Collectible antiquarian books can be a sound investment.  Please explore some of our information links to discover the best antique books and maps to collect, if your desire is to see appreciation in their value.

Following are some of the reference books you will find useful and interesting:

CARTER, John. ABC for Book Collectors. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980.

THOMAS, Alan G. Great Books and Book Collectors. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, (1975).

PORTER, Catherine. Miller’s Collecting Books. London: Mitchell Beazley, 1998.

BASBANES, Nicholas A. A Gentle Madness. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1996.

REES-MOGG, William. How to Buy Rare Books. Oxford: Phaidon-Christie’s, (1988).

To help you decide on what books to collect, we recommend these books as sources to stoke your enthusiasm:

CARTER, John and MUIR, Percy, editors. Printing and the Mind of Man. Munich: Karl Pressler, 1983.

OLMERT, Michael. The Smithsonian Book of Books. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books, 1992

KENT, Henry W. Bibliographical Notes on One Hundred Books Famous in English Literature. New York: Kraus Reprint Corporation, 1967.

SEYMOUR-SMITH, Martin. The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written. Secaucus, NJ: Citadel Press, (1998).

CONNOLLY, Cyril. The Modern Movement. New York: Atheneum, 1996.

of rebellion alight, books which aspire to be works of art.”

Common Americana References:

SABIN, Joseph. A Dictionary of Books relating to America, from its Discovery to the Present Time.

HOWES, Wright. U.S.Iana. (1650-1950).

STREETER, Thomas Winthrop. The Celebrated Collection of Americana Formed by the Late Thomas Winthrop Streeter.

FIELD, Thomas W. An Essay Towards an Indian Bibliography.

English Literature References:

ALLIBONE, S. Austin. A Critical Dictionary of English Literature and British and American Authors Living and Deceased From the Earliest Accounts to the Latter Half of the Nineteenth Century.

POLLARD, A. W. and REDGRAVE, G. R. A Short-title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, and Ireland and of English Books Printed Abroad 1475-1640.              

WING, Donald. Short-title Catalogue of Books Printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and British America and of English books Printed in Other Countries 1641-1700.

LOWNDES, William Thomas. The Bibliographer’s Manual of English Literature.

BATESON, F. W. The Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature.

American Literature References:

BRUCCOLI, Matthew J. and CLARK, C. E. Frazer, Jr. First Printings of American Authors. 1977.

DARLOW, T. H. and MOULE, H. F. Historical Catalogue of the Printed Editions of Holy Scripture in the Library of the British and Foreign Bible Society.

COX, Edward Godfrey. A Reference Guide to the Literature of Travel.  

ABBEY, J. R. Travel in Aquatint and Lithography 1170-1860 from the Library of J. R. Abbey.

References by Abbreviation

It is common to refer to popular bibliographical works by their initials. Here are some abbreviations you’ll find frequent references to when searching for antiquarian and collectible books.

BAL Bibliography of American Literature. First published in 1955, and focusing more on literature than on the historical material in Sabin or Evans.

BMC British Museum Catalogue.

CBEL Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (see above).

DAB Dictionary of American Biography.

DNB Dictionary of National Bibliography. The title refers to the United Kingdom.
DSB Dictionary of Scientific Biography.

NUC National Union Catalogue, listing the holdings of a large group of research libraries.

PMM Printing and the Mind of Man (see above).

Links:

The Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division traces its beginnings to Thomas Jefferson's wish to create a library for statesmen and for the people of the new nation.

The lives of bibliophiles would not be complete without the carefully crafted review of a critic: Visit the websites of the The New York Times Sunday Book Review or the London Review of Books.

The Rosenbach Museum & Library was the home of two brothers, Dr. A.S.W. and Philip Rosenbach. A.S.W. Rosenbach was a legendary dealer and collector of rare books and manuscripts, while Philip's expertise encompassed the fine and decorative arts. Founded in 1954 to preserve the two brothers' personal collections and company archive, the Rosenbach's holdings have continued to grow. The Rosenbach is a major cultural destination--a research center that is home to one of the nation's great collections of rare books and manuscripts.