05Dec Over-Priced Later Impressions
Something needs to be said about the growing trend of over-priced later printings of first editions.There's something nebulous about the motivation behind book collecting. The desire to own the physical object; a memento or an object d’art, or a concrete representation of nostalgia or achievement, a manifestation of one’s soul,…
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08May The Greatest Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Writers to Ever Have Lived, with Rock-Solid Proof
Heads Up: Don't take this too seriously, I think, perhaps, it's primarily nonsense pitted with opinion and anecdote. But hey, it's the 21st Century. So it goes.The IdeaDo you know who's a better fantasy writer than Tolkien? Terry Pratchett. That's a fact*. Also, H.G. Wells is a terrible writer (see…
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09Apr A Complete Collection of Gnome Press Publications
The most rewarding thing about this job is not just helping collectors fill gaps in their collections, but helping collectors fill the last gap in their collection. Recently, one of our clients emailed us to let us know that a book we'd sent had completed their collection of Gnome Press publications.…
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19Feb Where Can I Sell First Edition Books?
One of the questions we get asked the most is where can I sell my [insert rare book]. Here's a brief outline of your options and a short assessment of the pros and cons.At Auction. This has been a common option for a couple of hundred years. We don't generally…
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07Feb Don't Believe the Hype - Collecting New Books
In the words of Public Enemy, Don't Believe the Hype. Well, that's a little disingenuous to be honest. Chuck D should've really said 'Don't always believe the hype', or 'Exercise caution when making a decision based upon what others, both with and without vested interests, suggest. Admittedly, I'm not quite…
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29Jan Detailed Photos of the Two Trial Pages for the Kelmscott Froissart
We recently acquired a wonderful Kelmscott piece and thought it might be nice to preserve the pictures on this blog before it sells. As always, it's a fabulous work of book art. Everything about it speaks volumes for the care Morris and his team put into their work. Jean Froissart…
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27Nov Book Collecting Terminology - Condition Descriptions
Here follows a list of terms we use when describing our books.NOTE: We expect to update this post every now and then, so please check back to look for updates.ABRASION: This refers to the boards, jacket, wraps of even leaves having had something scuff their surface. It can occur just from…
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21Sep Collecting First Editions - Signed or Inscribed?
Collectors usually, though not always, value a book that has been signed by the author over one that hasn't. Though authors have been signing their books for centuries, the notion of an author sitting at a table and signing dozens of books for their adoring public is a relatively recent…
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01Jul What Are Association Copies?
What is an association copy?An association copy can often be the pinnacle of collecting for a particular book. A book is designated an association copy if it was owned, at some time, by someone associated with the book. This can be somewhat tenuous, and the less tenuous the association the…
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02Jun The Modern Sophisticated Book - What it is and its Place in the Market for Rare Books
For those unaware, and collectors should not be unaware, a sophisticated book is one that has been 'doctored or faked up' (Carter & Barker, 2010, p207). English-speakers mostly use the term sophisticated nowadays to mean something improved by education or experience, the usage in the rare book world refers to…
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