Clausen
Books
Book Collecting 101
2008
Edition
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I love books, but what should I collect?
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collect what you love-
books on your profession, your hometown, family genealogies, a favorite author, illustrator, book designer, publisher, binding style, genre, areas of interest, historical eras, literary award winners, hobbies, books you read as a child…
Successful book collectors begin as readers; If you don’t love reading, and love and respect books, then don’t
collect books. Knowledgeable,
successful book collectors read, read, read.
Our customers collect books on:
specific World War II aircraft; books published in the Southern U.S.
only during the civil war; author’s first books; signed First Editions; Modern
Library editions; books that are only listed in Howes U.S.Iana;
early Nancy Drew titles, before 1960; books illustrated by Arthur
Rackham; odd-shaped books; books with binder’s defects, such as upside-down
title pages; books with maps; Easton Press and/or Folio Society editions; odd,
lesser-known editions of the bible;
miniature books; books with “signed”
bindings (the initials of the book designer incorporated into the design);
early Colorado flora and fauna titles; British Royalty; Colorado narrow-gauge
railroad history; early automotive technical manuals; books about or by Adolph
Hitler; books about the Mormons and LDS, pro or con; books on palmistry,
hand-reading, Handology, or Cherioscopy/Cheriognomy; all early U.S. Geological
Survey publications; early American witchcraft and mythology; Zane Grey’s
non-western books, such as his sports titles;
Alcoholics Anonymous; authors who wrote and lived in Colorado Springs;
privately published oral histories based on diaries and journals; small press
editions.
Many collectors are completeists: they collect everything- both books
and ephemera related to their area of expertise. Tom Bost, the late, great Colorado Springs scholar and collector
of James Michener, collected everything Micheneriana, and once remarked
that one of the few items he was lacking was an obscure Life Magazine
beer ad featuring the author.
For a great article on book-collecting, visit the Antiquarian
Booksellers Association here.
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· condition The most important factor in determining value; a book will reach its maximum value only when in the finest possible, original condition; There are those rare cases in which a book may be so scarce that a collector will pay a premium for any copy in almost any condition, but this doesn't help the other 99.8% of books that exist.
· edition Generally, the most valuable edition is the first edition; With the exception of a few rare cases, reprints and book club editions don't command the high prices of the First Edition/1st Printing. Other editions to consider are limited editions, signed & numbered editions, illustrated editions, privately distributed first editions vs. First Trade Editions, and Advance Reading Copies. Acquire the first edition guides listed further down this page.
· provenance & association Who owned the book before you? What's the ownership history of your copy and how did you end up with it? Was it inscribed by the author to an important celebrity or historical figure, or does it proudly display the bookplate of your cousin Bob's former girlfriend? The point is obvious - documented ownership may add value if the owner is someone who will affect value based on celebrity, popularity, infamy, etc.
· signatures & inscriptions this goes hand in hand with provenance and association; some collector's prefer a book to be "flat signed" by the author, that is, signed only, with no additional inscription. A recent trend indicates that some collectors like the additional author inscription no matter who the recipient is. Why? It’s harder to forge several lines of text, as opposed to a single signature, and gives the handwriting expert more to work with when signature authentication is required. It’s easy to download an “authentic” example of a signature off the internet, practice the handwriting, and before you know it, “signed” copies show up for sale. If the recipient of the book is an important celebrity or historical figure, a personalized inscription can add significant value. Imagine owning the only copy of John F. Kennedy's Profiles In Courage, inscribed by Kennedy to Fidel Castro which reads: "Dear Fidel, Sorry about that Bay of Pigs thing...can we still be friends? Your Neighbor, Jack Kennedy." No such copy exists, but you see my point. Finally, there are those countless worthless volumes of self-help, inspirational, and motivational advice that no amount of TLC or author signature's are going to help, simply because they are usually printed in large numbers, and they have limited short-term appeal. One Southern Colorado author comes to mind who seemingly signed every single copy of his popular history, and I have yet to find the scarce unsigned copy.
· supply / desirability & demand The fair market value of books depends on supply and demand. A hard-to-find book in great demand will have a higher value than a book available in large quantities that no one is buying. I refer you to those flash-in-the-pan diet and miracle-cure book authors who've had their moment of tv talk-show fame, and whose books now bask in obscurity, forgotten and unwanted.
· scarcity / rarity The vast majority of books are neither scarce nor rare, and with the increasing number of books being added to the internet everyday, that small number is getting even smaller. Remember supply and demand? I may have the only copy of Fruitgrowers Convention of 1928 left in the world, but if no one cares and the book is forgotten, the value won't be there. On the other hand, a very good condition copy of the 1859 British First Edition of Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species is perpetually in demand, is scarce, and commands a high price.
· the dust jacket? Serious collectors of modern first edition fiction won't even consider buying a book without a dust jacket. A fine condition, un-price-clipped dust jacket can be up to 75% of the value of a Modern First, and is as important to the value of some books, as the value of the original paint job is on a vintage 1955 Corvette. It's all about original condition. If the book came with a jacket, then it needs the jacket in order to achieve it's maximum possible value. Some book club editions are very difficult to identify as bce's without the jacket, and in other cases the jacket illustration may be the only reason why a collector wants the book. When you buy a hard cover book, protect the dust jacket with a clear, acid-free cover (Mylar, Duralar, Brodart) and don't clip off the price. Some dust jackets are reproductions, and should be identified as such. Dishonest booksellers will try to pass off laser/bubble-jet printed copies as the real deal, so be aware of this trend. Examination under a magnifying glass shows a reproduced dust jacket as having the tell-tale, evenly-spaced, round dots of the desk-top printer.
· age / incunabula I've told countless numbers of would-be booksellers that the old age of their worn and torn offerings does not determine value. In fact, age is the least important factor in determining book value. There is one big exception: the collecting of incunabula (the first 50 years of printing by moveable type, 1455-1500) is an area in which even a single page of book can have significant value. See my web page on the Gutenberg Bible.
· Library Copies Thanks to our libraries, many books have been saved from oblivion, and are entering the marketplace through the library discard (de-accession) process. Many are still quite useful and the marks and stamps don’t bother the researcher or a collector who is just happy to have any copy of the long sought-after title. However, most library copies carry the stigma of stamps, stickers, labels, bar-codes, magnetic strips inside the spines, glue stains and the stain of the dreaded magic-marker. Once a library book, always a library book. Some booksellers will go out of their way to disguise former library copies as “regular” copies, by replacing front free end papers, attempting to erase and/or sandpaper away ink stamps, painting over notations; removing stickers with solvents, razor blades, or by heating tools which melt many metal-backed spine and bar-code labels. When this is done, the ethical, honest dealer will tell you that the book is an ex-library copy that has been cleaned up. Dishonest dealers will pass off these sanitized copies as though they were never the property of a public or university library. Be very careful what you buy, and if you’re doubtful of a book’s lineage think twice before buying it. Maybe you don’t mind an ex-lib, but you deserve the truth. Ask the dealer if the book has been cleaned up, tell them why you’re asking, but also remember that they may have bought the copy believing it to be a non-library copy. Honest, experienced dealers will tell you all they know about the book, and won’t take offense.
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- your local used book dealer (ask around, compare prices and develop a relationship with a dealer you trust)
- your public library (the best source of free information; the reference librarian will help you learn the art of research)
- university libraries (core collections on specific genres and authors of interest; repositories of scare source material)
- historical associations (many have focused, subject-specific core collections; you may have to join to gain access)
- state historical societies (many times the repository of last resort for state/regional/county/city history)
-`subject matter bibliographies (pick any subject- someone's done a bibliography, and perhaps you can improve it)
- author bibliographies (the compilation of everything written by your favorite author, but don't rely on just one source)
- study the bibliographies, become the expert (so familiar with your subject that you write the new reference book)
- the internet (be careful; a huge, murky swamp of valuable and questionable data and spotty research, but it's still fun to fish)
- Dealer Catalogs (tap into the
dealer's expertise; I like to compare, get a second opinion, and independently
verify
- Talk to other
collectors and ask to see their collections if possible. (compare collecting strategies, take notes)
- Keep up with the latest literature in your area of expertise.
Trade Publications
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Antiquarian Bookman (overtaken by the internet and now out-of-print; the weekly trade publication of the 20th century, excellent in all aspects; every issue featured a piece on the trade; AB Annuals are genre-specific resources)
Fine Books & Collections Magazine (formerly OP, an wonderful source for collectors & dealers; six issues yearly)
Firsts Magazine (in print; best for collectors of modern first editions)
Biblio Magazine (much sought after out-of-print publication for collectors of fine and rare books)
American Book Collector (out-of-print; no gloss, just the facts on all areas of book collecting)
Book Source Monthly (in print; very good, reasonably priced reference for dealers and collectors)
The Colophon (out-of-print hard cover, pre-WWII trade publication; excellent historical and bibliographic source)
Skin Deep (on-line e-zine for bookbinders and book artists from J. Hewit and Sons)
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Rocky Mountain Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association (RMABA) promotes integrity, honesty and expertise
Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) the top dealer's group - pricey, honest, respected experts
Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA) on-line dealers promoting honesty, integrity & ethical conduct
International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) international dealer's association with strict code of conduct
American Booksellers Association (ABA) for new booksellers; can help you track reading trends and hot topics
Ephemera Society of America (ESA) non-profit; devoted to furthering the collection, study and preservation of ephemera
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HISTORY
Barbuto, Domenica M.;
Kreisel, Martha. Guide To Civil War Books: An
Annotated Selection of Modern Works
Edwards, Paul M. The Korean
War: An Annotated Bibliography. 1998. (Westport) Greenwood Press.
Faunce, Patricia S. Women and
Ambition: A Bibliography
Freidel, Frank. Harvard
Guide To American History.
Haber, Barbara. Women
in America: A Guide to Books, 1963-1975
Howes, Wright. U.S. Iana. Bowker. (excellent book dealer's “Bible” of American History; occasionally inaccurate)
Hudson, F. K. (ed.) Railbook Bibliography 1948-1972. (outdated,
but contains valuable, early bibliographic data)
Logasa, Hannah. Historical
Non-Fiction: A Organized, Annotated, Supplementary Reference Book…
Publications of the United States Geological Survey. (Washington)
Dept of the Interior/USGS
Rath, F. L.; O’Connell, M. R. Historic
Preservation: A Bibliography on Historical Organizatiuon Practices
Rosenbach Company. The Sea:
Books and Manuscripts. (Phila) 1938. (a sales catalog , and a fine
reference)
Starr, Harris E. Dictionary
of American Biography.
Work, Monore N. (compiler). A
Bibliography of the Negro in Africa and America. (originally pub. 1928)
Zorab, George. Bibliography
of Parapsychology. (NY) 1957. (the first ever published
bibliography; a classic)
WESTERN AMERICANA
Adams, Ramon F. Six-Guns and
Saddle Leather. (books related to
cowboys, outlaws, life in the West)
Adams, Ramon F. The
Rampaging Herd. (books related to
the Cattle Industry)
Campbell, William S. (Stanley Vestal).
The Booklover’s Southwest: A Guide To Good Reading. (indexed)
Dobie, J. Frank. Guide To
Life and Literature of The Southwest
Dykes, Jeff C. Western High Spots (excellent
overview of the best in Western Americana)
Hull, D. A.; Scott, D.
D. A Bibliography of the Archaeology
of Southwestern Colorado…Counties
Newman, John. Vietnam War Literature: An Annotated Bibliography of imaginative
works about American Fighting in
Vietnam. (Metuchen ) Scarecrow
Press.
Rittenhouse, Jack D. The Santa Fe Trail: A Historical
Bibliography.
Thaler, Nancy. Indians
of Colorado: A Selective Bibliography. (Special Collections, Pikes Peak
Library District)
Thrapp, Dan L. Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography (3
Vols)
Wagner/Camp. Plains and Rockies (very dated, sometimes difficult to use, but good for early guidebooks)
Wilcox, Virginia
Lee. Colorado: A Selected
Bibliography of Its Literature 1858-1952. (Historical not Literary)
Wynar & Depp. Colorado Bibliography. (the bookseller's “Bible” of Colorado History)
MEDICINE & SCIENCE
Garrison, Fielding H.; Morton, Leslie T. Garrison & Morton's Medical Bibliography
Horblit, Harrison D. The Library of Harrison D. Horblit: Early
Science, Navigation and Travel.
Horblit, Harrison
D. One Hundred Books Famous In Science,
Based On An Exhibition at the Grolier Club.
Printing and the
Mind of Man (PMM).
Flint, Austin. Collected Essays & Articles on
Physiology and Medicine.
Norman, Haskell
F. One Hundred Books Famous in
Medicine.
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Apseloff, Marilyn Fain. They Wrote For Children Too: An Annotated
Bibliography of Children’s Literature by Famous Writers For Adults.
Eyre, Frank. British
Children’s Books in the Twentieth Century.
Gottleib, Gerald. Early Children’s Books and Their Illustration.
Greene, Hanff, Martin, Haff & Greene. Bibliographia Oziana.
(concise
bibliographical checklist of the Oz books)
Helbig & Perkins. Dictionary
of American Children’s Fiction, 1859-1959.
Books of Recognized Merit.
Hunt, Peter (ed.) Children’s Literature: An Illustrated History.
Lass-Woodfin, Mary Jo. Books on American Indians and Eskimos: A Selection
Guide for Children…
Lynn, Ruth N. Fantasy
Literature For Children and Young Adults. 3d Ed
Meigs; Eaton; Nesbitt;Viguers. A
Critical History of Children’s Literature. (prepared in four parts)
Moore, Raylyn. Wonderful
Wizard Marvelous Land (L. Frank Baum and the Oz books)
Plunkett-Powell, Karen. The Nancy Drew Scrapbook (excellent illustrated guide, with checklist)
Targ, William. Bibliophile
in the Nursery.
Welch, d’Alt. A
Bibliography of American Children’s Books Printed Prior to 1821. Amer.
Antiq. Soc. (just one of hundreds on the
subject of collecting children's books; published by the American Antiquarian
Society, an institution with an impeccable reputation for accuracy,
completeness and scrupulous research)
Westerhoff, John H., III. McGuffey
and His Readers
LITERATURE
Baker, Ernest A. A Guide To The Best Fiction in English. (pub. 1913 and dated, but an excellent resource)
Barron, Neil. Anatomy of Wonder: Science Fiction
Blanck, Jacob. Bibliography
of American Literature New Haven:
Yale Univ. Press
Boyer, R. H.; Tymn, M. B.; Zahorski, K. J. Fantasy Literature: A Core Collection and Reference Guide.
Burke, W. J.; Howe, Will D. American
Authors and Books: 1640 To The Present Day
Garnett and Gosse. An
Illustrated History of English Literature.
Jaegly, Peggy J. Romantic
Hearts: A Personal Reference For Romance Readers.
Kunitz & Haycraft. Twentieth-Century
Authors. A Biographical Dictionary of Modern Literature.
Lake, Carlton. Confessions of a Literary Archaeologist. (20th Century French Literature)
Legman, Gershon. The Horn Book: Studies in Erotic Folklore
and Bibliography.
McMillan, James B. Annotated Bibliography of Southern
American English
Olderr, Steven. Mystery
Index: Subjects, Settings, and Sleuths of 10,000 Titles.
Tuck, Donald. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and
Fantasy (3 vols)
VanDerhoof, Jack. A
Bibliography of Novels Related to American Frontier and Colonial History.
The Book Collector's Reference Library
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Ahearn,
Allen and Patricia. Book Collecting: A Comprehensive Guide. (one of a large number of great guides)
Atkinson, Frank. Dictionary of Literary Pseudonyms.
Basbanes,
Nicholas. A Gentle Madness (all Basbane’s
books should be read, studied, and enjoyed)
Basbanes,
Nicholas. Every Book Its Reader
Basbanes,
Nicholas. Patience & Fortitude
Basbanes,
Nicholas. A Splendor of Letters
Benet’s
Reader’s Encyclopedia. (essential reference for readers and collectors of general
literature and the classics )
Carter,
John. ABC For Book Collectors. Granada. (one of the best)
Connolly,
Joseph. Modern First Editions. Orbis.
(one of many - a very good book)
Ellis,
Estelle; Seebohm, Caroline. At Home
With Books (caring for and living with
your collection)
Ellis,
Ian C. Book Finds: How To Find, Buy and Sell Used and Rare Books (for book scouts and collectors)
Glaister,
Geoffrey. The Encyclopedia of the Book. (4,000 terms and definitions useful to the collector and
dealer)
Haller, Margaret. The Book Collector’s Fact Book. (compendium of useful information)
Hardie, Martin. English
Coloured Books. (London) Fitzhouse.
(comprehensive
study of colour printing)
Holden,
John. Bookman’s Glossary. Bowker, 6th Ed., Revised. (comprehensive dictionary of trade terms)
McBride.
A Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions (excellent! also available on-line)
McBride, Bill. Points of Issue. A
Compendium of Points of Issue of Books by 19th–20th Century
Authors.
McKerrow,
Ronald B. An Introduction to Bibliography. (only for those who are truly committed)
Minters,
Arthur H. Collecting Books For Fun
and Profit: A Basic Methodology. (a
thorough, common-sense guide)
Newton, A. Edward. The Book-Collecting Game. (long-time classic)
Oxford
American Dictionary (any edition, new
or old)
Peters, Jean.
The Bookman’s Glossary. Fifth Edition. (essential reference)
Schwartz,
Lynne Sharon. Ruined By Reading: A
Life in Books (a memoir of addiction)
Stewart,
Seumas. Book Collecting: a beginner’s guide. David & Charles. (a good start for the uninitiated)
Tannen,
Jack. How To Identify and Collect American First Editions. (accurate, but a bit outdated)
Zempel
and Verkler. First Editions: A Guide to Identification. (comprehensive and complete - the best available)
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Keep your books cool, dry, and never shelve books in direct sunlight. 68 degrees f. is ideal. The sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays prematurely age, deteriorate and fade paper dust jackets and cloth/paper bindings. Subdued, incandescent lighting only! Cover fluorescent light bulbs with ultra-violet light blocking sleeves.
Excessive heat prematurely ages paper, cloth and leather. Avoid storing books in hot places such as attics and garages, near fireplaces, heaters, stoves, ovens, boilers, radiators, or hot water pipes. Ideal relative humidity is around 50%. Paper absorbs moisture, and excessive moisture can wrinkle pages, warp bindings, and in extreme cases, cause mildew. Air that is too dry can make the pages brittle. Fortunately, the relatively moderate Colorado climate is kind to paper.
Colorado’s dry climate is
hard on leather. These bindings prefer 50% humidity and temps. Not over 70°
f. Most leather bindings should be
treated sparingly with a good quality preservative every six months to a year -
Marney’s Conservation Leather Dressing, for example. I also use Neatsfoot Oil, Atom Wax, Renaissance Wax, and
to stop small areas of extreme red-rot (drying and flaking of the leather),
tiny amounts of SC 6000 acrylic polymer treatment. NOTE: Never oil pigskin, vellum
or suede.
Excessive humidity and exposure to vermin is book abuse. Don’t store books in furnace rooms, crawl spaces, outside sheds, the chicken coop, in the trunk, or back window of your car. I mentioned that paper absorbs moisture, so it stands to reason that airborne pollutants such as combustible fumes, smoke, smog, cooking odors and mold spores, will also be absorbed by paper and leather. Excessive humidity, dirt and dust will also attract vermin such as cockroaches, flies, silverfish, book worms, carpet beetles, mice, termites and spiders. I once bought a large collection of military histories that had been in a house where years of cigarette smoke had yellowed the off-white spines. A slightly moist cloth of water and a mild detergent removed most of the smelly grime. Fortunately, the last book I found destroyed by a mouse was a book club edition of a modern romance novel.
Keep high-acid content newsprint clippings out of books. Acid migrates from the newsprint to the surrounding paper, causing stains and deterioration. This applies to any acidic paper. An alternative would be placing articles in a baggy or zip-lock bag, if you absolutely need to keep them with the book.
Protect your dust jackets
with archival dust jacket covers (Duralar, Mylar, Brodart, etc.) and
don’t clip the price off the inside flap.
Don’t use acetate- it’s highly acidic, and it tears easily when
folded/creased. Archival covers will not
tear.
Store most books standing
up, with support on both sides. Don’t jam them into the shelf, and don’t
unshelve them by hooking the top of the spine with your finger. Some conservators don’t recommend book
shelves that have been varnished, painted, oiled, waxed, or otherwise treated,
because books will absorb the off-gassing of these products.
Don’t stack your books one on top of the other. It won’t be long before the volumes on the bottom of the stack develop “cocked” or slanted spines.
Learn how to case and
uncase books in slip-cases; It’s easy to damage a book’s textblock and binding
by improper casing. Come by our shop
and I’ll show you how to do it the right way.
Books with heavy textblocks should be stored flat or with the textblock supported underneath by a piece of cardboard/foam board, cut to fit. The reason: heavy textblocks tear away from bindings in which the only thing holding them in place is the hinge. I've repaired dozen of old Bibles and dictionaries with this very problem.
If you’re concerned about resale value, don’t write anything in your books, with either pen or pencil, if it can be avoided. To identify your books (in case they’re stolen) consider a small erasable pencil mark on a selected page of your choice, or note a unique characteristic about your specific copy (a tear, mark, copy number, signature, etc.)
Books have the greatest chance of retaining their highest possible value when kept in the best possible condition.
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copyright 2007 by Douglas P. Clausen