Collecting Old Books 101
Collecting antique books is a fun pastime that gives you a slice of life from other eras. The question remains, however, of where does one start. Will you collect only books by a specific author? Are you looking for books on a specific subject? Or are you hoping to create a diversified rare and valuable blend of books? Its often easier on the budget to have a specific focus to your collection. Not all the books in such a grouping have to bear high values because youre looking for subject matter, not necessarily rarity. For example, perhaps you want to collect cat books. Theres one antiquarian one thats $45.00, but also a newer one thats hard cover and fairly well priced. Eventually that hard cover book CAN increase in value and it fits your collection.
On the other hand, there are people who are hard-core antiquarians. The rarer the book, of course, the more expensive it becomes. Depending on the author, rare books can cost you over $1,000 (and much more at auctions). The cost factor is another good reason to limit your collecting to a genre, topic or author. Leather books up that price even more as their covers are more sought-after.
In either case there are some things that will help you when youre out perusing bookshops, yard sales, estate sales, the library, etc. All the books prior to the 1800s were done with small hand presses. Very few copies were made. The paper was woven from cotton or linen and often uneven. Since such books might not bear dates, this is a distinguishing marker. It wasnt until after the mid 1800s that paper came from wood pulp. Sadly the wood pulp actually decreases the longevity of a book its no where near as sturdy as the cotton.
No matter the era or subject matter, if you can find first edition books these increase in value the most over time. Books that still have their dust jackets also improve the resale value. If you cant find first editions, the earlier the imprint the better your value becomes.
Finally, its important to educate yourself about books before you shop. Check out specific titles you might want and see how many were printed, when they were printed, if there were differences in the print run (like a cover variation), etc. Knowing this will keep you from paying more for a book than you should. It can also help you create quite a stunning collection that your family can treasure for generations.
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The board of directors of The Remnant Trust in Jeffersonville is likely to vote next month to move its library of rare books and historical documents because of cooling and humidity problems in the collection's building, the trust's president said yesterday.
Rare book library might leave Jeffersonville (The Times of Northwest Indiana)
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Moving books double-dare kids to splash and twirl (Delaware County Times)
Slide, glide, twirl! Splish, splash, floop! Rare is the children's book that begs to be read and tossed aside for a good romp — all at the same time. Rarer still are moving pictures built right in that double-dare kids to do just that.
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