Four Book Collectors and Sellers Share Their Passion for Collecting
- by Michael Stillman
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.
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
RareBookBuyer.com Specialized in Purchasing Institutional Collections & Deacccessioned Books
RareBookBuyer.com We Buy Librairies & Rare Books Nationwide ABAA Dealer
Gonnelli Auction 54 Books, Autographs & Manuscripts October 8th-10th 2024
Gonnelli: Menù di gala per l'incoronazione di Nicola II Romanov e di Aleksandra Feodorovna. Moskva, 1896. Starting price 1000 €
Gonnelli: Raccolta di 38 albumine, molte colorate a mano, di vedute della Cina, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Giappone e vari ritratti, 1880. Starting price 340 €
Gonnelli: Christie Agatha, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. A detective story. London: John Lane, 1921. Starting price 460 €
Gonnelli: Alberti Leon Battista, Ecatonphyla. Venice: Bernardino da Cremona, 1491. Starting price 10000 €
Gonnelli: Menabrea Luigi Federico, Sketch of the analytical engine invented by Charles Babbage Esq. London: Richard and John E. Taylor, 1843. Starting price 5000 €
Gonnelli: Bardi Giovanni, Memorie del calcio fiorentino. Florence, 1688. Starting price 1000 €
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: J. R. R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. London, 1954-1955.FIRST EDITIONS, FIRST IMPRESSIONS, ALL IN THE EXTREMELY RARE FIRST STATE DUST JACKETS.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Francesco Fontana. Novae coelestium terrestriumque rerum observationes... Naples: Gaffari, 1646. FIRST EDITION. Contains the first observations of spots on the surface of Mars.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. London: Printed for W. Strahan and T. Cadell, 1776. FIRST EDITION of “the first and greatest classic of modern economic thought” (PMM).
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Benjamin Franklin. Mémoires de la Vie Privée de Benjamin Franklin, écrits par lui-méme… Paris: Chez Buisson, 1791. FIRST EDITION OF FRANKLIN'S MEMOIRS IN THE PUBLISHER'S ORIGINAL WRAPPERS.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Samuel Johnson, Jr. A School Dictionary… New Haven, [Connecticut]: Edward O'Brien, [1798]. FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST DICTIONARY IN ENGLISH BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR, AN EXCEPTIONAL RARITY.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Joseph Smith, Jr. The Book of Mormon. Palmyra: Printed by E. B. Grandin, for the Author, 1830. FIRST EDITION.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Miguel de Cervántes Saavedra. El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Madrid: Joaquin Ibarra, 1780. THE BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED IBARRA EDITION.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: James Joyce. Ulysses. London: John Lane The Bodley Head, [1936]. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION, SIGNED BY JOYCE. Designated a “Presentation Copy” in ink beneath Joyce’s signature.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: [Photoplay]. Delos W. Lovelace. King Kong. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, [1932]. FIRST EDITION of "a most sought after title" (Davis).
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, [1993]. 40th Anniversary Edition. PRESENTATION COPY, INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR TO HUGH HEFNER.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Neil Gaiman. Original manuscript for the "Neverwhere" BBC television miniseries. [London: Crucial Films, LTD., 1995-1996]. TYPESCRIPT "NEVERWHERE" WITH NEIL GAIMAN'S NOTES AND AMENDATIONS THROUGHOUT.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: [DICTIONARY]. Noah Webster. An American Dictionary of the English Language... New York, 1828. FIRST EDITION OF WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY, UNCUT IN THE PUBLISHER'S ORIGINAL BOARDS
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Stephen King. Full Dark, No Stars. Baltimore: Cemetery Dance Publications, 2010. WITH AN ORIGINAL TWO-PAGE COLOR ILLUSTRATION BY GLENN CHADBOURNE
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: George Orwell. Nineteen Eighty-Four. London: Secker & Warburg, 1949. FIRST EDITION, IN THE ORIGINAL DUST JACKET.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: H. G. Wells. The Time Machine: An Invention. London: William Heinemann, 1895 [but 1897]. With a SIGNED PHOTOGRAPHIC POSTCARD laid in.
Old World Auctions (Oct. 10): Lot 1. Rare First Edition of Oronce Fine Double-Cordiform World Map (1531) Est. $50,000 - $60,000
Old World Auctions (Oct. 10): Lot 2. French Edition of "Rudimentum Novitiorum" with Woodcut Maps of the World and Palestine (1543) Est. $27,500 - $35,000
Old World Auctions (Oct. 10): Lot 3. Complete Edition of Munster’s Cosmographia with over 100 Maps & Views (1560) Est. $32,500 - $40,000
Old World Auctions (Oct. 10): Lot 4. Purchas' Important Collection of Voyages with 88 Maps, Including John Smith Map of Virginia (1625-26) Est. $55,000 - $70,000
Old World Auctions (Oct. 10): Lot 5. Complete First Latin Edition of De Bry's "Grands Voyages," Parts I-IX (1590-1602) Est. $120,000 - $150,000
![<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> Samuel Johnson, Jr. <i>A School Dictionary…</i> New Haven, [Connecticut]: Edward O'Brien, [1798]. FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST DICTIONARY IN ENGLISH BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR, AN EXCEPTIONAL RARITY.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/144d303d-fb7b-4c8f-90f8-93d2ee5b5473.jpg "<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> Samuel Johnson, Jr. <i>A School Dictionary…</i> New Haven, [Connecticut]: Edward O'Brien, [1798]. FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST DICTIONARY IN ENGLISH BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR, AN EXCEPTIONAL RARITY.")
![<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> James Joyce. <i>Ulysses.</i> London: John Lane The Bodley Head, [1936]. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION, SIGNED BY JOYCE. Designated a “Presentation Copy” in ink beneath Joyce’s signature.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/b96c89fb-e0c1-4ce9-99c1-c97b003d38bd.jpg "<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> James Joyce. <i>Ulysses.</i> London: John Lane The Bodley Head, [1936]. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION, SIGNED BY JOYCE. Designated a “Presentation Copy” in ink beneath Joyce’s signature.")
![<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> [Photoplay]. Delos W. Lovelace. <i>King Kong.</i> New York: Grosset & Dunlap, [1932]. FIRST EDITION of "a most sought after title" (Davis).](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/030395f1-e26d-4ae6-b120-43d881c17632.jpg "<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> [Photoplay]. Delos W. Lovelace. <i>King Kong.</i> New York: Grosset & Dunlap, [1932]. FIRST EDITION of \"a most sought after title\" (Davis).")
![<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> Ray Bradbury. <i>Fahrenheit 451.</i> New York: Simon & Schuster, [1993]. 40th Anniversary Edition. PRESENTATION COPY, INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR TO HUGH HEFNER.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/593de668-7304-4f7b-af33-0f408183249a.jpg "<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> Ray Bradbury. <i>Fahrenheit 451.</i> New York: Simon & Schuster, [1993]. 40th Anniversary Edition. PRESENTATION COPY, INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR TO HUGH HEFNER.")
![<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> Neil Gaiman. Original manuscript for the "Neverwhere" BBC television miniseries. [London: Crucial Films, LTD., 1995-1996]. TYPESCRIPT "NEVERWHERE" WITH NEIL GAIMAN'S NOTES AND AMENDATIONS THROUGHOUT.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/2f398c6b-072b-406e-ad66-55fff389034a.jpg "<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> Neil Gaiman. Original manuscript for the \"Neverwhere\" BBC television miniseries. [London: Crucial Films, LTD., 1995-1996]. TYPESCRIPT \"NEVERWHERE\" WITH NEIL GAIMAN'S NOTES AND AMENDATIONS THROUGHOUT.")
![<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> [DICTIONARY]. Noah Webster. <i>An American Dictionary of the English Language...</i> New York, 1828. FIRST EDITION OF WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY, UNCUT IN THE PUBLISHER'S ORIGINAL BOARDS](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/e3af12c5-4ae8-4f41-9567-382fc93f5eee.jpg "<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> [DICTIONARY]. Noah Webster. <i>An American Dictionary of the English Language...</i> New York, 1828. FIRST EDITION OF WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY, UNCUT IN THE PUBLISHER'S ORIGINAL BOARDS")
![<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> H. G. Wells. <i>The Time Machine: An Invention.</i> London: William Heinemann, 1895 [but 1897]. With a SIGNED PHOTOGRAPHIC POSTCARD laid in.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/1772ac84-200c-4c75-b633-5f918dbe2d54.jpg "<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> H. G. Wells. <i>The Time Machine: An Invention.</i> London: William Heinemann, 1895 [but 1897]. With a SIGNED PHOTOGRAPHIC POSTCARD laid in.")
