX YEARS."

THE MAKING OF A BOOK SELLER - AND A CANADIAN LEGEND

     Now comes the compromises to family and home, in order to run an efficient, affordable business, to help raise her two children. Dora Hood writes in her biography, "In a short time satisfactory arrangements had been completed and I was in possession of a business about which I knew nothing. Looking back over this period, I do not remember having had the slightest misgivings about my ability to become a bookseller, although up to this time no experience in my life had included money making. But things were different now. I had six months before, become a widow and I knew I must add to my small income in order to keep myself and my two small children. If all went well, this was the answer. I had two assets. On the intangible side, I knew I had a certain awareness of books. On the tangible, a house that would lend itself to such an enterprise. It had four good sized rooms, one behind the other, on the ground floor, and it was on a street which was fast turning from a residential to a business one. I felt it might be possible, with the help of a housekeeper, to bring up my family, and at the same time conduct a business. I think on the whole, I found the latter job the less difficult. I remember vividly the first few weeks of my business career. Nothing could have been more unbusinesslike. I pushed the furniture to the back of my long old fashioned drawing room, and moved in a large utilitarian steel bookcase, a typewriter, and a massive steel letter file; and then the books arrived. As I unpacked them and spread them out on the Persian rug, I thought I had never seen a more uninteresting collection in my life. But I was wrong and, as time went on, I learned not to judge books by their outward appearance. This was the nucleus around which was to gather and disperse, as the years passed, and many thousands of Canadian books and pamphlets.

     She writes, "I had no intention of keeping my trade to mail order only and hopefully expected a steady stream of customers once it became known that such a shop existed. Little did I know that collectors of Canadiana were few and widely scattererd across our great country, and that most men's thoughts were otherwise engaged in 1928 - that year of wild speculation and easy money. Nevertheless, a few letters began to arrive via the old address, and it was necessary to decide on a distinctive name. As books are a commodity of individual taste, I reasoned that perhaps buyers would like to know that they were dealing with a person rather than a company, and since men use their own names in business, why should I not use mine? The prefix "Mrs." sounded old-fashioned, even Victorian, so I decided to leave it out and as, in its present form, the business could hardly be called a shop, it became and remained Dora Hood's Book Room. I do not think any other name was considered. The public, uncertain as to how to address such an establishment, in general, solved the problem by the usual 'Dear Sir.' But curiosity got the better of some of them. A customer in Quebec begged to be forgiven, but he felt he must know whether the lady he was addressing was a Mrs. or a Miss. Later we became great friends but I failed to find out whether I would have been more acceptable as a single woman. Was I handicapped by being a woman proprietor of a second-hand bookshop? I do not think this occurred to me in the busy early years of my enterprise. But later, when I was well established, I knew I had to prove myself in a field where men almost exclusively had held sway."

     As for how it affected her young family, she writes, "The Book Room was a new experience in the lives of my two children, aged seven and ten. It needed a rapid change in my behavior sometimes, to turn from three ingratiating bookseller to the stern parent when occasion arose. Once I arrived in the office to find my seven year old daughter already there and in the act of displaying an illustrated book to an amused customer, with the remark, 'Now here is a very nice book!' Fifteen years later, she became my chief cataloguer and we worked together until the time of her marriage. It was a family occasion for us to sit around the dining room table, and to roll and tie up the catalogues ready for posting, until increasing homework put an end to my children's part in it. It was six months before that I realized I had a full-time occupation on my hands. Gradually my hours at work lengthened, and often I worked far into the night, when the house was quiet, with my cat for company curled up on one of the wire baskets on my desk."

     In a relatively short period of time, as a bookseller, Dora Hood was prospering enough, that she needed more books. More books meant the requirement of much additional storage space. "The time came more quickly than I had anticipated when more space was essential in the Book Room. The family retreated to a smaller room and the erstwhile drawing-room became wholly an office. More bookcases were fitted in, the fireplace was taken away, and the table on which we wrapped our parcels was moved to the hall. Still the room could hardly be called businesslike. There remained chintz curtains, the Chippendale bookcase and the Persian rug. I had qualms about the wear on the latter, until assured by a rug man who cleaned it, that that kind of rug was intended for use in mosques and would wear a hundred years." She notes, "By 1938, in spite of the Depression, the Book Room had developed growing pains. The room and hall that seemed so spacious at first, had grown uncomfortably crowded and each new purchase added to our problems. My children, too, were demanding more space for themselves and their friends, as they grew into adolescence. There were still two large rooms on the ground floor, an old-fashioned ample kitchen, and next to it an unnecessarily large dining-room. I decided on drastic measures to deal with a desperate need. i would make these two back rooms into offices and leave the front two for our living quarters with amidships, so to speak, a small modern kitchen. My architect, the late Hebert Horner, proved a man of deep understanding. He said it could be done by the simple means of taking down one wall here and putting another up there, by turning a window into a door, and thereby giving my customers direct access to the books. This returned the front door to exclusive use by the family and avoided inevitable collisions with important clients.

     "But it wasn't quite as simple as that. To alter a house and still live in it, to say nothing of conducting a business at the same time, proved too much for me. I stood for it for a few weeks, then covering up the books as best I could, I fled to Muskoka and tried not to think of what was happening at home. When I returned, despite dust and general confusion, I knew I had made the right decision. It only remained to move the bookcases and then the books into the rear offices, no small task. The bookcases fitted into the new wall space as though they had been measured for it, which they were not. I had merely trusted to luck and the results were better than I deserved. All hands were needed to transfer the books. Dust flew, chaos reigned, books mysteriously lost turned up and in the midst of it all, the household cat was vainly looking for her favorite wire basket. With the posting of the 'Book Room' sign on the side door, a new era had begun."

      "Part of the charm of keeping a second-hand book shop, I soon learned, is the uncertainty of where your next supply of books is coming from. I do not remember having worried about this, even in the early days of my venture. Very few weeks passed when no books were offered to me. To be sure, they were not always the ones I most needed, but that too added to the spice of life. It was comparatively simple to buy a dozen books, but quite another proposition to be offered a large library, when one was as inexperienced as I was. I was fortunate, I know now, in being offered good libraries for at that time I had few competitors who were willing to put their capital into books."

     There isn't a rare or out of print book dealer in the world, who wouldn't be fascinated by the biography of Canadian book legend Dora Hood. Her life story gets much more interesting, as we continue to look at her accomplishments, and her ability to uncover great collections of rare Canadiana, was nothing shy of monumental. Her customers included Stephen Leacock, Sir Frederick Banting, and author Blodwen Davies, well known for her biography of Canadian artist, Tom Thomson. She was as much a Canadian historian as a book seller, and I'd like to share a few more passages, from her book, documenting how she went about this hunt and gather, which benefitted not only private collections, but museum, art gallery, and university archives throughout North America and Australia, India, and Germany. She was an intrepid archivist even though she didn't have the credentials to do so, and she could have easily taught Canadian history, because it is known, she read much of what she collected and then offered for sale. The story of Dora Hood and her famous Book Room, is obscure today, and hard to find, but its relevance, to everyone who either runs, or is considering opening a book shop, or for that matter antique shop, is beyond parallel as far as I'm concerned. Her dynamic as a buyer was well known and revered by her colleagues; her capability to navigate the intense competition, to secure the best collections, made her not only a female role model in the profession, but left many of her male competitors in disbelief, as she always seemed several steps ahead of them. She had amazing contacts within the book community. She was trusted and her clients could have easily added chapters of commendation to the small biography she penned so modestly at the end of her career.

     As for the compromises of home and family. I've done the same to my family and they'll never let me forget it! Fortunately for our old bungalow here at Birch Hollow, we have emptied the collection into a safer and more secure town business site, and oh the joy of stretching out, without knocking over a spinning wheel, and a hundred books that we piled beside. Yup, and that would have been the result of a short arm stretch, or slight kick of the foot, right or left. "We used to have antique trails, and cross roads, in our living room," adds Suzanne, who has been reading some of today's blog over my shoulder. I will share some more intimate Birch Hollow "clutter" stories later, when she's not lurking behind me, here in my "private" office. And I will reveal some more collecting stories, as told by Dora Hood.

     It's been nice to have you drop by for a visit. Hope all is well with you. Looks like we're getting some rainy days coming up this week. Hope we are going to have snow left for the upcoming Gravenhurst Winter Carnival in late February. Suzanne has been making Skokie Winter Carnival scarves, toques and crocheted hats for sale in the shop, and there are bags and bags of orange and green wool all over the place. And then there's the ticky-tacky sound of knitting needle heads colliding, for hours on end. It's why I hide out in here, away from the din of creation. See you again soon.