I really love your posts here. I currently work in a used bookstore; it’s a thrilling business, seeing what people bring in and what others take back out.
I am a seller of rare and antique books in a country in the southern part of the world, Chile. The market here is very small, and it's barely possible to make a living from this work. However, it's the best job I've ever had in my life, and I'm very happy. I read your newsletter with great interest; thank you for taking the time to share your experiences in this particular world.
Thanks for fighting the good fight with books. I owned a bookstore in a small town (25,000) in a remote part of California (3 hours to the next larger town), so I know a little bit about the challenges you face. Keep at it and sell more of what sells! Onward!
Good point about getting books from former customer. I spent 35 years building 20th century poetry collection much of it with David A of Passages Rare Books and now he's helping break up and resell that collection. Of course I'm still buying books, much to my wife's horror, but more along the lines of "How cool would it be to own that?"
You also must run into the "how much will this be worth in XX years?" I think the approved answer is buy with your heart not your bank account. I've been very lucky on that score: I bought signed Phillip Larkins and have seen them appreciate surprisingly. But I bought far more poets because I loved them — such as Ricard Howard, whose books you've listed — and they've increased in value almost not all.
I always bought the best available copy of a book, which always means paying more. I wasn't buying. I'm not rich (dayjob, mortgage, kids) so shelling out $2,500 for the dedication copy of a particular book was not something to be considered likely.
I spent a fortune on first editions over 35 or so years. I've tried to figure it out over the years, my best guess is we could have had a new car or small house in the country. I don't think either would have brought me the same joy.
When people ask me what they should buy for resale in the future, I usually recommend thinking about how long in the future (x years) and then ask yourself what people who are currently 50-x years old read when they were in high school and college. Buyers in their 50-60s tend to drive the collectible book market and they tend to collect what was cool when they were young (much like they listen to music that was popular then).
One can always look for writers who were ahead of their time (Octavia Butler and Joan Didion, for example, have books worth many multiples of what they sold for 10 years ago). But that is pretty hard to do.
By far, it's better to collect things that have meaning to you and put your retirement plan index funds for the future.
I really love your posts here. I currently work in a used bookstore; it’s a thrilling business, seeing what people bring in and what others take back out.
I’d love to become a book dealer one day.
I am a seller of rare and antique books in a country in the southern part of the world, Chile. The market here is very small, and it's barely possible to make a living from this work. However, it's the best job I've ever had in my life, and I'm very happy. I read your newsletter with great interest; thank you for taking the time to share your experiences in this particular world.
Thanks for fighting the good fight with books. I owned a bookstore in a small town (25,000) in a remote part of California (3 hours to the next larger town), so I know a little bit about the challenges you face. Keep at it and sell more of what sells! Onward!
Good point about getting books from former customer. I spent 35 years building 20th century poetry collection much of it with David A of Passages Rare Books and now he's helping break up and resell that collection. Of course I'm still buying books, much to my wife's horror, but more along the lines of "How cool would it be to own that?"
You also must run into the "how much will this be worth in XX years?" I think the approved answer is buy with your heart not your bank account. I've been very lucky on that score: I bought signed Phillip Larkins and have seen them appreciate surprisingly. But I bought far more poets because I loved them — such as Ricard Howard, whose books you've listed — and they've increased in value almost not all.
I always bought the best available copy of a book, which always means paying more. I wasn't buying. I'm not rich (dayjob, mortgage, kids) so shelling out $2,500 for the dedication copy of a particular book was not something to be considered likely.
I spent a fortune on first editions over 35 or so years. I've tried to figure it out over the years, my best guess is we could have had a new car or small house in the country. I don't think either would have brought me the same joy.
Aaron Fischer
When people ask me what they should buy for resale in the future, I usually recommend thinking about how long in the future (x years) and then ask yourself what people who are currently 50-x years old read when they were in high school and college. Buyers in their 50-60s tend to drive the collectible book market and they tend to collect what was cool when they were young (much like they listen to music that was popular then).
One can always look for writers who were ahead of their time (Octavia Butler and Joan Didion, for example, have books worth many multiples of what they sold for 10 years ago). But that is pretty hard to do.
By far, it's better to collect things that have meaning to you and put your retirement plan index funds for the future.