OK, I guess you guys win the who has more books competition :-) I'm
trying to find my photo of Merrill's storage area
ann
On 4/23/2016 10:44 AM, Christine Aguila wrote:
Thanks, Ann! Darrel actually rents a storage space as well.
Clearly, the digital age has taken a toll on the new and used book business, no
doubt about it, but there are other factors that weakened the used book
business and the collectable market.
Firstly, the generation of younger dealers and collectors following my
husband’s generation changed. Many, of course not all, of the younger
collectors really just wanted “hot books” that sold. They didn’t have an
interest in a comprehensive collection of a single author—many because they
weren’t interested in authors—they were mainly interested in collectable
editions that could be turned over for investment.
The book dealers of my husband’s generation (Darrel’s 70), really loved books,
many were classic bibliophiles— and spent much of their time scouting for,
collecting, then ultimately selling single author collections—and by this I
mean letters, 1st editions, notebooks, various ephemera et al. Moreover, book
dealers often started these collections because they loved the author they were
collecting. Yes, they knew eventually they could turn the collection over for
money, they were book dealers after all, but these great collections started
with sincere affection for the author.
Secondly, during the 60, 70, 80s university libraries had tons of money, and
were buying up 1st editions and comprehensive collections like crazy. Well, we
all know what happened to those budgets. Obviously, many universities still
have budgets and add to their collections with very grand editions and
collections, but in the U.S. university library acquisitions is on a much
tighter rein than it used to be—and they don’t have the money for the
off-center titles or 2nd tier authors.
Thirdly, used books stores in Chicago often lost their leases because they
couldn’t afford the high rent increases for their commercial space—though
virtually all small businesses have suffered because of this. In the 80s, I
had a ritual: I’d browse the stacks at 5 great used bookstores on just one
block, then when finished and I made my purchases, I’d head to a nearby pub.
All these used bookstores are gone because of rent increases. And what
replaced them? Yep, you guessed it—you’ve seen it in your areas too—the big
corporate chains.
I understand business is business and things change and that’s the cycle of
business. This isn’t really a complaint, though I confess, I am a little sad
about the way the book business changed, and, of course, it eventually affected
my husband’s income and his passion and his ability to earn an income from his
passion—which is something I think we all strive for when we’re thinking about
work and careers and a way to support ourselves.
There’s a great book by the famous book collector, Bob Wilson, who owned
Phoenix Bookshop in New York. The book is called Modern Book Collecting.
Darrel new Bob a little and used to buy books from him when in New York.
Cheers, Christine
On Apr 23, 2016, at 8:54 AM, ann sanfedele <[email protected]> wrote:
Love the shot and it makes me feel like my place is ready for Home and
Garden... a friend in the Boston area (collector and seller , editor, writer)
has two rented storage areas in addition to the bookcases and boxes in his
apartment (aside to Mark, yeah - he who you met) he might give you a run for
your money in the quantity category.
I used to take books to the Strand and a couple of other book sellers in NY
have come here over the years but they don't pay much.I'm sure you guys
willprune wisely. When I first was thinning out the herd of the books that were
mainly RIchard's , taking them to the Strand would get me $10 or $15 and
sometimes more for what amounted to about 25 lbs of books ...not anymore. It's
really sad.
ann
On 4/23/2016 9:04 AM, Christine Aguila wrote:
On Apr 22, 2016, at 11:47 PM, Paul Stenquist <[email protected]> wrote:
I had more books than I could manage. Tried to give some away to libraries and
schools. No one wants them. It's a function of the digital age. I'm sending
them to the landfill. At least we can be thankful that they're biodegradable.
If you have used book stores in the area, you should try to sell them. The
store might do a house call—come to your house, look over your books, buy some
or all, and take them away.
Though used books stores aren’t as common as they used to be as well.
Cheers, Christine
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