📚✨ Explore a curated selection of articles on book collecting, from expert tips and industry insights to fascinating stories about rare finds. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or just starting out, these articles offer valuable knowledge and inspiration for your book-collecting journey. Happy reading! 😊
Mark Faith has been collecting rare editions of Tolkien books since 2003, hosting a fair weather stall during Machynlleth’s Wednesday markets.
Mark’s stall on Machynlleth high street (Mark Faith)
The Pennal salesman said: “Tolkien books are great literature and have lasted the test of time as each new generation discovers his work.
“Except for novice sellers’ and buyers’ mistakes, collecting Tolkien books is an enjoyable hobby with very few pitfalls.
“Though there are only a handful of titles, there are hundreds of editions and printings that range from £10 to £100,000 or even more, something for every budget.
“Most are easy to identify, and the prices generally reflect what you are going to get for your money.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it is. “The main lesson to learn is condition is everything in Tolkien books, all modern collectable books for that matter.
The first editions of the Hobbit (Mark Faith)
“The older the printing, the more valuable.
“At any age, however, they have to be complete with the dust jacket and no artificial damage, just normal use wear and tear.
“Generally, they have to be printed by the original publisher, not a book club edition. Mark said the similarity with the famous Lord of the Rings author’s landscapes with mid-Wales is more than just a coincidence: “It was the Welsh language that inspired him to become a philologist when he glimpsed it from the train windows from Birmingham to Aberystwyth when travelling with his brother to the seaside.” Visit Mark at his stall at Machynlleth market on Wednesdays in good weather or browse his website at https://www.festivalartandbooks.com/.
As a graduate student in Laramie, Wyo., in the 1990s, Sarah Mentock spent many weekends hunting for bargains at neighborhood yard sales. On one of those weekends, she spotted “The Lord of the Isles,” a narrative poem set in 14th century Scotland. Brilliant green with a flowery red and blue design, the clothbound cover of the book — written by “Ivanhoe” author Walter Scott and published in 1815 — intrigued Mentock more than the story.
“It was just so beautiful,” she says. “I had to have it.”
For the next 30 years, “The Lord of the Isles” occupied a conspicuous place on Mentock’s bookshelf, the vivid green sliver of its spine adding a shock of color to her home. Sometimes she’d handle the old book when she dusted or repainted, but mostly she didn’t think too much about it.
Nineteenth-century books line a shelf in Edgar Shannon Library at UVA. (Cal Cary / For The Washington Post)
Until, that is, she stumbled upon a news article in 2022 about the University of Delaware’s Poison Book Project, which aimed to identify books still in circulation that had been produced using toxic pigments common in Victorian bookbinding. Those include lead, chromium, mercury — and especially arsenic, often used in books with dazzling green covers.
Melissa Tedone, the associate director of the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, holds a copy of “The Gem Annual” at the Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library in Wilmington, Del. Its telltale bright green bookcover led to it being tested for arsenic. (Hannah Beier / For The Washington Post)
“Huh,” Mentock thought, staring at a photo of one of the toxic green books in the article. “I have a book like that.”
Mentock shipped the book — tripled-wrapped in plastic — to Delaware. It wasn’t long before she heard back. The red contained mercury; the blue contained lead. And the green cover that captivated Mentock all those years ago? Full of arsenic.
“Congratulations,” the email she received said, “you have the dubious honor of sending us the most toxic book yet.”
Tedone says books with heavy metal pigments should be stored in a plastic bag to contain any shedding pigment. (Hannah Beier / For The Washington Post)
The perils of Victorian book publishing
The Poison Book Project began after Melissa Tedone’s own chance encounter with a curious emerald tome.
At the time, Tedone was the head of the library conservation lab at Winterthur, a historical estate and museum affiliated with the University of Delaware, where she assessed and restored objects in the institution’s collection. In 2019, for an exhibition on Victorian aquariums, she was tasked with repairing a book called “Rustic Adornments for Homes of Taste.” “It was a bright green book, and the covers had fallen off,” Tedone recalls. It was her job to put them back on, but she noticed something strange while working.
“There was something about the way the pigment was behaving. I could see it flaking off under the microscope,” she says. At the time, she was reading a book about arsenical wallpaper common in the 19th century. “It was a serendipity moment. I thought that maybe we should test this pigment and make sure it’s not full of arsenic.”
It turned out the book was full of arsenic. “Really quite a lot of arsenic,” she says.
Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele developed the first arsenic green pigment in 1775. The clarity and durability of Scheele’s green made it wildly popular.
“Imagine you’re in 19th-century London, the heart of the industrial revolution. It’s sooty, grimy, everything coated in gray. People missed this fantasy of nature,” Tedone says. “This green pigment was the first that stayed bright green. There really wasn’t anything like it.”
Soon, arsenical greens were everywhere. “Women were wearing these ball gowns full of arsenic pigment, which shed arsenic dust as they were whirling around on the dance floor,” Tedone says. People understood that arsenic could be dangerous, but until chemists came up with safe, synthetic green dyes in the early 20th century, “it was kind of a free-for-all.”
Tedone, shown here with art conservation graduate fellow Brittany Murray
Tedone and other conservators have long been aware of the possibility of arsenic in Victorian clothing and textiles, but the idea that the toxic substance might be found in book cloth from the era “had sort of fallen out of the historical knowledge,” she says.
Because “Rustic Adornments for Homes of Taste” was mass-produced, Tedone knew it couldn’t be the only book in the world that contained arsenic — and perhaps other toxic heavy metals — in its book cloth. She and her colleague Rosie Grayburn started the Poison Book Project to investigate how many of these toxic books are still around.
For the last five years, they’ve been encouraging colleagues at universities and libraries around the world to look through their holdings for poison books, while visiting smaller institutions that lack the equipment to run the tests.
Murray and Tedone use a Bruker Tracer to perform X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis on a book. (Hannah Beier / For The Washington Post)
Curators use a method called X-ray fluorescence to investigate the chemical makeup of book covers. “It’s a device that looks like a ray gun tethered to a computer,” Tedone says. “Basically, you point the ray gun at the object, and pretty quickly the computer tells you what’s in it.”
About 50 percent of the books that have been analyzed have tested positive for lead, which is present in multiple pigments as well as pigment enhancers. Chromium has shown up in Victorian yellows, and mercury in the era’s intense reds. Arsenic, the most toxic of these chemicals, has been found in 300 books, including those with benign titles such as “The Grammar School Boys” and “Friendship’s Golden Altar.”
“Arsenic is in its own category,” says Tedone. “Not only is it more toxic than the other heavy metal pigments, but we are finding that measurable levels of arsenic are coming off on your hands.”
The findings have led large institutions, including the National Library of France and the University of Southern Denmark, to remove books from circulation and place them in quarantine.
A curiosity for collectors
Not everyone is unhappy to find a poison book in their collection, though.
Todd Pattison, a Boston book conservator, says that during his 30 years of collecting, when he came across one of those “fairly rare books with that particular green color, I bought it strictly for that cover. Because it was so unusual.”
Todd Pattison, a Boston book conservator, says that during his 30 years of collecting, when he came across one of those “fairly rare books with that particular green color, I bought it strictly for that cover. Because it was so unusual.” (Cal Cary / For The Washington Post)
Thanks to the Poison Book Project, he found out in 2019 that the rare books he was so drawn to contained arsenic. “I look at them very differently than I did before,” says Pattison, who knew about heavy metal pigments in wallpaper and illustrations “but didn’t really think outside the box” when it came to book cloth.
Pattison, who teaches courses at the Rare Book School on 19th-century American book bindings, still uses the books in his classes. “We look at them differently and take special care, but it’s a great reminder we still have so much to learn about these cultural artifacts.”
Pattison pores over books with Barbara Heritage, the director of collections, exhibitions and scholarly initiatives at the University of Virginia’s Rare Book School. (Cal Cary / For The Washington Post)
Some book lovers will settle for just a glimpse of one. When Brooklyn booksellers Honey & Wax offered up a lot of nine arsenical books at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair in April, “lots of people just wanted a selfie with the books,” owner Heather O’Donnell wrote in an email.
Staff had discovered the books in a recently consigned collection of 19th-century volumes “and thought that marketing the poison books as such might be an effective way to raise awareness of bibliotoxicology,” O’Donnell says, “and get the books out the door swiftly.”
The marketing paid off. All the arsenical books — which ranged in price from $150 to $450 — sold within 48 hours.
“We sold most of the books to private collectors. No one we met was working on a dedicated arsenical collection,” O’Donnell says. “Collectors mostly wanted one nice example of the category as a curiosity.”
In 2019, Pattison learned from the Poison Book Project that the green books he was so drawn to contained arsenic.
‘Don’t lick your green book’
Think there may be a poison book on your shelf? Don’t panic, Tedone says.
“They’re a really interesting and important part of material culture and our history. It’s just a matter of knowing what you have and handling it safely.”
If you suspect you have a toxic book, you can look for its title in the Poison Book Project’s database, which is updated frequently. The project will also mail you a free bookmark with color swatches for a visual (but less accurate) verification.
Pattison looks at a 19th-century book at UVA’s Edgar Shannon Library. (Cal Cary / For The Washington Post)
According to Tedone, books with heavy metal pigments should be stored in a plastic bag to contain any shedding pigment. “It doesn’t have to be fancy; a gallon-sized bag from your grocery store will do.”
If you still want to read the book, do so on a hard surface and wear nitrile gloves, which are available at any hardware store and provide a bit more protection than average latex ones. When you’re done with the book, put it back in the bag, wash your hands and wipe down the table.
“You probably have more dangerous things under the kitchen sink,” Tedone says. “You wouldn’t drink tile cleaner; don’t lick your green book.”
Back in Wyoming, self-proclaimed “inveterate yard-saler” Mentock, who happily donated her very poison book to the Poison Book Project, admits she wouldn’t mind reintroducing a little danger to her collection.
“We’re building a floor-to-ceiling library, so I still keep an eye out at yard sales,” she says. “I haven’t seen one yet, but I’m on the hunt.”
Luqman Azhar is a rare breed in the Malaysian old trades scene – a young man with a knack for breathing new life into antiquarian books.
The 36-year-old avid reader and book collector turned his passion for antiquarian books into Shady Scrivener Co, a part-time bookbinding and restoration service he started in 2020. He also prints facsimiles of vintage books.
Antique book collectors, Luqman pointed out, often need aesthetic adjustments to their damaged works. And restoring page content and stitching book covers requires a specialized skill set to preserve these treasures from another era.
At its simplest, book-binding is the physical assembly of a book’s parts into a single volume.
“I’ve always had a passion for book-binding since I was a kid,” said Luqman, as he tidied up his home and book repair station in Kuala Lumpur.
Interview with Luqman Azhar, a bookbinder and restorer. Photo credit: — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
‘Other than buying books for my own collection, antiquarian book fairs are also where I look for potential clients and other collectors, although many are hesitant, understandably, to let me service their books, some of which may be family heirlooms,’ says Luqman
“What started as a hobby, restoring my own books, then books of friends who were collectors, ended up becoming a business I could commit to given the free time I had during the pandemic,” he added.
The Miri, Sarawak-born chap’s book-binding journey began while studying in London.
“There is little to no record of any kind of book-binding history here (in Malaysia). The only one I found was from a Johor prison log, where prisoners kept their hands busy with book-binding for law firms,” said Luqman, who holds a degree in anthropology.
“When I was studying in England, there were several binderies and different guilds of bookbinders, each with their own method of restoring old books,” he shared.
During this recent chat, Luqman often mentioned his time studying in London, where he began his (hands-on) training in book-binding.
Luqman hard at work during an on-call service in a client’s home library. Photo: The Star/Azlina Abdullah
“Book-binding is a time-honoured trade much like blacksmithing or carpentry, and in many guilds, it’s a family profession that has been passed down for generations. If you want to learn a skill like this, you need to shadow a master as an apprentice,” he explained.
Luqman worked part-time sweeping floors at a bindery in London called Shepherds Bookbinders for a year, and the staff there taught him the basics (of the book-binding trade).
“It’s very repetitive,” he said, explaining the process.
“You start with leather pairing, which involves preparing materials for bookbinding. The more advanced techniques involve sewing, with around 20 different stitching patterns depending on the type of book you’re restoring.”
As he spoke, he demonstrated the work required for books of various sizes and their respective stitching methods.
A view of books with damaged spines – typically caused by aggressive folding – needing new covers and dust jackets. Photo: The Star/Azlina Abdullah
Among the books from his personal collection, Luqman picked out Salmon Botanologia, an encyclopaedia from 1710. Though not written in modern English, it detailed plants and their uses in herbal remedies.
As Luqman flipped the cover, he revealed a fragment of what appeared to be a page from the Bible within the binding. He explained that using pages from other books as binding materials was a common practice.
The average reader isn’t typically seeking that kind of antiquarian book reading experience.
However, another facet of Luqman’s service is creating facsimiles. This involves printing public domain literature, staining the pages for a rustic effect, binding them with thread, and finishing with a smooth leather cover.
One of Luqman’s clients was full of praise after getting an old travel book binded.
A closer look at ‘threading,’ where individual book pages are sewn together using a sewing frame before the cover is added to the spine. Photo: The Star/Azlina Abdullah
“For those who wish to own rare and early texts on Malaya but can’t afford the original antiquarian books, Luqman’s beautifully hand-bound facsimiles are definitely a better compromise than those cheap paperback reprints,” says Caleb Goh, a collector of antiquities.
“The text itself is printed on elusive cream laid paper, not stark white A4, but a soft mellow beige that is pleasant to behold. He also adjusts and enhances the original texts from scans of the original, so it looks identical, carefully adjusting the margins and editing out blips digitally to ensure that it looks like the product of a traditional Letterpress printing,” said Goh.
Since launching his bookbinding services during the pandemic, Luqman has garnered a dedicated following, with clients recommending him to others in need of specialised book repairs. As he prepared his equipment – a sewing frame, threads, needles – you can’t help but appreciate the laborious nature of his craft.
As someone deeply knowledgeable about book design and binding history, Luqman understands the significance of paper quality and stitching techniques in preserving the integrity and value of printed works.
A closer look at the spine of the book ‘Salmon Botanologia, 1710’ while Luqman sets up the book-binding equipment. Photo: The Star/Azlina Abdullah
“I had to read books about book-binding, learn ‘codicology’, which is the study of paper or manuscripts … basically, generations of trial and error, and how it resulted in the various designs of a book structure,” he said.
His facsimiles have also gained popularity among university students who rely on 19th-century academic books and travel journals as references. Some examples of his facsimiles include My Journal In Malayan Waters (or The Blockade Of Quedah) by Sherard Osborn (1860), The Malay Archipelago by Alfred Russel Wallace (1869) and Noctes Orientales (1913).
“It takes about three weeks for me to complete a particular facsimile. From doing measurements to finding the right materials, and then threading each individual page for the book,” he said.
In this digital age, Luqman remains optimistic that the art of book-binding will increasingly be regarded as the custodians of tangible treasures. They ensure that each page transcends mere words, encapsulating a fragment of history worthy of preservation.
“There is a whole history just within the covers and binding of a book, which makes you able to essentially judge a book by its cover,” he concluded with a smile.
SITUATED IN A CUL-DE-SAC OF a residential housing development in the suburbs of the coastal town of Prestopans, stands a larger-than-life statue of a woman in period dress reading a book. There is no placard present to give the viewer a reason or explanation for this metal sculpture, but it is a memorial to a dark and unsettling period in history.
Athena – sculpted by Andy Scott
A couple hundred years ago, many parts of Europe were swept up in a hysterical episode known as the witch craze. Between the 14th and 18th centuries, thousands of individuals—mostly women—were accused of practicing dark arts and consorting with the devil. Scotland was notorious for its high rates of convictions and executions. The sleepy seaside village of Prestopans did not escape this scourge unscathed.
It is estimated that 81 residents of Prestopans, both women and men (and some animals) were tried and convicted of practicing witchcraft. This statue was created to acknowledge this heinous act of barbarity and to pay tribute to all of those who lost their lives unjustly. It was commissioned by the Stewart Milne Homes company to increase the number of public artworks in the community.
This monument was the work of the Glasgow-based sculptor Andy Scott. He is credited with creating the nearby Dunbear, but is better known for The Kelpies. He is quoted as saying this work “represents a proud and dignified woman rather than a victim.”
Both locales and visitors admire this metal nearly 10-foot-tall statue, so much so, that it has garnered the nickname “Athena.” This just happens to be the name of the residential sub-development, as well as the name of the last alleged witch to be condemned. The name Athena is also associated with the Greek goddess of wisdom.
A scarce 16th-century astronomy treatise, written by a Welshman before Galileo was born, has been sold to a private international buyer after an intense bidding war.
This article was published by BBC.com by Miriam Barker & Gray Gathergood-Dains.
A first edition of The Castle of Knowledge by Robert Recorde – the man who also invented the equals sign (=) – was published in 1556.
That was eight years before the birth of the Italian Galileo, regarded as the father of observational astronomy.
It was found in a box of antiquarian books by Hansons Auctioneers, whose Jim Spencer called it an “amazing” find.
He said: “It might be the most important scientific text I’ve ever handled. It’s the first astronomical treatise to be published in English.
The Castle of Knowledge is older than Galileo
“In terms of copies coming up for sale – it’s almost unheard of.”
Recorde was born in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, in 1510, and left at just 15 to study maths at Oxford.
In 1545, he went to Cambridge to study medicine, and became physician to the young King Edward VI and, after his death from TB, to Queen Mary.
Recorde was born in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, in 1510, and left at just 15 to study maths at Oxford.
In 1545, he went to Cambridge to study medicine, and became physician to the young King Edward VI and, after his death from TB, to Queen Mary.
‘It felt special’
Mr Spencer said a client brought in a box with probably about 40 books with a range of dates.
“This one jumped out at me, with its allegorical woodcut title page and charming illustrations. It felt special.”
Jim Spencer says it is likely another one of these books may never be seen in many book collectors’ lifetimes
He added that while the book was well preserved, some leaves had been lost over time.
“Usually to a book collector that would wipe out all collectible value, but because it’s so scarce and important, I thought collectors should look beyond the flaws, and appreciate the fact they’re not going to buy it anywhere else.
“It’s possible they might not see another copy for sale in their lifetime.”
Mr Spencer said research quickly revealed its significance and scarcity.
One copy of The Castle of Knowledge sold for £74,200 in 2007
“Robert Recorde seemed to be a bit of an unsung academic, so I feel he wasn’t or isn’t as well known as he deserves to be.
“Everyone has heard of Galileo and Isaac Newton, but why not Robert Recorde?
“He invented the equals sign, and he introduced the pre-existing plus (+) and minus (-) signs to English speakers in 1557.
“Yet many people have not heard of him, partly because of his tragic end – he died in jail.”
Mr Spencer said he could only find one other copy that sold at auction and that went for £74,200 in 2007.
As the Paris Salon du Livre opens its doors for its 2023 edition, the French antiquarian booksellers’ association, SLAM, and the international rare book community express their grave concerns over the potential removal of Paris’s much-loved “bouquinistes” stalls.
The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) has issued a serious expression of concern regarding the City of Paris’s planned removal of the historic bouquinistes’ stalls along the quays of the river Seine during the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games. This alarming development was brought to ILAB’s attention by the Syndicat National de la Librairie Ancienne (SLAM), the French antiquarian booksellers’ association.
In a unified effort, the ILAB Committee and representatives of ILAB member associations from across the globe have drafted an appeal to the City of Paris, urging them to reconsider and abandon the plans to dismantle the bouquinistes’ stalls.
The bouquinistes’ stalls hold a profound significance within French culture, serving as a cornerstone of not only the country’s literary heritage but also contributing to the allure of Paris as a premier global cultural destination. These iconic stalls have been part of the city’s cultural life since the 16th century, fostering literary and cultural exchange.
historic picture of Bouqunistes stalls in Paris
Mario Giupponi, ILAB President: “The international bookselling community of professional rare booksellers has expressed its serious concerns to me and the executive committee. We firmly believe that the removal of these historic stalls will inflict irreparable damage upon structures that have been at the heart of literary and cultural transfer for centuries. The bouquinistes’ stalls are an indispensable part of France’s cultural heritage, representing an intangible legacy that must be safeguarded and perpetuated.”
In light of these concerns, ILAB calls upon the competent authorities of the City of Paris to explore alternative security measures that can ensure the safety of the 2024 Olympic Games while preserving the bouquinistes’ stalls in their rightful place along the quays of the River Seine. The collective voice of the ILAB Committee, along with numerous national antiquarian associations, underscores the urgency of maintaining this treasured aspect of France’s cultural tapestry.
vender stalls in Paris
ILAB remains hopeful that the City of Paris will consider the cultural significance of the bouquinistes’ stalls and work to find a solution that balances security requirements with the preservation of these iconic landmarks. Such an outcome would not only benefit the international community of booksellers and collectors but also ensure that future generations can continue to appreciate and enjoy these historically rich and culturally significant stalls.
Read the full petition below:
To: The Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo City of Paris Paris, France
Subject: Petition to Preserve the Bouquinistes’ Stalls on the Quays of the River Seine in Paris
Dear Mayor Anne Hidalgo,
We, the international community of rare booksellers, represented by the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), wish to express our deepest concern over the planned removal of the bouquinistes’ stalls along the quays of the river Seine in Paris, as recently brought to our attention. As the world’s largest international professional network of rare booksellers, ILAB is committed to preserving cultural heritage, and we firmly believe that the bouquinistes’ stalls are an integral part of France’s rich cultural history.
We were informed by our colleagues at the Syndicat National de la Librairie Ancienne (SLAM), the French antiquarian booksellers’ association, that the French authorities are considering the removal of these historic bouquinistes’ stalls due to security concerns during the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games. While we acknowledge the importance of security measures, we believe that there are alternative solutions that can ensure both the safety of the public and the preservation of these cherished landmarks.
The bouquinistes’ stalls hold a unique and invaluable place in not only French culture but also the global literary landscape. They are inseparable from the city of Paris, its rich literary heritage, and its status as a prominent cultural destination. For centuries, these stalls have served as places of literary and cultural exchange, dating back to the 16th century. Their removal will create damage and result in an irreparable loss to the cultural fabric of Paris and the world.
We firmly believe that the bouquinistes’ stalls are an integral part of France’s cultural heritage, representing a vital link to its intangible heritage. Therefore, we, the ILAB Committee, and the representatives of ILAB’s member associations from all over the world, urgently appeal to the City of Paris to reconsider and abandon the plans for their removal. Instead, we implore the competent authorities to explore alternative security measures that can ensure the safety of all while preserving these historic stalls.
In conclusion, we kindly request that the City of Paris acknowledges the significance of the bouquinistes’ stalls and takes immediate action to protect and perpetuate this vital aspect of its cultural heritage. A solution must be found that safeguards both the security of the 2024 Olympic Games and the preservation of the bouquinistes’ stalls, ensuring that they continue to enrich the lives of Parisians and visitors for generations to come.
We thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely, Mario Giupponi President International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB)
Fully supported by:
The ILAB Committee
Angus O’Neill, Vice President Sally Burdon, General Secretary Christopher Bailey, Treasurer Scott DeWolfe Mats Petersson Nicolas Malais Philipp Penka
ILAB’s national member associations worldwide
Australia: The Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers (ANZAAB), President: Dawn Albinger
Austria: Verband der Antiquare Österreichs (VDAÖ), President: Michael Steinbach
Belgium: Chambre Professionelle Belge de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne / Belgische Beroepskamer van Antiquaren (CLAM/BBA), President: Pierre Coumans
Brazil: Associação Brasileira de Liveiros Antiquarios (ABLA), President: Patrick Levy
Canada: Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of Canada / Association de la Librairie Ancienne du Canada (ABAC/ALAC), President: Robert Wright
Denmark: Den Danske Antikvarboghandlerforening (ABF), President: Maria Girsel
France: Syndicat National de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne (SLAM), President: Jean-Marc Dechaud
Germany: Verband Deutscher Antiquare e.V. (VDA), President: Dr. Markus Brandis
Hungary: Magyar Antikváriusok Egyesülete (MAE), President: Adam Bosze
Japan: Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of Japan (ABAJ), President: Ichiro Kitazawa
Netherlands: Nederlandsche Vereeniging van Antiquaren (NVvA), President: Laurens Hesselink
Norway: Norsk Antikvarbokhandlerforening (NABF), President: Vibeke Ruud
Spain: Asociación Ibérica de Librerias Anticuarias (AILA), President: Gonzalo F. Pontes
Sweden: Svenska Antikvariatföreningen (SVAF), President: Mats Petersson
Switzerland: Vereinigung der Buchantiquare und Kupferstichhändler in der Schweiz /Syndicat de la Librairie et du Commerce de l’Estampe en Suisse (VEBUKU/SLACES), President: Dr. Peter Bichsel
United Kingdom: Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association (ABA), President: Deborah Coltham
United States of America: Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA), President: Sheryl Jaeger
If you have a vintage book lying around, it could be worth a small fortune. We reveal 10 classics that could net you thousands of pounds – time to check the attic for any hidden treasures.
Many of us grew up reading classics like Pride and Prejudice, Robinson Crusoe and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – but how much are the collectables worth?
Early and special editions of classic children’s novels are sometimes passed down as heirlooms, and over the years, can gain incredible value.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
A dusty old first-edition of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has an average valuation of £139,356, according to research by specialist home insurer Homeprotect.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe has an average first-edition listing price of £39,221.
We reveal the most valuable first-edition classic books – time to check your attic to see if you have any hidden away!
TOP 10 FIRST-EDITION BOOKS – RANKED BY AVERAGE LISTING PRICE
1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – £139,356
2. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe – £39,221
3. The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien – £27,174
4. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll – £20,381
5. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – £18,735
6. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams – £16,953
7. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome – £15,133
8. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank – £13,353
9. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne – £12,383
10. Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm – £10,008
HOW MUCH HAVE CLASSIC BOOKS INCREASED IN VALUE BY?
Taking the top spot as the biggest literary hidden treasure is Jane Austen’s beloved young adult classic Pride and Prejudice, with some first-edition copies listed for £139,356.
Originally published in 1813, early editions of the story sold for 18 shillings, equating to roughly £52 in today’s money, a value increase of 267,892%.
Austen’s classic love story is her most popular, having sold 20 million copies globally since it was first published, equating to over two-thirds of her total book sales.
The second most popular classic children’s book is the adventure novel Robinson Crusoe by 18th-century writer Daniel Defoe.
Considered “the first English novel”, it was published in 1719 at an estimated price of five shillings (£36.89 in 2023) – a 106,219% price increase over 200 years.
J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit first edition is the third most valuable, with an average listing value of £27,174.
The fourth and fifth most valuable first editions are Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, with first-edition listings averaging at £20,381 and £18,735, respectively.
Carroll’s fantastical tale has sold approximately 100 million copies since its publication in 1865, and its initial pricing of four shillings is worth roughly £16.54 today, a 123,126% increase.
Dickens’ Christmas tale sold out just five days after it was published in 1843, and its five-shilling value is now equal to roughly £19.08 (a 98,094% increase in value).
David Joyson, chief customer officer at Homeprotect, comments: “It’s amazing to see how much the value of these novels has increased, and during tough financial times, it may inspire a lot of us to dig through our garages, attics, and storage units for hidden treasures that may be worth far more than expected.
“First-edition books are a highly collectable but often overlooked and underestimated item of value, so before you give away or donate your old children’s books, do your research to ensure you aren’t throwing away a small fortune!”
Homeprotect conducted the study by looking at Penguin’s “Top 100 Children’s Books”, adding a few extra children’s classics from a previous study, and then searching for them in AbeBooks, a popular site for selling rare books online. It looked at “most recently listed” first-edition books, and ignored listings of books in extremely poor condition, or those with bespoke author signatures/letters/illustrations included. The estimated prices may not include taxes or shipping fees.
YORK, England – Two of the most famous historical texts on witches and witchcraft were recently sold at a rare books auction in Yorkshire. The auction concluded on January 25, 2023, bringing top dollar for the lot of books because of “the quality and rarity of the volumes in the library” and the exceptional state of conservation of the texts by the collector.
The library of David Stather was placed on auction by Tennants Auctioneers late last year following his death. Stather was a lawyer practicing in York, U.K., and an avid collector of antiquarian books since his youth with specific interests in history and law. After retiring from his legal practice, he devoted himself to researching local history and growing his antiquarian book collection. His retirement afforded him the chance to rescue “many worthy books in a forlorn state and had them bound in befitting style, taking great pleasure in ensuring their continued survival for centuries to come,” according to Fine Books Magazine.
Most of the texts in the Stather Library involved books and ephemera from the English Civil War (1642–1651). Among the various pieces of the library’s collection were Civil War Pamphlets and letters from key figures in the war about the battles.
The collection also includes material from the Popish Plot, a fictitious conspiracy that promoted social division via in anti-Catholic hysteria – an early example of fake news.
The title page from the first edition of “The Discourse of Witchcraft,” one of the items sold in the auction. [public domain]
The collection also included a copy of the Great Bible printed by Edwarde Whitchurche in London in 1549, a 1573 copy of the foundational texts of the Church of England by William Tyndale, John Frith, and Dr. Barnes, and a manuscript signed by Edward Winslow, a leader of the Pilgrim Fathers who sailed on the Mayflower to Massachusetts in 1620. Other bibles and prayer books were in the collection.
The collection also included two famous texts on witchcraft: the Malleus Maleficarum and The Discoverie of Witchcraft, the latter in both a 1584 first edition and a 1665 third edition.
The Malleus Maleficarum is one of the most well-known books related to witchcraft, and certainly well-known to most modern Witches and Pagans. The 15th century treatise concerns how to identify the power of witches and conduct witch trials.
Commonly translated as “The Hammer of Witches,” the treatise was written by German Catholic clergyman Henricus Institor (Heinrich Kramer) in the city of Speyer in 1486, following his expulsion from Innsbruck by a local bishop. Jacob Sprenger was added as an author beginning in 1519, about 33 years after the Malleus Maleficarum‘s first publication and 24 years after his death.
Cover of the seventh Cologne edition of the Malleus Maleficarum, 1520 [public domain]
The Malleus Maleficiarum essentially elevated sorcery to heresy and advised acts of torture and death to gain confessions from believed practitioners of witchcraft, three quarters of whom were women. The text begins with “proof” that witchcraft exists and then describes the powers and activities of witches. It is widely regarded as a text of patriarchal oppression, misogyny, and brutality. Even top theologians of the Inquisition would condemn the Malleus as unethical. The book was declared “false” by the Catholic Church in 1489 but its reference and use persisted well into the 17th century.
The Discoverie of Witchcraft was a skeptical text written by Reginald Scot, an Englishman and member of Parliament, as a exposé on witchcraft. The book is formally titled The Discoverie of Witchcraft, wherein the Lewde dealing of Witches and Witchmongers is notablie detected, in sixteen books … whereunto is added a Treatise upon the Nature and Substance of Spirits and Devils.”
Scot believed that witchcraft was irrational and the text describes how the public can be fooled by charlatans. Scot held the Roman Church responsible for the dissemination of the irrational belief in witchcraft, and popular belief held that all copies of Discoverie were destroyed in the reign of James I, the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, who through his ascension to the English throne united England and Scotland.
It is unclear how Mr. Stather acquired these copies of Malleus Maleficarum or The Discoverie of Witchcraft. But the English Civil War may hold a clue. The war between Royalists and Parliamentarians concerned not only England’s governance but also issues of religious freedom. The Winslow letter, for example, dates to after the end of the English Civil War, when he joined a committee that allowed Royalists to regain their confiscated fortunes in exchange for their pledge to not take up arms against Parliament. So the presence of these texts as both legal and historical material from the period were not seen as unusual.
The Stather Library collectively sold for £272,570, significantly exceeding the pre-sale estimates for the collection. Each edition of The Discoverie of Witchcraft, valued at between £3,000 to £5,000, sold for £6,000, while the Malleus Maleficarum, estimated at £500 to £800, sold for £5,500.
You can visit The David Stather Library Auction full listings HERE
Apart from collecting old rare books and magazines from district towns and remote villages across the country, this Natore book collector promotes his collection on social media and connects with collectors from all over the country
Over a decade ago, Shariful Islam, a rice trader in Naogaon back then, went to Kishoreganj to visit his in-laws. During his stay, he noticed people chatting with grocers and buying and selling a kind of old paper. He saw that the price of only two pages of a newspaper that are a few years old is Tk 20, whereas the current price of an entire newspaper is Tk10 or less.
He was surprised and wanted to know the reason.
Through the buyers and sellers, he learned that these were bamboo paper, produced at the Pakshi mill. Years back, this paper was used to publish newspapers and government gazettes. The villagers were using this paper to make cigarettes and smoke, resulting in its price hike.
Ever since Sharif began collecting old newspapers from the village shops at a rate of Tk350 per kg.
Afterwards, Sharif started collecting old books and magazines out of interest, and he eventually got to know that there are certain people all over the country who are also passionate about buying and selling old books. He began visiting district towns and remote villages across the country to enrich his collection.
In 2018, SM Sharif launched a Facebook page called ‘Old Collection.’ This is where Sharif began promoting his rich personal collection of books. With time, it became not only a trove of old books, magazines and what have you, but also a way to connect book collectors from across the country, who can place orders for books online.
Currently, the page has 35,000 followers. So far more than 6,000 people have bought old books from him.
At the start of this venture, a doctor from Tangail bought an old newspaper for Tk1,000. Items like detective series books published by Seba Prokashani are also in high demand among book collectors. Most notably, he sold a book named ‘Aparinata Pap’ (1967) published by Seba Prokashani, for Tk22,000. The book was written by Sheikh Abdul Hakim, the famous author of the Masud Rana series.
When Sharif started taking pictures of his collection and posting them on social media, people took an interest and started contacting him
Another jewel in his collection is the old and popular book ‘Sharaban Tahura’, which has been priced at Tk35,000. These two are the most expensive books in his collection to date.
Recently, Sharif opened a new social media page called ‘Old and Rare Book Collection’.
From curiosity to a collector
Sharif’s small godown-like shop located next to Pagla Mosque in Kishoreganj Sadar houses many valuable old books and magazines which are witness to the course of our history.
Over the years, a lot of history became distorted, and it is those distortions that are presented to the new generation. Because of Sharif’s collection, writers, researchers, intellectuals, lawyers and eminent people started to regularly contact Sharif to gain access to authentic records of history.
“I started collecting old books, magazines, old coins, money, postage stamps, old model radios and hundreds of year-old plates out of curiosity. At the time, I had no business plan or purpose. So I collected them for myself. I used to keep it. My wife was very upset about the fact that I keep filling my room with dusty, dirty old books,” said Sharif.
When Sharif started taking pictures of his collection and posting them on social media, people took an interest and started contacting him. “Some were so interested that they were ready to buy them at a high price. But the problem is, I have only one original copy of each book. So if I gave it to one person, it would not be possible to give it to others; the rest would be disappointed,” he explained.
And this was when his social media page began to take off and garner interest from other book collectors like himself.
Recently, Sharif opened a new social media page called ‘Old and Rare Book Collection’
According to Sharif, there are some buyers who will not purchase anything else other than the original copy of the first edition of the book. In that case, the book collectors are willing to pay several times more than the price of the book.
“I also have 80 to 100-year-old books in my collection. Some books have been sold out, as they were not photocopied from the original. I do not have further copies. But if anyone wants available photocopies of other books for less money, they are provided those,” said Sharif.
“I have kept a few books of Puthi literature from the 1320 Bangla year. In the earlier days, Puthi reading sessions were held in villages, when it was very popular. I have also kept some books from the national curriculum of the Pakistan period. I am interested to know what those books were like. Many people order these; some order the books for their children,” Sharif further added.
“Some people even call me Boiwala”
Sharif’s collection has also garnered him respect and dignity, and people have come to know about him.
“Being associated with books, I get a lot of love and respect from society. Many people doubted me at first, they thought that it was impossible for anyone to have such an old book. But when I deliver the book to them, they thank me and invite me for tea as a courtesy. It is a great achievement for a person like me,” said Sharif.
Sharif’s love for old books has conjured a term of endearment. “Some people call me Boiwala,” he said.
Sharif has future plans to build a library-slash-book museum in his district of Naogaon.
Sharif recalled some of his most joyous and endearing stories of finding old books. He sourced most of the valuable old books and magazines from thrift shops. In the process, he also developed a good rapport with the shopkeepers.
While Sharif has to rummage through the dirt and dust to find his precious treasures, the euphoria of finding these gems is what keeps him going. Of course, sometimes his searches end in futility and that disappointment hurts. What hurts more is that the more he engages in his book search, the more he finds himself losing interest in reading books. He likens this feeling to neglecting a loved one after getting them.
But despite these challenges, Sharif has future plans to build a library-slash-book museum in his district of Naogaon. He wants to build a space where readers and book lovers can come and see rare books and magazines. He also intends to make his private book godown a beloved space among bookworms.
You can check out the direct link to this article on theThe Business Standard website here:
Glasgow is home to an incredible number of remarkable treasures, many of which can be found within the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow, forming part of William Hunter’s original collection that he assembled to ‘improve knowledge of the world’.
Thanks to the anatomist and physician, who was an avid collector of coins, medals, paintings, shells, minerals, books and manuscripts, we have Scotland’s oldest museum and one of its most important cultural assets right here on our doorstep in the University of Glasgow.
And a visit to the wonderful museum allows us to marvel at items like ethnographic objects from Captain Cook’s Pacific voyages, the incredible map of the world prepared for Chinese Emperor Kangxi in 1674 by Jesuit missionary Ferdinand Verbiest, and a bronze drachma coin of Egyptian queen and ruler Cleopatra VII – the best example in the world of a Cleopatra coin.
Folio from The Historia de Tlaxcala depicting human sacrifice. (Image: Glasgow University Special Collections Department)
But housed deep within the Hunterian Library – a rare book collection that contains around 10,000 printed books and 650 manuscripts – lies an object few Glaswegians will have ever heard of. It could well be regarded as the city’s greatest and most unusual treasure and one which lay ‘undiscovered’ or ‘lost’ for over 200 years –the Historia de Tlaxcala.
The Historia de Tlaxcala, also known as the Codex Tlaxcala, is a 16th century illustrated manuscript originating in post-Spanish conquest Mexico that deals with the social, political, military, religious and cultural history of the Province of Tlaxcala (which means ‘the place where tortillas are made’) and the Tlaxcalan people.
It was written by mestizo (of a white European and indigenous background) historian and landowner Diego Muñoz Camargo, the son of Juana de Navarra, a noblewoman from Tlaxcala and the Spanish conquistador Diego Muñoz Camargo, who accompanied Hernán Cortés on the expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and claimed Mexico for Spain.
The Historia is regarded as highly unusual, and historically important as it can be separated into three different sections, one textual and two pictorial. It is written in Spanish and native Náhuatl – the language spoken by the Aztecs from which words like avocado (ahuacatl), chocolate (xocolātl), guacamole (ahuacamolli) and tomato (tomatl) owe their origin too.
A drawing in the Codex showing the erection of the first cross in New Spain by the twelve friars from the order of St. Francis. (Image: Glasgow University Special Collections)
Written on European paper, the manuscript survives still bound in its original vellum with gilded and goffered edges. It comprises 318 folios, 234 of which correspond to Camargo’s Descripción de la ciudad y provincia de Tlaxcala text, with folios 236 to 317 corresponding to a series of 156 drawn images in pen and china-ink that are captioned above in Náhuatl, with each image and caption glossed underneath in Spanish by a different hand.
Around eighty of the drawings appear to be nearly identical to those found on the Lienzo de Tlaxcala – a now lost mid-16th century Mexican manuscript painted on a sizeable piece of linen or amatl (native paper sheet) by tlaxcalan leaders and which may have acted as a form of template for the Codex – one possibly produced based on lithographs from tracings of the original.
500 years ago the people of Tlaxcala (Mexico’s smallest state) made a strategic alliance with the Spanish conquistadors and joined with them to capture Tenochtitlan, the seat of the Aztec empire that later became Mexico City, in 1521 in what was a decisive event in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire that changed world history.
The codex deals with the joint history of the Tlaxcaltecas and the Spanish in their wars against the Aztecs and the evangelical battle for Christianity, and charts the history of the province from the beginning of the region’s conquest by the conquistadors.
It depicts scenes such as a human sacrifice ceremony, the death of the Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II, the erection of the first cross in New Spain and Christopher Columbus symbolically offering the “New World” to King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
One of the most impressive elements of the codex – and what it makes it so historically important – is that it potentially uncovers the truth as to how Moctezuma II died during the Fall of Tenochtitlan.
Drawing in the Historia de Tlaxcala showing Moctezuma with a chain-wielding Spaniard behind him. (Image: Glasgow University Special Collections)
To this day debate and controversy surrounds his death, with traditional Spanish accounts, including first-person narrative The Conquest of New Spain by conquistador Bernal Díaz del Castillo (which everyone should read), attributing his death to wounds he received from being hit by stones and spears thrown from his subjects onto the roof of his palace, which Hernán Cortés had hauled him onto to plead with them to stop attacking the Spanish.
However, the codex depicts Moctezuma on the roof calling for calm from his subjects and ordering their retreat as two Spaniards approach from behind, one holding a chain threateningly in his hand – suggesting he was strangled to death by the Spanish there on the roof in full view of his people below.
nterestingly, the codex also depicts the historic first ever meeting which took place outside the city of Tenochtitlan on November 8, 1519, between Moctezuma II and Hernán Cortés, alongside his interpreter and companion La Malinche (or Malintzin), one of 20 enslaved indigenous women given to the Spaniards who would go on to play a hugely important role in the conquest and who gave birth to Cortés’s first son, considered one of the first mestizos in history.
A drawing in the Codex of the historic first meeting between Aztec ruler Moctezuma II and Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, alongside his interpreter and companion La Malinche. (Image: (Photo by API/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images))
Unlike another 16th century codex written by Spanish Franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagún called the Florentine Codex, La Malinche is depicted in the Codex Tlaxcala wearing her hair loose and hanging down her shoulders, which experts such as Dr Claudia Rogers, in her article Malintzin as a Conquistadora and Warrior Woman in the Lienzo de Tlaxcala, believes helps to challenge notions that, rather than act as a ‘peaceful mediator’, she was seen “as a powerful warrior or conquistadora, who was intricately connected with violent acts of conquest”.
As a side note, La Malinche remains such an incredibly potent figure within Mexican life even 500 years on that the term ‘malinchismo’ is used to refer (negatively) to people (or ‘traitors’ even) who feel an attraction to foreign cultures and disregard for their own culture – i.e. folk that prefer drinking Coca-Cola to Jarritos or eating McDonald’s to Mexico City’s famous tacos al pastor.
Written between 1580 and 1585, the manuscript made its way in 1585 from Mexico to Spanish King Felipe II’s Royal Library of the San Lorenzo de El Escorial near Madrid.
It appears to have remained there until at least the early 17th century after which its fate becomes obscure, until the early eighteenth century when William Hunter was – through reasons unknown – able to purchase the manuscript in 1768.
A drawing from The Historia de Tlaxcala depicting Franciscan friars burning traditional books and clothes. The images in the fire represent the destruction of the old gods whose masks correspond to the twenty signs of the tonalamatl. (Image: Glasgow University Special Collections)
In an article entitled Los Mejicanos en El Salvador, cultural anthropologist Marvin Aguilar goes as far to suggest that, rather than end up in Madrid, “It can be deduced, due to its inexplicable appearance in the possession of the Scottish doctor William Hunter that the manuscript was stolen by English pirates during its transfer from Mexico to Spain”.
What we do know is that, following Hunter’s death in 1783, it passed to the ownership of Glasgow University after he bequeathed his vast collection of items to the institution.
Known throughout the Spanish-speaking world as the ‘Manuscrito de Glasgow’, it is said to have remained largely unknown to Aztec experts for hundreds of years – as evidenced by the fact that it was absent from a census on Mesomaerican manuscripts conducted in 1975.
However, that changed six years later when Mexican scholarRené Acuña published the first facsimile edition of the manuscript under the title Descripción de la ciudad y provincia de Tlaxcala, Mexico in 1981, some 213 years after it was purchased somehow by William Hunter to add to his collection back in 1768.
This led to the Historia gaining “deserved and widespread recognition as one of the most historically important early Mesoamerican documents extant”, and has since led to it being exhibited all over the globe, including in Mexico at the Museo de la Memoria de Tlaxcala of all places, as well as the Royal Academy’s Aztecs exhibition in London back in 2002/2003 – which at the time was the most comprehensive survey of Aztec culture ever mounted, and was also central to the British Museum’s exhibition, Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler, which ran from 2009 to 2010.
A drawing in the Codex showing Christopher Columbus symbolically offering the “New World” to Charles V. (Image: Glasgow University Special Collections)
A recognition that perhaps should also extent to Glasgow, especially since the Spanish-speaking world use the name of the city when referring to the unique treasure to be found in the a library collection of a city that has yet to really appreciate the fact that it is, somehow, home to one of the most historically important Aztec treasures ever written.
You can check out the direct link to this article on the Glasglow Live website here:
