Flo Silver February 01, 2007

Hi Bruce,

The "live" interviews are a wonderful new feature for AE. You are "on top" of the pulse in the out of print book business whether by catalogue, auction, book fairs, and/or internet. We all appreciate the most up to date information on the current trends in this business.


Flo Silver

Flo Silver Books

Ed Hoffman February 01, 2007

Hi Bruce,

The video interviews are terrific! I've already watched every
minute. Kudos to all involved, including the booksellers - very
entertaining, informative, and fun!


Hope to see you at the fair!


Best,

Ed Hoffman

Eric February 01, 2007

Your piece wondered about music in silent film (item 26) Silent films were never 'silent'; they always had music, back then played live.

ciao

Eric

Editor's Note: This comment relates to the February 2007 review of James Pepper's catalogue. Click here.

Michael Smith February 01, 2007

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the interviews.

From a collector's viewpoint I found it really interesting.

Thanks

Michael Smith

Editor's Note: This comment relates to the interview (including video clips on page 3) "Where is the New Book Collector" in the February 2007 issue of AE Monthly. Click here.

Elinor Eisemann January 05, 2007

I have been using your free services and appreciate the AE Monthly articles. I read every one. I also especially appreciate the convenience of the upcoming auctions calendar. I just signed up for XE.com on the basis of your recent article. I had been looking for such a foreign exchange aid. I thought that perhaps it was time for me to subscribe...but I really don't need all the resources the expensive subscriptions offer, since I am only a small private collector.. . So I am sending you my gratitude for the information you are sending me, and please let me know if you ever have a sort of "associate" membership.

Thanks.

Elinor Eisemann

Abigale December 06, 2006

I have just received a book for christmas. The problem is, it is very old and I am afraid of it falling apart. I really do not know were to look up such a treasure. Could you give me some info?
Graded Classics Series: Poems and Tales, Poe. Published in 1911. B.F. Johnson Publishing Co. Richmond Virginia.
Any information would greatly be received.

Abigale

Editor's Response

If your are looking for value, we suggest going to www.abebooks.com and using their Advanced Search to try to find other copies of your book. Abe has the largest number of copies of old books being offered for sale, so there is a good chance your book may be offered by someone. This does not mean that their price is an accurate reflection of value (frequently the asking price is too high), but it may provide a ballpark estimate. In the case of your book, we could not find a match. However, we would not expect a high value for it. First of all, this is a much later printing of some Poe works, evidently meant for school children. Such books rarely are of significant value. B.F. Johnson was evidently an early 20th century southern publisher, and some of their southern history works are of interest and some value. The school books seem less so. There are a number of other of their "graded classics" offered, and generally they bring from a couple of dollars for those in mediocre shape, to low double digits for those in good shape.

Andrew Halldorson December 03, 2006

AE article on eBay signatures auction prices

I'm a subscriber who enjoys the newsletter quite a bit, and I usually find it very helpful.

Was surprised and disappointed though at the article by Burnham on eBay signatures. I thought it very poorly done -- leaving only a few sentences of warning about fakes. eBay is clearly flooded with both fake signatures and fake COA's to go with them. There should be a great deal of warning -- this article, I think, rather encouraged the sheep to gladly go to the wolves. Not enough is being said anywhere about the rampant dishonestly on eBay, and I think a professional outfit like AE cannot simply touch on eBay lightly like this without dealing with this issue.

There is a great difference between the remaining outlets with professional standards and the "buyer beware" sites -- and AE should clearly stand with the former.

Andrew Halldorson

Sleepy Hollow Bookshops

Editor's Note

We appreciate the heads up on the fraud issues pointed out in this letter and the one which follows. There are some wonderful opportunities on eBay, but it is very much a "buyer beware" forum, and this issue should have been pointed out, including that of phony signatures, COAs, and just about anything else. There are definite advantages to buying from reputable auction houses and dealers, and this security is what one can lose when tracking down deals on eBay.

Heidi Congalton December 02, 2006

re: "Top Values of Signed Books on eBay"

I have a problem with a bookseller advising, "Try to make sure that the signature is authentic, that it has a certificate of authority (COA)..."



We all know they are worth only the paper they are printed on, and I'm surprised that the Americana Exchange published such a statement.

Heidi Congalton

Lee Kirk November 02, 2006

One comment I have made to a number of show promoters: Take the
"Antiquarian" out of the show title. Many people who would be otherwise
curious about a book fair or even beginning collectors, are utterly
intimidated by the high-falutin' sound of "Antiquarian." Nor does the term
truly represent the largest percentage of the stock at shows.

It's up to promoters to make their shows as widely-appealing as
possible....to one and all. I'm not suggesting free balloons and popcorn,
but there is plenty of opportunity to make them more attractive, as well as
to offer educational programs and displays.

Certainly the rising interest in ephemera of all sorts presents one
opportunity to expand the context of the traditional "book fair" in creating
a draw.

Good talking with whomever that was at the entrance to the Seattle show a
few weeks ago. Nice report, too!

Regards,

Lee Kirk

The Prints & The Paper

Response:

Lee,


Thank you for the comment. My wife Jenny and I made the trip to
Seattle to speak with folks about their show experience and I'm glad
we had the chance to meet.

Bruce McKinney

Ian Belchin November 01, 2006

Hello,

Thank you for the AE monthly.

I take exception with Michael Stillman's classification of ABE as
"the largest old and used books listing site". It is no longer in the
main "old and used".

With the inclusion of relisters, print on demand, new books, mass
marketers of remainder stock, they are clearly not targeted at "old
and used". The latest inclusion of a quantity field verifies that and
it will be interesting to see how this is used by some of the bulk
listers.

By their own admission the formal antiquarian bookdealer (as opposed
to home, basement, & charity sellers) who after all is the purveyor
of the "old and used" is no longer their target and this section of
the industry provides a diminishing selection of books on this site.
100 million listings is a lot of listings, but 100 million books?
Pure marketing hype, they are a long way from that.

Regards


Ian Balchin

Fables Bookshop

Brant Mittler November 01, 2006

Hi Bruce:

This is a great issue. I am really getting a lot out of the material.
Thank you for providing such informative content.

Brant Mittler

San Antonio, Texas

J & T Nie November 01, 2006

Dear Bruce,

We thank you for your newsletter. Joe has been selling books for over 50 years now through several book shops and mailing lists. Thirty years ago we used an inky, messy mimeograph machine and a typewriter to get our book lists into the mail.

Times have certainly changed....a lot.

Keep 'em coming,

J & T Nie

Deborah Hensel October 21, 2006

I am looking for a forum to sell some antique books. Could you please direct me to an appropriate venue?


Thank you.

D. Hensel

Editor's Response:

The first question is whether these are valuable old books or ordinary ones. This will determine the appropriate course. If you do not know, I would first go to the Advanced Search screen at www.abebooks.com, enter title, author, date and publisher, to see whether other copies of what you have are being offered, and if so, for what prices. The asking prices on Abe are likely higher than you can expect to get, but at least it will give you a ballpark whether what you have is valuable or common. If you don't find your books even offered on Abe, then they may be relatively rare, and perhaps (though not necessarily) valuable. At this point, you might want to purchase a short-term Visitor's membership to this site and search the AE Bibliographic Database, as this may find records on pricier books than are found on Abe. Once you have an idea what your titles are worth, you will not only have a better idea of where to sell, but just as importantly, how much to sell for.

Among the selling sites for books are Abebooks, Alibris, Choosebooks, and the "Books for Sale" on this site. All have their strengths, but the charges and technical requirements make selling on these sites more appropriate for a bookseller, rather than an individual. However, if you have a large quantity of reasonably valuable books, you may want to consider becoming one, even if only temporarily. I believe amateurs can still offer books for sale via Amazon without incurring a charge unless they sell, but Amazon is more a marketplace for used and not so valuable antique books rather than valuable old ones. Of course, there is always eBay. Don't shrug this one off. It can be good for middle range old books, perhaps valued in the $50-$100 range. Sometimes you will get a good price, other times you won't, but this is your best shot at selling them and selling them quickly.

If you discover that what you have is of reasonable value, you may want to contact an auction house or a bookseller. Major auction houses can be found under the link to "auction houses" on the sidebar. The largest houses like Sotheby's and Christie's will probably only be interested if your average book is worth in the thousands, but others will go for books in the $100+ range, some even $50. They may get good value for you on some books, not on others, but they should be able to move a lot of inventory quickly. If your books are of lower value, perhaps a local auction house will be interested.

If your books are of some value, you may also find an interested bookseller. They may be willing to come in and buy the whole lot. If a higher value, you may want to look for someone who specializes in the type you have, even if far away. Otherwise, a local seller is more appropriate. Be sure you get a handle on value first, as some booksellers will be honest in their valuations, while others will lowball you hoping you don't notice the difference.

Phil Salway October 20, 2006

Dear Sir,



On your site you state Southerans of London as being the oldest book shop in the world (1761).



I thought you might like to know that there are a few older bookshops in The UK,
the oldest in the world being Cambridge University Press Bookshop (1581).



Regards



Phil Salway

Institute of Biotechnology

University of Cambridge

. October 12, 2006

Dear aemonthly,

Thank you for the interesting article about the Betjeman hoax. For me, however, this was slightly spoilt by four mistakes:

1. There is no such word as "shined". The part participle of "shine" is, of course, "shone".

2. The writer says that Sir John Betjeman is "not exactly a household name". This may be the case in America, and clearly the writer had never heard of him before learning about the hoax, but the fact remains that Sir John is without any doubt the most famous and best loved English poet in history. Ask 100 English (not Scottish) people to name one English poet and probably 98 of them will say Betjeman, even if they can't spell it. (The Scots would go for Burns, of course).

3. "Hoaxter" might be an American word, I'm not sure, but over here the word is "hoaxer".

4. "The universe contains about one person" is not a very acurate statement unless we are talking about some very deep philosophy indeed. I think the word "such" has been accidentally omitted.

Kind regards,

Jonathan Cocking

London

Writer's response

You will have to forgive us Americans for not being very adept at speaking United Kingdomish. In a land where we count George W. Bush among the "best and the brightest," just four errors in an article should be looked upon as a step forward.

Bret Eborn October 11, 2006

I just read your article on the stolen Mormon books from DUP and our subsequent involvment. I just thought I'd point out that your story had a couple of things wrong.

1. The books were not worth 1 million dollars; they were poor quality Mormon books and were probably worth little more than $200,000. The more the story progressed the more the press and the police added to their value.

2. The two books offered to Eborn Books were not two first editions. One was a 1858 New York edition worth about $2,000. We offered $1,000 for that one. The other book was indeed a first edition, but it a) had no title page; b) had about 30 missing pages; c) did not have the original binding; and d) was in horrible condition. (DUP didn't even know it was a first edition; they had it listed as an "unknown edition missing title page." At best it was worth $20,000 and we offered $10,000 for it. [We usually pay half of what we're going to sell things for.]

Not that it really matters now; but the press and misinformation sure exaggerated the story and left out details. For example, it wasn't Lindsay who sold us the books; it was a woman. Anyway.........just thought I'd give you a few more accurate details.

Bret Eborn / Eborn Books 10-10-6

Christian Dupont August 25, 2006

re: Munselliana

Dear Mr. McKinney,



I'm at last catching up on my reading this evening, and am enjoying your August issue of AE monthly (as I enjoy all of your issues).



I was particularly anxious to read about your travels through upstate New York, having been born there and having spent the last three years in Syracuse. I was therefore particularly gratified to find mention of Joel Munsell and your interest in his imprints. Perhaps you are not aware that Syracuse University Library has, to my knowledge, the largest and most complete collection of Munselliana, formed largely by collector Henry Bannister. The collection is mostly, if not entirely cataloged, so I would encourage you to browse the Syracuse University Library online catalog. Nearby Hamilton College also has an excellent collection of Munsell imprints. Although not quite so complete as the collection at Syracuse, there are variants at Hamilton that are not found in the Syracuse collection. At Syracuse, the most knowledgeable person about the Munsell and Bannister is curator William La Moy.



Now back to my reading, and your next article.



Christian Dupont

Director, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library

University of Virginia

Dorothy Sloan August 24, 2006

re: Texas Missing Documents


Dear Bruce and Michael:

I was glad to see on Americana Exchange Michael Stillman's article about the missing Texas documents, even if I do not agree with some of the statements.

I think it would have been a great service to everyone to post the link to the Texas Missing List, making it possible for collectors, dealers, auction houses, appraisers, and institutional buyers to know what is missing.

Here is the link: http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/arc/missingintro.html

I have worked with the State and Texana quite a bit, and I can tell you that the State of Texas is incredibly conservative and even-handed in its claims. If you want to see other cases of replevin of documents gone missing long ago, check out the current case in South Carolina. That makes Texas look exceedingly mild.

The best intelligence on the Texas Missing List is in the State's internet inventory and statement.

Dorothy Sloan

www.dsloan.com

SANJAY SRIVASTAVAS August 23, 2006

Sir,

I have two books in manuscript of the late great indian poets, writers, and writups with their Sketch and painting since 1941.
Can You suggest me the best auction prise will be and how can i realise its value.

Thanks
Sanjay Srivastava

Paul W. Romaine August 01, 2006

re: "Texas Sues Private Owner"

Dear Bruce,

I always read each AE monthly avidly, but I did have a concern with Michael
Stillman's piece on Texas. In no place did the word "replevin" appear, and
the case clearly derives from the principle of replevin. I was bit surprised
not to see the word mentioned. Would you please direct Michael to the
Manuscript Society (which has a "Replevin fund"), on the question (Oak
Knoll has just started distributing their titles). A number of state
archivists have started pursuing replevin vigorously since the 1990s, and it
looks like Texas has joined that number. It's a hot button issue with
archivists.

You might also consider having an interview with Rich Oram of UT's Harry
Ransom Center (he's also current chair of the RBMS Committee on Theft), to
talk about the HRC's attempt to retrieve books stolen by a volunteer, and
you might use his comments and HRC's strategy to contrast with how
archivists have used replevin. HRC has a "compensation fund" which, while
it seems to be used to "buy" back books, is being used to compensate
innocent buyers, and seems to make people more amenable to returning books.
I was quite skeptical of the idea, but personal experience has changed my
perspective.

I can't recall if replevin was used in repatriating the North Carolina Bill
of Rights which were liberated from that state by a Yankee soldier.

All best,

Paul

Paul W. Romaine

Michael Stillman's Response

Thank you for the heads up on replevin and the Manuscript Society's involvement. The legal doctrine of replevin does not appear to be used in this case for two reasons, though the underlying principle is involved. To the best of my recollection, "replevin" is one of those old common law concepts that applies to the return of goods inappropriately converted, or taken. The reasons why it does not appear to be used here are:

(1). Texas has a specific statute which enables governmental entities to take back old public records. There is no reason to employ older, less certain common law rules when you have a clear statute that allows you to act.

(2). The replevin rules are based on an improper taking of the material. From what I can see, no one has made the claim of improper taking in the Texas case, and if that is what they believe, it does not mean the state can prove it. The Texas statute makes it easier to retrieve the goods as it does not require proving the material was inappropriately taken, which could be difficult here. Most likely it was, but it is also possible they sold the material or simply tossed it away.

Of course this is a special circumstance, these being public documents and Texas having a specific law dealing with the issue. The greater overall issue is more difficult. Certainly the monitoring of sites like eBay for stolen material is an important issue, and the fact of wrongful taking much easier to establish on material that recently disappeared. Material that disappeared long ago is harder to establish rights and wrongs. There must have been tons of old government records thrown away as junk two centuries ago which today would be valuable. Should the government have a right to seize, without compensation, things legally obtained long ago because it is now valuable? I have books sold off by libraries that lack deaccession stamps, though I know they were legally obtained (I bought them myself years ago). How could I prove now I bought the books rather than stole them? Should libraries be able to go back and seize the books they sold off a century ago because today they are valuable? Will I have to return arrowheads thousands of years old since perhaps they were stolen from some ancient Indian leaders? This whole issue is an enormous can of worms, and hard to figure out how to settle fairly. However, the creation of a fund to recompense innocent owners of such material is, at least, helpful.

Peter Koelndorfer August 01, 2006

re: "Truth in Pricing"

I read the article about real prices. It's very interesting. For us trying to sell from Australia its even more frustrating. With the average cost of a novel of $10.00 australian and the shipping of a book over 1 kg. to the USA being $ 28.00 by air, often I get an inquiry for an oversea sale that fails on the cost of shipping. When I send a set of books to the USA weighing just over 5 kg, the books cost 65.00 the postage 112.00. and now the Australian post is stopping the economy air from the beginning of September. Apparently this is a world wide trend to remove the most cost effective transport.

Yours

Peter Koelndorfer

for Medlow Bath Books

Chris Baron August 01, 2006

re: Upstate New York Perspective

Hi Bruce,

You are not wrong! I have around 700 books on-line. My stock here is 12,000

Regards

Chris Baron

George Ritzlin July 23, 2006

Dear Mr. McKinney,

Congratulations on your fine editorial re admitted map thief E. Forbes Smiley III. You made a number of excellent points ("first-time caught").

I hope you will also write to the judges involved in sentencing Mr. Smiley. I have heard that Smiley's college friends (who never knew how he conducted his business) will undertake a letter writing campaign on his behalf.

The more the judges hear from those who see the damage he has caused, the better the chance that he will get an appropriate sentence.

Thanks for listening.

Sincerely,

George Ritzlin

George Ritzlin Antique Maps & Prints

1937 Central Street

Evanston, IL 60201

847-328-1966

maps@ritzlin.com

Member ABAA, ILAB

Helen R. Kahn July 13, 2006

RE: "Phishing"

If a questionable request is received, Microsoft Outlook provides a way of verifying it. Open the message, go to "View", click on "Options", and voila- you will have all the internet headings!

Best-

Helen

Carl Sandler July 03, 2006

re: Editorial about map thief

Dear Bruce,

Bravo on your recent article. It really is quite perfect and it made me feel happy to support your site!

Best,

Carl Sandler