Rare Books & Special Collections
Introduction to Book Collecting
- For the UT Law Alumni Reunion...
- April 22, 2006, 10:00am, in the Gwyn Anderson Staff Lounge, 2nd Floor, Tarlton Law
Library (Room 2.208).
Presented by Mike Widener, Head of Special
Collections, and William Fisher, UT Law Class of 2000.
Readings on Book Collecting
- Fine Books & Collections magazine is sponsoring the Collegiate
Book-Collecting Championship, and the 2007 competition will be open
to all college students. The "Judging Criteria" in the contest
rules is a succinct summary of book collecting, and their
article on student book collecting contests shows that imagination
and dedication, not money, are the key ingredients for building
interesting book collections.
- "Listen to the Book", a summary of
Mike Widener's 2004 talk on book collecting, appeared in the Winter 2005
issue of UT Law.
- The "Collectors' Corner" of the ABAA
website has a wealth of resources on book collecting. See especially the
"Introduction to Book Collecting" essay and two articles in the "Member
Publications" section: "Antiquarian Book Collecting in Southern
California" by Gordon Hollis and "Books at the LImit" by Carol Grossman.
- Essays by William Reese, the
most prominent dealer in Americana today, discuss scarcity in today's
market ("The Rare Book Market Today"), and the changing relationships
between collectors, institutions, and dealers ("Talk at the Library of
Congress"). Highly recommended.
- Bennett Gilbert's "Features
and Essays" section includes "Twenty-five Propositions on Book
Collecting" and two essays on the symbolic, quasi-religious aspects of
early books and book collecting.
- AE Monthly is the
free online newsletter of Americana Exchange, "a web-based resource for
those who deal in, deal with and/or collect books." The well-written
articles include excellent coverage of the online marketplace in rare
books (including e-Bay), profiles of collectors & booksellers, book
auctions, reviews of dealer catalogues, and much more. Some articles
explain or promote Americana Exchange's fee-based services for
collectors & dealers.
- Book dealer Ken
Lopez has a number of articles, many dealing with his specialty of
modern first editions. I highly recommend "Some Thoughts on the Maturing
of the Rare Book Market at the Start of the 21st Century."
- "Your Old Books",
from the Rare Books & Manuscripts Section of the American Library
Association, is a well-organized guide that answers 23 common questions
from beginners about rare books.
Useful Reference Sources
Internet Databases for Rare & Used Books
- Advanced Book Exchange:
Registered users can create automated "wants" lists, and are notified by
e-mail of matching books.
- International League of
Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB): Offers an automated "wants"
notification to registered users.
- AddALL: Searches 21 online
databases of used and rare books in North America and Europe (including
ILAB and ABE), with the option of restricting searches to selected
databases; separate search screen for new books.
- BookFinder.com: Searches
44 online databases of new, used, and rare books in North America and
Europe, including ILAB and ABE.
- For a detailed comparison of all the book listing sites, see A Comprehensive
Guide to Book Listing Sites by Stuart Manley, in the Summer 2005
issue of the IOBA Standard newsletter.
Directories of Book Dealers
Book Auctions
Book Fairs
Rare Law Book Dealers
- Meyer Boswell Books, San
Francisco, CA
- Barry Cassidy Rare
Books, Sacramento, CA
- Mémoire du
Droit, Paris
- A. Gerits & Son, Amsterdam
- Libreria Gozzini, Florence
- Kloof Booksellers, Amsterdam
- Lawbook Exchange,
Clark, NJ
- David M. Lesser Books,
Woodbridge, CT
- Libreria Giuridica
Antiquaria Bonfanti Giuliano, Milan
- Librería
Jiménez, Madrid
- Philadelphia Rare Books &
Manuscripts Co.
- Robert H. Rubin Books,
Brookline, MA
- Studio Bibliografico
Apuleio, Trento, Italy
- Wildy & Sons Ltd., London
