An educational and informational site about rare, old and antiquarian books.
The year 2025 marked the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth (December 16, 1775). This milestone sparked increased interest in the years leading up to it. On the collecting side, skyrocketing demand and prices across Austen memorabilia drove record-setting results, including the most expensive Austen printed work sold to date: an inscribed Emma selling for […]
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There is no question that a book signed by its author is more valuable than an equivalent unsigned copy. Depending on how scarce signed copies of a particular title are — or how rare the author’s signature is in general — the price difference can be significant. Have you ever wondered how much more valuable […]
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On the occasion of what would have been James Baldwin’s 100th birthday, let us assess the collectability factor of this brilliant author’s works: novels, essays, letters, plays and poems. Collectors often seek first printings of these works in their original books, magazine or journal publications, as well as signed copies or first editions of the […]
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Historical data shows that demand for the works of the Nobel laureates tend to increase in the weeks immediately following the Swedish Academy’s announcement. That is because there are many aspiring Nobel laureate collectors who rush to add some of the latest winner’s offerings to their collections. On a broader scale, readers are generally interested […]
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Sadly, the pandemic is still with us, but so are the Virtual Book Fairs (VBF)! The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA), had planned to hold an impromptu, in-person event of its highly successful New York fair this month, but switched to a VBF instead, complements of the Delta variant. At this time we are […]
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How fortunate native English-speaking booksellers are to have English as their mother tongue! English is the lingua franca of global business. Not surprisingly, the official language of ILAB, (The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers), is English. However, the organization maintains that this stature is shared equally with French; hence the old ILAB motto “Amor librorum […]
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When an auction generates astonishing excitement in view of both the quality and quantity of books being offered, the excitement is also reflected in the prices realized. Even if the prices are often unrealistic, for many buyers, the auction remains a remarkable event that is worth the extra expense. High emotions are exactly the ingredients […]
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Factor #1: Scarcity in supply. The year was 1965; the war in Vietnam was escalating, the space race was in full swing, and the Rolling Stones were on a world tour. America’s counter-culture movements were embracing drug use, liberal sexuality and obscenity in their writings and works. It was during this year that a novelist […]
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In 1977-78 Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc., held 3 auction events with the titles Important Modern First Editions and Fine Modern First Editions. They included the rare book collection of Jonathan Goodwin, one of the greatest collectors of the 20th century. The 865 lot sale was broken in Part One Sale, (March 29, 1977), Part […]
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