Written by: Louis Gereaux
Collectors in other fields usually search out hard-to-find items: rareness is valued in and of itself. Rare books are no exception.  However, the word rare does not have the same connotation in …

Handling historical material that contains racist material is difficult but worth doing. To forget the bad parts of history increases the odds of repeating them. WARNING: this post contains photos of books from the 19th and early 20th centuries that will likely offend some readers!

Must-haves in Your Stock (II)
Part I of Must-haves in Your Stock
By HeeJin Lee
It’s great to hear from those of you who have also been thinking about your must-haves. One bookshop that carries an eclectic selection …

The listing was for 2,000+ books and I won it for some ridiculously small amount, totally stunned at that as I kept on reducing my top price before I actually put in my bid. When I got there, with my nephew for muscle, there were more like 4,500 books. I know it’s not a lot compared to some other people’s buys but it was a lot for me at the time, bear in mind I was really only starting out and I used to buy a handful of books at a time at op shops and garage sales. I was floored and unable to deal with them for some time.

All booksellers of used books will have at one time or another come across the word dog-eared. What does that word mean anyway, and where did it come from? Dog eared pages are less common in today’s fast turn around of used books. Many used book are almost new. It might be that more readers are using the bookmarks we stick in our books for sale, who knows? But the term dog eared means a turned down corner of a book page.

Must-haves in Your Stock (I)
By HeeJin Lee
As an aspiring bookshop owner, I’ve been spending my free time fantasizing of the books I’d like to have in my stock. I’ve been inspired by Shakespeare and Company by …

Over the years, has I have gotten older; I continue to prayerfully read his stories. I never tire of the poetics in the small gestures and details or the lofty contrivances…

Dead trees are so last century. Books of the future will be made of sugar, wheat, or even elephant dung!

After spending the last few months consciously trying to read translated books, I found the newest anthology by Center for the Art of Translation, Wherever I Lie Is Your Bed, the perfect introduction to translated …

Long ago when my children were young, I was reading them the story of Pinocchio in a Walt Disney book. I started telling them about the Italian who had written it so long ago, but …