/lit/ - Literature

>>20128184
In that case, you should try asking at your local bookstore, maybe they can recommend a bookbinder that can help you. Sellers usually don't have the luxury of buying what they want. In most cases, we buy entire libraries at once and sort stuff later. It's normal to wait for 20 years to sell a book.
Regarding weird stuff, I have some books on theosophy and maybe a book or two that has been banned by the catholic church but that's it. Alchemy and occult stuff is rather rare since nobody in their right mind would dare publish this sort of thing some 200 years ago.

>>20128062
The market has been weird since 'rona started. I made decent earnings the first two years but now it's getting a bit stale. Auctions still do their jobs when it comes to more expensive books but the fees make me think twice before consigning. As for the rest, cheap things sell, expensive things sell but anything between 80-1000€ is sluggish. If you are considering opening a business, see some of my previous replies here.
I assume you are from Europe since you're writing prices in eur. I also have some paintings that I'd like to sell and I work with maps and prints. I left a temporary address that I've made here >>20127405 so you can send me an email if you'd like
>N-no homo.

Good find, here is a comparable copy with dj in better condition - https://www.biblio.com/book/north-bowen-elizabeth/d/1388534376 Unfortunately there is a large amount of fanatics that care only about the dustjacket and if it's not in perfect condition, the book is valued at 1/3 or less of the price.

>>20128097
>I have absolutely no regard for my body
Ah, a fellow /fit/izen I see.
Some black spots can be just foxing (chemical process happening naturally in paper, creating spots of various sizes and colors but mostly small black spots).
Try to physically clean the leaves with a cotton pad and a disinfecting solution. It won't destroy the spores it but it may stop it from getting worse.

>>20127931
Sorry Anon but unless you're willing to spend some $2/leaf for professional cleaning, I suggest you throw it away since it's contagious. Not to mention that most books printed in the 20c probably can't survive the process. Once books were sturdier so older books can take much more punishment. As >>20128005
has pointed out it's a health hazard and the fungi can spread from a book to another. The only method I know of involves detaching the textblock and sterilizing one signature/leaf at the time with UV light and a sterilizing solution (not alcohol).

>imb4 what is a signature?
Picrel

>>20127570
That's a good one. No, I also accept crypto on my website and I barter with other antiquary traders. For my weirdest magic trick I turned a of a box of books that I got for a roll of ~30 posters into 400g of silver (in coins). It really made me feel like I was in the middle ages.

Day 4 and the fair is over. This thread has been way more popular than I expected. Before it gets nuked, I've made an address where any of you can reach me in case you have any other questions or, God forbid, you'd like to buy a book. Here it is - bookshopguy@protonmail.com.

>>20126387
Georgian, I think. At first it looked like Coptic to me but it's not. It's a manuscript and I can't read Georgian. Sorry.
Picrel 15c Old Church Slavonic.

>>20126542
It is possible that a book looks like fresh out of the press even if it's 50. For older books it's usually easier unless there is no date. If there is no date then you must find some salsa referring to the date of print of the book or at least the decade.
That's symptomatic for French and English books. Always use the last date available, alternatively, try finding it on WorldCat https://www.worldcat.org/ . Compare the number of pages of the various editions and you should be able to identify it. As I mentioned earlier, I don't work much with 20c books so I don't have this problem. Almost forgot, you should be able to see the various editions of the book by the ISBN, that should expedite your search.
Anon, as soon as you realized that you wasted time, you won't waste it again, right?

>>20126845
I am not sure about the physics behind the practice but it should alleviate the pressure from the strings that keep the spine and the textblock together. This in turn should prevent spine cocking and panel detachment. I've seen more than one experienced bookseller doing this for long term storage but I'm not entirely sure how and why exactly.

>>20126548
Post the title page and I will identify / appraise it for you. Most of the digitalization is done by libraries that are either state-run or university libraries. I don't think you can just walk in and demand something to be digitalized, you'd have to donate/sell them the book for them to get in the system. Alternatively, see google books, there should be a page describing the process of posting digitalized books.

>>20125686
Sorry that I can't contribute with photos but I had the pleasure of seeing 9c Georgian manuscripted fragments of the Psalms in a private collection.

>>20125424
That's a tricky one. The oldest (complete) New Testament ~ 1620, as for fragments, late 15 century manuscripts.

>>20125511
>Joseph McElroy
Literally who? Buy the ebook if you want to read it. The antique book market is, as any other tertiary market governed by the laws of supply and demand. Antique books are for collecting, less than 10% of people actually read them you entitled burger.

>>20125554
A good point.

>>20125336
Indeed. As I said the business is unstable. It's hard to keep afloat but I figure that brighter days are ahead. You can start by putting out a classified ad and buy an entire library for pennies. The problem is selling but you can always find a dealer that will be open to buying wholesale and you can make a buck there. I had bad periods, had to let people go and got into debt. Fortunately the tables have turned a while after that and now I'm doing relatively fine. Finally saved up to buy an office space two years ago.

>>20125327
Sorry, only antiquary books, comics are ephemera. I know that there is a large market for it but I never got into it. 20c books can be forged very easily.

>>20125041
It's actually stressful since your income is unsteady. But it is comfy in general. See >>20122584 Mentorship programs exist but otherwise you cans tart working at an antique shop until you start getting a feeling for it.

>>20124976
I really don't. I contemplated opening a shrimp farm a while ago.

>>20124566
Sorry Anon, can't reveal that. All I can say that he was in the Hague for various shenanigans.

>>20124574
Just follow the guidelines. No sunlight and away from moisture. If you have a complete set of something then it could be worth something in the next few decades. Please don't inscribe, no dogears and don't eat greasy food while you read. This should be common sense. Also if you at some point you plan on storing them in storage boxes, be sure to put them spine down.

>>20124742
Yes.

>>20123517
I don't have any translations but I have a rare copy of the Book of the Dead. See >>20114685

>>20123602
The books were rather uninteresting in retrospect, I expected more. Read the PNF Libro or Evola if you can stomach the weaponized esoteric autism.

>>20123829
I tried googling that and couldn't find what you were referring to. Sorry Anon.

>>20123894
Thanks m8. Sunlight is dangerous because of UV, regular lamps should be fine. Worst case scenario the paper on the edges of the leaves will bet a bit browner in two decades from now.

>>20123115
I'm reading the classics at the moment. I can recommend Cicero.

>>20123151
Russian has been reformed after ww1 so a bit of effort is required in order to read it.

>>20122840
Thank you Anon. If you're an environmentalist, reading ebooks is "greener" than buying newly printed books. I lived in Italy for a while (6 years) and picked up the language in the process. It's very easy to learn, plus I enjoy Italian movies very much. Slavic languages are relatively easy to learn if you already know one, if not then learning is extremely difficult. A note on reading originals from old books: There is a good chance that it will be very tiresome experience since languages tend to change over time. A 20c Italian version of Dante's Hell has almost the same amount of footnotes as it has text since the book contains very archaic words. Picrel a 19c Dante.

>>20122781
My hearing has been bad my entire life, I still don't need a hearing aid but it makes me virtually tone-deaf. I tried learning the harmonica but eventually gave up.

>>20122793
Religious books in Latin are as desired as herpes unless they are Bibles. They can be sellable if they are in good condition and have a nice binding but we're talking very small amounts.
There aren't many interns in this job, most of sellers are mom and pop shops.

>>20122728
See: >>20114760
6-7 years ago, the average Joe (lower middle class) was the buyer, today it's mostly institutional buyers and upper middle class. Albeit collectors come in all shapes and sizes: electricians, professors, doctors, tycoons, truckers, politicians, investors... The list goes on. Collectors know what they want while those that are looking for a gift usually need some help.

>>20122753
I didn't but it looks like Hollywood garbage. Try Black Books (2000), it captures the essence.

>>20122744
Anything gilted/marbled, bound in real cloth or leather (not faux leather), or with a box/case that looks expensive to manufacture. I don't know much about contemporary books but this sort is usually referred to as bibliophile edition or collectors edition. Keep in mind that 90% of the value of contemporary books is in the condition.

>>20122722
Yes, research is half of the job. Most things don't have photos since the platforms where we submit items for sale are terrible and photos tend to disappear for no good reason. You can easily find books that cost over $10.000 with 0 photos. I have pics for all my books but having a good description of the actual condition of the book is paramount.

Picrel a book over $10.000

>>20122696
>ereaders
Your eyes will fall out. Jokes aside, most of the books printed in the last 40 years or so are made of cheap paper, they won't survive the next century (in acceptable condition, that is). They are mass produced and absolutely worthless and will have no value in the future so maybe reading ebooks isn't such a bad thing. There will always be luxury/limited editions but those are printed in relatively small numbers.
>piracy
Not a problem for the antique book market. The largest portion of antique books are already digitalized and available for free but people still want the real thing. 90% of my buyers doesn't even open the books they buy so it doesn't have that much an effect on the market.

picrel pirates

>>20122597
Ok.

>>20122611
Publishers are mostly inconsequential when it comes to old and rare books. The current availability on the market (of the particular edition) and previous sales matter. Keep in mind that the largest portion of published titles have one or two editions. The trick is estimating a book that hasn't been sold ever before. Obscure small publishers tend to be more interesting than the big ones.
Your greatest enemies are sunlight and moisture (read mold). Once a book is infected with spores, the only way to "heal" it is to seek professional help and that can be very expensive (I paid about 300€ for a 200 page book). Unless you are caring for books older than 300-400 years, you shouldn't take any extra steps, keeping them behind glass helps.

Day 3 of the fair, I'm still here.

>>20120814
Sorry Anon, the book came out in 1956, as I said, I work with antique books (over 75 years of age) but 90% of my stock is pre-20c.

>>20122437
Depends where you live. For general tips and how I started see >>20118176 >>20117736 >>20117619
For additional tips, start working at an existing antique bookshop and learn the art or try for the mentorship program of IOBA and ILAB. After that find dealers that work with antiques in general (furniture, paintings etc) and start a working relationship. They will recommend you to people that want to sell books and you can recommend them to people that want to sell other antiques.

>>20122447
Depends on where you live. Biblio.com, ebay auctions and catawiki (if you are in the EU) are also options.

>>20119418
Philosophy is just mental gymnastics. Useful for laterally everything that you do but it won't give you any definitive answer. Philosophers can only agree that there is not a single statement that all philosophers can agree on. After you get a degree in philosophy and pour over thousands of pages of big brain talk everything else that you start reading just seems empty, an agglomeration of useless information or already seen.

Picrel a commentary on Aristotle

>>20119381
Reading too many bad books (fiction or not) and thinking that philosophy will give you any answer whatsoever.

>>20118129
see >>20117619
The websites of IOBA (https://ilab.org) and ILAB ( https://ilab.org) have plenty of materials on how to get started. As for things to keep an eye one, after a while you get a list of regular buyers and you adapt to them. After a while you develop a feel for the value of a book even before you start doing the actual research.
As for acquisitions, they are irregular and unfortunately I don't have the luxury of specializing in something. However, there are specialized bookshops that sell only books about fencing or horses or whatnot. I have business associates that work with other antiques and they call me when they come across books and I return the favor when I see stuff that they are looking for. Also, flea markets are excellent sources of material. I started as a cashier and courier in my father's shop and after a while I was doing research and learned the trade from him. After he passed away I inherited the business and just kept running it. I started collecting only after a few years in the business.

>>20118017
Why are you talking in kraut? I'm not a kraut.
I'm sorry but the only ones adoring him are burgers online as far as I know. I have a degree in philosophy and I know of perhaps 2 persons (outside of academia) that know of him. I personally find existentialism and ancap very silly ideas.
Sorry but I don't have any book by him neither in my shop nor in my collection.

>>20117765
I have a website and I also sell on a few platforms. I don't work with modern books, only antiquary (over 75 years of age). I have no idea what was the printing cost 100 years ago. If by public domain you want to ask if I published a book, I did write 2 books.

>>20117789
Mostly old travelbooks, historical accounts, religious and scientific books (medicine, physics etc) but there is the occasional literature sale. Poetry isn't very popular.

>>20117836
International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) https://ilab.org
Independent Online Booksellers Association: IOBA https://www.ioba.org

Try the member directory and see who's closest to you.

>>20117790
>we don't generally do AMAs here
While yes, my mechanic recommended me a great marketing trick - to spend my next vacation on an obscure Mongolian basket waving enthusiast forum because I've never heard of it before.
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