We are deeply grateful to Maria Lin for the following Guest Editorial. Maria is a Library Science student in Denver and eclectic book collector who spends the majority of her time traveling, reading, and scouring used book stores for interesting finds. She chronicles her exploits on her blog, What's My Age Again?
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The domination of the Internet has changed the way book collectors go about their collecting in many ways, and sometimes it is easy to be deceived into believing that all there is to collect can be discovered with a Google search. But the collector who does not invest some time and money in print catalogs is truly missing out.
Catalogs, which are published both by publishers for new titles and by booksellers for more collectible items, provide the collector many advantages and are often a pleasure in themselves to possess. They can be picked up at book fairs or can be requested of any bookseller that publishes them, often for a fee, but sometimes not.
For a book collector that is just starting out, the idea of obtaining a catalog may not at first make any sense. Why spend thirty dollars on a catalog full of books you can't afford? In fact, there are many reasons why a few nice catalogs from a rare book dealer is worth the investment.
First, they can provide an unrivaled education for the new book collector. Many rare book dealers put a great deal of research into the books they sell, and they pass on that experience to the buyer in their catalogs. While some catalogs do little more than make a quick note of provenance and quality, others devote a great deal of space to the circumstantial history that makes a particular book so interesting. If you are interested in a particular area, such as East Asia, a catalog devoted entirely to books from that area will often serve as an excellent reference for not just collecting, but study. Close study of catalogs can also help the collector develop a good eye for value, rarity, and condition in their own collection.
Second, catalogs can often introduce you to particular subjects of collecting that you might never have considered. The amount of fascinating books floating out in the world is immense, and sometimes finding out that they even exist can be a challenge. The more obscure your interests, the less likely you are to stumble across something that relates to them in a yard sale. While dutiful study in your area of interest will often provide interesting leads, a good catalog can also reveal to you material, or whole subcategories, that you may have never considered.
Third, some rare book catalogs are stunning, and can make great substitutes for the books they are selling, especially for the poor collector who cannot quite afford an incunabulum or first edition worth thousands. Particularly for older books, or books where the binding and presentation are the focal point, catalogs often provide stunning full color reproductions of the binding and other details. While these catalogs can sometimes be the most costly, the quality of their production can rival that of a photography book and are well worth it for anyone who wishes to enjoy the amazing beauty of some of the rarest books out there but does not have millions in the bank to bring one home.
Lastly, catalogs can be collectible in and of themselves. Catalogs sometimes offer other catalogs between their covers, because the information these provide can have some special significance to a particular type of collector. This blog has noted many times that collecting does not have to restrict itself to what is popular, or even what seems a likely target for collecting. The private library is a private endeavor, and as such is limited only by the imagination of the individual building it. Rare book catalogs, along with bibliographies and other bookish reference works, can provide an excellent contribution to any library:
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