To be properly considered with the general subject of buying, are the
special copies of volumes known as "association books." These are unique
copies, connected in some direct way with the author or with some
prominent personage. Because of the sentimental interest attached, these
usually command high prices. Included under this heading are presentation
copies with inscriptions by the author, the author's own copy of his book,
generally with autograph corrections, and books with autograph annotations
by some contemporary or later, but equally famous, person or author. There
is no standard by which to judge the proper value of such special copies
as they are unique, and such copies may change hands several times at
close intervals with a considerably varying but generally increasing
price. Copies of this kind are generally held at high ransom by dealers,
especially in the "high rent districts" of our large cities, and the
amateur bibliophile is wiser to hope merely that, as sometimes happens,
chance may throw such copies, until that time unrecognized as such, into
his hands without extra premium. Dealers, and even collectors, often
attempt to establish an association value in a book by inserting autograph
letters or signatures of the author; but such volumes, although thus made
of considerable interest, obviously cannot properly be considered under
this heading.

CHAPTER VIII

_THE GREEK AND LATIN CLASSICS_

[Illustration: BLACK LETTER VIRGIL]

The collections of first and early editions of the Greek and Latin
classics in the original which, a century or two ago, formed the backbone
of nearly all collections of note, have since, as mentioned elsewhere,
lost much of their interest for the bibliophile. A rare, uncut editio
princeps of Homer may still produce from its sale, as in Dibdin's day, "a
little annuity," and perhaps an annuity which would have made Dibdin gasp;
but this volume may possibly be considered an exception.

The present practical neglect of the Greek and Latin languages, except as
college exercises, may in a certain measure be responsible for the modern
lack of interest in the original classics, since the bibliophile may be
pardoned, in a sense, for not buying books in which his interest is
limited to possession and which he is unable to read with any degree of
satisfaction.

The past three hundred years of English literature, however, have produced
a great number of translations from th