Does anyone know much about book collecting?

Question

I have a small book collection (just books that i have aquired over the years) and I want to start seriously trading and collecting rare and used books. Has anyone done this and if so where did you start?

Answer 1

This will sound odd, but I suggest reading John Dunning's Booked to Die and Bookman's Wake. These are mysteries with a protagonist who is a serious book collector. Dunning does a good job of detailing what's important in the hobby, and gives the reader a view of that world in an engaging way.

The biggest mistake beginners make is assuming that because a book is old it's collectible. Not so. A book is worth what someone will pay for it. And the most important feature is its condition.

Read this:
http://www.amazon.com/Collected-Books-2002/dp/0399147810/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/104-8328741-9252741?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180517404&sr=8-2
and check out the other links.

Best advice: Collect what you love, what intrigues you. that way if you get stuck with something you won't necessarily rue it.

:)

Hope this helps.

Stacy

Answer 2

Condition of the books is key. Check the spine, the condition of the pages and the dust jacket. Avoid book stores that let animals (pets and rodents alike) roam free. There is one used book store here that lets several cats use the inventory as their litter boxes.

Look for ones in good condition. Also, the general rule of thumb is the first edition is much more desirable than reprints.

Most importantly, collect books that interest you. Do not try to speculate on the value of books. Get only what you want to read and keep. This week, a man in Kansas City burned thousands of used books from his store's inventory. The reason? He could not get rid of them, even public libraries turned down his offers of free books.

Answer 3

You can try Ebay for starters. There are many people who go to Ebay to look for rare finds and gems of a book. You just need to determine how much each book cost.

Answer 4

a few ppl do accumulate them like comedian books. they accumulate them for the sake of amassing them. however identification say such a lot manga reader accumulate them cuz they both r no longer used to on-line mangas, or they desire their fav mangas stored of their room wherein they may be able to learn it over and over again on their beds.

Answer 5

books are a waste of the human mind.