be united. Of course there can be no
difference of opinion in respect to the duty of the librarian to get as
much for his money as he can, but there are other points which require to
be considered besides those brought forward before a satisfactory answer
to the question--How to Buy? can be obtained. There are three points which
seem to have been very much overlooked in the discussion, which may be
stated here. 1. Is the librarian's valuable time well occupied by looking
after cheap copies of books? 2. Will not the proposed action on the part
of librarians go far to abolish the intelligent second-hand bookseller in
the same way as the new bookseller has been well-nigh abolished in
consequence of large discounts? 3. Will not such action prevent the
publication of excellent books on subjects little likely to be popular?

1. Most librarians find their time pretty well occupied by the ordinary
duties of buying, arranging, cataloguing, and finding the books under
their charge, and it will be generally allowed that the librarian's first
duty is to be in his library, ready to attend to those who wish to consult
him. Now the value of his time can be roughly estimated for this purpose
in money, and the value of the time spent in doing work which could be as
well or better done by a bookseller should fairly be added to the cost of
the books.

2. It has hitherto been thought advisable to have one or more second-hand
booksellers attached to an important library, from whom the librarian may
naturally expect to obtain such books as he requires. Of course a man of
knowledge and experience must be paid for the exercise of these qualities,
but the price of books is so variable that it is quite possible that the
bookseller, from his knowledge, may buy the required books cheaper than
the librarian himself would pay for them. As far as it is possible to
judge from the information given us respecting the collection of
libraries, bookbuyers have little to complain of as to the price paid by
them to such respectable booksellers as have acted as their agents.
Perhaps too little stress has been laid upon that characteristic which is
happily so common among honest men, viz. that the agent is as pleased to
get wares cheap for a good customer as for himself. Mr. Tedder says in his
letter, "For rarer books I still consider it safer and cheaper in the long
run to cultivate business relations with one or more second-hand
booksellers, and pay them fo