When my children were very young, I had little time for reading. Between feedings, diaper changes, and regular sleep deprivation, there simply wasn’t time to read anything longer than the local newspaper. During those times when I did manage to read, I often fell asleep by the third or fourth page. Oh, how I missed my books! I now refer to those busy years as the Great Reading Drought of 1998-2002. Fortunately, the reading drought ended in a great deluge of books about books. The first of these I read was A Gentle Madness, by Nicholas Basbanes. I recognized myself in the characteristics of book people profiled by the author. Intrigued, I read as much as I could about books and collecting for two years straight. I read no novels, no magazines, none of the historical tomes of which I am fond. I read only books about books.
Since then, I have continued to read as many books as I can find on book collecting and bookselling, though I do read the occasional novel now and then. I recently culled the section of my bookshelves that house books about books, and I call the books that remain my “required” reading list. These books made enough of an impression that I wanted to keep them, at least. I have re-read quite a few. They provide a good general overview of book collecting and bookselling. I will do a separate post at a later date for good general reference books for booksellers. That’s an entire subject unto itself. These books merely give you a flavor of the literary life of the antiquarian. You can find almost all of these books in used condition for an inexpensive price. And, always remember to scout your local library sale for such titles. If you want fine condition or first edition, you should be able to track most of these titles down, but it will cost you.
There are doubtless many more books I have not listed here. I merely list what I (subjectively) find to have been useful in learning about the trade. Feel free to add any of your own favorite books related to collecting or selling in the Comments section. I am sure there are other titles of which I am not yet aware. And, I know, I should add all of the publisher information for each title. Unfortunately, my time for blogging today is quite limited. Life, in the form of a large cleaning project, intrudes. Most, if not all of these titles, are easy to find by author or title name alone.
An Historical Overview of Books, Libraries, Collectors, and Booksellers:
A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books, by Nicholas Basbanes
Among the Gently Mad: Strategies and Perspectives for the Book Hunter in the 21st Century, by Nicholas Basbanes
Patience and Fortitude: A Roving Chronicle of Book People, Book Places, and Book Culture, by Nicholas Basbanes
A Splendor of Letters: The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World, by Nicholas Basbanes
Every Book its Reader: The Power of the Printed Word to Stir the World, by Nicholas Basbanes
Collectible Books: Some New Paths, by Jean Peters
Bibliophiles and Rare Book Lore:
The Book Collecting Game, by A.E. Newton
Parnassus on Wheels, by Christopher Morley
Slightly Chipped: Footnotes in Booklore, by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone
Warmly Inscribed: The New England Forger and Other Book Tales, by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone
Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World, by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone
Tolkien’s Gown and Other Stories of Famous Authors and Rare Books, by Rick Gekoski
Antiquarian Books: An Insider’s Account, by Roy Harley Lewis
Respected Booksellers Who Stood the Test of Time:
A Book Hunter’s Holiday: Adventures in Books and Manuscripts, by A.S.W. Rosenbach
Old and Rare: 40 Years in the Book Business, by Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern
Bookends: Two Women, One Enduring Friendship, by Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern
Nuts and Bolts of Opening a Book Business (both a bit dated but still useful):
Complete Guide to Starting a Used Book Store: Old Books into Gold, by Dale L. Gilbert
Selling Used Books by Mail: A Grass-Roots Guide for the Homeworker, by A.G. Gersdorf
Fiction about Antiquarian Books (you can learn a bit about rare books while being entertained):
Booked to Die, by John Dunning
The Bookman’s Wake, by John Dunning
The Bookman’s Promise, by John Dunning
The Sign of the Book, by John Dunning
The Bookwoman’s Last Fling, by John Dunning
Unsolicited, by Julie Kaewert
Uncatalogued, by Julie Kaewert
Unprintable, by Jule Kaewert
Unbound, by Julie Kaewert
Untitled, by Julie Kaewert
Unsigned, by Julie Kaewert
Almost all of these authors have written other titles than what I have listed here. They are simply to numerous to list them all. I list only those I have read myself.
Anatomy of An Antiquarian Bookseller, from Antiquarian Books: An Insider’s Account, by Roy Harley Lewis
I have just discovered your blog tonight, and have spent the last 2 hours being educated about antiquarian books. I too am in love with antiquarian books, but I’m not really interested in selling them. I am simply not a seller. My interest is in the research, and I loved the research you did on your great grandmother who might have worked for Roycrofts. I too have all 5 of Nicholas Basbanes books, and have also discovered Rostenberg and Stern’s books. I discovered them back in April this year, purchased their biography, and loved it, simply loved it. Here’s my review. http://bibliobiography.blogspot.com/2007/05/old-books-rare-friends-book-review.html
And the very next post after that review, I made my decision about what I want to do. I want to be a bibliographer. http://bibliobiography.blogspot.com/2007/05/my-first-decision-as-bibliographer-and.html
I have ALWAYS loved doing research.
Can you recommend any good books about bibliography. I prefer books, rather than websites.
Thank you for your blog.
Historia.
http://bibliobiography.blogspot.com/
[...] Finally an older post from a site I recently came across, The Book Hunter’s Holiday. In this post he lists some of the better books about books. [...]