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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.
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