Chekhov's Mistress
Buying First Edition Books
Molly at Restless Reader posted on buying and keeping (in good condition) first edition books. Some time ago I flirted with collecting first editions and found for myself that the content was more important than the article and gave up – of course that was also in part due to utter confusion about what makes a book valuable, ie. what is a true first edition; why some imprints and authors were worth more than other. Those issues might seem obvious to uncover, but in many cases they really are not. Molly points to a very helpful article on spotting first editions, although I just read it and it still seems confusing to me.
I recommend Used and Rare: Travels in the Bookworld for an interesting account of newbies jumping into that world. I bought the book when we were thinking of moving up to the Berkshires and it convinced me not only to not move there (they were so bored throughout the winter) but how difficult (albeit rewarding in its own ways) buying rare books can be.
Still, the idea is intriguing and its fun to be able to spot collectible books when milling around bookstores. I do tend to buy as many hard covers as I can now that I’m getting older and have the strange notion of handing them down to the Sun King in the distant future. I also have this feeling of the looming obsolescence of physical books, which makes me want to keep those that will last multiple readings. Sometimes that desire amounts to buying hardback editions of books I already own in paperback, whether or not I mean to read them again any time soon.
What do I do to care for good books. Not much, but I have overcome my constant need to write in my books by using index cards as bookmarks. So instead of underlining or taking notes in the margins, I write a little page/paragraph marker on the index card and a brief note. It makes it much easier when reviewing too, because you can easily go down your list and find your remarks instead of thumbing through after the fact (doesn’t this feel like a happy homemaker tip?).
One last suggestion: If you are interested in rare books, you’ll enjoy the blog Rare Book News.
comments
I have the same problem buying old books. I am constantly trying to judge the value of things like bindings, editions and dustjackets. Eventually I just gave up. Now my criteria is, “Is it worth $25 to me?” Much easier.
– Ella (12/22 at 01:48 PM)
I agree, Ella. Except most of the time I say YES to that question - all too easily.
– Bud Parr (12/22 at 02:36 PM)
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About this Post
- Posted by: Bud Parr
- Date: December 21, 2005
- Filed Under:
Dependent Children of Independent Bookstores
- Comments:2
- Links to this Post: Technorati
