(4) Don’t buy biography in excess because you are fond of it yourself, when a comparison of percentages shows that your supply of travel or applied science is not up to the demand.
(5) Don’t buy books in flimsy bindings that will give out after the first issue; work should not be done in gauzy garments.
(6) Don’t buy books in very strong bindings when their use is to be light and small; overalls are not suitable for an afternoon tea.
(7) Don’t buy “sets” and “libraries;” they are adulterated literature, coffee mixed with chicory.
(8) Don’t buy subscription books of an agent at a personal interview; it is the agent’s game not to let you think; stand up for your rights and think it over.
(9) Don’t estimate public demand by its effect on your own patience; one persistent old gentleman often bulks larger than a crowd of quiet but deserving persons without either push or pull.
(10) Don’t buy books of which you are not in immediate need, when you are morally certain that copies in good condition will be thrown on the markets as remainders at one-quarter the original list price.
(11) Don’t buy costly “new editions” of reference books without assuring yourself that the newness is more than nominal.
(12) Don’t buy novels because you see them advertised in the trolley cars.
(13) Lastly—and this is the most important thing of all—don’t get discouraged. Our methods of selecting books, and their results, doubtless need improvement, but so do those of all the other libraries we know. Let us try to realize our deficiencies, and then try to make this year’s book list just a little better than the last. If we can succeed in this, the standard will take care of itself.