The ABAA: What Works - Data, Knowledge, Charm & New Blood
- by Susan Halas
ABAA President Stuart Bennett.
By Susan Netzorg Halas
All other things being equal, it takes data, knowledge, and charm, not necessarily in that order, to make it in the ABAA. It also doesn't hurt to have deep pockets.
The Data Model
A good example of the data model is Joachim Koch of Books Tell You Why based in South Carolina. Koch is a German trained engineer who had an extensive corporate tech career before joining the ranks of book dealers. While Koch stresses that his is a family business, a team effort, he also stresses that there is no substitute for numbers.
Even a brief conversation makes it clear that his style of bookselling is organized, systemized and the company makes decisions based on an impressive array of factual information. Want to talk click-through ratios and pay-for-placement? Interested in what's hot and what's not? Want all the data all the time? This is your guy.
Koch knows his customers: He knows who bought, what they bought. He knows how they found him, what they spent, if they buy frequently or occasionally. Having a plentiful amount of information is only the first step. He's willing to pay for the tools and techniques he thinks will drive traffic to his site and he wants those numbers to be BIG.
Books Tell You Why Had a good year in 2009 and they're expecting a better 2010. Though not for publication it's all sliced, diced, analyzed and driven by data; books are only the top layer. www.bookstellyouwhy.com
The Knowledge Guy
Another way to get ahead in high-end bookselling is to know more, a lot more, than other people and have a sterling reputation. It is helpful to have an opinion that collectors and libraries can take to the bank or feds as needed and to have the credentials to back up the reputation.
Vic Zoschak of Tavistock Books in Alameda www.tavbooks.com fits that profile. This is a go-to guy when you want to get serious and take it to the next level.
Zoschak has an MBA in Finance from NYU. After a career in the Coast Guard he segued from a highly respected Dickens collector to an equally respected ABAA book dealer. It is his knowledge and willingness to share his knowledge that sets him apart from his contemporaries.
He is always helpful, well informed. Though all the ABAA dealers who spoke with AE knew their stuff, Zoschak seemed to truly understand that God is in the details. He is qualified for and frequently does appraisals for IRS purposes. He asks and gets hefty fees for these services. For a more modest sum you send the book to him and get back his thoughts on its value.
Zoschak is a supporter of the University of Virginia Book School where students, some of whom are would-be ABAA members, can learn the bibliographic niceties and are introduced to the work of special collections.
He's serious about the importance of bringing along the next generation of dealers and he also stresses the importance encouraging college students to take a serious interest in collecting.
Zoschak is widely appreciated as a person who is willing to mentor younger dealers who want to join the ABAA. Several who spoke with AE credit him with at least part of their success in the trade.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
Heritage Auctions Rare Books Signature Auction December 15, 2025
Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
