We all know that aroma. Perhaps it evokes trips to the library as a child, or the cozy ambience of a grandfather’s study. It’s the distinctive scent of old books.
The Science behind the Scent
Scientists say that “old book smell” is more than just mustiness; it contains hints of grass and vanilla. That’s because all the compounds used to make the book release distinctive odors as they break down. For example, lignin, which is present in all wood-based paper, is closely related to vanillin. As it breaks down, the lignin grants old books that faint vanilla scent.
It’s even possible to approximate the age of a book based on its smell. Chemists have identified 15 substances often present in books (known as VOC’s) that degrade (and therefore emit a gas) at a predictable rate. The researcher behind the project, Matija Strlic of University College London’s Centre for Sustainable Heritage, was inspired to investigate when he saw a conservator sniffing paper to assess its quality. Chemist Lorraine Gibson has taken Strlic’s research further, and is working on a test to help experts date books and other paper materials based on the VOC breakdown.
Banishing Other Odors from the Library
But what if a book has a stronger (and less pleasant) odor? Cookbooks, for instance, may smell of food if they’ve been stored in the kitchen. Other scents that may creep into your pages include tobacco or nicotine. Poor air circulation—along with the resulting mold and mildew—are also frequent culprits of malodorous pages.
While an unappealing smell doesn’t directly impact the value of a rare book, it can decrease your enjoyment of that book. If that’s the case, have hope! With these tips from the Dartmouth College Library, you can rid your volumes of unwanted odor:
Find a container large enough to hold your book, and another larger container with a lid. A garbage can and a plastic crate work well. Just be sure that the containers have never been used for food or liquid.
Place an odor-absorbing material (like baking soda, charcoal briquettes, or even kitty litter) in the larger container.
Gently open your book and place it flat inside the container. If you’re doing multiple books at once, you can also leave the books upright, with the pages slightly fanned out.
Put the smaller container inside the larger one, and close the lid of the larger container.
Check the book after several days. If the book still stinks, close it up again. If the offending smell has dissipated, put the book back in your library.
And a word about your library: it’s necessary to take a few precautions to keep the smell from returning. Be sure that the air circulates well in your library, and control both temperature and humidity. Gently dust your books on a regular basis, as dirt and other buildup can encourage the growth of mold and mildew.
Have you chosen a costume? Stocked up on candy? Planned that trick-or-treating route? That’s right…Halloween is almost here. The myths and tales of Halloween have long captured our imagination, making the holiday a perfect match for book collectors. Classic spine tingling reads are consistent book collecting favorites.
Chilling Tales of Horror
For the Halloween enthusiast, the traditional horror story may be the best fit for this spooky season. Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley set the precedent for tales of the supernatural, and modern authors have followed their lead.
Anne Rice’s legendary Vampire series arrested our attention long before Twilight ever did. These novels weave history with the epic tale of vampires.
Stephen King never fails to delight—and frighten—his readers. From Carrie and Christine to The Shining and Misery, King’s novels invoke fear on both the page and the big screen.
Dean Koontz has delivered countless frightening tales of the supernatural and horrifying. His thrillers include a series based on the classic tale of Frankenstein.
No list of modern horror writers would be complete without Thomas Harris, mastermind behind The Silence of the Lambs series and others. Harris has become an icon among modern authors.
For the Younger Crowd
Halloween isn’t only about ghosts, monsters, and murder. The holiday is also about imagination, magic, and fantastic creatures. If you love the more whimsical side of Halloween, consider these favorites.
The Harry Potter series brings us to a fanciful world of a young wizard. These novels, by JK Rowling, are sure to remain favorites for generations to come.
Cornelia Funke’s Inkworld trilogy transports us to a land of dragons and magic. The award-winning author masterfully captivates young audiences
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaimans, earned the author both a Newbery Medal and a Hugo Award. The novel tells the story of Nobody Owens, a boy raised in a graveyard….by ghosts!
Which books top your must-have list for Halloween?
Perhaps you’ve seen them in museums or in a display in exhibitions. Usually made in limited quantities, fine press books elevate publishing to an art form. They are highly sought after by art lovers and book collectors alike.
A Quick History of Fine Press
By the turn of the twentieth century, bookmaking had become both inexpensive and common. Offset printing meant that books could be manufactured in bulk, and most publishers had abandoned hand binding, opting instead for cheap adhesive or staples.
Enter William Morris, an Englishman who sought to recapture the beauty of handmade books. Morris really wanted to recapture the golden age of bookmaking. One of the first books he created was the Kelmscott Chaucer. Others soon emulated his work, and soon fine presses began popping up both in Britain and in the US.
Though fine press took a dip in the 1930’s (considered too expensive for the Depression), the industry has enjoyed a resurgence and continues to thrive.
Characteristics of Fine Press Books
Fine press books are generally made in very small numbers, using high quality materials. Paper is often handmade, and the bindings are done by hand as well. Fine press books showcase not only illustrations, but also ornate fonts and other decorative touches. Different techniques such as painting or woodblocks may be used to create the illustrations.
Books are printed using the letterpress technique. This method was introduced by Gutenberg, who first used it to print the now-famous Gutenberg Bible. The printer places movable type into a bed and locks it. Then ink is rolled over the type, and the page is either rolled or pressed against the inked surface. The raised letters leave imprints on the page.
Usually the author, illustrator, and printer collaborate very closely on every aspect of a fine press book. Although a good number of fine press books are actually about the art of fine press, virtually any book can be published via a fine press.
Some fine press books go beyond mere literature and present wonderful pieces of art. For instance, the WunderCabinet, from Heavenly Monkey [hyperlink to Heavenly Monkey web-site], is not only a book, but also a lovely and whimsical “cabinet” that holds a variety of beautiful objects.
Collecting Fine Press Books
As with any type of book collecting, collect what you like and buy the best you can afford. Some collectors suffer a bit of sticker shock when they venture into fine press. But remember that all these books are made by hand out of the finest materials. The craftsmanship is what gives fine press books their extraordinary value.
You may want to focus your collection around one author, such as Charles van Sandwyk or Harold Pinter.
Consider collecting a specific genre, like poetry or even books about book making.
Choose a specific style or technique you love, and look for fine press books that use that technique.
What attracts you to fine press books? And if you could own an edition of any fine press book, what would you choose?
Book collecting is an incredibly accessible pastime—collectors can spend as much or as little as they’d like, and there is plenty of information available to inform their choices. Some rare books, however, are so scarce that only the most elite can afford them. Here’s a look at some of the rarest books in the world.
How’s That for a First Edition?
The first item that Gutenberg printed on his revolutionary invention was, naturally, the Bible. As you can imagine, the first edition of the world’s first book is a pretty hot commodity. Several hundred copies were printed, and of course many of those were ruined or destroyed. Intact copies go for $25 to 35 million.
The 1456 Gutenberg Bible is also one of the few books that still retains high value even when incomplete. It was originally printed in two volumes, and a single volume sold for $5.5 million 25 years ago. Imagine what that would be today, with inflation! Meanwhile, individual pages have been valued at as much as $25,000. Even Bibles with an original page of a Gutenberg Bible tipped in have extraordinary value.
Bill Gates purchased Leonardo da Vinci’s manuscripts for $30 million almost three decades ago, and experts estimate they’d now be worth over three times that. Meanwhile the first edition of Shakespeare’s complete works (printed in 1623) sold for $6 million.
Rarities from the New World
Across the ocean inNorth America, the seeds of a new country were slowly sprouting. Early Pilgrims swore on “A Freeman’s Oath,” Although there is plenty of documentation that the book was printed, not a single copy is known to survive. If one were to surface, it would likely be worth at least $1 million.
Skip forward a few years; imagine the Founding Fathers introducing the Declaration of Independence. Once the document was ratified, copies were printed inPhiladelphia and distributed throughout the colonies. These first editions don’t have signatures, but the last one sold went for $80 million.
Another rarity from theNew Worldis Edgar Allen Poe’s first poem, “Tamerlane” (1827). The poem itself is actually pretty terrible–which may be why Poe didn’t put his name on it! Instead, the byline reads only “By a Bostonian,” so many less experienced collectors don’t recognize the work’s value. But a copy recently sold for $198,000.
But these older books aren’t the only ones that have high value. Plenty of modern first editions are quickly gaining value. How closely do you follow the value of books in your collection?
How much is a baseball worth? Maybe a dollar or two, right? Get that same baseball signed by Alex Rodriguez, and you have a collectible item. If that baseball happened to be a homerun ball, you’ve hit the jackpot!
Signatures and autographs in books work much the same way. The rarity of both the book and the signature help determine the value of a book.
Signatures v Inscriptions et Al
Not all signatures are created equal. In fact, signatures (autographs) and inscriptions fall into a few different categories.
A book described as “signed” has a signature on a page of the book itself. It has no personalization, such as “To Susan.”
If a book is “inscribed,” it is personalized, addressed to a specific person. If the person isn’t closely associated with the author, the inscription often isn’t considered to add too much to a book’s value.
An association copy is usually an inscribed book that is addressed to a specific individual connected to the author.
An autopen signature is often seen with presidential materials. An autopen is a machine used for the automatic signing of a signature. Bottom line: it isn’t really a signature and doesn’t do anything to the value of the book.
Signatures naturally tend to be more common than inscriptions and/or association copies. Contemporary authors often do book signings when they go on tour, thereby increasing the number of signed books available and decreasing the value of signed copies.
Authenticating Signatures
Of course, only an authentic signature has value. Experts certify that a signature or inscription is authentic by comparing the handwriting to other known samples of the author’s writing. The authenticity of signed books and signatures in particular is the number one element of the trust a reputable seller of autographed books is hoping to establish and maintain with their customers.
Can you truly “certify” a signature? Only if you have seen the author sign the book and if you never let the book out of your sight. If you just see the signature, you can’t; nobody can. You can rule out fakes but cannot do the opposite. You can only confirm that it is highly likely for a signature to be authentic by comparing it with existing signatures.
Last week, JK Rowling finally let fans on the secret: the much anticipated Pottermore would not be a Harry Potter game, but rather an interactive website. The site means that avid Potter fans can continue to enjoy the series, even without new books to read.
Rowling said that she has no plans to write any more Harry Potter books, but she will be sharing plenty of “bonus material” through Pottermore. She has over 18,000 words of background information and special details about Harry’s world to share.
The purpose of Pottermore is to create a “safe and friendly” place where fans can share Harry Potter content they create on their own, said Rowling. This novel approach to fan interaction represents an exciting opportunity for readers.
Meanwhile, Pottermore will also be the only place to get Harry Potter e-books. These will be released one at a time. The site will launch July 31 to one million registered beta users. The full launch will happen in October. (For collectible first editions and signed Harry Potter books, check out our selection!)
Hear more of what Rowling had to say about Pottermore:
Before taking to the skies, a pilot learns the inner workings of an airplane. Rare book collectors should do the same with books; it’s important to understand how a book is put together so it’s easier to recognize the signs of fine craftsmanship, to spot reproductions, and to assess the value of potential additions to your collection. Here are the basics of book assembly.
Modern Book Construction 101
Before a binding or cover is ever added to the book, the individual pages, or leaves, must be attached to one another. There are two methods for leaf attachment: sewn and adhesive.
Sewing the pages together creates the strongest binding, but this method is also more expensive. With this method, multiple gatherings (called signatures) are sewn through the folds of the pages. Books bound this way usually open very well. Oversewing may also be done for children’s books and books that have a library binding.
On the other hand, if adhesive is used, it is applied directly to the pages, on the side where the binding will be placed. This is called the text block. Adhesive may be applied while the text block is closed, or while the pages are fanned out.
To hold the book to the spine and cover, books have joints and hinges. A joint attaches the spine to the cover on the exterior of the book. A hinge attaches the pages to the inside of the cover. Note that paperback books don’t need hinges or joints because the paper cover is attached directly to the pages.
Handling a book properly will extend the life of the joints and hinges. Check back soon for more insight on book preservation and restoration from some special guest bloggers!
It all began in 1769. John Granger published his Biographical History of England—without pictures. He did, however, include extra leaves in the book so that people could add their own illustrations. His readers took that cue, often pillaging other books for portraits to accompany the thumbnail biographies in Granger’s book.
Extra Illustration Gains Popularity
Over time, the practice expanded to other titles and came to be called “grangerization.” Books that have been grangerized may also be described as “extra illustrated.” Shakespeare’s works were commonly grangerized; people would add playbills, portraits of the actors or characters, or illustrated scenes from the plays.
The Bible is also a commonly grangerized book; owners may add family names, certificates of baptism, and other memorabilia. One famously grangerized Bible was originally three octavo volumes. After the addition of over 30,000 extra illustrations, the finished product was a whopping sixty folio volumes. The Bible now belongs to the Huntington Library collection.
Grangerized Books and Collecting
The act of extra illustration has drawn fire since its beginnings. While proponents defended it as “exquisite handicraft,” detractors argued that it was “breaking up a good book to make a worse one.”
At any rate, grangerizing has produced some incredibly artistic works. Rare book collectors have found extraordinary volumes that contain everything from variant title pages, watercolors, and etchings, to original drawings, manuscript pages, and mezzotints.
If you encounter a grangerized book, it’s important to consider a few factors. First is the quality of the original book—is it a fine volume or a cheap paperback? Next consider the extra illustrations, which may be rare and valuable unto themselves. Finally—and perhaps most importantly—consider your personal interest in the work and the extra illustrations.
Have you added any grangerized books to your collection? Where did you find them, and what is the most interesting extra illustration you’ve discovered?
