A few days ago "AJ" left a Comment that got us thinking about the varieties of book collectors and book collections that we've encountered over the decades, and where our own book collecting fits along that continuum. AJ's Comment reads, in part...
I have learned as a long-time "accumulator" to look at condition foremost, but situationally I sometimes make exceptions. For instance, years ago I bought at an estate sale what I was later told is a first-edition first-state Emerald City (Baum)that,while intact, apparently had been used by its owner as a coloring book. Still, I'm glad to have the book and enjoy the thought that it's something that was so close to Baum's actual writing. And, of course, it's a book that in wonderful condition, I most probably couldn't afford. All in all, however, the exceptions are rare...like real-estate and location, it's condition, condition.
I suspect that, in an ideal world, we all would like to have a private library of whatever it is that we collect in the best possible edition and the finest possible condition. I also suspect that for the great majority of us, that is not the case. Certainly in our own case, situational book collecting is very much the order of the day.
Because our library is primarily a working library, the ten thousand or so hardbound volumes therein (we quit counting a long time ago) were purchased primarily to address specific research needs. If the volume was in Fine condition, and affordable, great -- we bought it. If not, we may still have bought it, especially if the book covered an obscure topic and we were unlikely to easily find another copy. Because our books often are put to hard use, we rarely buy paperbacks (which do not stand up to such use very well), but even here we make exceptions if that is the only way to get the information we need:
Don't bother looking for this in hardback....
Of course, the most obvious reply to this is "hey, it's on the Internet--why buy the book at all?" But readers of this blog know that this is, in fact, quite often not the case.
While we realize that our approach means that much of our library will likely have little resale value, the number of obscure titles therein may eventually find institutional interest at some level, so the monetary value (or lack thereof) doesn't keep us up at night. If we had the funds, it would be way cool to purchase a hardback (in the finest possible condition) that we could shelve untouched, while we read a paperback:
For collecting.... For reading....
Alas, unless we win a lottery, this scenario is unlikely. More importantly, the independent booksellers with whom we've established a good working relationship understand this.
In addition to being nice people, with a good knowledge of books and a willingness to help new book collectors figure out just what the heck it is that the new collector wants, and can afford, I suspect that the most successful independent booksellers (such as several that we link to in our Bookish BlogRoll) are first and foremost good listeners. Whether one collects situationally or not, such booksellers can save you an enormous amount of money and frustration....
P.S.
If you are serious about book collecting, you owe it to yourself to read the numerous Comments generated by yesterday's post....
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