Starting out

Hi,

Though I've been buying books as a reader most of my life, I just
recently decided to take up book collecting. I've been reading up on it,
trying to get my bearings before I really start, but I ran into a couple
of problems which are not surprising for being a neophyte collector. Are
there any good websites on book collecting (I have found www.abaa.org),
and where can I find various checklists of books to collect? I'm mulling
over any specialties to collect and, at the moment, books related to
France seems to be topping the list. Also, as yet I am not terribly
concerned about pursuing first printings, for whatever that is worth.

As a side note, I'm having quite a time trying to find any sort of idea
of values of books, especially when they were not by American authors.
I've found Abebooks and Alibris to be the most helpful so far, partly
because the reference sections of local libraries are not well stocked
in this field. Any suggestions?

Thank you,

John

John wrote in message ...
Hi,

Though I've been buying books as a reader most of my life, I just
recently decided to take up book collecting. I've been reading up on it,
trying to get my bearings before I really start, but I ran into a couple
of problems which are not surprising for being a neophyte collector. Are
there any good websites on book collecting (I have found www.abaa.org),
and where can I find various checklists of books to collect? I'm mulling
over any specialties to collect and, at the moment, books related to
France seems to be topping the list. Also, as yet I am not terribly
concerned about pursuing first printings, for whatever that is worth.


Here are my suggestions. First, you may have to narrow down your
selection criteria a bit; books about France is just too general. Look
for dealers that specialize in your area of collecting and get their
catalogs. This will both be an indication of values and what books to
collect. Second, don't be afraid to make mistakes. Third, condition is
most important; don't purchase books in less than very-good condition
just because they are cheaper. Fourth, buy a copy of Carter's "ABC for
Book-Collectors". This is a good resource about books.

Art Layton
Stamford CT

John,

An excellent site for beginners as well as veteran collectors is
www.bookthink.com
as they have an ongoing archive of related articles.
There are also some general purpose books for book values to consider when
making purchases:
Ahearn's "Collected Books: The Guide to Values." This is expensive, but you can
sometimes find remainder copies on the internet.
McBride's "Guide to Identification of First Editions" and "Points of Issue" if
you want to get serious about what editions of books you want to buy.
This is a great "hobby" - enjoy!!
Les