September 11, 2020
Every rare book, like every unique person, has its flaws and virtues. In trying to decide whether I want to purchase a rare book – if it will be something I feel passion for when I catalog it or regret five minutes after buying – I weigh in my mind the good and the bad qualities of the book. Here is a video with some honest glimpses into my thought processes.
posted in: NYC Rare Book Dealer, RARE BOOK APPRAISAL, We Buy Manuscripts, We buy old books, We buy Rare Books, You Tube Rare Books Video
August 19, 2020
I made a follow up Youtube video with another 5 books at modest prices for the beginning antiquarian book collector. There is the one of the first restaurant guides, a prison memoir, a Gilded age calling card etc. All proceeds benefit the ABAA’s Benevolent Booksellers’s fund to assist booksellers in times of need. There is also a plug for the upcoming VIRTUAL Brooklyn Antiquarian Book Fair
posted in: buying rare books, rare books NYC, sell rare books, selling rare books, You Tube Rare Books Video
August 4, 2020
I made a short video on things that are missing from some Rare Books and what we can learn from them. I will discuss excised pages, expurgated, and defaced books etc. Many books that are incomplete or damaged are often passed over with little thought, but it is always good to ask if there is any hidden reason, motivation or history behind the loss.
posted in: buying rare books, NYC Rare Book Dealer, Rare Book Appraisal Video, You Tube Rare Books Video
July 14, 2020
If you are new to the antiquarian rare book world, I can understand you may find it intimidating with great rarities in glass cases and high prices. However, with modest sums you can acquire some very interesting rare books from centuries past. Sure, you may not be able to purchase an illuminated manuscript or an incunable for next to nothing, but with a little digging you can find rare book treasures at affordable prices for everyone. I made another rare book Youtube chat to highlight some examples for $50/each. There is a superb 19th publisher binding, a travel book owned by a clerk to Alexander Hamilton and others. It is not a sales video and any actual sales go to the ABAA Bookseller’s Benevolent fund which helps booksellers in times of need.
posted in: Uncategorized
June 27, 2020
I got a little bored of lecturing about things I know about rare books, so I thought I would talk about four thing I don’t know about books. I’ll explore an illuminated manuscript (A Book of Hours), Renaissance book storage, the origins of gilding on bookbindings – and the very humble often overlooked tissue guard.
posted in: Appraisal Book Hours, Book Hours Value, Book of Hours, Uncategorized
