How To Buy a Collectible Book

Well…since we were recently discussing books as gifts, maybe it would help some of you to learn some of the more “technical” terms you might see when shopping for a collectible book. I’ll do my best not to overwhelm you with information but I will try to give you enough information to help you make an informed decision when you decide to plunk down your hard-earned cash for your favorite book.

Image Credit: thefutureofpublishing.com

Anatomy of a Book–I can’t draw so I’m going to use the image above (image credit: thefutureofpublishing.com) so you can see the various parts of the book. Most of us know what a title page or copyright page are but we may not have known the name of the top of the spine (headband) or what to call the paper glued down to the inside of the front cover (pastedown). This is a pretty simple image with an easy layout of the most common parts of a book.

Grading the Book–There are many ways to grade the condition of a book, but the most common method is as follows: Like New, Fine, Very Good, Good, and Acceptable. I think these grades are pretty self-explanatory but if you would like more details, leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to provide a more detailed explanation.

Describing the Book–There are some words you will see on a regular basis when reading descriptions of books. Foxing, deckled, rubbed, inscribed, octavo, and remaindered might be a few words you’ll see in descriptions. Generally, these words refer to characteristics of the actual book, the hard cover, and the pages within the book. These words are not usually attributed to the dust jacket. I will make a list of the most commonly used words and their definitions in a follow-up post.

Describing the Dust Jacket–The dust jacket on a hard cover book accounts for at least 50% of the book’s value (if the book was issued with a dust jacket), so make sure when you are looking for a book to purchase, that you look for a dust jacket that is in very good condition or better. The only time you might consider a dust jacket that is acceptable, or just good, is if it is a very hard to find book, a very old book, or a book going into your personal collection and you don’t mind the poor condition. A dust jacket in optimum condition will still have the original price intact on the top corner. Sometimes, you will read that a dust jacket is “clipped” or “price clipped”. This means that someone once gave this book as a gift and clipped the price off the jacket. Although this lowers the value of the jacket slightly, if it is the only undesirable part of the jacket, it is still worth purchasing.

Determining the Edition–The most desirable edition will be the first edition, first printing (or first impression). There are many ways to attempt to determine if the book you want is the first edition. A reputable book seller will tell you in the description if the book is a first edition but they may not always tell you if it’s the first printing. Do your homework and find out what “markers” determine if the book is a first edition. Not all books have a number line and in some that do have a number line, the numbers won’t be in order. Sometimes the numbers go 1-10, 10-1, and sometimes odd to even (1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2). If there’s a number line present, you want there to be a “1”. Earlier books might just say “First Edition” on the copyright page. If you’re not sure if the book you’re looking at is a true first edition, don’t be afraid to contact your book dealer to ask them. If they’re reputable, they should have no problem answering your questions.

A typical seller’s description might look something like this:

Published by Delacorte Press, New York: 2012. Book is in very good condition. Dust jacket in very good condition. Pages nice and bright with no writing or marks of any kind inside. Spine straight and square. Binding is tight. This is a first edition/first printing. Not price clipped, not remaindered, not ex-library.

Not all sellers will be this descriptive. Some sellers will be more descriptive. In my opinion, it’s a pretty decent description considering this is a more current book that is not in high demand and very easy to find. This is a book someone might buy to read and save if they happen to collect books by this author. If the book was older and in higher demand, you might see something like this:

Published by Random House, New York: 1945. Hardcover. Book Condition: Good. No Jacket. 1st Edition. Former library book with library stamps on all edges and full title page. Library stamp on inside front cover, library card still attached to inside back cover, and partial library sticker on rear endpaper. Nameplate of former owner also pasted on inside front cover. Hardcover volume. 390 pages. Gray cloth boards with stamped lettering on front and spine. Small chip on spine above publisher name. Boards are toned and browned from age, but remain in good condition. Binding is tight but inside front hinge is beginning to visibly wear. Head of spine shows visible chipping and wear of age. Front and back pastedowns show visible tape residue. Pages are slightly aged but clean and free of marks. SIGNED by Sinclair Lewis on the front free endpaper. A wartime book made to comply with the government’s request to preserve materials. Implied first edition.

The difference in the descriptions is pretty obvious. The older and more collectible a book is the more specific the seller should be in his or her description.

In the next blog post, I’m going to go into detail about the meanings of some of the most commonly used words and talk more about value. Hope I didn’t bore anyone and stay tuned!

 

Books as Gifts

It doesn’t have to be Christmas for a book to be the perfect gift.

How many of you had a special book that you read when you were a child? Do you remember a book, or story, that stuck with you throughout your life that brings a smile to your face whenever you think about it? How wonderful would it be to give that kind of gift to someone you care about?

The beauty of books is that they don’t have to be expensive to make an impression. An inexpensive used book can still transport a child, or adult, to another world. A science fiction book can be the foundation for life-long learning. A biography can be the impetus that encourages a child to aspire to be like their hero.

I recall happily reading Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time when I was in the fourth grade. I learned the word “tesseract” and I had a vague understanding about the fourth dimension and movement within time and space. It didn’t make me an expert but the information has stayed with me all my life. We recently went to see the movie, Interstellar, and even though most of the space travel talk was well over my head, I could maintain some semblance of understanding due to having read A Wrinkle in Time as a child. That is knowledge that created a bridge in my life that spans over four decades!

Even though movies and music can also impact our lives as we grow, what other medium can be given so freely and can hold its value, whether sentimental or monetary, better than a book?

Take the time to find out what your family member or friend wants to read. Find an old book you loved reading and share it with someone you love. Look for a first edition of your son or daughter’s favorite book or maybe find a copy signed by the author. That book will become a valued treasure in the years to come.

Use discount code “Relaunch 2014” at The Literary Heart for 10% off between now and December 31st.

Books and Memories and Dads

When I say the word books, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

Is it a particular book you love? Is it a memory of reading something at a particular place or time? Is it a memory related to reading? Maybe it’s a combination of all of the above. Whatever it is, it’s probably something that has been with you for quite a long time and that someone, somewhere fed your love for books. I believe that people who love books, have probably done so from a very early age. It’s not just about the reading part, although that is probably the most important part of loving books. No…I think it also has to do with the visceral reaction we have to books, whether it’s to one book in particular, or to books in general.

There is something deeply rooted in many of us that literally pulls us towards anything with the written word. Sometimes, we don’t even have to like the object of our affection. Just the fact that it’s a book is enough to make us want it. I see catalogues from various book sellers and even though I have absolutely no interest in an early 19th century book about guns, I still want to see that book! I want to hold it. I want to thumb through it and maybe read the first page or so. I want to know how much it costs and I want to vacillate over whether or not I can afford it and whether or not I want to add it to my collection, not because I love 19th century books about guns, but because it’s a book! It’s an old book! And it’s old! And it’s a book! See what I mean?

So yes. When I think of books, I definitely think of books but one of the first things that comes to mind for me is my daddy. Which is kind of funny because my mom was the voracious reader in our family even though I surpassed her in my voracity to read when I was still very young. My dad was a very, very casual reader. He was not the one who stayed up until 2am reading, that was my mom…or me…under the covers with a flashlight, of course.

No…my dad wasn’t the big reader of the family. What he was, was a man of infinite patience. The man who, every two weeks, almost without fail, drove me to the library in downtown San Antonio. This was not a quick trip to the library. No. We lived a good 20 minute drive away from the main library and this meant we had to eat dinner before we left because, as I’m sure you can well imagine, once I got to the library, I was not leaving until it closed.

So after we finished an early dinner my dad would tell us to get in the car and he would drive to downtown San Antonio so I could have my evening at the library. My brother would come sometimes too but he was irrelevant to me at that time. He only got in my way and got bored quickly so it was better when he didn’t go. This was mine and my daddy’s night. We’d drive around looking for an open parking meter, park, feed the meter (I got to do that too!) and walk to the main entrance of the library.

As soon as we walked in, I literally ran up the steps to the 3rd floor where the children’s library was located. Dad checked in my last batch of books, then waited for the elevator and eventually made his way up. Meanwhile, I would systematically begin walking up and down every aisle on the floor looking for books that might interest me. My dad, the saint, would make his way to the little kids reading area and sit down to wait. Sometimes, he’d thumb through a book but more often than not, he would just sit there, patiently waiting for me.

I never made it through the entire floor in one evening. Not for lack of trying, though. I walked, head turned sideways so I could read titles better, pulled books halfway out so I could scan the cover. If it looked interesting, I’d pull the book all the way out and open it so I could read the description on the back or on the sides of the dust jacket. If it sounded good after that, I added it to my pile. After I had more books than I could easily carry, I made my way to a table, dumped them all and proceeded to read the first two pages of every book. If I was hooked after the first few pages, they made my “take-home” pile and the rest I dutifully re-shelved. Pretty soon, I had a pile of books that I would then have to cull again (because libraries put LIMITS ON YOU. Why? I don’t know?!) to choose the books that would be making the journey home with me.

Week after week, month after month, my dad and I followed this ritual. My dad was a man of few words. He didn’t often say, “I love you” because I suppose men at that time weren’t really big into expressing affection like that. But I knew he loved me because he did this  for me without a gripe. Ever. Proof positive…we also had a book-mobile that parked itself near our neighborhood once a week but daddy never took me there unless I needed to return some books and check out others in between main library visits. He could have copped out of our library visit, but he rarely did. He could have told me it was too far to drive. He could have said he was tired from a long day at work. He could have found any one of many reasons to back out, but he didn’t.

So I believe I owe my love of all things books to my mom, who taught me to love to read, and to my dad who willingly fed my voracious appetite for books without once complaining how much it cost him.

Related articles

• My Love of BOOKS! (alwaysalesson.com)
• How books find people: An introduction (year-struck.com)
• On Taking the Younger Son to the Library (adiscounttickettoeverywhere.wordpress.com)