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Top Ten: Influences on the Value of a Second Hand Book

By Debra on November 20th, 2011

Source: Reading Habits Feed Yours Website. We want to thank the author Amber Cross for allowing me to publish this. I hope you will find it interesting...

Thursday, 10 November 2011Reading Habit's

http://feedyourreadinghabit.blogspot.com/2011/11/reading-habits-top-ten-influences-on.html

Top Ten: Influences on the Value of a Second Hand Book

As a second hand bookstore operator I often get asked to value a book. In most cases, the book in question isn’t worth much more than $10 or $20 and I watch as a wave of disappointment creeps across the customers face. This disappointment generally stems from the common misconception that if a book is old it must be worth something. There are two glaring problems with this assumption. The first is the customers’ perception of what defines old. In book collecting terms, a book is not old if it was printed in the 1950s, yet most customers perceive it to be old and therefore valuable. In collecting terms a book must have been around more than 100 years to even begin to be considered old and preferably more like 200 years. The second problem with this perception is that people equate age with value. This is a complete falsehood. Whilst age can contribute to the value of a book, the most important indicator of a book’s value is its rarity. And even this statement needs further elaboration because the truth is that second hand book selling is just like every other global marketplace. It’s controlled by the forces of supply and demand. So whilst a book might be scarce and the only one of its kind in the world, if nobody wants to read it then scarcity means nothing. The book is worth nothing. For a book to be considered rare it must be more than scarce. It must be scarce relative to the demand for it.

All that considered, let’s look at what different characteristics can make a book rare and thus influence its value. I have listed what I consider to be the top ten influences on value below, in no particular order.

Book/Dust Jacket Condition
In real estate its location, location, location. In the second hand book trade its condition, condition, condition. The closer a book is to its original state the more value it will carry. This refers just as much to the dust jacket as it does to the book itself. A book in very good condition is worth little if its’ dust jacket is missing. It’s also important to understand that a very, very old book is worth little if it’s falling apart. The second hand book industry has developed its’ own grading terminology to help describe the condition of a book. This information is usually presented in the form of VG/VG, Fine/Good, VG/--, etc. The first part refers to the condition of the book, whilst the second refers to the dust jacket condition. If a "/--" is present, it usually means that the dust jacket is not present. The terminology used is as follows.

New - Unread, in print, perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages.

As New – The book is in the same condition it was published.

Fine – Close to the condition of ‘As New’, but without being crisp and has no defects.

Very Good - The book shows some signs of wear, but has no tears or defects noted.

Good - The average used worn book that has all pages intact and defects are noted.

Fair – A worn book that has all pages intact but may lack endpapers, half-title etc. Binding or jacket may also be worn and defects are noted.

Poor - Describes a book that is sufficiently worn to the point that its only merit is as a reading copy. This copy may be soiled, scuffed, stained or spotted and may have loose joints, hinges, pages, etc. Defects should still be noted.

NB: Despite this industry standard terminology there will always be discrepancies between people and their perception of the condition of a book. Where possible you should see the book for yourself and when buying over the internet we suggest you ask to see photos.

Signature
Generally speaking, if a book has been signed by the author or the illustrator then this will add some value to your book, but don’t get too excited. If no-one has ever heard of the author or no-one wants to read the book then a signature can mean absolutely nothing. Further to this, contemporary authors are known for their book junkets when their latest novel is released. This means they sign many copies of their books at public events in an effort to promote sales. This makes their signature fairly common and adds little to the market value of the book. Also be careful of the printed signature because this is not the same as a penned signature. A printed signature is one that is printed in every copy of the book using the same process as printing the text. A penned signature is added to the book personally by the author after publication. A printed signature is worth nothing, whereas a penned signature can add value. I will also make note here of inscriptions by authors. An inscription generally has more wording than just a signature and can add a little more value. Where inscriptions can really affect the value of a book is when they have been presented to an important associate, friend or family member. These inscribed book copies are often referred to as as presentation or association copies and they can often demand a high price.

NB: Signatures can be a tricky thing to authenticate, particularly if the authors signature is a squiggle and resembles nothing like their name. Do your homework and try and authenticate the signature. There are websites, like TomFolio, that archive scans of author’s signatures just for this purpose, so take the time to check them out.

First Edition
The term ‘edition’ as taken directly from The ABC for Book Collectors (Carter, 1997, p84) refers to “…all copies of a book printed at any time or times from one setting-up of type without substantial change.” Usually, information about editions is included on the copyright page of the book. In cases where this information is not provided you will need to do further research to determine whether a book is a first edition or not. First editions are one of the most collectable types of book and therefore their market value in fine condition can be at a premium. Though, as with all items on this list, just because a book is a first edition doesn’t make it valuable, as there has to be demand for it at the same time. I will also note here the importance of limited editions. This term is used for editions where there is a limitation statement. A limitation statement usually gives the total number of copies and then assigns an individual number to each specific copy (e.g. No 53 of 1000). Limited editions can in some cases derive a high value.

First Book
A first edition of an author’s first book will generally be worth more than their subsequent books. The underlying reasoning here is that in most cases the print run of an author’s first book is general quite small in comparison to the print runs of their later works. The perfect example of this is J.K. Rowling. The first instalment of her Harry Potter series only had a print run of 500, whereas the last in her series had a print run of around 12 million. Needless to say first edition copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone are valued in the tens of thousands, whereas a first edition Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows carries little value unless signed by Rowling herself.

Association with Previous Owner
The association of a book with a previous owner can add value to a book where that person is either famous or important, or if that particular book held special significance. Here’s an example. Let’s say you found a book inscribed to a friend by Hemingway’s wife. This would add value to that copy of the book.

NB: There are pirates in every trade and the book dealing trade is no different. Forged signatures and other distinctive markings like bookplates and ownership stampings are more common than you think. So make sure that any association with a previous owner has been authenticated. A quality book dealer should be able to provide you with the correct documentation.

Age
As I’ve already touched upon, age by itself is not enough to make a book valuable. The importance of the text, the condition of the book, and demand for it will determine the value of an old book. However, certain age categories of books are more sought after. As a general rule, most books printed before 1501 are rare and there is normally value attached. If we are being specific to certain countries, it’s also fair to say that English books printed before 1641 are prized, and books printed in America before 1801 are also highly collectible.

Materials Used
In the era of mass market paperbacks and e-books, book binding is fast becoming a dying art. So much so that many people will never set eyes on a finely crafted book. Leather bound books, bamboo folded books, limp vellum, wooden boards - you name it and there’s probably been a book made out it. There are even books that have been bound in human skin! Techniques used include Coptic binding, Ethiopian binding, long-stitch book binding, Bradel binding, secret Belgian binding, Japanese stab binding – the list goes on. Suffice to say, books that have been published using some of the older and more traditional styles and materials of book binding can often command a high premium.

Importance of the Text
People value books either because of their contents or because of their physical characteristics. First editions of important literary or historical works and initial reports of scientific discoveries or inventions are prime examples of books that are important because of their contents. Illustrated books that give a new interpretation of a text or are the work of an esteemed artist are also valued. Books that were suppressed or censored can be considered both important and scarce, since few copies may have survived. Physical characteristics, such as a special binding, an early use of a new printing process, or an autograph, inscription, or marginal annotations of a famous person, may also contribute to a book's importance and its market price.

Combinations
By themselves, the influences I have listed so far add a certain amount of value to a book, but found in combination these characteristics can add a whole lot more. Let’s consider. A first edition of a popular author in good condition might be worth OK money, but a signed first edition of a popular author in good condition will be worth more money. And, a signed first edition of a popular author in fine condition will be worth even more money. You see where I’m going with this. Essentially, the more characteristics listed here that you can find in combination with the one book, the rarer it becomes, and more value is placed upon it.

Sentimentality
It might seem like a cop out to finish off with this one, but it’s actually really quite important. So far, this list refers only to the collecting value of a book. It makes no attempt to address any sentimental value that one might have attached to a particular book. The most valuable books I have in my collection are not signed, nor are they first editions. They are made up of the books that my parents read to me in childhood, were given to me by special friends, or include the characters I admire or fell in love with. It may sound a bit cheesy, but sentimentality does add value to a book and the memories we attach to books can often make them seem priceless.

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Wikicollecting Top 10 Most Expensive Items of James Bond Memorabilia

By Debra on November 3rd, 2011

Signed Book

Source: News-Antique.com - Nov 03,2011 and Press Release from Wikicollecting

10. Signed From Russia With Love manuscript – $65,000
An Ian Fleming signed manuscript regarding From Russia With Love sold for $65,000 at Profiles in History in 2008.
The seven lined pages from circa 1963 detail Fleming’s experiences on the set of From Russia With Love in Istanbul.

9. Signed first British edition of You Only Live Twice novel – $70,000
A signed first British edition of Ian Fleming’s 1964 work You Only Live Twice sold for $70,000 at a Profiles in History auction in 2008.
Fleming inscribed the novel for US ornithologist James Bond, whose book, Birds of the West Indies, had given Fleming the inspiration for the character’s name.
"To the real James Bond from the thief of his identity”, Fleming wrote.
Children’s author Roald Dahl, who adapted the book for the 1967 film, said that the original novel was “Fleming’s worst book, with no plot in it which would even make a movie".

8. Odd Job’s bowler hat – £62,000
The steel-tipped bowler hat worn and thrown by Odd Job in Goldfinger (1964) sold for £62,000 at a Christie’s auction in 1998.

7. Signed first edition of Moonraker novel – $102,000
The first edition of Ian Fleming’s third Bond novel, Moonraker, published in 1955, sold for $102,000 at Sotheby’s in 2004. Fleming inscribed the book to crime writer Raymond Chandler.
Chandler in turn proceeded to write notes in the margins of the copy, including “all Padding” on the first page of text.

6. Diamonds Are Forever original poster artwork – £79,250
In June 2011 the original Robert E McGinnis concept poster artwork for the 1971 film Diamonds Are Forever was sold during a Christie's poster auction. It exceeded its pre-sale estimate of £18,000 to £24,000, selling for £79,250.

5. Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me – £111,500
The Lotus Esprit driven underwater by Roger Moore in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) sold at a Bonhams auction in 2008 for £111,500.

4. 1937 Bentley from Never Say Never Again – £188,500
A 1937 Bentley 4¼-litre Drophead Coupe, driven by Sean Connery in the 1983 film Never Say Never Again, sold for £188,500 at Bonhams in 2004.
Unlike most Bond films, this picture was produced by an independent company rather than Eon Productions. It saw Connery reprise his role; he had last played Bond in 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever.
The film’s title is a nod to Connery’s statement in 1971 that he would never play Bond again.

3. Aston Martin Vanquish – £190,000
The Aston Martin V12 Vanquish Coupe driven by Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day (2002) sold at Bonhams for £190,000 in 2003.

2. From Russia with Love poster pistol – £277,250
At a Christie’s sale in 2010, the Walther PPK pistol held by Sean Connery in the poster for From Russia with Love (1963) sold for £277,250, more than 14 times its original estimate.

1. Aston Martin DB5 – $4.1m
The Aston Martin DB5 used in both Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965) sold at a 2010 RM Auctions sale for $4.1m to collector Harry Yeaggy.
It was, at the time, the most expensive piece of film memorabilia ever sold at auction.

For more information on the world of antiques, memorabilia and collectibles please visit http://en.wikicollecting.org.

Signed Book

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Yale's Library Acquires O'Neill's Lost Book

By Debra on October 18th, 2011

Book

O'Neal

Source: Yale

The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University has acquired Eugene O'Neill's "lost" one-act play, "Exorcism" (1919). The play, along with a facsimile of the typescript, will be published in a cloth edition by Yale University Press in February 2012, and will feature an introduction by the noted American playwright Edward Albee. The New Yorker has acquired first serial rights and will publish the play in its entirety, with an introduction by theater critic John Lahr, in the magazine's Fall Books issue on Oct.17, 2011. A short video of the actor Tommy Schrider reading from "Exorcism" will be featured on The New Yorker's website and iPad application.

"Exorcism," set in 1912, is based on O'Neill's suicide attempt from an overdose of veronal in a squalid Manhattan rooming house. The play premiered at the Provincetown Playhouse in New York City on March 26, 1920. Following a few performances, however, O'Neill abruptly chose to cancel the production and to retract and destroy all known copies of the script. O'Neill biographers have speculated that the play, produced as the playwright's father was dying, was perhaps too revealing of O'Neill's own demons and potentially distressing for his parents.

Despite long-held presumptions that the play was irrevocably lost, O'Neill's second wife, Agnes Boulton, apparently retained a copy of the play, which she gave as a Christmas gift to the writer Philip Yordan after her divorce from O'Neill. Yordan is perhaps best known for his O'Neill-inspired play, and later film, "Anna Lucasta," starring an all-black cast.

The typescript, with edits and emendations in O'Neill's own hand, was discovered by a researcher working in Yordan's papers, together with the original envelope; the label is inscribed: "Something you said you'd like to have / Agnes & Mac" (Morris "Mac" Kaufman was Boulton's third husband).

O'Neill, a four-time Pulitzer Prize winner and the only American playwright to receive the Nobel Prize for literature (1936), returned to many of the issues that surface in "Exorcism" in his heavily autobiographical play "Long Day's Journey into Night," published posthumously in 1956 and considered to be his masterpiece.

The discovery of "Exorcism" after 90 years adds significantly to O'Neill's biography, intimating the overwhelming role that suicide would take in his personal life, along with the issue's influence and impact on his work, noted Louise Bernard, curator of the Yale Collection of American Literature for Prose and Drama. The play also marks a pivotal moment in O'Neill's prolific career, providing further insight into the later works for which he is now revered, she adds.

"The rediscovery of O'Neill's famously 'lost' play ‘Exorcism' is quite remarkable and a wonderful supplement to the large and substantive collection of Eugene O'Neill Papers housed at the Beinecke Library," said Bernard. "The revelation of this highly autobiographical play is a valuable addition to our knowledge of O'Neill, whom many considered to be the father of modern American drama."

The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is the principal repository for the Eugene O'Neill Papers.

For inquiries about the play or the Eugene O'Neill Papers, contact Louise Bernard (louise.bernard@yale.edu). For inquiries about the play's publication in book form this February, please contact Brenda King (brenda.king@yale.edu), publicity director, Yale University Press.

O'Neal

Book

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Vision Bound Unbound: The Drawings of Alireza Darvish

By Debra on October 5th, 2011

Darvish

Ars Libri, Ltd.
500 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02118
USA

Phone: 617-357-5212
Fax: 617-338-5763

I interviewed Mr Darvish for this blog a few weeks ago. This gallery saw the interview and elected to produce a show for him. If you are in the Boston area this week for the opening or through November 29 for the exhibit, be sure to check this out.

Opening Reception: 7 October 5:30-8pm Exhibition: 7 October - 29 November

Alireza Darvish is a contemporary Iranian artist currently living in Germany. Some twenty years ago, he began a series of finished watercolors and drawings exploring the metaphorical meanings of the book in the modern world, particularly in the context of totalitarian politics. Darkly surreal, whimsical, and provocative, the series is a testimony of gratitude to the freedom and hope that books offer the imagination, and a commentary on the refuge they provide. The series now numbers more than eighty works, nearly all of which are included for sale in this exhibition.
A catalogue to accompany the exhibition will be published and available from Ars Libri for $25. For more information, please email us: orders@arslibri.com or telephone us: 617 357-5212.
The artist will be present at the 7 October opening reception.

Darvish

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The Death of Books Has Been Greatly Exaggerated

By Debra on September 18th, 2011

Books

Source: The Guardian UK

Radical change is certainly producing some alarming symptoms – but much of the doomsayers' evidence is anecdotal, and it's possible to read a much happier story

This time last year, I was metaphorically invited to the only party I've ever wanted to be seen at. My first novel, The English Monster, was picked up by an agent, and then by a publisher, Simon and Schuster. It hits the streets in March 2012.

I've made it, I thought to myself as I clutched my invite to the most exclusive set of all. I'm going to be a published author.

So imagine my surprise - nay, dismay - to discover that publishing's streets were not paved with gold, but stalked by the anxious, the gloomy, the suicidal. "Publishing's dead!" shouted men in sackcloth on Bloomsbury street corners. I had arrived at the party, but the coats were being handed out, the drink had dried up and the hostess had collapsed.

So I asked myself (somewhat desperately, positively naively): are things really that bad? What is the actual state of book publishing in Britain? Can writers really only look forward to a life of penury? Or should I stick my head in the sand, if only to deaden the sound of commissioning editors weeping into their lattes?

We're doomed ...

If you don't believe that people are worried, you need only look to the Guardian's own recent debate at the Edinburgh international book festival, called, efficiently and apocalyptically, "The End of Books?". One of the contributors was writer Ewan Morrison who, in a piece on guardian.co.uk/books after the event, expounded his view that the printed book will go within 25 years, as readers turn more and more to ebooks. What's worse, these ebooks will collapse in value, because that is what today's younger consumers want, as demonstrated by the online shift to free news. Publishers are no longer paying advances to authors, or if they are these advances are a fraction of what they were. And all the time the relentless combination of pirating, retail competition and the demands of younger consumers means that the price of every piece of content – a song, a film, a book – trends towards zero.

We are, in summary and to paraphrase a certain Scottish member of the Home Guard, doomed.

Better than you'd think

But hang on a minute. Anecdotally, that's a pretty awe-inspiring collection of proofs. But the plural of anecdote is not data. What is the data telling us?

According to Nielsen BookScan, the publishing industry standard for book sales data, book sales are pretty healthy, with one significant proviso which I'll come to. Ten years ago in 2001, 162m books were sold in Britain. Ten years later – a decade in which the internet bloomed, online gaming exploded, television channels proliferated, digital piracy rampaged and, latterly, recession gloomed – 229m books sold. So, a 42% increase in the number of books sold over the last 10 years.

But wait, say the gloomy. What about the cash? Haven't publishers been forced by avaricious retail giants into a fearsome downward spiral? Discounting has sharpened, but not as much as you'd think. The standard discount on the recommended retail price of a book in 2001 was already at 17.6%. In 2010 it was 26.7%. We'll return to this later.

Even with this discounting, last year UK consumer publishing drew in sales of £1.7bn, up 36% on 2001. Adult fiction saw an increase of 44%, to £476m; and young adult and children's fiction, realm of all those pesky copiers and pirateers and downloaders, saw sales more than double to £325m.

So why the very, very deep uncertainty and the gloom? Because 2011 is the year this may all change. Here's the proviso on the sales figures I mentioned. These numbers above do not include any ebook sales at all. Nielsen BookScan hasn't yet finalised its tracking of ebooks, and the year to date has seen a drop in printed book sales against 2010. But again, not as much as you'd think. Up to the week ending 13 August, overall sales were down almost 6% on 2010 in volume terms, and just over 4% in value.

Ebooks: death or glory?

The question – the defining question – is whether that gap is being filled by ebooks. David Walter, research and development analyst at Nielsen BookScan, told me that the 2011 decline was at least "partially" down to the transition to ebooks, and also mentioned the general economic climate and the reduction in the number of retail booksellers. But there are no numbers against that. Not to put too fine a point on it, we just don't know. So can we perceive yet what impact ebooks may be having?

We must look to the US for the early signs. Ewan Morrison states in his piece that "Barnes and Noble claims it now sells three times as many digital books as all formats of physical books combined." Well, not quite. That figure is for online sales through bn.com only. In its most recent quarterly sales report, B&N reported an overall increase in sales at bn.com of over 50%. For the year, Barnes and Noble's total sales across all its business were up 20% to a record $7bn. But Barnes and Noble is still losing money ($59m in the fourth quarter), for the good reason that it's struggling to compete with the new, very big, very scary kid on the block: Amazon.

Ah, yes. Amazon. The boogeyman. A company now worth almost $90bn (£55bn). If you're an independent bookseller, Amazon must look like a cold, relentless stealth bomber casting its shadow over the pavement outside. But to the publisher and the writer, don't things in Amazonia look rather different?

For one thing, people are buying more and more books in Amazonia, and more and more of them are on Amazon's ebook platform the Kindle. In May this year, Amazon announced that, for the first time, it was selling more Kindle versions of books than paperback and hardbacks combined, and (here's the thing that doesn't get quoted so often) sales of print books were still increasing.

Amazon also announced that, in the year to May 2011, it had seen the fastest year-on-year growth rate for its US books business, when expressed in volume and in dollars. This included books in all formats, print and digital. In the UK, less than one year after opening its UK Kindle store, Amazon.co.uk is selling more Kindle books than hardcover books. And again, this is while hardcover sales continue to grow.

Let's not be naive. Any retail channel that ends up being dominated by one player will end up squeezing its producers; just ask a farmer. But Amazon is, right now, giving people what they want: competitive pricing, rapid delivery, massive choice, good customer service. And it's selling books. A lot of books.

The rush to zero

So, what about discounting? Amazon is undercutting, goes the cry, selling cheap and devaluing the product. And don't get us started on Tesco …

Is this true? The discounting has increased, no doubt; but the average cost to the consumer of an adult fiction book in 2010 is only 30p less than in 2001. That figure will be higher when inflation is accounted for, but it's not slashed-and-burned; it means a fiction book still sold for £6.11 in 2010, on average.

There is a deeper, much more existential concern: that, basically, all readers are ultimately freeloaders and want to get books for free, and that the transition to digital devices will see an explosion in piracy and a collapse in pricing. The evidence for this is … well, I'm not sure what the evidence is, to be frank. Newspapers, it is said, are being destroyed because of people's appetite for free news. And we all know what happened to music, don't we? Those cockamamie teenagers ruined everything by downloading the stuff illegally.

But where is the evidence that this will happen in the same way with books? One reason the music industry got so badly hit was that it took the devil's own time putting a viable digital distribution mechanism in place; then along came iTunes and, lo and behold, people download less music illegally where they have the tools to download it legally. It is certainly true that rock stars are no longer going to be buying up chunks of the home counties, but wasn't that in itself an anomaly that lasted barely two decades? New music acts are still being signed, new music is still being produced: arguably more of it, or a greater variety, than ever before.

Meanwhile, in Amazonia, Kindle versions of new books are outselling hardback versions - at similar prices. So is there not another view: that people are paying relatively high amounts for books a year before their paperback release, because they want them quickly on their digital devices? That convenience trumps pricing and format every time? There are significant and important complaints about the agreements established between major publishers and Amazon over the pricing of ebooks, and this will no doubt go through significant changes (although you won't get any publisher to discuss ebook pricing with you). For now, people are voting with their wallets. They're buying books.

So the data, at least, shows that book sales are in pretty good health, with the proviso that, in 2011, the data is out of step with the buying habits and we won't know the true picture for a while, although early indicators from out of the US indicate that things look pretty good.

The impecunious author

So what about the other side of the coin? What impact is this change likely to have on authors? Ewan Morrison argues that author advances have collapsed:

"With the era of digital publishing and digital distribution, the age of author advances is coming to an end … The Bookseller claimed in 2009 that 'Publishers are cutting author advances by as much as 80% in the UK'. A popular catchphrase among agents, when discussing advances, meanwhile, is '10K is the new 50K'. And as one literary editor recently put it: 'The days of publishing an author, as opposed to publishing a book, seem to be over.'"

Remember, though: the plural of anecdote is not data. Agreements between authors and publishers are confidential things; any evidence for a decline in advances is entirely anecdotal. That said, things do seem to have changed. Fewer, bigger advances are gravitating towards books which spark debate, which generate conversation, which (and this surprised me) tend towards the more literary end of the spectrum, where books stay in print for longer and sell copies over years, not weeks. Meanwhile advances for genre and commercial fiction do seem to have fallen back from the highs of the 1980s and 1990s.

According to Kate Pool, deputy general secretary at the Society of Authors: "The average advance probably has gone down. The number of commercially marginal books which are no longer commissioned/accepted by publishers when offered on spec, has gone up."

On the other hand, authors are not seeing a sudden collapse in their incomes. The Society of Authors did a survey in 2000 that showed the average annual figure was £16,600; only 5% of authors earned over £75,000; 75% earned less than £20,000. A more recent survey, done by the Authors Licensing and Collecting Society, came up with very similar figures.

So where does this sense of authors being squeezed come from? It could simply be a sign that publishing, as an industry, is becoming more commercial, more competitive, more efficient. You may not like that. You probably don't. There is a profound queasiness which breaks out at the conjunction of art and business. But the pressure is definitely there. As Maxine Hitchcock, editorial director at my publisher Simon and Schuster puts it: "You've got to publish harder and more nimbly than ever before."

There is another pressure on writer's incomes. It seems that there are more writers to go around. Last month, membership of the Society of Authors passed 9,000 people for the first time since the Society was formed in 1884. There has been a steady increase in the number of book titles published in the UK, from almost 110,000 in 2001 to just over 150,000 in 2010. More surprising, perhaps, is the Nielsen Bookscan data on the number of new publishers each year in the UK and Ireland. What this actually records is new entities applying for ISBN records in each year. In 2001, there were 2,248 such new entities. In 2010, there were 3,151 of them. Nielsen Bookscan has this quite interesting thing to say about that increase: "The year-on-year increase between 2001 and 2010 shows that last year's figure is the highest in this period and can be explained by the fact that many new authors continue to publish their work under their own publishing name."

And I'll bet that there are more titles available today from more authors than at any other time in history. So, even if people were buying as many books today as they were a decade ago, the average writer's income would be falling. Now, that may not be good for the average writer – but it might be a good thing for society as a whole.

Onwards to a glorious future?

What does all this data add up to? Hardly an industry in its death throes, so one must ask why there are so many long faces about the place. Let's not be naive. These are times of massive change, and change is never, ever comfortable. The retail sector worries publishers and authors alike; in the past year, publishers have lost Woolworth, Borders and British Bookshops as sales channels and, as Kate Pool from the Society of Authors says: "The increasing dominance of Amazon (as retailer, increasingly as publisher, as owner of the Kindle, etc) is potentially very worrying."

This, combined with the emergence of digital technology, creates enormous uncertainty. It's a fact that the transition to digital devices will mean greater efficiencies and more focus on cost and, overall, a rather less generous publishing industry than before; a rather colder-hearted, fiercer one. The old world is fading, the new world isn't yet in focus. When newspapers and music faced this moment, there was a significant tendency to become hugely angry that the old world in which we were all so comfortable was being "swept away". It's almost impossible for someone who has spent decades working in a calm, creative environment not to be enraged by the sight of American technology companies tipping everything on its head.

But let's not overdo things. Let's not lose sight of the data we have, and let's not invent data when we only have anecdotes. And finally, let's not forget the wonders this new world opens up. Being able to download a book to read instantaneously wherever you are is a thing of wonder, after all (and there is some anecdotal suggestion that people are coming back to books via new digital platforms).

For authors, the chance to reach out to readers, instantly and effectively, is changing the way titles are marketed and delivers a glorious independence that comes with having your own digital presence to curate and to shape. There are new creative opportunities offered by interactive technologies. There is the chance to play in a world where books and stories can be either the private, cherished experience of old or a public, shared conversation with other readers from across the world.

So yes, the party's still on. It's not quite the same party, the drink's a good deal cheaper and we've got crisps, not caviar. But there are more people invited, and some of them look pretty groovy. I'll not get my coat just yet.

Lloyd Shepherd debut novel, The English Monster, is published in March 2012. He hopes there will still be people around to buy it.

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Man Booker Shortlist Announced

By Debra on September 8th, 2011

Man Booker

Julian Barnes, Carol Birch, Patrick deWitt, Esi Edugyan, Stephen Kelman and A.D. Miller are today, Tuesday 6 September, announced as the six shortlisted authors for the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

The Man Booker Prize has been described variously as ‘Posh bingo' and ‘the indispensable literary thermometer'. Whatever your view, each year the prize promotes the finest in new fiction and rewards the year's best novel, securing international renown for its shortlisted and longlisted authors and giving book lovers worldwide a choice reading list.

With such differing titles on this year's shortlist, there is sure to be great debate over who will win the coveted prize on 18 October. The judges' selection includes two first time novelists - Stephen Kelman and A.D. Miller - while four of the books are from independent publishers. Of the six writers, two have enjoyed success with the prize in the past. Julian Barnes has been shortlisted three times for Arthur and George (2005), England, England (1998) and Flaubert's Parrot (1984), while Carol Birch was longlisted in 2003 for Turn Again Home. Two Canadian writers feature on the shortlist - Patrick deWitt and Esi Edugyan - along with four British novelists.

The shortlist was announced by Chair of Judges, author and former Director-General of MI5 Dame Stella Rimington, at a press conference held at Man's London headquarters.

The six books, selected from the longlist of 13, are:

Author Title (publisher)
Julian Barnes The Sense of an Ending (Jonathan Cape - Random House)
Carol Birch Jamrach's Menagerie (Canongate Books)
Patrick deWitt The Sisters Brothers (Granta)
Esi Edugyan Half Blood Blues (Serpent's Tail)
Stephen Kelman Pigeon English (Bloomsbury)
A.D. Miller Snowdrops (Atlantic)

Chair of judges, Dame Stella Rimington, comments: "Inevitably it was hard to whittle down the longlist to six titles. We were sorry to lose some great books. But, when push came to shove, we quickly agreed that these six very different titles were the best."

The winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction will be announced on Tuesday 18 October at a dinner at London's Guildhall and will be broadcast on the BBC. The winner will receive £50,000 and each of the six shortlisted authors, including the winner, will receive £2,500 and a designer bound edition of their book. Last year's winner, The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson, has sold over 250,000 copies in the UK alone.

The judges for the 2011 Prize are writer and journalist, Matthew d'Ancona; author, Susan Hill; author and politician, Chris Mullin; and Head of Books at the Daily Telegraph, Gaby Wood. Dame Stella Rimington is the Chair.

In the lead up to the winner announcement there will be a number of exclusive Man Booker Prize events with the shortlisted authors. These include: a public event at the Apple Store, Covent Garden on 13 October; a special evening at the British Library to acknowledge the important role of libraries for readers and writers on 11 October, and a public event with the shortlisted authors in association with Waterstone's on 17 October. Details will be announced on the Man Booker Prize website shortly.

For further information about the prize please visit www.themanbookerprize.com or follow the prize on Twitter @ManBookerPrize or on Facebook.

Man Booker

Book Collecting, Book News, Collectors of Note No comments yet

Walter Benjamin on Book Collecting

By Debra on August 30th, 2011

Walter Benjamin

When I first learned about Walter Benjamin and this particular essay, I searched online with no success for the opportunity to read it. I eventually ordered a copy from Amazon. For this post, I have taken the liberty to quote from the essay. The entire essay is definately worth reading but here are the "high points" IMHO. Enjoy!

"I am unpacking my library. Yes, I am. The books are not yet on the shelves, not yet touched by the mild boredom of order. I cannot march up and down their ranks to pass them in review before a friendly audience. You need not fear any of that. Instead, I must ask you to join me in the disorder of crates that have been wrenched open, the air saturated with the dust of wood, the floor covered with torn paper, to join me among piles of volumes that are seeing davlight again after two years of darkness, so that you may be ready to share with me a bit of the mood - it is certainly not an elegiac mood but, rather, one of anticipation - which these books arouse in a genuine collector. For such a man is speaking to you, and on closer scrutiny he proves to be speaking only about himself. Would it not be presumptuous of me if, in order to appear convincingly objective and down-to-earth, I enumerated for you the main sections or prize pieces of a library, if I presented you with their history or even their usefulness to a writer? I, for one, have in mind something less obscure, something more palpable than that; what I am really concerned with is giving you some insight into the relationship of a book collector to his possessions, into collecting rather than a collection. If I do this by elaborating on the various ways of acquiring books, this is something entirely arbitrary. This or any other procedure is merely a dam against the spring tide of memories which surges toward any collector as he contemplates his possessions. Every passion borders on the chaotic, but the collector's passion borders on the chaos of memories. More than that: the chance, the fate, that suffuse the past before my eyes are conspicuously present in the accustomed confusion of these books. For what else is this collection but a disorder to which habit has accommodated itself to such an extent that it can appear as order? You have all heard of people whom the loss of their books has turned into invalids, or of those who in order to acquire them became criminals. These are the very areas in which any order is a balancing act of extreme precariousness. "The only exact knowledge there is," said Anatole France, "is the knowledge of the date of publication and the format of books." And indeed, if there is a counterpart to the confusion of a library, it is the order of its catalogue.

(...)

ActualIy, inheritance is the soundest way of acquiring a collection. For a collector's attitude toward his possessions stems from an owner's feeling of responsibility toward his property. Thus it is, in the highest sense, the attitude of an heir, and the most distinguished trait of a collection will always be its transmissibility. You should know that in saying this I fully realize that my discussion of the mental climate of collecting will confirm many of you in your conviction that this passion is behind the times, in your distrust of the collector type. Nothing is further from my mind than to shake either your conviction or your distrust. But one thing should be noted: the phenomenon of collecting loses its meaning as it loses its personal owner. Even though public collections may be less objectionable socially and more useful academically than private collections, the objects get their due only in the latter. I do know that time is running out for the type that I am discussing here and have been representing before you a bit ex officio. But, as Hegel put it, only when it is dark does the owl of Minerva begin its flight. Only in extinction is the collector comprehended.

(...)

O bliss of the collector, bliss of the man of leisure! Of no one has less been expected, and no one has had a greater sense of well-being than the man who has been able to carry on his disreputable existence in the mask of Spitzweg,'s "Bookworm." For inside him there are spirits, or at least little genii, which have seen to it that for a collector - and I mean a real collector, a collector as he ought to be - ownersliip is the most intimate relationship that one can have to objects. Not that they come alive in him; it is he who lives in them. So I have erected one of his dwellings, with books as the building stones, before you, and now he is going to disappear inside, as is only fitting."

--------
Walter Benjamin: "Unpacking my Library: A Talk about Book Collecting," in Illuminations, Engl. trans. (London: Fontana, 1982), pp. 59-60, 63, and 66-67.

Walter Benjamin

Book Collecting, Book News No comments yet

Rare Book School Video

By Debra on August 25th, 2011

Rare Book

Here is a video from the folks at Virginia Rare Book School. Enjoy!

Rare Book

Book Collecting, Book News, Collectors of Note No comments yet

Philanthropist, Owner of Magna Carta, Donates 13.5 Million to Duke Libraries Rare Books

By Debra on August 18th, 2011

Press Release: Duke University

Duke University trustee David M. Rubenstein will give $13.6 million to the Duke University Libraries in support of the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, President Richard H. Brodhead announced Wednesday.

In December 2007, Rubenstein purchased the last privately owned copy of the Magna Carta at Sotheby's auction house in New York and, since then, has loaned it to the National Archives in Washington D.C., to allow the public to view the document. Earlier this year, Rubenstein donated $13.5 million to the National Archives for a new gallery and visitors center.

The donation is the largest ever to the libraries. In recognition of Rubenstein's gift, the special collections library will be renamed the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, following approval by the Board of Trustees.

The gift is the largest commitment Rubenstein has made to Duke. In 2009, he donated $5.75 million to help the Sanford School of Public Policy meet a $40 million fundraising target for its transition from an institute to Duke's 10th school. In 2002, he contributed $5 million toward the completion of Sanford's Rubenstein Hall.

"A great library is central to the university's transmission of knowledge," said Brodhead. "Nationally, David Rubenstein has been a strong supporter of libraries and archives, and of the way the preserved past can increase present understanding. We at Duke are grateful for this magnificent gift, which will ensure access to documents that are part of our shared intellectual and cultural heritage."

The Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library is central to Duke's teaching and research mission. Its collections, which range from ancient papyri to the records of modern advertising agencies, number more than 350,000 printed volumes and more than 20 million items in manuscript and archival collections. All told, its holdings document more than 20 centuries of human history and culture. Like all Duke libraries, it is open to the public.

The special collections library is also home to the University Archives and several research centers, including the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture; the John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture; the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History; the Archive of Documentary Arts; and the Human Rights Archive.

"The Rubenstein Library will be a distinguished, enduring institution that will collect, protect and make accessible rare and unique documents, satisfy intellectual curiosity, stimulate learning and facilitate the creation of new scholarship," said Deborah Jakubs, the Rita DiGiallonardo Holloway University Librarian and vice provost for library affairs. "David Rubenstein's generosity enables us to create the kind of home for special collections that Duke deserves, designed with the students and scholars of today in mind. Researchers well beyond our campus will also benefit from this gift."

"Libraries are at the heart of any great educational institution," said Rubenstein. "This renovation and modernization program will help ensure that the Rare Book and Manuscript library's priceless collection is preserved and accessible to scholars and the public for decades to come.

"When I was a student at Duke I worked at the library, so this gift also reflects my appreciation for that opportunity and the important role it played in my academic experience," Rubenstein added.

The special collections library, housed in the original West Campus library, is scheduled to be renovated in the final phase of the Perkins Project, a multi-year library renovation project that began a decade ago. The renovation will transform one of the oldest and most recognizable buildings on West Campus into a state-of-the-art research facility where students, faculty and visitors can engage with the libraries' collection of rare and unique scholarly materials.

The Perkins Project began with the construction of Bostock Library and the von der Heyden Pavilion, both completed in 2005, followed by the renovation of Perkins Library between 2006 and 2008. The final phase is slated to begin in 2012 and will focus on the original 1928 West Campus library building and its 1948 addition.

This portion of the library complex is at the very heart of the campus designed by the Horace Trumbauer architectural firm; the cornerstone for the university is visible on the faÃ§ade of the 1928 library building. Situated at the intersection of the West Campus quadrangles, it is easily accessible to scholars, students and visitors.

The planned renovation will increase the research, instruction, storage and exhibition capabilities of the special collections library. It will also address the need for a secure stack area where special collections can be shelved in an appropriately controlled environment. The entire stack core will be removed -- from basement level to roof -- and replaced with a new floor structure that will support high-density shelving.

Updates will also extend to the Mary Duke Biddle Rare Book Room and the Gothic Reading Room. The charm and character of these signature Duke spaces will be preserved, but their finishes, furnishings, lighting and technology infrastructure will be enhanced.

Finally, the library's main entrance will be redesigned with new doors, windows and lighting to give the entire library complex a more unified and welcoming presence on the historic West Quad.

Construction work is expected to take place in phases beginning late in 2012. In the meantime, Duke officials are developing plans to relocate library services and staff during the renovations, which are expected to take several years.

A Baltimore native, Rubenstein is co-founder and managing director of The Carlyle Group, a global alternative asset manager. He graduated magna cum laude from Duke in 1970 and serves as vice chair of the university's Board of Trustees.

Rubenstein is an active civic leader and serves on numerous boards, including those of the Smithsonian Institution, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Chicago, The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Book Collecting, Book Condition No comments yet

Guide to Preserving Your Rare Book Collection

By Debra on August 11th, 2011

Source: Paul Fraser Collectibles

Few things can be more personal and cherished than a book. Here's how to take care of them...

Many collectors go misty-eyed at the thought of dust on a page - and rare book collecting can take this passion to a new level. But rare books are also among the most delicate collectibles, and it is vital that you know how to properly look after your collection.

Handle them as little as possible

It's a shame not to read them… Yet, if you are a collector of antique books hoping to build a profitable alternative investment, then the less you handle your books the better.

Leafing through your first edition of The Great Gatsby (these, incidentally, have sold for hundreds of thousands at auction) or even a limited first edition Harry Potter has the danger of knocking serious sums of money off the book's price.

The reason? Every time you touch a book, you leave small marks and layers of dust that are invisible to the naked eye. These, over the course of time, can degrade your book's pages.

Antique books are often bound in flimsy leather or cloth and are very delicate artefacts. A basic run-down of things you should avoid in order to preserve them includes:

- High humidity

- Sunlight

- Heat

- Dust

- Rough treatment

- Dust jackets

Dust jackets aren't simply for show

They also serve a valuable purpose, keeping everyday and often invisible dust particles away from your books. As such, a good dust jacket can greatly boost a book's value on the collectors' markets.

For instance, when a 1925 first edition copy of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby sold for $180,000 at auction, it was largely down to the book's well-preserved and rare dust jacket.

So, wherever and however you store your books, keep them wrapped snugly in their jackets. You'll definitely thank yourself for it in 30 years.

Storing and positioning your books

The best place to store your books is in a specially-made archival box. These boxes can be bought online, or your local book dealer may be able to point you in the right direction.

Archival boxes are made of acid-free materials and contain an alkaline buffer. This prevents harmful pH factors from acting upon your prized first editions and browning the pages.

Another key tip for storage is: place your books upright, rather than on top of each other, to retain their original shape. If possible, place similarly sized books next to one another. This prevents a larger specimen warping next to its smaller companion.

In other words, a "comfortable fit" is the best way of describing how to stack your books. Whatever you do, don't jam them in.

If you can't face the prospect of putting your collection away in a box, or wish to display them to impress the neighbours, place your books spine-outwards on a high shelf, preferably behind a glass case away from small children and the dog.

Also, make sure your shelves are lined with polyester. This prevents the shelves' wood or paint from adversely affecting the books' covers or pages.

Storage temperature

Whether you keep your books on display or hidden away, their location in your house is vital.

High humidity can ruin a first edition. Such conditions, often found in basements and attics or even simply near to exterior walls, can lead to mould and also attracts insects.

Your best bet is to store you books in an area with a temperature of around 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Also keep them away from sunlight, which has the nasty habit of fading both cloth and leather.

Leather bound books are particularly tricky to preserve. Keep them away from both high humidity and low humidity, as leather is prone to cracking in the wrong conditions.

Do a bi-annual inspection

Although you'll want to touch your rare books as little as possible, it is important to keep an eye on them.

Take your books out for a bi-annual inspection, to ensure that that the ravages of winter or the roaring summer have had no adverse effect. Your inspection should be conducted with special auctioneers' gloves, easily purchasable on the internet, to stop you getting dust on them.

If you do find dust, a gentle wipe with a special dust-collecting cloth should do the trick. And if you find any more significant problems? The first rule is: take a deep breath, step away and do not try to fix it yourself.

Unless you are a book restorer, you will probably do more harm than good and could significantly damage the condition - and investment potential - of your books. Instead, take it to a professional for advice and expertise. It will be worth it in the long run.

Handling your rare books

When handling you books, grasp them firmly by the spine. If you must open them, dust them first to avoid any particles falling in among the pages. Also, place the book in specially-designed book holder to keep it supported.

Follow these steps, and you can ensure that your book collection's condition and lifespan will more than match the immense pleasure and profit that rare books can bring.

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