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THE CHISHOLM TRAIL BOOKSTORE
RARE, USED, FINE BOOKS TO DELIGHT THE EYE AND MIND |
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ON BREAKING BOOKS
For those of you not familiar with the practice, breaking a book consists of separating the leaves and illustrations of a book and removing them from the binding. This practice usually results in greater purchase price for the plates and leaves than if the book were sold complete. It is an unfortunate practice, but one at least wide-spread enough, that a well-known New York print dealer called himself "the greatest breaker of books," according to Scott Brown. I am opposed to book breaking. It is not uncommon for me, as a buyer of books, to purchase books I believe complete, only to later discover that one or two of the plates are no longer present. In the face of such turn-of-last-century illustrators as Arthur Rackham, N. C. Wyeth, perhaps it should come as no surprise, but it is still disheartening, and I no longer purchase early children's books, preferring instead to concentrate on non-fiction books published in the last fifty years. However, there is no guarantee of completeness for later published books either as I discovered when I purchased a Western Americana volume published in 1980 and heavily illustrated with Western art. Two of the leaves were missing, neatly cut from the book, thereby reducing the value of the book, and its chance of selling. That said, I have sold to others who I believed would break a book for the illustrations, photographs, or original silk-screens. Although I would like to believe that these books found a good home and are safely reposited on a shelf, somehow I know differently . . . References:
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SELLING THROUGH OTHER SITES
The book trade on Internet, at least, seems to have narrowed to a few major book and auction sites. Bookselling has changed a great deal during the last ten years. Many brick-and-mortar stores have shut the doors, and prices of books have made a slow downward spiral sometimes to as low as a few cents each. Part player and part instigator are the book and auction sites on Internet. Without naming names, I am familiar with most the major sites, and, of necessity, sell through them. As long as I sell or use these sites, I abide by the rules which are set, seemingly encased in stone, and subject to change as the venue chooses. On one site, the shipping fees are set. The shipping reimbursements for this site are excruciatingly low. As I pack in new boxes with plenty of packing material, I lose money nearly every book shipped through that venue. The allotment does not begin to cover the shipping cost, let alone the packaging material. Other sites blur the lines, by purchasing financing or auction houses. Still others swallow small book venues incorporating them into a larger matrix. Lastly, others purchase book search sites or third-party listing sites. Each time, the user of these sites is assured nothing will change, but it does change. Fees rise, new agreements are formulated, and in some cases, the purchased venue disappears forever. It's getting harder to sell books . . . and the shakedown of venues hasn't helped. March 19, 2006
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WHY IS IT WE PURSUE BOOKS?
Why is it that we pursue books? I woke this morning asking just that question and have pondered an answer since that time. Are books a link with history? Are they an insight into the past giving view to the thoughts and emotions of others like and unlike ourselves? Perhaps, it is because books have feelings as one bibliophile suggests. Or . . . perhaps it is becaused the words upon the page are respected having withstood some test of time. For whatever reason, we pursue books. In a relentless search for knowledge combined with beauty -- and books are beautiful -- books provide the answer. Sturdy and stalwart, or elegant and graceful they stand side-by-side upon shelf after shelf from floor to ceiling. Some are stacked on tables, others have bookmarks placed in them. These books hold such fine and mysterious information. There are days in which I am knee-deep in books, of all sizes, shapes, types, and topics. I work regularly to prevent such a situation, sorting, culling, and selling, and still it occurs. If I were to hold on to each book until the right buyer of the book appeared -- as one old bookseller believed -- there would soon be no room at all. Perhaps, we have come to the heart of the matter. We pursue books because we like, and perhaps, even love books, in and of themselves. Old, ugly, shopworn, tattered, the book still has a magic appeal, a come-hither appearance, which beckons us and enfolds us in its embrace. It promises much beyond its covers, and much within its covers. And that . . . is the meaning of book collecting. References:
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