Opera seldom finds a place in modern society. Often placed firmly in the not-for-general-consumption category, it seldom finds listeners in the general public. During his life, Luciano Pavorotti helped bring opera back to the front of modern music. Through his unique voice and collaboration with other popular artists, he showed how opera could be for every listener, not just those who developed an interest in the genre.
When it comes to rare books, condition is everything. Any kind of damage, discoloration, or flaw can significantly impact a book's value. One of the most common flaws we see in rare and antiquarian books is a condition called ghosting or shadowing. This condition occurs when a page fades unevenly, leaving a visible outline on the page.
It's that time of year! Kids are headed back to school, and for students of all ages that means required reading is right around the corner. Perhaps you only vaguely remember The Odyssey, Romeo and Juliet, and Lord of the Flies. But classroom staples can offer inspiration for enhancing your rare book collection.
Summer is in full swing, and along with all that sun comes the joy of summer reading! But the sun can cause irreversible damage to your skin—and your books. It's important to protect your rare and collectible books from heat, humidity, and sunning.
There are four major classes of printmaking techniques: relief printing, intaglio printmaking, stenciling, and lithography. Let’s look into some detail about the relief and intaglio printmaking processes. These are the two oldest and best known of the major classes of printmaking techniques.
Bookworms, mildew, water. These are the most common culprits of rare book damage. But if you've invested in your personal library, you'll also want to prepare for a more serious threat: fire. Though fires are certainly more rare than other destructive forces, they can cause far more damage.
When you think of conservation and preservation, you may think of the environment. But for rare book collectors, conservation and preservation are the key to maintaining—and sometimes even increasing—the value of your prized investments. But what do the terms "conservation" and "preservation" actually mean in the world of rare books? Furthermore, what happens when you throw the idea of "restoration" into the mix?
Rare book sellers and collectors often talk about the provenance of a book, that is, it's chain of ownership. Knowing a book's provenance offers practical benefits, such as ensuring that a book isn't stolen and lending credibility to a volume's inscription. But exploring a book's provenance also has another benefit: it can unlock fascinating stories connected with the book itself, enriching our understanding of—and appreciation for—the book as an object with its own special history. One example of a book with fascinating provenance is our edition of the Kupfer-Bibel.
When one thinks of fraud, the first cases that come to mind may be corrupt money managers (à la Bernard Madoff) or bankers. Businesses like Enron and WorldCom may likewise ring a bell, as well. Why are we talking about fraud on a blog about books, though? Well, sadly the book buying and selling business has not escaped instances of fraud, either. In 2012, Allan Formhals was found guilty of ten counts of fraud. But he wasn't an unscrupulous banker, he was an antiques dealer who sold books on the internet. Formhals was convicted of forging signatures in books and purveying them on eBay as the genuine article.
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 is 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.
