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Articles - October - 2024 Issue

Four Book Collectors and Sellers Share Their Passion for Collecting

- by Michael Stillman

Everyone is a Collector.

Everyone is a Collector.

The world is filled with readers who love books and who are sort-of collectors in that they place the books they have read on their shelves and keep them there, perhaps forever. Still, they may not think of themselves as book collectors despite the love that makes it hard to part with those treasures. Maybe it's time to become a true collector rather than a de facto one. This is a field where there are knowledgeable people willing to help you share their passion.

 

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the American Antiquarian Booksellers Association (ABAA), AbeBooks, the world's largest online book selling website, has put together a group of four short interviews with book people. They will give you a feel for the excitement of intentionally collecting books rather than just accidentally so. One of the great things about book collecting is that everyone can pick their own particular niche in the field. There is no one size fits all. In fact, it isn't limited to official “books,” as many people collect other forms of paper as well, documents, manuscripts, letters, posters, maps, etc.

 

The four booksellers and collectors who share their stories are Lisbet Tellefsen, Rebecca Romney, Obediah Baird, and Walter Reuben. Lisbet Tellefsen is an Oakland-based collector and community archivist. She has been collecting virtually her whole life, with the focus shifting from pop culture to posters, Afro-Cuban culture, and black LGBTQ culture. Rebecca Romney has been involved in the book trade most of her adult life, now as a co-founder of Type Punch Matrix. You may have seen her as the book expert on TV's Pawn Stars. Obadiah Baird is one of the co-owners of The Book Bin. His specialty is science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Walter Reuben, logically, is the proprietor of Walter Reuben, Inc. His specialty is films and old Hollywood ephemera.

 

You can hear their messages and better experience the excitement of book and paper collecting for yourself by visiting AbeBooks.com. Click here.

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Posted On: 2024-10-01 04:39
User Name: keeline

I would say "Everyone CAN BE a Collector."

Not all are. Probably in terms of percentages, fewer members of the post-Baby Boom generations are collectors now.

When I managed The Prince and the Pauper Collectible Children's Books from 1988 to 2000, we had many who came in and claimed emphatically that they were "not a collector." There is one view of a collector that is a person who spends large sums on their books or other items.

But when these non-collectors are looking for something and it has to be a particular format or artist for illustrations, and it is not readily available, they have quietly swerved into the collector classification, even if they are not willing to admit it.

And when a non-collector is trying to find something that admitted-collectors are also looking for, they have to compete with them or accept that they probably won't get what they are looking for unless they have the kind of luck that wins the lottery once every year or two.

The same applies to condition. When the non-collector wants nice copies of books from decades before that are no longer in print, this is also part of the realm of the collector.

We often joke that if you have more than five of some class of something or have spent more than double the price of a new copy available now, you are a collector.

But many are just readers and use libraries and library apps to read what they want. They don't try to keep that which they read because of expense and space considerations. I see others who claim they buy books, read them, and sell or give them away. It seems too expensive to be believed but I have to take them at their word on a claim like this.

Thee are some groupings of books that are accumulations and others that are collections which are curated to achieve a level of completeness from some aspect and upgrade over time.

When universities have book collection contests among students, there is usually both a descriptive bibliography requirement as well as an essay on what ties the components of the collection together.

One of the interesting things about acknowledging that one is a collector is the realization that one is not alone. Suddenly you discover communities and realize that you are not the only one who likes a certain kind of book. These can be the people from whom you can learn but will also compete with when it comes to obtaining the more scarce items.

Sometimes we think about collecting things. But I am also interested in collecting both information and the acquaintances and friendships along the way. These can be from fellow collectors and booksellers. This weekend I'll be in Sleepy Hollow for the Nancy Drew Sleuths convention where about 150 fans of that and similar series will gather for presentations, activities, and books.

As much as I like book fairs and have some conversations with booksellers I know or ones that seem to be handling my field, it is hard to converse with the fellow shoppers. Part of this is that they are busy shopping for the rare find. But another part is that it is considered bad form to converse in someone's retail space lest you take business from the person who paid for that space. There are not as many receptions for collectors to meet. That is where bibliophile societies and book clubs can offer opportunities.

James D. Keeline

Rare Book Monthly

  • <b>Doyle, Dec. 5:</b> Minas Avetisian (1928-1975). <i>Rest,</i> 1973. $8,000 to $12,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 5:</b> Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973). <i>Yawning Tiger,</i> conceived 1917. $3,000 to $5,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 5:</b> Robert M. Kulicke (1924-2007). <i>Full-Blown Red and White Roses in a Glass Vase,</i> 1982. $3,000 to $5,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 5:</b> Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). L’ATELIER DE CANNES (Bloch 794; Mourlot 279). The cover for <i>Ces Peintres Nos Amis,</i> vol. II. $1,000 to $1,500. <b>Doyle, Dec. 5:</b> LeRoy Neiman (1921-2012). THE BEACH AT CANNES, 1979. $1,200 to $1,800. <b>Doyle, Dec. 5:</b> Richard Avendon, the suite of eleven signed portraits from the Avedon/Paris portfolio. $150,000 to $250,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 5:</b> Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989). <i>Flowers in Vase,</i> 1985. $20,000 to $30,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 5:</b> Edward Weston (1886-1958). <i>Nude,</i> 1936. $20,000 to $30,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 5:</b> Edward Weston (1886-1958). <i>Juniper, High Sierra,</i> 1937. <b>Doyle, Dec. 5:</b> Steven J. Levn (b. 1964). <i>Plumage II,</i> 2011. $6,000 to $8,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 5:</b> Steven Meisel (b. 1954). <i>Madonna, Miami, (from Sex),</i> 1992. $6,000 to $9,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 5: Minas Avetisian (1928-1975). Rest, 1973. $8,000 to $12,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 5: Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973). Yawning Tiger, conceived 1917. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 5: Robert M. Kulicke (1924-2007). Full-Blown Red and White Roses in a Glass Vase, 1982. $3,000 to $5,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 5: Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). L’ATELIER DE CANNES (Bloch 794; Mourlot 279). The cover for Ces Peintres Nos Amis, vol. II. $1,000 to $1,500.
    Doyle, Dec. 5: LeRoy Neiman (1921-2012). THE BEACH AT CANNES, 1979. $1,200 to $1,800.
    Doyle, Dec. 5: Richard Avendon, the suite of eleven signed portraits from the Avedon/Paris portfolio. $150,000 to $250,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 5: Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989). Flowers in Vase, 1985. $20,000 to $30,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 5: Edward Weston (1886-1958). Nude, 1936. $20,000 to $30,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 5: Edward Weston (1886-1958). Juniper, High Sierra, 1937.
    Doyle, Dec. 5: Steven J. Levn (b. 1964). Plumage II, 2011. $6,000 to $8,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 5: Steven Meisel (b. 1954). Madonna, Miami, (from Sex), 1992. $6,000 to $9,000.
  • <b>Doyle, Dec. 6:</b> An extensive archive of Raymond Chandler’s unpublished drafts of fantasy stories. $60,000 to $80,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 6:</b> RAND, AYN. Single page from Ayn Rand’s handwritten first draft of her influential final novel <i>Atlas Shrugged.</i> $30,000 to $50,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 6:</b> Ernest Hemingway’s first book with interesting provenance. <i>Three Stories & Ten Poems.</i> $20,000 to $30,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 6:</b> Hemingway’s second book, one of 170 copies. <i>In Our Time.</i> $15,000 to $25,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 6:</b> A finely colored example of Visscher’s double hemisphere world map, with a figured border. $12,000 to $18,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 6:</b> Raymond Chandler’s Olivetti Studio 44 Typewriter. $10,000 to $20,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 6:</b> Antonio Ordóñez's “Suit of Lights” owned by Ernest Hemingway. $10,000 to $20,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 6:</b> A remarkable Truman archive featuring an inscribed beam from the White House construction. $8,000 to $12,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 6:</b> The fourth edition of Audubon’s <i>The Birds of America.</i> $8,000 to $12,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 6:</b> The original typed manuscript for Chandler’s only opera. <i>The Princess and the Pedlar: An Entirely Original Comic Opera.</i> $8,000 to $12,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 6:</b> A splendidly illustrated treatise on ancient Peru and its Incan civilization. $7,000 to $10,000. <b>Doyle, Dec. 6:</b> A superb copy of Claude Lorrain’s <i>Liber Veritatis</i> from Longleat House. $5,000 to $8,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 6: An extensive archive of Raymond Chandler’s unpublished drafts of fantasy stories. $60,000 to $80,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 6: RAND, AYN. Single page from Ayn Rand’s handwritten first draft of her influential final novel Atlas Shrugged. $30,000 to $50,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 6: Ernest Hemingway’s first book with interesting provenance. Three Stories & Ten Poems. $20,000 to $30,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 6: Hemingway’s second book, one of 170 copies. In Our Time. $15,000 to $25,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 6: A finely colored example of Visscher’s double hemisphere world map, with a figured border. $12,000 to $18,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 6: Raymond Chandler’s Olivetti Studio 44 Typewriter. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 6: Antonio Ordóñez's “Suit of Lights” owned by Ernest Hemingway. $10,000 to $20,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 6: A remarkable Truman archive featuring an inscribed beam from the White House construction. $8,000 to $12,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 6: The fourth edition of Audubon’s The Birds of America. $8,000 to $12,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 6: The original typed manuscript for Chandler’s only opera. The Princess and the Pedlar: An Entirely Original Comic Opera. $8,000 to $12,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 6: A splendidly illustrated treatise on ancient Peru and its Incan civilization. $7,000 to $10,000.
    Doyle, Dec. 6: A superb copy of Claude Lorrain’s Liber Veritatis from Longleat House. $5,000 to $8,000.
  • <b><center>High Bids Win<br>Letterpress & Bindery Auction<br>Nov. 20 – Dec. 5, 2024</b> <b>High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5:</b> Book Press 10 1/2× 15 1/4" Platen , 2 1/2" Daylight. <b>High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5:</b> The Tubbs Mfg Co. wooden-type cabinet 27” w by 37” h by 22” deep. <b>High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5:</b> G.P.Gordon printing press 7” by 11” with treadle. Needs rollers, trucks, and grippers. Missing roller spring. <b><center>High Bids Win<br>Letterpress & Bindery Auction<br>Nov. 20 – Dec. 5, 2024</b> <b>High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5:</b> D & C Ventris curved wood type 2” tall 5/8” wide. <b>High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5:</b> Wood Type 1 1/4” tall. <b>High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5:</b> Quarter Case with Lead Triangles. <b><center>High Bids Win<br>Letterpress & Bindery Auction<br>Nov. 20 – Dec. 5, 2024</b> <b>High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5:</b> Page & Co wood type 1 1/4” tall 1/4” wide. <b>High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5:</b> Awt 578 type hi gauge. <b>High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5:</b> Quarter Case with Lead Penline Flourishes. <b><center>High Bids Win<br>Letterpress & Bindery Auction<br>Nov. 20 – Dec. 5, 2024</b> <b>High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5:</b> Quarter Case with Lead Penline Flourishes. <b>High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5:</b> Quarter Case with Lead Cents and Pound Signs. <b>High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5:</b> Wooden type cabinet 27” w by 19” d by 38” h.
    High Bids Win
    Letterpress & Bindery Auction
    Nov. 20 – Dec. 5, 2024
    High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5: Book Press 10 1/2× 15 1/4" Platen , 2 1/2" Daylight.
    High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5: The Tubbs Mfg Co. wooden-type cabinet 27” w by 37” h by 22” deep.
    High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5: G.P.Gordon printing press 7” by 11” with treadle. Needs rollers, trucks, and grippers. Missing roller spring.
    High Bids Win
    Letterpress & Bindery Auction
    Nov. 20 – Dec. 5, 2024
    High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5: D & C Ventris curved wood type 2” tall 5/8” wide.
    High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5: Wood Type 1 1/4” tall.
    High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5: Quarter Case with Lead Triangles.
    High Bids Win
    Letterpress & Bindery Auction
    Nov. 20 – Dec. 5, 2024
    High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5: Page & Co wood type 1 1/4” tall 1/4” wide.
    High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5: Awt 578 type hi gauge.
    High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5: Quarter Case with Lead Penline Flourishes.
    High Bids Win
    Letterpress & Bindery Auction
    Nov. 20 – Dec. 5, 2024
    High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5: Quarter Case with Lead Penline Flourishes.
    High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5: Quarter Case with Lead Cents and Pound Signs.
    High Bids Win, Nov. 20 – Dec. 5: Wooden type cabinet 27” w by 19” d by 38” h.
  • <b>ALDE, Dec. 11:</b> ALBINUS (BERNHARD SIEGFIED). <i>Tabulæ Sceleti et Musculorum corporis humanum,</i> Londres, 1749. €4,000 to €5,000. <b>ALDE, Dec. 11:</b> BIDLOO (GOVARD). <i>Anatomia humani corporis. Centum et quinque tabulis per artificiosiss. G. de Lairesse...,</i> Amsterdam, 1685. <b>ALDE, Dec. 11:</b> BOURGERY (JEAN-MARC) – JACOB (NICOLAS-HENRI). <i>Traité complet de l’anatomie de l’Homme comprenant la médecine opératoire,</i> Paris, 1832. €4,000 to €5,000. <b>ALDE, Dec. 11:</b> CALDANI (LEOPOLDO MARCANTONIO ET FLORIANO). <i>Icones anatomicae,</i> Venice, 1801-14. €5,000 to €6,000. <b>ALDE, Dec. 11:</b> CARSWELL (ROBERT). <i>Pathological Anatomy. Illustrations of the elementary forms of disease,</i> London, 1838. €5,000 to €6,000. <b>ALDE, Dec. 11:</b> CASSERIUS (JULIUS) [GIULIO CASSERIO]. <i>De vocis auditusq. organis historia anatomica singulari fide methodo ac industria concinnata tractatis duobus explicate,</i> Ferrara, 1600-1601. €4,000 to €5,000. <b>ALDE, Dec. 11:</b> ESTIENNE (CHARLES). <i>De dissectione partium corporis humani libri tres,</i> Paris, 1545. €8,000 to €10,000. <b>ALDE, Dec. 11:</b> GAMELIN (JACQUES). <i>Nouveau Recueil d'Ostéologie et de Myologie dessiné d'après nature... pour l’utilité des sciences et des arts, divisé en deux parties,</i> Toulouse, 1779. €6,000 to €8,000. <b>ALDE, Dec. 11:</b> ROESSLIN (EUCHER). <i>Des divers travaux et enfantemens des femmes et par quel moyen l'on doit survenir aux accidens…,</i> Paris, 1536. €3,000 to €4,000. <b>ALDE, Dec. 11:</b> RUYSCH (FREDERICK). <i>Thesaurus anatomicus - Anatomisch Cabinet,</i> Amsterdam, 1701-1714. €3,000 to €4,000. <b>ALDE, Dec. 11:</b> VALVERDE (JUAN DE). <i>Anatome corporis humani. Nunc primum a Michaele Michaele Columbo latine reddita, et additis novis aliquot tabulis exornata,</i> Venetiis, 1589. €2,000 to €3,000. <b>ALDE, Dec. 11:</b> VESALIUS (ANDREAS). <i>De humani Corporis Fabrica libri septem,</i> Venetiis, 1568. €3,000 to €4,000.
    ALDE, Dec. 11: ALBINUS (BERNHARD SIEGFIED). Tabulæ Sceleti et Musculorum corporis humanum, Londres, 1749. €4,000 to €5,000.
    ALDE, Dec. 11: BIDLOO (GOVARD). Anatomia humani corporis. Centum et quinque tabulis per artificiosiss. G. de Lairesse..., Amsterdam, 1685.
    ALDE, Dec. 11: BOURGERY (JEAN-MARC) – JACOB (NICOLAS-HENRI). Traité complet de l’anatomie de l’Homme comprenant la médecine opératoire, Paris, 1832. €4,000 to €5,000.
    ALDE, Dec. 11: CALDANI (LEOPOLDO MARCANTONIO ET FLORIANO). Icones anatomicae, Venice, 1801-14. €5,000 to €6,000.
    ALDE, Dec. 11: CARSWELL (ROBERT). Pathological Anatomy. Illustrations of the elementary forms of disease, London, 1838. €5,000 to €6,000.
    ALDE, Dec. 11: CASSERIUS (JULIUS) [GIULIO CASSERIO]. De vocis auditusq. organis historia anatomica singulari fide methodo ac industria concinnata tractatis duobus explicate, Ferrara, 1600-1601. €4,000 to €5,000.
    ALDE, Dec. 11: ESTIENNE (CHARLES). De dissectione partium corporis humani libri tres, Paris, 1545. €8,000 to €10,000.
    ALDE, Dec. 11: GAMELIN (JACQUES). Nouveau Recueil d'Ostéologie et de Myologie dessiné d'après nature... pour l’utilité des sciences et des arts, divisé en deux parties, Toulouse, 1779. €6,000 to €8,000.
    ALDE, Dec. 11: ROESSLIN (EUCHER). Des divers travaux et enfantemens des femmes et par quel moyen l'on doit survenir aux accidens…, Paris, 1536. €3,000 to €4,000.
    ALDE, Dec. 11: RUYSCH (FREDERICK). Thesaurus anatomicus - Anatomisch Cabinet, Amsterdam, 1701-1714. €3,000 to €4,000.
    ALDE, Dec. 11: VALVERDE (JUAN DE). Anatome corporis humani. Nunc primum a Michaele Michaele Columbo latine reddita, et additis novis aliquot tabulis exornata, Venetiis, 1589. €2,000 to €3,000.
    ALDE, Dec. 11: VESALIUS (ANDREAS). De humani Corporis Fabrica libri septem, Venetiis, 1568. €3,000 to €4,000.
  • <b><center>Sotheby's<br>Fine Books, Manuscripts & More<br>Available for Immediate Purchase</center></b> <b>Sotheby’s:</b> J.R.R. Tolkien. <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> Trilogy. 11,135 USD <b>Sotheby’s:</b> Edgar Allan Poe. <i>The Raven and Other Poems,</i> 1845. 33,000 USD <b>Sotheby’s:</b> Leo Tolstoy, Clara Bow. <i>War and Peace,</i> 1886. 22,500 USD <b>Sotheby’s:</b> Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. <i>Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,</i> 1902. 7,500 USD <b>Sotheby’s:</b> F. Scott Fitzgerald. <i>This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby,</i> and Others, 1920-1941. 24,180 USD
    Sotheby's
    Fine Books, Manuscripts & More
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s: J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 11,135 USD
    Sotheby’s: Edgar Allan Poe. The Raven and Other Poems, 1845. 33,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: Leo Tolstoy, Clara Bow. War and Peace, 1886. 22,500 USD
    Sotheby’s: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 1902. 7,500 USD
    Sotheby’s: F. Scott Fitzgerald. This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, and Others, 1920-1941. 24,180 USD

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