More advice to new book collectors from folks who have been doing it for a while....
David Klappholz: Every beginner should read Newton's Amenities. The best "technical" introduction is probably Storm and Peckham.
Yolana: This is a real basic one but a potentially expensive one. Know that what a normal person calls good and what a bookseller calls good are not the same thing or at least it wasn't the same as my good.
Laura Knight: My advice is to establish a relationship with a reliable seller. First, he/she knows what he/she is selling: a first edition is a first edition and the reliable seller knows why. The reliable seller likes to share information about books and collecting. The education you can get is incalculable. And if you collect a certain author or illustrator or genre, the reliable bookseller will alert you should one of these walk through his doors or web page. Too many new or would-be collectors get taken by unscrupulous or uninformed sellers, losing money, time and, more importantly, the thrill that comes with book collecting.
Jean Ottosen: Well ... don't give up before you start. Don't listen to nay-sayers. Just research and brainstorm ways to get what you want ... and pick the best options for you. Not everyone has to have a wonderfully fully registered private library with first editions in a specially designed humidity controlled room.
Don't overlook what's already in your house! Don't think you have nothing and have to go on a buying spree. Usually everyone has a book somewhere on a topic they like ... gather them all together and assess what you have before you go spending any money. If necessary, narrow the topic ... or work to fill in gaps in the topic.
Which brings me to the point I really like in your blog ... make sure you collect a genre you like! In the end, it may be worth nothing but its value to you. Some topics do not have a lot of people interested in them. Consider where the books will go in the end before you buy them.
My areas of interest are: fibre dyeing, spinning, rug hooking, surface embroidery, knitting and religious (Christianity). I am thinking some of them might go to an arts college or craft school, some to a Christian college or church, some to the Embroiderer's Association of Canada. My husband's interest is in family history. His will be passed down to our eldest daughter who runs a genealogy blog. We also have a smattering of psychology, gardening, cookbooks and nature books.
Because my husband and I have different interests, we are going to sit down and draw up a purchasing plan for books, so we both have the opportunity to buy books we like.
Another thing I've found is that books go on sale this time of year. I've been snooping around the Internet for books on my favourite topics for some time, and am now finding 40% and 50% off sales...even cheaper than Amazon.
Sometimes, with more out of the way topics, you need to bypass the typical booksellers and go directly to specialists in the field. For example, I really can't find anything good on rug hooking through the average bookseller - on-line or off. I go to people who sell rug hooking supplies and equipment ... and buy the books from them. Or direct to the author, who usually has some squirreled away. I am currently buying a book listed for $195 on Amazon, for $76, including shipping and handling and complete with autograph, from the rug hooking store representing the author. I like that kind of deal! The same is true of dyeing and spinning books. There's general stuff at the bookstore, but the good technical stuff is purchased through people in the spinning and dyeing business.
Keep an eye out for people divesting themselves of their collections. There's a lady on-line getting rid of all her rug hooking books -- some classics in the field. Very reasonable prices. I'm negotiating with her now...
And be friendly with people practicing in the field you're collecting books in. When my rug hooking teacher retired and had to sell her home, she asked if I wanted anything. I spoke up right away for a few particular books. In the end she gave me much more ... lots of rug hooking supplies as well.
If you're going to buy books, try to think of where you are going to put them before you buy them. In some climates leaving them in a box on the basement floor is not a wise idea! I am lucky I have lots of bookcases from IKEA that are holding up okay, but not the greatest. As long as they're against the wall they're fine. But if I were to get serious and try to stand something in the middle of the room, I'd have a carpenter make them ... so I knew they'd be good and sturdy. Also, don't pack the books too tightly on the shelf. It really causes wear and tear getting them on and off shelves. And bring the book spines to the front of the shelf to clean up the look of the library.
The one thing I wish is that we had organized our books sooner. I did another count of bookcases and we have 7 full floor to ceiling bookcases and the equivalent of 6 half bookcases of books around here. It is going to be a big project to organize them.
We are already talking about weeding the current collection. Also about clearing out a room somewhere just for books. Not sure where we'd do that. We were laughing and talking about adding a 12' wide addition to the back of the house and replacing our old 1 car garage with 2 car garage and upstairs studio ... so there would be more room in the house for books! :-D That would only be a $100,000 fix!!!
My husband comes by his love for books honestly. His mother was a librarian with a 10,000 volume private library in her home. No room was complete without a bookcase of books!
My father is a scholar and has a struggle limiting the books in his townhouse condo. His six children are mostly bookaholics (oops!) ... ah ... bibliophiles (love that term!). Thankfully most of them live in big houses and can indulge their habit! ;-) My one brother who does not have books in his home is a prolific user of the public library system in Vancouver.
I guess that could be another tip, but I think you gave it already ... check out books through the library before buying if you aren't sure they're what you want for your collection. Make use of the Inter-library Loan system ... which in Canada is mostly free. Unfortunately libraries usually don't loan out the types of books I'm interested in.
Also, if you're interested in history, check out local archives and local history rooms for titles that might be of interest ... and the local genealogical society.
Don't forget: for questions that booksellers wish new book collectors would ask, click here.
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