Rare Book Monthly

Articles - October - 2008 Issue

Hunkering Down

Even during the Great Depression, people were still reading.

Even during the Great Depression, people were still reading.


Consider the Utility of Having a Subchapter S Corp

As a bookseller and a publisher, we are set up using a Subchapter S Corporation. You will have to consult with your accountant to see if this will benefit you. I can tell you that from our perspective the tax advantages are very significant (in our favor).

Treat Your Existing Clients Well! Go for Repeat Sales

Anybody in sales will tell you that the cost of a new sale far outweighs that of a follow-up sale, which can be made by telephone or on a private secure site avoiding the commissions on the megasites. We treat our clients well; we always give them contact information, no matter the size of the sale, and we check in with our clients, from time to time, when other books are available in their area of interest.

Take Control of the Hidden Costs Like Currency Conversion

We have active currency conversion accounts which enable us to send and receive money in virtually any foreign currency. Unlike going to a bank, where you have to take whatever rate you get, we can decide when to launch the transaction for the best rates and we do not pay pesky foreign currency deposit or wire transfer costs, as we are always working within the country.

Diversify

Although we have strengths and specialize, we do not keep all of our holdings in one particular area. We are publishers as well as booksellers, and we're always looking for new projects.

Working Off the Grid

For the last thirty years we have been developing our property to make it increasingly "off the grid". We currently heat our buildings with passive solar, a modified glass-blowing furnace, as well as conventional gas/hot water. We're planning active solar, and as soon as zoning permits, a windmill. We long ago super-insulated the buildings and put triple-glazed insulated windows in them. We've changed all our light bulbs and our appliances are pretty much all Energy Star.

I think we're all going to go for an economic ride, but as far as I can tell nobody has given up on reading yet!

Renée Magriel Roberts can be reached at renee@roses-books.com, planning her garden for next year.

Rare Book Monthly

  • High Bids Win
    Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines
    and Machine Manuals
    December 24 to January 9
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Ellis Smith Prints unsigned. 20” by 16”.
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: United typothetae of America presidents. Pictures of 37 UTA presidents 46th annual convention United typothetae of America Cincinnati 1932.
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec signed Paper Impressionism Art Prints. MayMilton 9 1/2” by 13” Reine de Joie 9 1/2” by 13”.
    High Bids Win
    Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines
    and Machine Manuals
    December 24 to January 9
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Aberle’ Ballet editions. 108th triumph, American season spring and summer 1944.
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Puss ‘n Boots. 1994 Charles Perrult All four are signed by Andreas Deja
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Specimen book of type faces. Job composition department, Philadelphia gazette publishing company .
    High Bids Win
    Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines
    and Machine Manuals
    December 24 to January 9
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: An exhibit of printed books, Bridwell library.
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur Court By Mark Twain 1889.
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: 1963 Philadelphia Eagles official program.
    High Bids Win
    Rare Books, Catalogs, Magazines
    and Machine Manuals
    December 24 to January 9
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: 8 - Esquire the magazine for men 1954.
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: The American printer, July 1910.
    High Bids Win, Dec. 24 – Jan. 9: Leaves of grass 1855 by Walt Whitman.
  • Sotheby's
    Fine Books, Manuscripts & More
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s: William Shakespeare.
    The Poems and Sonnets of William Shakespeare, 1960. 7,210 USD
    Sotheby’s: Charles Dickens.
    A Christmas Carol, First Edition, 1843. 17,500 USD
    Sotheby’s: William Golding.
    Lord of the Flies, First Edition, 1954. 5,400 USD
    Sotheby's
    Fine Books, Manuscripts & More
    Available for Immediate Purchase
    Sotheby’s: Lewis Carroll.
    Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, Inscribed First Edition, 1872. 25,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: J.R.R. Tolkien.
    The Hobbit, First Edition, 1937. 12,000 USD
    Sotheby’s: John Milton.
    Paradise Lost, 1759. 5,400 USD

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