Some interesting items I’ve come across this week.

This post was actually written back in January by Brian Cassidy. The 18 things he’s learned in 2007.
Here’s my favorite one:

6) Books ain’t money. Books don’t even make me money. I make me money. My overhead, time, and expertise create value. Please keep that in mind next time you think I’m being unreasonable offering you $100 for a book I’ll sell for $300. If you would like to rent a space and buy a reference library and catalog your book and list it on the internet and drag it to book fairs and wait who-knows-how-long to sell it, please be my guest. But if you want money today, please don’t insult me by suggesting you’re somehow being cheated. [More...]

Still on the topic of learning a few things, Chris from Book Hunter’s Holiday shares some ideas on getting a real education on rare books. *We’re still hoping Chris will write something for us.

When I decided to become an antiquarian bookseller, I wondered how I could obtain the kind of specialized knowledge that adds value to books. Was this knowledge something I should possess innately? Was it something that could be taught, and if so, where could I go to learn it? Did antiquarian booksellers ever share their research secrets? In answer to these questions, I learned that several things help build the knowledge of an antiquarian bookseller: experience, education, and expansion. [More...]

From one of my favorite sources on all things book, The Americana Exchange comes a bad buying experience on eBay. Many of us buy stock there and those who don’t are missing out on a great source. But buyer beware, there are many folks selling books on eBay  that you shouldn’t deal with. Asking a few questions or insisting on a couple of extra photographs may prevent this from happening to you:

When books, more than with pamphlets and ephemera, are posted for sale the risk of problems and the possibility of undisclosed faults increases. The material is simply more complex. Many sellers protect themselves and their reputations by describing uncertain material as “poor,” “needs to be carefully evaluated,” or “sold not subject to return.” Every seller does it differently but most do it. Many provide images of faults. [More...]