Recommended Books for Book Collectors
To
be candid, many of the best books for book collectors are no longer in
print, or are available only in those awful "print-on-demand" editions
that are, quite literally, not worth the paper they are printed upon.
The texts of some out of print books have been
reprinted on our website,
and are well worth reading, though for convenience sake we'd still want
to have the actual book in hand, preferably in first or early edition.
We used to collect in the area of "books about books," and there are
certainly worse areas to choose, in our humble opinion. You'll
often find decent books about books at book fairs, and occasionally in
used book shops, and of course the hunt is half the fun. The list
below lists books that are currently in print:
- Basbanes, Nicholas A.
- Baxter, John.
A Pound of Paper:
Confessions of a Book Addict. Quite the opposite of Eugene Field's
elegant Victorian work in many ways, but still enjoyable, this book proves that book
collectors can be as wild and rambunctious as any other group - if not more
so.
- Carter, John.
ABC for Book Collectors. A deceptively simple title; every
serious book collector has this volume close to his desk.
- Collins, John. The Two Forgers: A Biography of Harry Buxton Forman and Thomas James Wise.
- Ellis, Estelle, et al. At Home with Books : How Booklovers Live with and Care for Their Libraries
- Ellis, Ian C.
Book Finds: How to Find, Buy, and Sell Used and Rare Books
.
3rd edition.
- Everitt, Charles P.
The Adventures of a Treasure Hunter: A Rare Bookman in Search of American History.
One of the first books I ever read on book collecting; a great treat, great
to curl up with of an evening, preferably with a fire in the fireplace and a
glass of brandy at one's side.
- Goldstone, Lawrence and Nancy
- Field, Eugene. The Love Affairs of a Bibliomaniac.
- Matthews, Jack. Memoirs of a Bookman
- McBride, Bill. Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions
- Meador, Roy. Book Row: An Anecdotal and Pictorial History of the Antiquarian Book Trade.
- Meyer, David. Memoirs of a Book Snake: Forty Years of Seeking and Saving Old Books.
- Russell, Richard.
Antique Trader Book Collector's Price Guide
- Tedford, Marie.
The Official Price Guide to Collecting Books,
5th Edition.
- Wilson, Robert A. Modern Book Collecting.
Not so modern any longer, as this book is from 1992 - but it is considered a
classic, and still contains a wealth of information.
- -- Collectable Paperback Books: A New Vintage Paperback Price Reference
Magazines for Book Collectors
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