re: Anyone Collect Old or First Editions Books?

Random tips:

Old does not mean bad condition is acceptable. It just means the book has had a rough life. If you truly want a collectible book, don’t settle for bad condition unless it’s like 200 plus years old.

If you’re going for fiction books, make sure you know what book club editions look like and don’t buy one thinking it’s a first edition.

Be careful on eBay, you can get suckered and/or lulled into a bidding war and over pay.

If there’s a book you just have to have, consider biting the bullet and buying from a book store selling old and antique books. More money, but you know you’re getting a good copy.

Otherwise estate sales are your friend. Most of them just have a set price for hardcovers, but more and more are getting smart about it and culling out first editions or valuable books and pricing them crazy.

At estate sales, you can see which sales have books by the online websites. Look for sales with books in smaller towns. If it’s a big city, the people trying to make a living buying and selling books will usually beat you to the good stuff on Thursday and Friday before you have a chance to get there on the weekend.

If you’re going to start collecting good books, keep them in the right place. Don’t use a room with a lot of windows subject to a bunch of sunlight and temp/humidity changes. If your air system doesn’t do it already, consider a dehumidifier and google the appropriate settings.