HAWKERS and Pedlars, the designation of itinerant dealers who convey their goods from place to place to -sell. The word "hawker" seems to have come into English from the Ger. Hiiker or Dutch heuker in the early 16th century. In an act of 1533 (25 Henry VIII. c. 9, § 6) we find "Sundry evill disposed persons which commonly beene called haukers. .. buying and selling of Brasse and Pewter." The earlier word for such an itinerant dealer is "huckster," which is found in 1200, "For that they have turned God's house intill hucksteress bothe" (Ormulum, 15,817). The base of the two words is the same, and is probably to be referred to German hocken, to squat, crouch; cf. "hucklebone," the hip-bone; and the hawkers or hucksters were so called either because they stooped under their packs, or squatted at booths in markets, &c. Another derivation finds the origin in the Dutch hoek, a hole, corner. It may be noticed that the termination of "huckster" is feminine; though there are examples of its application to women it was always applied indiscriminately to either sex.
"Pedlar" occurs much earlier than the verbal form "to peddle," which is therefore a derivative from the substantive. The origin is to be found in the still older word "pedder," one who carries about goods for sale in a "ped," a basket or hamper. This is now only used dialectically and in Scotland. In the Ancren Riwle (c. 1225), peoddare is found with the meaning of "pedlar," though the Promptorium parvulorum (c. 1440) defines it as calathasius, i.e. a maker of panniers or baskets.
The French term for a hawker or pedlar of books, colporteur (col, neck, porter, to carry), has been adopted by the Bible Society and other English religious bodies as a name for itinerant vendors and distributors of Bibles and other religious literature.
The occupation of hawkers and pedlars has been regulated in the United Kingdom, and the two classes have also been technically distinguished. The Pedlars Act 1871 defines a pedlar as "any hawker, pedlar, petty chapman, tinker, caster of metals, mender of chairs, or other person who, without any horse or other beast bearing or drawing burden, travels and trades on foot and goes from town to town or to other men's houses, carrying to sell or exposing for sale any goods, wares or merchandise. .. or selling or offering for sale his skill in handicraft." Any person who acts as a pedlar must have a certificate, which is to be obtained from the chief officer of police of the police district in which the person applying for the certificate has resided during one month previous to his application. He must satisfy the officer that he is above seventeen years of age, is of good character, and in good faith intends to carry on the trade of a pedlar. The fee for a pedlar's certificate is five shillings, and the certificate remains in force for a year from the date of issue. The act requires a register of certificates to be kept in each district, and imposes a penalty for the assigning, borrowing or forging of any certificate. It does not exempt any one from vagrant law, and requires the pedlar to show his certificate on demand to certain persons. It empowers the police to inspect a pedlar's pack, and provides for the arrest of an uncertificated pedlar or one refusing to show his certificate. A pedlar's certificate is not required by commercial travellers, sellers of vegetables, fish, fruit or victuals, or sellers in fairs. The Hawkers Act 1888 defines a hawker as "any one who travels with a horse or other beast of burden, selling goods," &c. An excise licence (expiring on the 31st of March in each year) must he taken out by every hawker in the United Kingdom. The duty imposed upon such licence is £2. A hawker's licence is not granted, otherwise than by way of licence, except on production of a certificate signed by a clergyman and two householders of the parish or place wherein the applicant resides, or by a justice of the county or place, or a superintendent or inspector of police for the district, attesting that the person is of good character and a proper person to be licenced as a hawker. There are certain exemptions from taking out a licence - commercial travellers, sellers of fish, coal, &c., sellers in fairs, and the real worker or maker of any goods. The act also lays down certain provisions to be observed by hawkers and others, and imposes penalties for infringements. In the United States hawkers and pedlars must take out licences under State laws and Federal laws.
FAQs
The Internet has rendered vintage encyclopedias obsolete and today the value is primarily from people looking to have a set similar to the one that they grew up with. A complete 1967 white britannica encyclopedia sells for $50 or so at auction and for $120 to $150 from antique book dealers.
Is Britannica a reliable source? ›
Britannica's content is among the most trusted in the world.
Does anyone still buy encyclopedias? ›
Despite that, some people and organizations apparently still buy paper encyclopedias. Evans said that sales of the print edition are "in the thousands" and that World Book always prints just enough copies to satisfy demand.
Are encyclopedias still useful? ›
Yes, and yes. I still use my Britannica frequently and more rarely my New Columbia Desk Encyclopedia and my McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. World Book is still being printed, sold mostly to libraries.
What can I do with my 40 year old encyclopedia? ›
Recycling encyclopedias
Call your local library and ask if you may donate your set to be sold. Put it up for giveaway on freecycle.org. If they're really old -- say, more than 100 years -- call a rare bookseller and ask if they're worth anything. Find out if a local recycler takes them.
Are very old encyclopedias worth anything? ›
Old encyclopedias are attracting collectors primarily for two reasons: scarcity and information. As is the case with all rare books and other collectibles, the more scarce an edition is, the more likely it is to have a bigger spread between supply and demand, and thus the higher the monetary value.
Is Britannica more credible than Wikipedia? ›
Encyclopædia Britannica also argued that a breakdown of the errors indicated that the mistakes in Wikipedia were more often the inclusion of incorrect facts, while the mistakes in Britannica were "errors of omission", making "Britannica far more accurate than Wikipedia, according to the figures".
Is it OK to use Britannica? ›
Trust Britannica Library as a reliable source with objective, fact-check, and unbiased content that is written by experts and vetted through rigorous editorial process.
Is citing Britannica OK? ›
In general, information in the Encyclopedia Brittanica should count as reasonably reliable general information. You must cite it if you quote directly, and probably should in any case at all questionable.
When was the last set of Encyclopedia Britannica published? ›
The 2010 version of the 15th edition, which spans 32 volumes and 32,640 pages, was the last printed edition. Since 2016, it has been published exclusively as an online encyclopaedia. 15th edition (2010): Benton Foundation and Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. (as a separate entity, alongside Britannica.com Inc.)
Are World Book encyclopedias worth any money? Basically, no. A complete set in very good condition might sell for a few hundred dollars. They have no rarity value and they aren't antiques.
What happened to the Encyclopedia Britannica? ›
In 2012, after 244 years, Britannica ended the print editions, with the 32 volumes of the 2010 installment being the last on paper; future editions have been published exclusively online since.
What should I do with my encyclopedias? ›
Older encyclopedias make great set dressing and help fill up bookcases." * Nancy Shore of Salt Lake City says: "I donated my encyclopedia set to a charitable foundation that sent it to a school in the Philippines. There are many countries that would love to have our old books."
What are the 4 types of encyclopedias? ›
There are different types of encyclopedias. Mainly they are divided into four types, namely Dictionaries, Comprehensive Encyclopaedia or Vishwakosh, Encyclopaedic literature or Koshsadrush and Indexes.
Can encyclopedias be trusted? ›
Encyclopedias are considered a scholarly source because the content is almost always written by scholars on the subject. However, the entries are not written for other scholars but for a general audience. Entries are reviewed by an editorial board, but they are not “peer-reviewed”.
How much is Encyclopedia Britannica 1969 worth? ›
Using my resources to look into your inquiry, I was able to find comparable sales that give your rare 1968 -69 "200th anniversary set" of Encyclopedia Britannica a current secondary market value of $100 - $200 USD at auction or in a private sale. I hope this answers your question!
Do people collect Encyclopedia Britannica? ›
Once the first set of books required in any home library, Encyclopedia Britannica has long since been superseded by the internet. But rather extraordinarily there is still a market for it, as Octavia Pollock finds out. Not for nothing was the Age of Enlightenment so named.
What to do with a set of encyclopedias? ›
Older encyclopedias make great set dressing and help fill up bookcases." * Nancy Shore of Salt Lake City says: "I donated my encyclopedia set to a charitable foundation that sent it to a school in the Philippines. There are many countries that would love to have our old books."
