hollywood billionaire

Chapter 552 Argosi ​​and Rare Books

After washing up, they each drank a glass of milk and ate two pieces of bread they had bought at Paris Baguette the day before. Dressed properly, the two put warm scarves on each other, took each other's hands, and stepped into the elevator car, beginning their intellectually stimulating day trip to New York.

Just like yesterday, Han Yi and Xu Yiru didn't take the high-speed train, but chose to walk again. They first headed north along Sixth Avenue, bought two hot lattes at Le Cafe on West 58th Street, and then continued chatting and laughing as they walked east along Central Park, passing the Plaza Hotel, Grand Army Square, the Pulitzer Fountain, and Apple's Fifth Avenue flagship store. The whole journey took fifteen minutes, and they arrived at their first destination of the day, Argosy Bookstore at 119 East 59th Street.

Founded in 1925 and meticulously run by three generations of the Cohen family, this bookstore is not only one of New York's oldest independent bookstores but has also become part of the metropolis's illustrious history. It has witnessed visits from luminaries such as President Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy, Michael Jackson, and President Clinton, and has appeared in famous films and television shows like *Fran Lebovitz: Pretending We're in the City*. However, even more captivating than these illustrious names is its unique and legendary charm as a truly "living" retro bookstore—the staff's dedication born of passion, and the readers' lingering fascination.

This six-story bookstore is located at the intersection of Midtown Manhattan and the Upper East Side, with a large warehouse space in Brooklyn housing a vast collection of rare and out-of-print books. The bookstore focuses on categories rarely found in ordinary bookstores, such as American literature, modern first editions, manuscripts by famous figures, artworks, photography collections, and old maps and prints. These are precisely the shared interests of Han Yi and Xu Yiru.

"I've wanted to come here for a long time."

Standing in front of the quaint facade of Argossi Bookstore, Xiaoru looked up at the unassuming brown brick building, her face beaming with anticipation.

"You're really amazing, Xiaoru." Han Yi pushed open the heavy wooden door for her. The brass handle on the door gleamed with a warm light, and a unique scent mixed with old paper, leather, and the sedimentation of time wafted out. The two of them lowered their voices to a level where only they could barely hear each other. "How did you find a place like this?"

Han Yi had never heard of this bookstore until Xu Yiru mentioned coming here today.

To be honest, when he buys books in the US, aside from textbooks at the school bookstore, he almost never buys them offline. Most of the time, he orders directly from Amazon. Since he lives in Los Angeles and has an Amazon Prime membership, the delivery speed is pretty good; he usually receives his books within a day or two. Only when he goes out to The Grove and browses the Barnes & Noble bookstore next to the movie theater will he very occasionally buy one or two books.

Therefore, it is understandable that Han Yi, as a reading enthusiast, is not very familiar with the offline book market in New York, which is far away on the East Coast.

"Argossi is very famous. Many tourists come to visit it when they travel to New York."

Xiaoru is different. When it comes to buying books, she not only values ​​the content of the books themselves, but also enjoys the process of selecting them. For her, the sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, and happiness that comes from choosing a good book is no less than that from choosing a good partner.

Because, like a partner, books are also an important tool for humans to examine, improve, and perfect themselves.

Therefore, no matter which city she travels to, Xu Yiru will first find out which boutique bookstores are worth spending a whole day in.

Argossi consistently ranks high on any list of New York bookstores.

"This place is exactly as I imagined."

Standing on tiptoe, Xiaoru tugged at Han Yi's sleeve and whispered in his ear. Before them stretched a dark wooden bookshelf from floor to ceiling, densely packed yet neatly arranged with books. Thousands upon thousands of old books, first editions, and out-of-print titles formed the dominant element, standing quietly, their gilded lettering on their spines gleaming under the dim yet soft light, a symbol of the pinnacle of human wisdom.

The entire space is like a treasure trove of knowledge forgotten by time. The heavy carpet swallows the sound of footsteps, leaving only a comforting sense of antiquity and leisure.

"Is there any book you're particularly looking for?" Taking a few more steps into the store, Han Yi continued to lower his voice, almost whispering to Xiao Ru. It was Wednesday noon, and the store was neither too busy nor too quiet. Surprisingly, most of the customers were young people his age, or slightly older. They wandered among the books, each quietly browsing the vast collection. No one coughed, no one spoke; the entire bookstore could almost be described as deathly silent. Han Yi felt he could even hear his own breathing, and Xiao Ru's breathing beside him.

Influenced by the atmosphere, Xiaoru did not answer, but pointed to the "Limited Edition Club" sign hanging not far away and led her boyfriend in that direction.

In the "Limited Edition Club" book section, located in the high-ceilinged half-height space behind the bookstore's service counter, Xiaoru held onto the handrail, slowed her pace, and tried not to make too much noise on the stairs, which, although protected by carpet, still looked a bit old and even rickety.

Upon closer inspection, most of the limited edition book covers were already worn out. Rotting, cracking, and peeling leather were common occurrences, and some books were so badly damaged that they were unrecognizable, with even the titles and authors on the spines completely worn away.

This could be due to natural aging caused by their age, or it could be that... the bookstore didn't take good care of them.

Xiaoru thought to herself as her fingertips brushed over the ancient books. Even the books in the "Limited Edition Club" were not labeled "For display only, please do not touch," and any customer who entered the store could freely pick them up and browse them.

But then she thought about it again, and being a book lover, she let it go. Printed materials are meant to be held in people's hands and read; perhaps every time a book is taken from the shelf, it gives it new life and meaning.

As her gaze wandered among the bookshelves, Xiaoru was quickly drawn to a book bound in blue brocade, which looked very Chinese and had not suffered much damage.

She took the book off the shelf, and the moment she turned to the front, her eyes shone with immense excitement.

Seeing his girlfriend's unusual expression, Han Yi quickly turned his gaze to the book. The next second, he wore the same expression.

Because they saw thirteen traditional Chinese characters in the upper left corner of the cover.

The Analects

Shanghai, China

[Commercial Press Office Inspection]

The two looked at each other and saw the exact same signal in each other's eyes.

buy!
"Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you..."

After receiving Han Yi's nod of confirmation, Xiao Ru leaned over the railing, bent down, and softly called out to the white-haired old man sitting at the service counter, who was wearing reading glasses and entering book information into the computer system.

"I'm here, dear." The old man turned around, smiled, and spoke in a normal, even loud, voice. "How can I help you?"

So it turns out you can speak at a normal volume in a bookstore.

"We'd like to ask..." Xiaoru raised her voice slightly, but still very softly, "Is this book available for sale?"

“Any book on the bookshelf can be sold.” The old man took off his reading glasses, held them in his hand, and squinted at the Analects in Xu Yiru’s hand. “Ah, an excellent choice.”

He walked around the counter, jogged a few steps up the stairs, seemingly not minding disturbing the other customers at all.

With him setting an example, Han Yi felt the atmosphere in the entire bookstore instantly relax, and he finally heard the whispers of others around him.

"This book was published in 1933, first published in Shanghai. It's not only a limited edition, but only 1500 copies were made, making it quite rare. There's only one copy in all of New York... the one you're holding." Approaching the two, the old man pointed to the book in Xiaoru's hand and smiled warmly, "Where are you from?"

“China,” Xiaoru answered before Han Yi could reply.

“Then this book is a perfect match for you… I’m not being stereotypical.” The old man raised his hands to his chest. “I say this simply because this book is of great significance to people from Chinese culture, as many of my long-time customers from China have told me.” “Why hasn’t anyone bought it?” Han Yi asked.

"Because its price is a little bit high." The old man made a gesture that made the Korean man's defenses crumble. "Many people appreciate its historical value, but few are willing to spend $450 to buy it."

"450 dollars?"

So cheap... really?

Having been a billionaire for nearly a year, Han Yi's thought process has developed a structure that is quite different from that of ordinary people.

"We'll take it." Han Yi said without hesitation. "Could you please wrap it up and put it on the counter for us? We'll browse around a bit more and then pay together when we get back."

“Of course, no problem.” The old man smiled and nodded. “However, this book also comes with a smooth wooden box, which was a free gift from the manufacturer… Please take a look.”

Following the direction the old man pointed, Han Yi and Xiao Ru noticed a dark brown wooden box in front of the bookshelf. The box had the English translation "The Analects of Confucius" engraved on top in cursive script, and the words "论语" (Lunyu) in red seal script below.

"Even better." Han Yi nodded in satisfaction. Such a ritualistic way of storing the book made this limited edition of the Analects even more precious.

"I'll go pack it up for you now... Please continue to explore freely, because I assure you, as book lovers, you will see even more things that will excite you."

"I believe we will."

Han Yi's expectations were not disappointed; over the next half hour, one surprise after another appeared before them.

"Cathay, poems after Li Po? Who is Li Po?"

"Let me check... It's actually Li Bai? Who translated Li Bai as Li Po?"

"So the title means... 'China: Poetry After Li Bai'?"

"It seems so. I found the information about this book, let me read it to you—translated in 1915 by Ezra Pound, a leading figure in American modernist poetry, 'China: Poetry After Li Bai' contains 18 famous ancient poems from medieval China, most of which are by Li Bai..."

"Huh? Isn't it 'poetry after Li Bai'? Why is most of it attributed to Li Bai?"

"Who knows... But that's not the strangest thing. Listen to this: Ezra Pound didn't understand Chinese, but his translation is widely recognized as a masterpiece that blends the charm of the original with the elegance of English."

"If he doesn't understand Chinese, then how did he translate?"

"Google Translate from 1915."

That's ridiculous.

“Oh, I see why now. Ezra Pound referenced the notes of an Orientalist named Ernest Fenollosa. Essentially, he revised and polished his notes in English.”

"Wouldn't that mean it's been processed twice... But this translation seems really good."

"Let me see, which section?"

"The translation of '孤蓬万里征' as 'a lone dandelion on a thousand mile journey' is very apt, and it also captures the essence of the original meaning."

"Indeed. Shall we take it?"

"Okay, let me see... Good heavens, how can it be so expensive? Two thousand dollars?"

"Let me see the description next to it: 'Illustrations by Francisco Clermont based on the poem in seven colors, hand-printed on Japanese Ogawa paper, limited to 300 copies, and includes the artist's autograph'... Looking at it this way, two thousand dollars is not bad, considering it's only a limited edition of 300 copies."

"But……"

"It's okay, it's not expensive, I'll take it down for him."

"Yi Yi! There's actually a book from 1535 here!"

"About what?"

"I don't quite understand it, it's in Italian."

"At this point, you have to take out your phone and open Google Translate... 'The Life of Moral Philosophers and Their Profound Sayings.' Compiled from the writings of Diogenes and other ancient authors. Illustrated and revised in Tuscan. Published in Venice, by Niccolò Daristotti, 1535."

"So, this is a book published in Italy in the 16th century, and it's related to ancient Greek philosophy? Then isn't this... part of the Renaissance?"

"Buy! Buy, buy, buy!"

Similar conversations repeated themselves two or three more times between Xiaoru and Hanyi. Finally, the elderly man who had been helping them pack their books behind the service counter couldn't help but ask:
"The books you said you wanted to buy... now the total price has exceeded ten thousand dollars. Are you sure you want to buy all of them today?"

“I’m sure.” Xiaoru seemed a little hesitant, but Han Yi nodded firmly. He put his arm around his girlfriend’s shoulder and said the rest of his sentence in a voice that only the three of them could hear, so that other customers in the bookstore wouldn’t think he was showing off, “In fact, my wife and I are still young, but we are trying to emulate those great collector couples and start building our own collection.”

"understood."

Well-mannered, dressed in old-fashioned clothes, with an extraordinary way of speaking, and accompanied by such a charming wife, the old man quickly sketched a picture in his mind of the next generation of Asian tycoon heirs.

"If what you're looking for are collectible books like the ones in front of us that can appreciate in value over time, then I suggest you take a look at our collection on the sixth floor."

"All the printed materials on display there are unique treasures."

(End of this chapter)