Bibliophily: The Fanlisting for Book Collecting

Book Hunting Tips

Hunting in charity shops

Charity second-hand shops ('thrift' shops in the USA) sell goods thrown out by local people, usually priced according to a standard scale. The quality of goods reflects the local area: shops in wealthy areas are more likely to have quality books than shops in run-down areas (though they may also charge more).

The first advantage of hunting in charity shops is the typically low price. The second is that the dealers at both ends are unlikely to 'know what they have'. Private persons, who are not booksellers or collectors, will unknowingly give away valuable editions alongside worthless ones; and in most cases the staff responsible for pricing merchandise are not knowledgeable about collectable editions either, so that they might, for instance, price all hardbacks on a fixed scale whether they are book club editions or firsts. (There are exceptions, e.g. the Oxfam Bookshops where collectable editions are identified and priced accordingly – though these are not infallible.)

A disadvantage of charity shop hunting is that books not recognized as valuable objects may not be treated as valuable objects. I used to frequent one shop where the staff wrote the prices on the books' flyleaves in ballpoint, and another where the prices were written in pencil but the staff were instructed to cross them out after sale – in ink!

When entering the shop, advance to the book rack and scan it to get a sense of what is there. Sometimes you may see nothing but a wall of book club editions, Reader's Digest Condensed Books and cheap paperbacks; at other times, it may look more interesting. Even if the prospect is uninspiring, take the time to run an eye along the rows, as there may be one treasure amongst the trash.

The hardbacks will be your primary interest, but don't neglect some items in softer covers:

  1. Paperbacks. There are collectable paperbacks; not all softcover books are cheap reprints of more valuable hardbacks. The conventions of pulp fiction mean that some well-known sci-fi, horror and fantasy novels were first published in paperback (e.g. Stephen King's 'Richard Bachman' stories).
  2. Chapbooks; that is, books in pamphlet format. Chapbooks are usually a little taller and wider than paperbacks, and have stiff paper or card covers, sometimes with flaps like the more usual dustwrapper (called 'self wrappers'). The format is a favoured one for first poetry collections, stand-alone lectures or essays etc. Chapbooks by recognized authors can be highly collectable. Their physical fragility enhances the value of well-preserved copies, but the seemingly insubstantial format also encourages shops to price them down.
  3. Proofs. Proof copies are softcover dummy printings of books, used to check for typos or sent out to reviewers. The proof status should be clearly marked. Some collectors specialize in proofs, and they are also of interest to completists looking to collect every edition of an author. Their value might be enhanced by publisher's letters or notes inserted into the book.

Now considering the hardbacks. There are several types of book common in charity shops that should be ruled out. When you first begin book-hunting, there's a tendency to pounce on anything that looks elegant or that looks old (particularly if it's in leather), but as experience grows, discrimination does also. The easy traps can be learned and avoided.

  1. Book club editions. Charity shops are full of them, and as they're hardback editions with dustwrappers, tend to be in newish condition, and tend to be by recognized authors, they can tempt only to disappoint. Book club editions have no value as collectables. They're intended to be inexpensive reading copies, and that's precisely what they are.
    Most book club editions are easy to spot, with a little practice. Their format tends to be smaller than that of trade hardbacks. At the lower end of the jacket spine, where the publisher's device would normally be printed, club editions generally print the name of the club (the most common in Britain are BCA or Guild), or nothing at all. If the publisher's device is printed on the jacket spine, but because of the small format or other reasons you still suspect that the book may be a club edition, check the spine of the book itself to see whether the device is also printed there; and for confirmation always look at the publication details inside, because club printing should be stated somewhere.
  2. Pseudo-antiquarian editions. Sometimes books are reprinted by publishers that specialize in producing attractive-looking but relatively inexpensive copies; often these books are bound in leatherette, and are sometimes euphemistically called 'collector's editions' – though they are more of interest to fans than to serious collectors. (An example is the Heron Books series of well-known novels.) Sometimes such editions may represent a more upmarket kind of book club.
    There's a line of discrimination to negotiate here, as some editions produced as fine copies for a group of subscribers can be highly collectable – e.g. those of the Limited Editions Club, which may appear in a small print run, uniquely bound, enhanced with new artwork and/or signed. The more common Folio Society editions fall somewhere in between. In the end, it comes down to the quality and rarity.
  3. Antiquarian reprints. Nineteenth and early-twentieth century books stand out among charity shop stock, but unless you're buying and selling books-as-furniture, don't be tempted by a book simply because it's old. There are plenty of old cheap reprints and pocket editions, most of them of little value unless they're very early reprints of a book extremely rare in its first edition. Watch out for undated copies from publishers like Frederick Warne, which can look very attractive but are simply popular reissues. They do make nice reading copies, however!

The books that will be of chief interest as potential valuables are first editions of works by recognized authors. For guidelines on judging whether a book is a first edition, see the companion article Spotting a First Edition. An author's earlier works tend to be more collectable than later ones, since a) time takes its toll on the copies, making well-kept examples more valuable, and b) works issued when the author was less established tend to have smaller print runs, and therefore be more rare. A first edition of an author's first book is the kind of treasure that makes tramping from shop to shop worthwhile. And they do turn up.

Ideally, a hardback book will still have its dustwrapper. Some older and/or deluxe editions were issued without dustwrappers, but a book in the modern-style cheap binding whereby all decoration is reserved for the dustwrapper is unlikely to be either collectable or attractive without one. Dustwrappers make a great difference to the value of a book. A book must also be in well-preserved condition to be of interest to a collector; some blemishes are acceptable, but a book in a battered state is normally not worth your investment.

Examine the book carefully, and be fussy. Some characteristics that may lower its value are:

And its value may be enhanced by:

Hunting on eBay

The auction site eBay can be a great book hunting resource, although it has its pitfalls. Buyers on eBay bid against other buyers, setting the maximum price they are prepared to pay for an item and hoping that no one else sets a higher one. Those selling the items are sometimes professional dealers, sometimes private individuals getting rid of their unwanted possessions. Playing the eBay market with a bit of luck and judgement can net some unusual items at reasonable prices.

One advantage of eBay is that it created the money transferring service PayPal, making payments to international sellers unusually safe and easy. So keep an eye on listings outside your country as well as those within it. eBay also offers a 'favourite search' service whereby you can sign up to be emailed when items matching your criteria go on sale.

The first caution to bear in mind is that the bidder – you, that is – sets their own price. So know in advance how much an item is worth. Some research on a site like The Advanced Book Exchange will indicate how much you would pay for the item from a normal dealer; take that figure and set your bid price lower, because, of course, you want a bargain. If the item is unique (e.g. an association copy), make an estimate from similar items.

Shopping online, you of course cannot examine a book at first hand, so study the description provided with great care. If the description is vague, with little publication information and no photographs, it may be best to steer clear. Some private sellers on eBay fail to describe books in the terms to which collectors are accustomed. E.g. they may fail to state whether a book is a first edition (particularly if it's being advertised for the interest of its content), or they may use the term 'first edition' when they actually mean 'first printing'. (I get tired of Penguin's vintage paperbacks being advertised as 'first editions'!) Private sellers may also use phrases like 'very good condition' in a casual way, confusing a collector who thinks of Very Good as being a bookseller's grade. Remember that eBay isn't a professional market, and make sure you properly understand what you're getting before you bid.

Happy hunting!