Grove Press 1st of Juliette
 

I found at Savers, a used goods store, this evening on the
way home, a first printing (1968) of the Grove Press edition
of the Marquis de Sade's *Juliette* , 1205 pages, with dust
jacket (with only minor defects) and light foxing to the top
edges (otherwise fine) and the first complete publication of
the work in America. For the older readers, like myself,
Grove Press was the publishing house that fought obscenity
battle after obscenity battle in the 50s and 60s in order to
be able to publish a large list of books banned in America.
While I do not shelve them together (unless it otherwise
suits the shelving scheme), I always keep an eye out for the
Grove Press firsts.

--
Francis A. Miniter

In dem Lande der Pygmäen
gibt es keine Uniformen,
weder Abzeichen, noch irgend welche Normen,
Und Soldaten sind dort nicht zu sehen.

Siegfried von Vegesack, "Es gibt keine Uniformen"
from In dem Lande der Pygmäen

Grove Press 1st of Juliette
 

"Francis A. Miniter" wrote in message
...
I found at Savers, a used goods store, this evening on the way home, a first
printing (1968) of the Grove Press edition of the Marquis de Sade's *Juliette*
, 1205 pages, with dust jacket (with only minor defects) and light foxing to
the top edges (otherwise fine) and the first complete publication of the work
in America. For the older readers, like myself, Grove Press was the publishing
house that fought obscenity battle after obscenity battle in the 50s and 60s in
order to be able to publish a large list of books banned in America. While I do
not shelve them together (unless it otherwise suits the shelving scheme), I
always keep an eye out for the Grove Press firsts.

Nice find.
I remember the battles Grove Press fought way back when.
Today nobody bats an eye at those titles but back in the day they caused quite
an uproar.

Grove Press 1st of Juliette
 

On Jan 3, 7:45*pm, "Francis A. Miniter" wrote:

I found at Savers, a used goods store, this evening on the
way home, a first printing (1968) of the Grove Press edition
of the Marquis de Sade's *Juliette* , 1205 pages, with dust
jacket (with only minor defects) and light foxing to the top
edges (otherwise fine) and the first complete publication of
the work in America. *


Does the increasing demise of old-fashioned second-hand bookstores
mean more goodies to be found by the dedicated hunter, do you think?
Or will more books simply be trashed?

Grove Press 1st of Juliette
 

J wrote:
On Jan 3, 7:45 pm, "Francis A. Miniter" wrote:
I found at Savers, a used goods store, this evening on the
way home, a first printing (1968) of the Grove Press edition
of the Marquis de Sade's *Juliette* , 1205 pages, with dust
jacket (with only minor defects) and light foxing to the top
edges (otherwise fine) and the first complete publication of
the work in America.


Does the increasing demise of old-fashioned second-hand bookstores
mean more goodies to be found by the dedicated hunter, do you think?
Or will more books simply be trashed?

Gack! I say this as I contemplate going back to look at what
appears to be a full set of leatherbound works of Robert Lewis
Stevenson. Yesterday, I got several books for $2 each--2 volumes
being from the 1700s. I also got some more expensive books, 1
being a geography book from the 1800s that contains the most
disparaging comments about almost every nationality....

--
Jean B.

Grove Press 1st of Juliette
 

On 1/8/2011 8:44 AM, J wrote:
On Jan 3, 7:45�pm, "Francis A. wrote:

I found at Savers, a used goods store, this evening on the
way home, a first printing (1968) of the Grove Press edition
of the Marquis de Sade's *Juliette* , 1205 pages, with dust
jacket (with only minor defects) and light foxing to the top
edges (otherwise fine) and the first complete publication of
the work in America. �


Does the increasing demise of old-fashioned second-hand bookstores
mean more goodies to be found by the dedicated hunter, do you think?
Or will more books simply be trashed?


What I am observing is a downward spiral of book prices.
The ability to look on-line at ABE or AddALL.com and find
the book anywhere in the nation has undermined the
traditional price structures for books. Before the
Internet, finding a book was not that easy. The only market
in the US was through the AB Bookman magazine. Despite the
altered marketing model, second hand book stores might have
been able to survive were it not for the fact that computer
gaming and internet entertainment has whittled away even
more people from the possibility of reading. Television
gave a wound, but not as bad as that from the computer.
Young people are trained to the screen, and not to reading.
Thus, devalued books are being sold through Goodwill,
Savers and other used general goods stores by people who
have no clue which books are worthwhile and which are not.
Library book sales abound to raise funds for the local
libraries and their sale prices are even lower than Goodwill
or Savers. These sources for books has placed even more
pressure on the traditional used book store. Hence all the
closings of which you write.

So, we are in a period of high opportunity for the
collector, but less so for the dealer, especially if the
dealer has the need of a short turn around time and has a
cost associated with book display.

But just as black and white photography has had a major
revival as people have begun once again to understand that
that type of photography gives results not obtainable in
color (emphasizing texture, for instance), so I expect that
in not too great a time (ten years or so), boredom with
gaming and internet entertainment will set in, especially as
the limits of gaming are reached, and, then, I hope, there
will be a renaissance of appreciation for the written word
and the textured materials in which those words come to us.

--
Francis A. Miniter

In dem Lande der Pygmäen
gibt es keine Uniformen,
weder Abzeichen, noch irgend welche Normen,
Und Soldaten sind dort nicht zu sehen.

Siegfried von Vegesack, "Es gibt keine Uniformen"
from In dem Lande der Pygmäen

Grove Press 1st of Juliette
 

On 1/8/2011 10:00 AM, Jean B. wrote:
J wrote:
On Jan 3, 7:45 pm, "Francis A. Miniter"
wrote:
I found at Savers, a used goods store, this evening on the
way home, a first printing (1968) of the Grove Press edition
of the Marquis de Sade's *Juliette* , 1205 pages, with dust
jacket (with only minor defects) and light foxing to the top
edges (otherwise fine) and the first complete publication of
the work in America.


Does the increasing demise of old-fashioned second-hand
bookstores
mean more goodies to be found by the dedicated hunter, do
you think?
Or will more books simply be trashed?

Gack! I say this as I contemplate going back to look at what
appears to be a full set of leatherbound works of Robert
Lewis Stevenson. Yesterday, I got several books for $2
each--2 volumes being from the 1700s. I also got some more
expensive books, 1 being a geography book from the 1800s
that contains the most disparaging comments about almost
every nationality....


Nicely done. At what kind of place did you acquire the
1700s volumes?

--
Francis A. Miniter

In dem Lande der Pygmäen
gibt es keine Uniformen,
weder Abzeichen, noch irgend welche Normen,
Und Soldaten sind dort nicht zu sehen.

Siegfried von Vegesack, "Es gibt keine Uniformen"
from In dem Lande der Pygmäen

Grove Press 1st of Juliette
 

Francis A. Miniter wrote:
On 1/8/2011 10:00 AM, Jean B. wrote:
J wrote:
On Jan 3, 7:45 pm, "Francis A. Miniter"
wrote:
I found at Savers, a used goods store, this evening on the
way home, a first printing (1968) of the Grove Press edition
of the Marquis de Sade's *Juliette* , 1205 pages, with dust
jacket (with only minor defects) and light foxing to the top
edges (otherwise fine) and the first complete publication of
the work in America.


Does the increasing demise of old-fashioned second-hand
bookstores
mean more goodies to be found by the dedicated hunter, do
you think?
Or will more books simply be trashed?

Gack! I say this as I contemplate going back to look at what
appears to be a full set of leatherbound works of Robert
Lewis Stevenson. Yesterday, I got several books for $2
each--2 volumes being from the 1700s. I also got some more
expensive books, 1 being a geography book from the 1800s
that contains the most disparaging comments about almost
every nationality....


Nicely done. At what kind of place did you acquire the 1700s volumes?

An antiques shop--and one that I almost never go to because they
normally have no books. I was actually looking for furniture and
espied an overflowing box of books shoved under a table.
Obviously no one had bothered to look at them. I looked through
all of them.... I really like it when people are too lazy to see
what they have!

--
Jean B.

Grove Press 1st of Juliette
 

On 1/12/2011 22:25 PM, Jean B. wrote:
Francis A. Miniter wrote:
On 1/8/2011 10:00 AM, Jean B. wrote:
J wrote:
On Jan 3, 7:45 pm, "Francis A. Miniter"
wrote:
I found at Savers, a used goods store, this evening on the
way home, a first printing (1968) of the Grove Press
edition
of the Marquis de Sade's *Juliette* , 1205 pages, with
dust
jacket (with only minor defects) and light foxing to
the top
edges (otherwise fine) and the first complete
publication of
the work in America.


Does the increasing demise of old-fashioned second-hand
bookstores
mean more goodies to be found by the dedicated hunter, do
you think?
Or will more books simply be trashed?

Gack! I say this as I contemplate going back to look at what
appears to be a full set of leatherbound works of Robert
Lewis Stevenson. Yesterday, I got several books for $2
each--2 volumes being from the 1700s. I also got some more
expensive books, 1 being a geography book from the 1800s
that contains the most disparaging comments about almost
every nationality....


Nicely done. At what kind of place did you acquire the
1700s volumes?

An antiques shop--and one that I almost never go to because
they normally have no books. I was actually looking for
furniture and espied an overflowing box of books shoved
under a table. Obviously no one had bothered to look at
them. I looked through all of them.... I really like it when
people are too lazy to see what they have!


Yes, I notice that those who deal in furniture tend to not
recognize the value of books. I suppose, on the other hand,
I might not recognize a valuable piece of furniture.

--
Francis A. Miniter

In dem Lande der Pygmäen
gibt es keine Uniformen,
weder Abzeichen, noch irgend welche Normen,
Und Soldaten sind dort nicht zu sehen.

Siegfried von Vegesack, "Es gibt keine Uniformen"
from In dem Lande der Pygmäen