How To: Collect Rare Books

We are incredibly fortunate to have Philip Bell as manager of our Reading Room. Not only does Philip have a lifetime of experience as a bookseller but he’s also a voracious reader and passionate collector of books. With an offering of rare books now gracing the shelves at Burford, we asked him to share his wisdom on these precious tomes.

Lots of people who love reading invariably end up collecting books – it is often said that reading books and collecting/buying books are two entirely separate hobbies – but there comes a time in every book collector’s life when they realise that what is on offer in any of our bookshops represents the merest fraction of what has been published over the last 575 years (and beyond). Delving into this antiquarian wonderland can be both mesmerising and intoxicating. To hold in your hand something written and published in the seventeenth or eighteenth century, maybe signed by the author, or annotated by any of its subsequent owners, is to hold in your hand a piece of living and recorded history. And they don’t have to cost the earth.

I don’t collect books primarily as an investment, but it is really pleasing to see that many books do maintain or increase their value over time. As with all antiques and collectibles, their value is completely dependent on the vagaries of the market.

This depends on what you are looking for and what you collect. Some people collect fine bindings, and for them condition might just be everything. Others might be wanting to own a little history and appreciate the patina of age in all its quirks and wrinkles. It is worth bearing in mind that the cost of a rare book depends on so many factors; age, scarcity, condition, edition, illustrations, provenance (who might the previous owners have been) and so on. Ultimately a book’s value depends entirely on what someone is prepared to pay for it.

The internet has opened up a world of possibilities (and marketplaces) and it can be a source of great success, but it is worth exercising caution, especially if you have not been collecting for long. Auctions can be great fun, but in all cases I would say buy from somewhere where you can have a good look at the actual product first. There is no substitute for holding the actual thing in your own hands and examining it fully before buying. This is best done face to face with an actual dealer - a local, friendly one ideally!

So…in terms of what books (and paper) don’t like…you name it. Heat causes warping and twisting, central heating is very dry heat and dries out paper and leather, cold can do the same. A quick change from hot to cold is disastrous. Bright sunlight causes fading of paper and bindings. Damp causes browning of paper and can cause rot. Prolonged exposure to air can react with the acid in some (many old) papers and causes foxing. Honestly, it’s a nightmare.

Rare books, old or not, should be ideally kept upright on bookcases, not in direct sunlight, in an airy room with as consistent a temperature as possible. Handle them with care, best with clean, dry hands (even museums no longer use gloves). Behind museum glass if you want to go that far – as it cuts out damaging ultraviolet. For leather bound books, lightly rub some leather feed into the hinges at the spine edges a couple of times a year. This will help maintain flexibility and stop cracking.

That's a good question and not straightforward to answer. Sometimes the quirks and foibles of a book are a part of its history and uniqueness, they are a part of its character and authenticity - much like the patina on a piece of ancient wooden furniture. This should never really be touched. However, there are some books in such a state of distress that tasteful repairs would seem appropriate. Repairs can, and often do, add to the value of a book, but not necessarily over the cost of the repair. Repairs such as endpaper replacement (to help repair broken hinges) or even complete rebinding will make books more robust and will ensure they last longer. However, repairs should only be undertaken by a trusted bookbinder – it’s a real skill and bad repairs can’t be undone. Good repairs are not cheap or quick. A major repair fundamentally changes the nature of the book and compromises its age as an antiquarian artefact. My advice? Seek advice before you do anything.

By definition, any book that is unique is as rare as it gets, but I understand the question. Every book produced before the invention of printing is unique because they were handwritten or copied. Books printed before 1500 (known as incunabula) are also mostly unique because of they were largely hand bound often by different binders. The most valuable book is probably the Codex Leicester which is a collection of scientific writings by Leonardo Da Vinci – technically it is no longer a book as it has been unbound, with each page secured in glass so that it can be transported and viewed in various locations across the world. Its current owner is Bill Gates who bought it for $30.8m. It is worth bearing in mind that the link between rarity and value is not straightforward.

I have lots of interests book wise, but I am really interested in early twentieth century English literature, music and art. My first, and probably most abiding passion is with the works of John Cowper Powys. When I first read him in my twenties, most of his books were out of print so I had to go searching in second hand and rare book shops. In the pre internet days this involved a lot of travelling around but did, every now and then, provide those glorious moments of serendipity which the internet has robbed from us. I am also interested in privately printed special editions – there were a host of small Arts and Crafts inspired publishing enterprises that sprung up in the wake of Morris’s Kelmscott such as the Golden Cockerel Press or the Alcuin Press. These books are invariably limited editions and are numbered and signed. Most are beyond my pocket, but you never know. The pride of my collection is an Alcuin Press edition of Houseman’s ‘A Shropshire Lad and Last Poems’.