THE BLOG
Tips on how to find the age of an antique book, how to sell antique books, and help with liquidating estates.
Antique Gambling Books & Card Cheating
Gambling has been part of America's history from the nation’s infancy, going all the way back to colonial times. Even before the first European settlers arrived in North America, native tribes had developed games of chance. For the most part until the 1680s, gambling...
Bound to Please: Book Collecting and Fine Bindings
People collect books for so many different reasons; some focus on a particular subject, others collect an entire literary genre; others covet only the earliest of works or modern first editions. A common thread that runs through every category...
Now at Auction: Rare WWII RMS Queen Mary Charts & Documents
"The Grey Ghost" at War: Ship's Records at Auction Now at auction, a treasure trove of data...
The #1 Reason Why Many Antique Book Collectors Sell Their Libraries
It's often about reclaiming shelf space It might sound amusing, but you’d smile at the overwhelming number of clients we’ve talked to who have decided to auction their antique book collections because, quote: “My wife wants her living room back.” Book collections...
1930’s Golden Age Hollywood Movie Star Autograph Book Sold for $2,499
If the pages of this vintage autograph album could talk, they might describe what they witnessed over 80 years ago in Hollywood. Imagine stepping back in time to a glittering evening at the...
This Month’s Featured Auctions: June, 2019
Featured Antique Book Auctions Each month, we highlight our featured rare and antique book and ephemera auctions, highlighting certain items of interest to collectors. Check out our current auction listings for these and many more items. Complete 6 volume set of The...
Is My Old Bible Worth Money?
Tips on finding the value of antique Bibles "How much is my old Bible worth?" We get this question a lot about antique Bibles, and though the answer isn’t in black and white, the bottom line is that the value of an old Bible very often depends on age, condition and...
Tips for Dealing with Antique Books During Estate Liquidations
What to do when estate liquidations uncover antique book libraries So you’ve walked into an estate liquidation situation, ready to evaluate and catalog the properties when you come upon a collection of old books - maybe even a full library. With an entire house to...
Collector’s Dream: The Card Magic / Gambling Routine Manuscripts of Ed Marlo
It’s pretty amazing when your hobby and your business get to mingle. Last year, I had just such an experience mixing business with pleasure. Anyone who enjoys the art of card magic and gambling routines like I do will probably understand my excitement. I’ve loved card...
Miniature Antique Books: A Quick Introduction to a Tiny Subject
A Little Luxury: Early Miniature Antique Books and Their Uses Miniature antique books have been around for centuries. Initially published primarily for personal convenience, miniature books first came on the scene around the 15th century. The little volumes were often...
Susanna Rowson, Early American Literature’s Forgotten Female Author
New-America's First Best-Selling Female Author and Her Saucy Novel Once upon a time, a character named Charlotte Temple was wildly embraced by newly independent American readers, hungry for romance and excitement after the trauma of recent American Revolution. These...
Zelda Fitzgerald’s Gal-Pal Meets an 18th Century Dutch Atlas
"Though the Jazz Age continued it became less and less an affair of youth. The sequel was like a children's party taken over by the elders." - F. Scott Fitzgerald Jazz Age revels would do well to sober up quickly when confronted with this antique atlas book, which,...
Harry Houdini’s Massive Magic and Spiritualism Library Lives On Today
Houdini’s personal collection of rare antique books on magic, witchcraft, psychic phenomena and spiritualism still exists in the U.S. Library of Congress.
Meet “Tamerlane”, the World’s Rarest Edgar Allan Poe Book
Just 50 copies of Poe’s “Tamerlane and Other Poems” were self-published by the author in 1827. Only 12 are known to exist today, one selling for over $600k.
Why Prices on AbeBooks and Comparison Sites Don’t Show Real Value
One big stumbling block in buying and selling books in the age of the internet is the dependence upon websites like AbeBooks and Amazon for evaluating worth. This is a scenario we run into often with many of our customers. More often than not, Average Joe will inherit...
Lost on Titanic: The Legendary Jeweled Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Somewhere, on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, lies one of the most desirable rare books in the world. The book is Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyyat, translated and published in 1860 by Edward FitzGerald. It's location today? Not preserved in a rare book library, but lying...
Thomas Jefferson: America’s Most Extraordinary Antique Book Collector
"I cannot live without books." - Thomas Jefferson Did you know that one of America's most influential founding fathers was also one of early America's most extraordinary antique book collectors? That's right, Thomas Jefferson, acclaimed statesman and third President...
Turning £1 into £50: My childhood antique cookbook discovery
Making money rise: Britain's classic antique cookbook earns me a good crust I'll never forget my first antique book discovery. I was nine years old. It was at a car boot sale in London - a flea market, as the Americans would say - and there in a pile of junk was a...
Want to sell old books? It’s all about condition (almost)
As with all items in the world of antiques, the condition of an old or antique book greatly determines how valuable it is. When antique book collectors choose new pieces for their libraries, condition plays a big part. In general terms, the desirability of an antique...
Top 5 Tips on How to Sell Old Books that Aren’t Collector’s Items
Guide: How to sell old books and make some quick cash So you've got a pile of old books you'd like to get rid of, but have discovered that they may not have any serious value. If you're not sure if you've got a valuable antique book on your hands, you're welcome to...
Yo, Rocky! Sylvester Stallone’s Collection of Rare Antique Boxing Books
Selling antique books can be really fun, especially when you love what you're doing. In my business, I regularly participate in and attend auctions for rare antique books. You never know what you're going to see on that auction block, or who you're going to meet....
1898 German Pop-Up Children’s Fairy Tale Book
Past Auction Highlight Each month, we'll be featuring an interesting antique item which appeared in one of our past auctions. This item has been sold. This early and quite rare German pop-up book entitled "Im Marchenlande" by Therese Scheref contains six beautiful...
Hauntingly Beautiful Antique Portrait of Actress Anna Held
Captivating antique cabinet card of French actress If you've ever seen the 1980 film "Somewhere in Time" starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, you'll immediately understand the concept of someone falling in love with a long-ago portrait. The movie tells the...
Old Books Re-Imagined as New Artwork
An artist creates his works from the ruins of old, unwanted books like dictionaries, encyclopedias and textbooks, taking an exacto knife to the old pages and carving away.
What is vellum binding on an antique book?
Vellum is essentially calfskin binding. The word is derived from the Latin “vitulinum” meaning “made from calf”, leading to Old French “vélin” (“calfskin”). In terms of antique books, vellum refers to a parchment made from calf skin, as opposed to that from other...