Collecting Books

[Joreads]

Hi All

Just wondering if any of you collect first edition books or signed books by your favorite authors and if so what does your collection look like.

[JBI]

I wish I could, but I cannot afford them, and modern "first additions", that is, books that have one hundred thousand copies as a first printing, sort of deny the point. I dream one day of being rich enough to collect first editions, but as it is, I'll stick to my cheaper additions.

As for signatures, I would rather write a letter to an author I like, and get a response (as most authors are likely to do) than go for a book signing, to get a half-willingly given signature.

[Joreads]

I wish I could, but I cannot afford them, and modern "first additions", that is, books that have one hundred thousand copies as a first printing, sort of deny the point. I dream one day of being rich enough to collect first editions, but as it is, I'll stick to my cheaper additions.

As for signatures, I would rather write a letter to an author I like, and get a response (as most authors are likely to do) than go for a book signing, to get a half-willingly given signature.

I have to agree JBI the price of books these days is getting a little beyond a lot of us me included.

I have never written to an author so I will have to do that. I have lined up to get Matthew Reilly (an Australian Author) to sign a copy of one of his books. I have to say that he was lovely and as it was in a relatively small centre there were not that many of us so there was time to chat.

[LitNetIsGreat]

I am more interested in the words within the book, as opposed to what edition it is. Of course well made books are always nice to own whenever possible, but for me the words are always the priority.

[Jozanny]

I have some signed editions, no first editions unless you include a reader's copy of a first novel of a friend of mine, but I am a writer first, and couldn't afford to collect. To be a collector, really, you need historical knowledge of book binding and edition history, and any number of other issues.

When I do buy hardcover, I try not to eat food near them, but my paperbacks take a beating.

[Dark Muse]

I do collect books, but my collection is a bit odd and random, you might say. There is this libabry out here that once year has a free book give away, and when I went there the first time, they had all these old books, that were hardbacks, and they had not real cover art on them or anything about the books. Some of them were just solid green, or solid red, but some of them had these cool sort of retro looking patterns on them. And I thought they were cool looking, so becasue they were free I started collecting them just becasue of what they looked like. But it is fun than going and reading them, because I have no idea what I am going to get.

[Kafka's Crow]

I have the first edition copies of Samuel Beckett's Molly, Malone Dies and The Unnamable. I had the first edition (Faber & Faber) of Finnegans Wake as well as the first American edition of Ulysses as well (the one made famous by Marilyn Monroes):

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i38/richardjgibson/MarilynMonroereadsJoyce.jpg
but lost them both somewhere. The copy of Finnegans Wake was heavily annotated but Ulysses was almost new. I have four 1st edition Harry Potter books as well. I paid quite a lot of money for them but my kids just paw them around all the time saying "they are only books, why you worry about them so much!", in other words, they are not in good condition any more.

[book_jones]

I like to have books, but I'm not really a collector. The only things I would really collect are children's books, but I'm not so concerned about getting first editions yet. I do love smelly old books though.

[Niamh]

I cant afford first editions, but i do collect antiquarian books. I did on the other hand almost twist my own arm and fork out €1700 for a first edition of the Playboy of the Western World in my favourite Irish Antiquarian book shop... i just could justify putting that much money on my Credit card for one book! Although i must admit if i had a LOT of money i would have paid the almost €20,000 for The First edition of The Aran Islands, signed by J.M.Synge and Jack Yeats. :(
I have an odd collection of old books from Thoms Directories and Dictionaries to early 19th century translations of the Illiad and other books. My pride and joy at the moment is my c1900 Poetical works of Thomas Moore, with an early signature of John Francis MaCormack. (irish Tenor famous for singing Moores Melodies, and book dates from around the time of his studies.) Its the most expensive book i own and it was passed on to me by my Uncle. :D

[hhc]

As for me, no, I don't collect books. Sure, fine, calligraphic and old editions are a pleasure to look and a pleasure to read. But my personal opinion is, books were written to be read. So, if you're not a rich person (like me and the vast majority of readers), why spend time and energy dreaming about a gigantic library of valuable books, when you already have an even more valuable one in your brain?:)

[JBI]

I'm looking forward to getting a peak at the First Folio the U of Toronto Library, Robarts, has. I think if I study Shakespeare at a higher level, maybe they will let me take a look - only a dream though, as I am unlikely to study Shakespeare specifically beyond undergraduate.

[jgweed]

I collect books by colour of the binding, a different colour each year.

[stlukesguild]

I have a first edition of St. John Perse's Seamarks and Winds, a number of 19th century and even 18th century volumes, a signed collection of poetry by Charles Simic, and a signed edition of Ginsberg's Howl... but I've never really gone out of my way looking for such... just luck at some used book stores. If I were to collect anything it would be for the visuals. Many fields of the book arts are actually grossly undervalued... especially Asian and Persian/Arabic book arts. One can often buy a page from an illuminated manuscript dating to the 15th or 14th century for less than an editioned print by most contemporary artists... and I'm not even referring to the high end artists (Picasso, Matisse, etc...) Oh... one book that did make me drool (and I'm certain would do the same for Petrarch'sLove) was a 16th century edition of Spencer's Faerie Queene on sale at a local antiquarian book store. You could even leaf through the pages!:eek::eek2:

[JBI]

What was the price on the Faerie Queen?

[stlukesguild]

Well out of my price range. It's been a few years so don't quote me but I believe it was something like $10,000 or $20,000.

[Veda]

I don’t collect or own books. I donated the collection I had been building and now just get my books from a library loan system. It's price free and clutter free.

I love that picture of Marilyn; I think it’s funny how badly she wanted to play Agrafena in a film adaptation of Karamazov…I can see it now :lol: