… for a rabid book hoarder (such as myself) to get ahold of a book like this: Miller’s Collecting Books by Catherine Porter (book # 67 of 2009), which I found in a pile of bargain books at National Book Store.
I’d been reserving this for a nice leisurely read, and finally grabbed it off the TBR pile during the 24 hour read-a-thon, appointing it my last read for the event so that I wouldn’t be pressured to rush through it.
The book is a nice hardbound volume with thick, glossy pages and lots of colored photos. Published by Miller’s (an antiques price guide that has paved the way for the average person to start collections, or buy and sell with confidence), the book is an excellent guide to all the basic information you need to know about collecting books: the parts of a book, bindings, illustration techniques, printing processes, and finally more than a dozen chapters on what kinds of books you can collect.
The introduction sounds like a call from the mother ship:
“Book-collecting is often associated with academics or dark, musty shops; a secret, inaccessible world for the initiated only — and maybe this was once so. But today these are myths, and this guide seeks to dispel them. It is surprising how many people buy one or two books, slowly, without necessarily meaning to, begin to build up a collection and get hooked.“
I haven’t really particular about old first editions as some people are because my allergies are easily triggered by dust and other particle allergens (among many other things) but I realized the books I have today could be worth more in the future, and so I make a solemn promise to dust (achoo!) my shelves more frequently.
Plus, the book validates my irrational habit of upgrading paperbacks into hardcovers that my book club friends have dubbed as “doing a Blooey”:
“For some rare books it is possible that the only copy to be had will be in poor condition or imperfect, in which case this will be better than nothing. Generally, however, the rule is always to buy the best copy you can find, and upgrade if you find a better one.“
The book also explains why they don’t make books like they used to:
“With the increase of mechanization and the arrival of the iron presses used for printing newspapers as well as books, alongside a substantial increase in literacy and demand for affordable printing matter, the quality of most printing declined. Speed, quantity and cost became key factors. Cheaper paper made by machine and full of acid was used, and stereotyping came into use across Europe..”
And how the dust jacket came to be:
“The dust-jacket as protective covering became familiar in the early part of this century, and was initially plain, featuring only the title and author. Publishers soon began to commission artists to decorate these covers, making the books themselves commercially more attractive.”
The back of the book also showcases a useful glossary of book terms you can throw around so you can sound like those stuffy old gentlemen collecting books!
I got this book for aboutP300 (~$6) , more than I’d usually spend on an impulse buy, but it’s one of the best book purchases I’ve made this year :) Definitely worth every peso.
***
My copy: hardcover with dustjacket
My rating: 5/5 stars
