Collectibles, Collections, and Accumulations - or Amazon Finds the Wrong Path

One phrase that floats around the used and rare book trade is the term "collectible' Amazon recently has moved to begin tightening what they have in their "collectibles" category (see their stipulations for items and sellers here). Leaving the "who can list collectible books" issue aside for this entry, they make 2 assumptions that show a great deal of naiveté.

Kind of shame, considering they could have listened more to both collectors and booksellers.

The two assumptions of Amazon are:

# All books listed in "Collectible" condition must be signed, limited first editions, or have other desirable qualities that could reasonably be assumed to increase the book's value to a collector.

# All products must be authentic. We do not allow any counterfeit, replica or knock-off products.

I am not a fan of the word "collectible". Not only is it overused to the point of meaninglessness, it is, like obscenity, way too hard to define. In regards to printed books, anything can be collectible, depending on what the collector wants.

So, for me, a true understanding of what is collectible must begin by defining a collection. I make a distinction between a collection and an accumulation. Simply put, a collection is the basis of a story that the collector tells with the individual items in the group. An accumulation is simply a group of things that someone has because they like it, want to have it or just wound up with it.

A collection is a thoughtful process. It may start out as an accumulation, but at some point the person gathering the material has begun to shape it, by themselves or with the help of a bibliography or bookseller. That shaping creates a story, which is just the tale of a particular author's work, or perhaps an answer to a question that the collector wanted to know. It can be a great story of interest to many people, worthy of donating to a great library and kept intact. It may just as likely be a personal story, one of interest only to the collector, but shaped with just as great a passion as any other collection. The monetary or scholarly value of the collection does not matter, the size does not matter and even the condition of the material may not matter. What matters is the purposeful shaping of the story. Why did that collector want only reprints of Nancy Drew, instead of originals? What does that tell us about the impact of those stories on girls? A frequent regret is that many a fine small collection's story was lost when the owner passed. I urge collectors to write the story of their collections, whether in a blog, a book, or just as an ongoing record to refer to and alter over time.

An accumulation is what most of us have. Most of my books on history and graphic arts are just books that I like. Together they do not tell much of a story or have any greater theme than my personal, varying interests. Nor should they. Good accumulations of books are fun and varied and damned interesting. They can tell as much about a reading person as a finely focused collection, perhaps more.

What Amazon is missing is a deeper understanding of what can make up a collection. As I said, it is anything, so trying to put a fence around collectible is simply a modern search for the Seven Cities of Cibola, apologies to Señor Coronado. "Qualities that could reasonably be assumed to increase the book's value" is not related to collectibility, or even desirability in every case. It is related to monetary value and perhaps scarcity, but that is all. If I am collecting every edition of Faulkner, many of those editions may not be pricey at all, or uncommon. If one collects books on American Teddy Bears in the 20th century, then the issues are the same. An edition of a reprint publisher may not be rare or expensive or indeed have anything different than the first edition of the original publisher, but it shows that the book still has interest. Bibliographically, it may tell us something about the publisher, trade book making, or even printing processes at different times. There are even collections of damaged books, used by teachers, book repair folk or libraries to show the fragility or ill-use of books.

Their rule stating "We do not allow.... replica or knock-off products" is just weak thinking. Facsimiles are replicas. The First Editions Library makes lovely replica first editions of important American literature in slipcases and nice dust jackets. These are quite collectible, though modestly priced. The important thing is that they are described as such, and not misdescribed by incompetence or ill intent. You can also require folks use pictures, but pictures can mislead as much as words.

I understand that Amazon wants some way to move the better books away from the mass of common books. But the best way to do that is demand better description and cataloging, and then the give the searcher better tools to define what they want to see. How about a way to exclude all ex-library books, or all ebooks? How about doing away with or correcting all records stating "unknown binding"? These are actually far more substantial improvements for buyers and collectors than a "collectibility" initiative.

More after the jump...

It's Still Printed, Yeah? The Literary Stamp Blog

Most book collectors have "collected" other things. Now, these may or may not have been serious hobbies, or large collections, or even pursued for very long at all. A common collection other than comic book that book collectors seem to have a past with is stamps. I used to collect them, and even now toy with buying all the new issues of British stamps.

And now someone has gone and combined both stamps and books into a basic but lovely online display.


Thanks to J. Godsey over at Literary Stamps is a great site to view a good number of the many stamps with books, in one way or another, as their theme.

Now, a bunch of pictures of stamps would be fine, but Godsey has indexed them well, and provided links to each author or theme. You can see all the stamps with libraries as a theme, or Will Rogers. Bram Stoker is there, as well as George MacDonald Fraser (if you don't know who he is, welcome to his wikipedia entry). It is truly a useful reference, and a roadmap if one wants to start collecting in that topical area.

I was also very impressed at how sharp her images are, and their variety. Stamps from numerous countries are presented, and from a whole range of dates. Colors are sharp, and the increased size of the stamps makes them all the more attractive. It makes me wish they were posters.

Go give Godsey's work a look. You may waste a bit of time, but it will be a better waste of time than a lot of other alternatives. And if you have a cool literary stamp, send it to her. If she doesn't already have it, I bet she'll do a bang-up job showing it to the world.

More after the jump...

A Letterpress Haven - The Briar Press

In our digital age when so much of what is printed simply spews out from large off-white plastic sided rectangle, it is fun to see how things used to be. The old metal presses have a grace and charm all their own, with the added benefit of users able to see all the moving parts.

Briar Press is a
place where you can see and learn a great about these wonderful machines, meet like minded folks, and maybe even find an old press for your very own - with the class to teach you how to use it.



Started in 1973 by Elizabeth Nevin, Briar Press grew out of her own interest and collection. With the added technical support supplied by her son, the site has grown to include a whole range of resources for all, from the mildly curious to the serious printer.

The part of the site that I first noticed was the Museum. It is a collection of images of many presses covering early hand-presses to proof presses to all other manner of print shop equipment. Over 200 presses are on display, and the images are quite well done.

The Cuts and Caps section is a collection or ornaments and initials, many from Nevin and old specimen books, but others from members of the site. The vast majority are free, but a number can be bought. Nevin also has a welcome section on how to take these digital images and create letterpress dies from them and included a list of companies that provide such service.

The Press Names section is an "international directory of private press names" and quite interesting. Each private press registered included info on the date of its founding, registration with Briar Press, the owner, address website, and profile (background and history). Some even include a small picture of their press or workshop. It was wonderful to see the number of presses registered, and the variety.

The Yellow Pages on the site are just what you'd think. A listing of business and services that would be of use to those interested in letterpress printing and private presses. With over 1000 entries, it is more complete than most. Just be aware that some of the older records may be a bit out of date. You may need to follow up with a google search.

The most useful pat of the site I think are the Discussions forums. Nevin has created quite a resource here, and the forums are both active and wide ranging. Some are quite technical, while others are good for the new visitor or new printer. One has to create a (free) account ot participate in discussions, but the content is available to the public.

Lastly, (and yes, I am talking about the sections out of their sequence) there is a Classified section. Personal ads are free, but I believe commercial ads do cost. The ads are not just buy and sell either - there are sections for workshops & events and for jobs & internships. While the more dedicated community of letterpress printers is small over 28,000 accounts have been created on the site, so the interest is far wider. Having the Classified also provides a way for the community to grow, and I think one of the best features of the entire site.

So go to the Briar Press. Bookmark it in your browser. Grab the computers of your friends and colleagues and book mark it for them too. You'll all learn something new and useful on every visit.

More after the jump...

Bookplate Junkie - I Think I'm Hooked

On the internet there are of course sites for everything. But the catch is that there aren't really GOOD sites for everything. But, thanks to one Mr. Lewis Jaffe, there is a really outstanding site for bookplates. By outstanding, I mean a site to learn from, to enjoy, and to move deeper into the wonderful galaxy of bookplates.

But first, a bit of background.


Bookplates (or exlibri, sing. exlibris) have a long history, but their rise parallels the increase in book ownership associated with the printing press. Like the press, bookplates as we know them started in Germany and gathered an exuberant following there before spreading, primarily to the west.

Most early bookplates included coats of arms and other such heraldic devices, and as the fashion spread some plates have very elaborate images and designs surrounding the heraldic arms. Albrecht Dürer and Hans Holbein were known to have done bookplates, and a host of skilled lesser-known craftsmen as well.

Bookplates of the 18th century began to take on wider themes. These included portraits, allegories, and architectural and decorative designs, but heraldic themes were still the most common.

By the late 19th century, the rise of the artistic, personalized bookplate begins, as does the rise in collecting them. Popular graphic artists begin to get commissions from both the famous and not so famous, and a number of artists begin to get well known for their work in bookplates. A wide variety of subject groups appeared, and collectors were right behind them - Chess, Military, Printing Presses, Castles, Animals, Ships, Ruins, etc.

One of the most interesting articles I've viewed in one in a French Journal from the 1920's that had a large article on WWI bookplates by French soldiers. The reproductions were bad to begin with and time ahd not been especially kind, but I remember being surprised and delighted and even moved at the variety, art, and overriding theme of mortality in them. If I can dig up the reference I will share it with you all in an addendum.

CONFESSIONS OF A BOOKPLATE JUNKIE is a site that surprises and delights me continually. I have known about it so long I don't even remember how I heard about it. But I do know i visit it often, and always find something interesting and unusual there. He often links to collections or exhibitions, and has profiles of collectors. He is often more than happy to help others find out more about the bookplates they own, and you can learn a lot not only about the owners but about how folks did their research as well.

Images abound on the site, and are usually available in larger sizes of the main page as well. If you have a slow connection or machine, be prepared. They are for the most part sharp and in full color. Without hesitation I say that his site is better for images than any book I have seen on the subject.

He also recommends a couple books, recommendations I will second and add to here:

AMERICAN BOOKPLATES by William E. Butler (2000)

A TREASURY OF BOOKPLATES FROM THE RENAISSANCE TO THE PRESENT by Fridolf Johnson (1977)

and

BRITISH BOOKPLATES by Brian North Lee (1979)

ROCKWELL KENT : THE ART OF THE BOOKPLATE by Don Roberts and Will Ross (2003)

THE ART OF THE BOOKPLATE by James Keenan, with a forward by George Plimpton (a nice little picture book and survey).

Between Mr. Jaffe's CONFESSIONS OF A BOOKPLATE JUNKIE and the books. above, you should be off to e great start with bookplates. Mr.Jaffee ahs done us all agreat service here, and I wish him much success in his blog and collecting.

And no, I will not be held responsible for time lost from work or other things you should be doing.

Caveat Exlibris.

More after the jump...

Be Careful Who You Associate With

For every subject or public figure, someone has created a book collection. In many cases a bunch of those folks have gotten together to form a society or social group around their interest. The websites for these groups are some most useful and interesting ones around for avid readers, excited fans, or mercenary sellers.



The big author names are represented well, such as Tolkien (http://www.tolkiensociety.org/), Lovecraft (http://www.cthulhulives.org/toc.html), Frank Baum (http://www.ozclub.org/Home_Again.html), Michael Chabon (http://www.sugarbombs.com/kavalier/), Cormac MacCarthy (http://www.cormacmccarthy.com/) and others.

Societies or collaborations for authors of lesser rank are out there, including H. Beam Piper (http://www.zarthani.net/), M. R. James (http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pardos/GS.html), G. A. Henty (http://www.hentysociety.org/), and more. There are also societies that focus on subjects, like the Victorian Era (http://www.victorianweb.org/), Mars (http://www.marssociety.org/), Chicago Maritime History (http://www.chicagomaritimesociety.org/), Blimps & Dirigibles (http://www.airship-association.org/), and Food Writers (http://www.gfw.co.uk/) to name a few.

There are a number of reasons such websites are useful. Many of them recommend better books in their area to members and visitors. Some even publish books or shorter works, a few of which might be online. Others offer forums, some for members only and some for the public to read, where book related topics come up. Societies also offer awards on occasion, and can have detailed discussions of the nominees which are most helpful and informative to read. I have even found that some of the better organized societies offer special deals on a variety of publications, which can be a better deal than buying through Amazon or other sites.

So when you are delving into a subject, take a moment and check if there is a society or association running around unsupervised out there on the web. They might save you a ton of time, and give you a fast education on some uncommon topics.

More after the jump...