We have expended copious amounts of electronic ink on this blog trying to convince folks that building a private library of one's own is neither particularly difficult nor particularly expensive, especially if one is willing to collect what others are not collecting. Whether that happens to be pristine paperback copies of romance fiction or science fiction, or "obscure" topics like numismatics, or third editions of famous works instead of first editions, the key is to use the laws of supply and demand to your advantage as a collector. If their is little demand but a large supply of the titles you seek in the marketplace, you are much more likely to acquire the books you seek at little expense than if the equation is reversed.
Of course, it is not always easy to tell what titles are in great demand or for which their exists an overabundant supply due to low demand. But there are hints.
If, for example, an author or topic has a standard bibliography, chances are there are not a few collectors attempting to collect that author or topic:
If a major university or other library has mounted a permanent or rotating exhibition of rare books within its collections, chances are that not a few collectors still actively seek similar books. If you do not live near such a library, and cannot therefore examine such books in person, fret not: most such libraries have, at one time or another, published a volume or two (or three or more...) about these books. The word treasure usually will be found somewhere in the title:
If the titles in which you are interested continually show up in auction reports from collector publications like The Book Collector or Fine Books and Collections, chances are that not a few people already are actively seeking such books.
Orient your collection towards some other author(s) or topics(s) if you want to expend much less money....
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