Collecting Books

Scaffale Con Libri 2
P. P. Cane
Buy This Art Print At AllPosters.com
Framed | Mounted

Many of us already buy large numbers of books just for the pleasure of reading them. Have you thought, though, that you could buy books to form a collection that might be valuable as well as pleasurable?

If you want to start collecting books, how should you start?

• Choose a subject area for your collection. If you are interested in flying, you could collect books on aviation, or maybe railways are your passion, there are books on that topic too. You might prefer to collect children's books or detective novels. Whatever your interest, you can start a book collection around it.
  
• Study the market and read about book collecting generally before you start spending hard earned money. Here are some books that might help:
  Modern Book Collecting by Robert Alfred Wilson
  ABC for Book Collectors by John Carter
  
• Usually first editions of books are the most desirable and most likely to command high prices now or in the future. If you are serious about book collecting, these are the books you should buy. It is better to have fewer books in your collection but to have the ones that are really collectable. First Editions : A Guide to Identification edited by Edward N Zempel will help you to identify first editions.


Scaffale Con Libri 1
P. P. Cane
Buy This Art Print At AllPosters.com
Framed | Mounted

• Do remember that not every first edition is automatically going to be valuable. The value of anything, but particularly antiques and collectables, is directly related to what someone will pay for it. If you have a first edition of a book that nobody wants by an unknown author, then that book will be worthless in the book market. On the other hand, if you find a first edition by an author like Raymond Chandler, then this will probably be valuable. Even first editions of books written by comparatively modern authors can be expensive. Collected Books : The Guide to Values 2002 by Allen and Patricia Ahearn will give you information on value.
• There are certain types of books that are usually not worth collecting. These include the Bible, school textbooks, collected sermons, encyclopaedia, reprints, abridged versions
• When buying a book, you must make sure that it is in good condition. If it had a dust jacket when published, it should still be on the book and also in good condition. The book should be clean, untorn, with all its pages and the binding should be intact. Unless a book is extremely rare and desirable, mediocre or poor condition will destroy any value the book might otherwise have had.
• Once you have started your collection you will need to keep it in good condition. Books are usually best stored vertically in a bookcase (the exception being large heavy books and these are best kept lying flat). They should not be kept in hot or humid conditions nor should they be in direct sunlight which will fade the bindings and dust jackets. Read more about the care of books in The Care of Fine Books by Jane Greenfield.

Copyright © 2002 by Carol Fisher All Rights Reserved

Search: All Products Books Magazines Popular Music Classical Music Video DVD Toys & Games Baby Computer & Video Games Electronics Software Tools & Hardware Outdoor Living Kitchen & Housewares Camera & Photo Wireless Phones Keywords:

Return to Home Page