gems, bibliography, book collecting

R. PAUL JORDAN-SMITH, the well-known critic of The Los Angeles Times, has written an account of a collection that can be imitated even by the impecunious. It deals with 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th century writers from the point of view of the collector who reads and studies what he, collects and whose motives for collecting are two: enjoyment and study. The idea is new, since most book collecting emphasizes rarity and price. It is a book which will delight every reader and buyer of books.