Collecting and Recollecting One of my great favorites was Ruth Granniss, beloved Librarian of the Grolier Club. We lunched together frequently. One day, shortly after returning from London, I said to her: "You know, I reached Caledonia Market an hour before opening, but luckily a dealer with his pushcart laden with books made the same mistake. This gave me leisure to study his wares and an opportunity to buy many volumes. Do you want to see my haul?" That is how a rare Rowlandson book landed in her library. There are many incidents in the course of bookplate-collecting which I recall with pleasure and amazement. Years ago, when the Anderson Gallery was situated at 59th Street and Park Avenue, one of their auction catalogues announced the sale of Francis Hopkinson's trade card. There were not many Signers of the Declaration who were thus distinguished, and Hopkinson had written on the reverse of his card the date, "Sept 24th 1769," the name of the dealer, "Edwa Shippen Esq," a list of items ordered, amounting to £4.:11:11, and a notation, "Recd the contents, Fras. Hopkinson." This autograph naturally enhanced the value of the item. The sale was scheduled to take place in the evening and, thinking I could not attend it, I left a bid of twenty- five dollars with Charles Retz. As the evening hour approached, I decided to visit and watch the sale. That was a lucky inspiration! In due time, the trade card was presented on the auctioneer's platform, my measly little offer was discarded, and I plunged in with a final knock-down figure of a hundred and fifty dollars! Little did I realize that Dr. Rosenbach was my opponent, nor did he know I was a contestant. He later regretted that he had bid so high, and ever after treated me most generously in my dealings with him. In collecting one encounters bad and good luck. Sauntering down Fourth Avenue one day, I picked up a commonplace bookplate pasted in the cover of an old book. Arriving home, I soaked off the plate, and was flabbergasted to find that it covered a perfect Dawkins plate made for Samuel Loudon, which Mr. Baillie later judged to be unknown. Occasionally, too, some discouraging incident cropped up: A 340