I have ferreted out OOP books for good prices, just to call the bookseller and have him search online while I am on the phone with him and see that someone on Amazon (or similar) is listing his $4 book for $200, and want to switch and bait, or suddenly he can't find the book.
I have also paid $200-500 for a book that I have to have, or seen a book for a fair price that I see as an investment (telling my children that when I die, those lace books aren't valueless, but in fact valuable), and later find their value falls, or the book is republished, or even available online (via AZ University, or AntiquePatternLibrary in yahoogroups, for instance). I have initiated requests to the author, publisher, hosting museum, etc., to have books reprinted when I know that it will de-value my personal library, simply because they are substantive things that should be accessible to the public. For instance, Herbert Niebling/Burda, and Suzanne Lewis/Brooklyn Museum (NY) come to mind, or in asking people to do a grassroots movement request, has created the seeming impossible, possible (not that I am taking credit, but noting potential and that sources don't always have their finger on the pulse of where the market has changed). Alice Starmore would be another example (though not within our lace parameters). Rather than be saddened that hundreds of dollars for a book has been replaced with a good $25 version, I am elated that so many will benefit. As stated, the trend will be digital versions, for all the reasons shared. My one leery note, is that this makes items easy to share, so copyright infringement can increase (as I feel we have generally become a less moral society overall...not that patterns haven't been shared over coffee clutches in times when most women didn't even realize that there was a copyright, or what it meant). I don't think we can fight the general digital trend, and it saves not only the publisher money, it can usurp funds and control that can go back to the author, which to some degree is fair. Then the book purchaser can choose to print out just what they need, vs. a whole book, for instance. Unfortunately fast changes in computers, software and storage media, can make things difficult to segue. On the other hand, a book is a book, and it really only suffers from water and fire but can live on, and one is not dependent upon a system to give them access to it. Additionally, when you begin to print out a whole book, with the costs of paper and ink (and binding it or putting it in a loose-leaf), you find you aren't really saving that much financially, if at all. Most of us really enjoy the look and feel of a book. I dislike loading something and flipping back and forth through pages for all its various reasons. At least we have more options than before, on all sides, and by and large, the publishers and printing companies are losing out. Trees are saved and authors take the lion's share, vs. paltry royalties. I tend to think of those deceased who have contributed stellar works that are OOP. I wonder if they would prefer that only a choice few enjoy their books (and sometimes aren't the ones who are actually creating the product, but rather collecting only), vs. thousands or millions of needle workers creating inspiration, and a legacy that lives on long after in their beautiful works of art. We risk forms of bobbin and needle lace being lost, and future generations need access to this (as it often skips a generation). I think one must choose to keep one's work and the whole of this form of needle work, going. Minimally, if you put work into a published piece, you deserve to be reimbursed fairly. This isn't always the case, as creative work often receives less compensation overall, often it is done by those who have the time and money to do it so don't demand that they be paid like someone else who should be able to use it as a profession for their livelihood, and it goes on and on. We need to value ourselves more. At least in bobbin lace, people are more willing to pay a decent price for a design, but people up until recently balked at paying more than $6 for a lace knitting/knitted lace design. All lace forms essentially provide rich creative and mental stimulation, with a minimal investment in thread. That is if one has the tools, and the books or creativity to make something wonderful. I have come full circle. :) Best, Susan Reishus At least in bobbin lace, people don't balk as much as paying - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://community.webshots.com/user/arachne2003
