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1 "Grangerizing" Mr. Vosburgh ST SALVATOR. , . ; i Owing to the demand for it, -W. S. Vos-burghs "Racing in America, 1SCG-1921," which was brought out by the Jockey Club, with the imprint of Charles Scribners Sons, something over a year ago for private circulation, can now be obtained by the public generally. I have heard some complaint over the price, but, as prices go nowadays, for everything, either a necessity or a luxury, it is not excessive. The volume is a superb one, of large size, and the most aristocratic typographical elegance, its whole format being calculated to satisfy the tastes of the fastidious. In comparison with other works devoted to American turf history, it is as Man o War to a selling plater, so far as get-up goes. While as to its contents, as all turfmen know, they embody the matured judgment and retrospective experience of the ablest critic of racing that America hps produced. It is really a monumental work. And such works are always "worth the price." ONLY ONE CRITICISM. In only one regard is this volume open to criticism. The illustrations invariably full-page plates are profuse and finely engraved and printed, but as representations of their subjects some of them leave considerable to be desired. In one sense this is unfortunate, but in another it is not at all so as I shall try to develop. Perhaps few readers of the turf press, or of books devoted to turf topics, have ever heard the expression "to grangerize," as it is seldom heard, or seen in print, outside the realms of the "bibliophile" the fanatical book-lover. I may explain, therefore, that James Granger was a celebrated English book-lover, who flourished about one hundred and fifty years ago. Not long before Dlomed won the first Derby ever run at Epsom Downs, he unfolded an idea that was enthusiastically adopted by bookish circles and became known as "grangerism," while from it was coined the accompanying verb, "to grangerize." ART OF GRANGERIZING." Briefly, the notion that was to immortalize its sponsors name was the "extra-illustration" of books. James Granger declared that publishers seldom or never illustrated books adequately, while in most cases they did not illustrate at all those which were best suited for the process. The remedy for this distressing , condition, he avowed, was for every man to illustrate his . own books himself. The proper system of doing so was to collect prints, engravings, etc., that appertained to the subjects which a book treated of and have them incorporated in it. James Grangers bright idea took like wildfire among the book-lovers of his day. In fact, it took altogether too well. For it was not long before private owners of pictorial treasures, also the great public and semi-public libraries, discovered that "granger-izers" with more ardor than conscience were rifling their stores. Some of them were e "caught in the act," but many more were e not. And among the honors that were accorded :- the estimable Granger, many male-dictations !- began to be mixed which remains true to this day. Now, what I am getting at is, that there can be no more fascinating and worth-while e pastime to a devotee of the turf whose taste e lies in that direction and there are many y. such than to "grangerize" Mr. Vosburghs s book. A WIDE AND FERTILE FIELD The field of operations is a wide and fertile . one. Every first-class horse that flourished - between 18CG and 1921 is mentioned in II "Racing in Amerioa." Many others are e named incidentally. The same thing is true of a host of owners, breeders, trainers and jeekeys, as well as other famous people. I j can imagine nothing more absorbing than , the pursuit of the pictorial material for r "grangerizing" this volume would provide. . The size of its pages is so generous that t many prints, plates and engravings which ordinarily would be impracticable can be I utilized. In addition to such items, "gran-gerizers" of today have a resource that was 3 not open to their patron saint, i. e., the photograph. . The scope can also be extended to ihclude autograph letters, leaves from programs - and the like. The lack of uniformity . in size of the various subjects chosen, so : , long as they are not larger than the original 1 page of the book itself, is obviated by having them mounted upon separate leaves of uniform - size. If the collector is a real "fan," he can learn to do his own "grangerizing." . but if he feels himself unequal to the task k he can get an expert to do it for him. EXPANDING THE LIBRARY. I have seen sets of books expanded by , "grangerism" to two or three times their . original number, or even more, by this process. Indeed, a single volume can be ! stretched into half a dozen if it is a good I sized one. I can see Mr. Vosburghs handsome Aolume, in my minds eye, raised to , this estate. From four to six books could i easily be made of it. One of the glories of the "grangerized" work, moreover, is its ! binding. Nothing less than full polished i levant morocco should be tolerated, with . gold tooling, silked "end papers," etc. Many American lovers of fine bindings are regular customers of the great binders of London and Paris, such as Cobden-Sanderson, Riviere and others who specialize in such lines. I commend to the devotee of the turf and of literature the task that I have outlined. When completed, there will have been produced something of a truly monumental character. The assembling will not only be , delightful in itself, but the result a permanent and priceless possession, which, as time passes, will steadily increase in interest and value.
