ndmade, to order, and
of such correct size as not to lose the deckle edges in cutting; and the
printing should be done in "forms" of not more than eight. The paper
should be scientifically moistened before printing, and the ink allowed
several weeks in which to dry before handling the printed sheets. The
bindings should harmonize with interiors, and due care taken against
over-decoration of the covers. These few technical hints will serve to
acquaint the book-lover with some at least of the many important
features which must be regarded in the preparation of a fine book,--a
book fitted to demand and merit a place upon the library shelves of
discriminating bibliophiles, and as well increase in demand and price
whenever thereafter its copies may "turn up" for sale.

Next in importance, after considering literary and mechanical fitness,
and the limitation of the work, is the question of distribution; its
scope, and the class of subscribers. The stock of a corporation, if
limited to a reasonable number of shares and issued only to a few expert
investors of high standing, and for tangible considerations, will
obviously be considered a safer and more attractive investment than if
it be scattered indiscriminately among a class of professional
manipulators for stock-jobbing purposes. With such a stock where thus
closely held for investment purposes, an order for a few shares may
largely elevate its market value. But if the stock were issued in
unlimited quantities, the monetary value would be entirely lost. Again,
if the stock had no corporeal assets as a basis for its issue, the
"limited and registered" clause could not sustain it in the market.

So it is with books: if the number of copies issued be held within a
reasonable constraint, consistent with the price charged per copy, and
if they are subscribed for by book-lovers who prize them for their
literary or historic value and luxurious appearance no less than for
pecuniary values, they are not likely to find their way into the
bookstalls, or to be "picked up" in auction rooms at less than their
original price. This condition applies particularly to legitimate club
editions and privately printed editions. If an edition of five hundred
copies is widely distributed throughout the country, it is reasonable
to assume that the speculative market therefor would be less apt to
suffer from congestion than if the sale of the whole number of sets
were confined to one locality.

[I