14 JANUARY 1905, Page 25

Book Prices Current. (Elliot Stock. 27s. 6d. net.)—This, the eighteenth

volume of the series, shows a not very prosperous condi- tion of the book market. The average price fetched by the 6,275 lots was £2 9s. 3d. As usual, many of the items are highly interest- ing. A MS. of Burns ("The Whistle"), seventy-two lines, fetched £155. A. first edition of the " Compleat Angler," in poor con- dition, with imperfections, went for £61. A good many Second Folios of Shakespeare came into the market, and ranged in price from £215 down to a few pounds. Purchasers have to look at many things before they Can be sure what they are buying. Five "Christmas Stories" of Dickens, all first editions, fetched £10. This seems to indicate a " slump " in this particular kind of literary ware. A very fresh copy of " Poems by Two Brothers " brought .232.