"Twenty dollars."
"Well―I suppose so. Is it a good check?"
"Not very. It's my own."
"Well, I might invest in it as a curiosity." He counted out a ten, a five and five ones.
"Do that," advised Wilson. "My autographs are going to be rare collectors' items." He passed over the check, took the money and proceeded to the bookstore in the same building. Most of the books on the list were for sale there. Ten minutes later he had acquired title to:
"The Prince," by Niccolo Machiavelli.
"Behind the Ballots," by James Farley.
"Mein Kampf" (unexpurgated), by Adolf Schicklgruber.
"How to Make Friends and Influence People," by Dale Carnegie.
The other titles he wanted were not available in the bookstore; he went from there to the university library where he drew out "Real Estate Broker's Manual," "History of Musical Instruments" and a quarto titled "Evolution of Dress Styles." The latter was a handsome volume with beautiful colored plates and was classified as reference. He had to argue a little to get a twenty-four hour permission for it.