Carrie Bailey by Carrie Bailey While writing my thesis earlier this year, I was so eager to leave grad school behind me, like it was a candy wrapper and I was late to catch a train, that I hardly had time to process the controversial nature of the material I was studying. I wasn’t reading steampunk. Maybe … Read more
by Carrie Bailey You might have heard about the movie coming out next month from Disney titled Oz: The Great and Powerful. It’s another film based on Frank L. Baum’s series about that little girl from Kansas with the dog and a propensity toward meeting creatures that are missing at least one vital body organ. … Read more
The bibliographic description is a method of cataloging rare books that helps librarians, archivists and collectors distinguish between different texts. In a descriptive bibliography, there are generally five main parts. The transcription of the title page is typically the first of these. The others include the formula, which gives information about the construction of the … Read more
The majority of rare book collectors do not purchase any random rare book considered valuable, but collect within one or more specific category. Most rare book collectors prefer to develop collections based on their interests and their knowledge of a particular subject rather than as a blind dispassionate investment in something of which they are … Read more
There comes a time when the worst thing imaginable happens to a rare book collector and a book is lost for all time. Their house burns, floods, or the dog eats it, or maybe even an old college friend down on her luck pockets the venerated possession and runs. Yes, the worst-case scenario can happen … Read more
This is Part 2 of a look at some book search engines. Part 1: The rare book search engine test While there is no absolute method to determine an antique books value, search engines make the process easier. But what do we know about the business behind book-locating services? If you’ve ever used their services, … Read more
Where to buy rare books ? Ever wonder how the search engine sites for rare books compare? While you might have one experience with a certain class of rare books, that same site might not deliver as well when it comes to locating others. And when you are first aware of that fact, the fear … Read more
A used or rare book, like any other collectible, is worth only what someone else is willing to pay for it. Value is a funny thing. How much you can charge for any manuscript is personal and changes based on collector demand for the item. If you want to buy or sell rare books, it’s … Read more
