Lancaster man’s rare book collection nets $16K for library (so far); here’s their story | Yesteryear

With enough plot twists and mysteries to satisfy most readers, the story of how The Lancaster Public Library received a rare book collection from the son of a famous author would make an incredible read.

The tale began innocently enough. An elderly gentleman quizzed Lancaster Public Library volunteer Pat Ditzler for 90 minutes. Did she know about old books? Could she tell if a volume was a first edition? How would she identify flaws in a tome? Would she know how to price a rare book? The questions kept coming, and Ditzler kept answering yes.

After all, the East Hempfield resident and her sister wrote a 2012 guide on how to run a book sale, and Ditzler has volunteered with the Friends of the Lancaster Public Library since 1983. Many people call the library, Ditzler said, wanting to talk to an expert about their book collections. The 82-year-old usually doesn’t agree to many of these requests, but for some reason, which she now can’t recall, she decided to meet with this man and answer his multiple pages of questions in December 2021.

Apparently satisfied, the frail man and his caregiver left that meeting. Soon after, 20 boxes packed with books arrived at the library’s Lancaster warehouse.

The man, Douglas Dannay, died June 17 in hospice care in Mount Joy. His father, Frederic Dannay, was one-half of the writing duo Ellery Queen. Frederic Dannay and cousin Manfred Bennington Lee wrote about 30 famous detective novels between 1929-1971. Frederic Dannay died in 1982.

So, one might expect the donated books to contain many Ellery Queen titles, right?

Wrong. As Ditzler opened boxes, she and other library volunteers discovered volumes mainly from Arkham House Publishers, which in 1939 started printing the works of American author H. P. Lovecraft and other writers of what at the time was called “weird fiction.” Think vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, demons and other supernatural creatures.

Volunteers found books by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei, who both founded Arkham. They found titles, such as “The Abominations of Yondo” by Clark Ashton Smith. That one sold for $935 on eBay, where the library sells most rare books. Buyers come from as far away as Sweden and England and throughout the United States. Volumes listed online may sell for little as $25 up to more than $1,000 each.

So far, the library group has found one Ellery Queen book.

Arkham apparently has stopped publishing books, with the last titles coming in 2010. A website lists the publisher as being open, but phone calls to a listed phone number were unanswered.

“This is a really unique donation,” Ditzler said. “I’ve never seen a collection like this.” It’s a lucrative one, too. Volumes listed on eBay have brought the library more than $16,000, which the library can use as it chooses.

“This is a man who really loved his books,” Ditzler said. And he apparently collected wisely.

“Arkham House is really the classic publisher of horror,” said Chet Williamson, a nationally known Elizabethtown author who has written more than 20 novels. Williamson, who has researched Arkham House and purchased some titles, said collectors constantly search for these books, especially because the company ran small print runs of less than 3,000 copies of a title.

The donation “makes all the difference in the world,” said Leigh Kaliss, the library’s community engagement manager. “We were thrilled to get it.”

Lissa Holland, the library’s executive director, agreed. “It’s a great honor and a privilege that (Douglas Dannay) trusted us with his books.”

Volunteers have discovered more than books, though. Memorabilia somehow found its way into some of the boxes. For instance, Ditzler found, inside one books an R. H. Macy & Co., receipt for its purchase for 60 cents in 1940. Volunteers have also discovered written but unreadable postcards, flyers and a bookmark that says “I love my dog.”

And the story’s not over, yet. Library workers are slowly going through Douglas Dannay’s boxes and have several more to open, Ditzler said. Who knows what they will find?

A few titles from the collection will be available at the library’s fall book sale Oct. 7-9 at the Book ReSort at 225 N. Marshall St. in Lancaster. More than 30,000 items will be offered for sale.

Hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Materials will be half-price on Sunday.

Ditzler noted that used book and item sales net the library about $200,000 a year.