Book Collecting Primer Part 1

Welcome to my Book Collecting Primer. These articles are taken from lectures I have given since 1991, under the business name of Book Seminars International, and focus on the basic approaches to entering the exciting world of book collecting. With any specialized area of collecting, there is often a perceived barrier between the newcomer and the activity that tends to impede interaction. If we agree that knowledge is power, then my goal here is to empower the neophyte book collector by breaking down those impediments.

Let me start by saying that I have been a seller of collectible books since 1985 and in that time I have counseled a great many new and intermediate level collectors in their pursuit of elusive books and other printed material. New collectors have the same basic questions and concerns: Why should I collect books? What books should I collect? What is a fair price for this item? Why is this book so expensive? How do I know if this is a First Edition? Why are First Editions so important? Where can I find the material I'm interested in? These are all valid questions and worthy of detailed discussion, which I intend to address along with other important topics.

But for this first entry, let me begin by saying that the collecting of printed material is thousands of years old, and has always been a passionate pursuit whether instituted by ancient rulers or modern day individuals. The over-reaching criteria being the desire to acquire, accumulate, and preserve those works deemed worthy of owning and saving. Some collections serve as national repositories of art and literature while others are personal libraries reflective of an individual's singular taste and interest. In the case of individual private collectors, any subject or criteria is open to collecting. If you have an interest, it is worthy of collecting everything and anything related to that area of interest. It doesn't matter if anyone else is interested in that subject or not; the important thing is that you are interested in it. Book collecting is not a team or a group sport. It is a personal endeavor that has absolutely nothing to do with your spouse, your friends, your work-mates, or anyone else for that matter. Book collecting is all about you and no one else. So, whatever interests you for whatever reason is worthy of your time, money and shelf space.

In my next post, I will address how the new collector should approach "what to collect".