BOOK TIPS, HISTORY & ARTICLES
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Miniature Antique Books: A Quick Introduction to a Tiny Subject
Novelty Items are Collector's Items Today At first glance, you might think an antique miniature book is something made for children, or perhaps a tiny dollhouse miniature. In fact, miniature antique...
1599 “Trois Dialogues de l’Exercice de Savter” by Archange Tuccaro (Sold for $5,000)
Monumental works on dance, acrobatics and exercise. Arcangelo Tuccaro’s illustrated work on acrobatics is widely recognized as one of the first tier illustrated books of the Renaissance.
Susanna Rowson, Early American Literature’s Forgotten Female Author
Read between the lines to discover feminism in its infancy Once upon a time, a character named Charlotte Temple was wildly embraced by newly independent early American readers, hungry for romance...
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...
1719 “L’Antiquité Expliquée et Représentée en Figures”, De Montfaucon (Sold for $3,995)
This antique set sold at auction for $3,995 in August, 2015 This stunning complete first edition set of De Montfaucon's monumental works on world history contains 15 handsome volumes. The set was...
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.
“Tamerlane”, the World’s Rarest (and Most Valuable) 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.
How to Find the Value of Antique Books: Why Online Prices Are Misleading
The Internet's Stumbling Block: Using AbeBooks and Amazon for Pricing One big stumbling block in buying and selling books in the age of the internet is the dependence upon websites like AbeBooks and...
Thomas Jefferson: America’s Most Extraordinary Antique Book Collector
Facts About Thomas Jefferson's Books 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,...
Antique Cookbook Discovery: How a Kid Turned £1 into £50
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 late...
5 Tips on How to Sell Old Books that Aren’t Collectible
Quick Guide: Selling (or disposing of) old books 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...
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 like I do. In my business, I regularly participate in and attend auctions for rare antique books. You never know...
c1890s Cabinet Card Portrait of Hauntingly Beautiful Actress Anna Held (Sold for $40)
This antique cabinet card sold at auction for $40 in June, 2016 If you've ever seen the 1980 film "Somewhere in Time" starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, you'll immediately understand the...
1893 “The Strand Magazine”, Sherlock Holmes Series (Sold for $170)
1st Edition, January – June, 1893. Halifax | Printed and Published by William Milner, Cheapside 1846.
1898 German Pop-Up Children’s Fairy Tale Book (Sold for $341)
This antique children's book sold at auction for $341 in May, 2016 This early and quite rare German pop-up book entitled "Im Marchenlande" by Therese Scheref contains six beautiful pop-up...
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.
c1859 Civil War Era Pennsylvania Pocket Ledger (Sold for $35)
This antique ledger covers familial dealings in 19th century Pennsylvania; handwritten records of finances through the Civil War period and beyond.
What is vellum binding on an antique book?
What's the definition of "vellum"? Vellum is essentially a fine skin binding, very popular in centuries past for its durable uses as a book binding material and a means of providing a writing...
1784 Revolutionary War Land Deed Document (Sold for $43)
This Revolutionary War era land deed from Pennsylvania details a land purchase by a local Quaker family headed by a Philadelphia merchant, Benjamin Horner. Dated 1784, the legal document discusses a tract of land located in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.
1724 “New Improvements of Planting and Gardening” by Richard Bradley (Sold for $108)
Penned by Richard Bradley FRS (1688 – 1732), a noted English botanist. After a 1714 trip to the Netherlands, Bradley became fascinated in horticulture, spending the following years writing and publishing important works on horticulture and related subjects such as natural history.
c1870 Antique Sulphide Marble with Figure of Children (Sold for $1,348)
This antique sulphide marble sold at auction for $1,348 in July, 2015 Though we specialize in selling antique books, we also deal in buying and selling small antiques and collectibles, including the...
Discovering History in WWI Letters from a Soldier on the Western Front
I love uncovering antique ephemera. One of the most fascinating insights into history which really makes the past personal are old letters and postcards from years gone by. "Somewhere in France"...
c1540 Large Gregorian Chant Manuscript Leaf on Vellum (Sold for $224)
This antique manuscript page sold at auction for $224 in June, 2015 Traditionally (and likely erroneously) believed to be created by Pope St. Gregory the Great, the Gregorian chant was developed in...
Dos-a-Dos Book Appears Among Most-Watched Auctions
Our recent auction for the rare 1630 dos-a-dos antique Bible appeared among the most-watched listings at Collectors Weekly online which profiles some of the best in antiques, vintage items and...
1945 “Know the Escapement” by Barkus Watchmakers, Horological Book (Sold for $76)
This rare book sold at auction for $76 in July, 2015 "Know the Escapement", first published in 1943, is a fascinating read for the avid horologist and provides expert detail on the watch escapement...