Book Collecting On a Budget
An Intro to Building a Collection That Fits You and Your Finances
Apr 9, 2009
Whatever gets you into collecting books, whether out of a desire to read all the books your favorite author has written or to get your children to share the same joy of reading you remember as a child, you begin collecting books as an extension of your love of reading.
It's all too easy though to develop the book collecting 'bug,’ however innocently it might begin. You know you have it when you do. You hear the words “book” and “sale” in the same sentence and start salivating uncontrollably. You can’t pass within 500 feet of a used bookstore without stopping and you’re starting to wonder where you can cram another bookshelf into your already crowded living room.
Before your family starts planning an intervention meeting, try these tips to reign in ‘the bug’ and help you make the most of your collecting experience.
Find a Focus
The biggest key to building a great book collection is finding a focus. Whether it’s collecting all the books of a favorite author or publisher, a focus narrows the scope of what you are collecting. When trying to find a focus ask yourself these questions:
What do I want to collect and Why?
This can be very specific like the works of a particular author, or very broad like books on a particular subject or within a particular genre, and could be the reason you started collecting books in the first place. People collect books for a diverse number of reasons: as an investment, out of a desire to read all the works of a particular author or subject, or for some other reason.
Whatever the reason, being able to answer the why collect question not only makes it easier when considering what to purchase, but it also establishes a relative range of values of what you are reasonably willing to pay for a particular title or volume.
Should I collect First editions? What about ex-library volumes? Paperback? Hardcover?
The answers to these questions are based largely on why you are collecting, but there are a few bits of knowledge to know in advance that will help you build your collection. Collecting first editions is great for someone collecting books as an investment. First editions increase in value considerably over time and are usually hardcover and thus more durable than their paperback counterparts.
Because of their collector value, first editions can sometimes be cost prohibitive to collectors who are more interested in the book for its reading pleasure. For those interested in collecting for reading’s sake, Ex-library copies and paperbacks are a great way to get a hold of books at a better deal than hardcover first editions. Ex-library books may have library stamps, other markup, and be dog-eared from previous readings, but are on average about 1/10 of the price of a non-library first edition in relatively the same condition. Paperbacks are generally reprints of the hardcover or first edition, and are a fraction of the price of either hardcover or first edition volumes.
The Most Important Rule of Collecting
The most important rule of collecting is to enjoy it. Collecting books can be an exciting and rewarding hobby regardless of what is collected or why. Above all, when collecting, collect what you know you will enjoy reading. The greatest pleasure derived from books is opening them and exploring the mysteries between their two covers. Whether fiction or nonfiction the knowledge and experience gained through reading is a reward that overcomes all other value factors of collecting.
