Thread: Funny old book
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Derek Lyons
 
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Default Funny old book

(The Bibliographer) wrote:

>In article >,
>Bob Pastorio > wrote:
>>I got this on a mailing list I subscribe to. It was forwarded by one
>>of the subscribers. Looks like an, um, interesting read. And only
>>$200. <kof>
>>Dr. Doran, "TABLE TRAITS, WITH SOMETHING ON THEM"
>>New York; W.J. Widdleton, Publisher: 1865.
>>Hardcover. 5.5"x8.25", 489 pages; publisher's brown ribbed cloth;
>>covers with some soil and rubbing, tips bumped; endpapers creased;
>>some internal soil; 1" stain on rear endpapers extending slightly into
>>the last few pages of text. [04922] $200.00

>
>In other words, a fairly ratty copy.


The importance of condition varies with the purpose for which you buy
the book. Books bought for collecting (read $$ value) should of be
near pristine. Books bought for reference need not be pristine, but
should be in the best condition possible.

Given that Joslin Hall subscribes to the "make it sound worse than it
is" description philosophy, like most good dealers... And anyone with
a knowledge of how to read book descriptions would not desrcibe the
above as 'ratty'.

>I have a fairly long experience with the used book trade.


This is not apperant from the content of your rant.

>This is just the sort of dishonest pricing that one finds more and more,
>especially among American dealers.


Hmmm.... Looking at Forrest's collection of qualifications, then
comparing them to yours tells me who is more likely to be trustworthy.

>The fair value of the edition you
>list, which is neither the first English nor the first American
>imprint, probably is about twenty dollars, perhaps as much as forty
>dollars in a very competitive market.


And your experience in pricing books is what? Your professional
qualifications are what?

>If you are interested in the text for its own sake, for the purpose
>of research or scholarship, the easiest method of acquisition is to
>order it through interlibrary loan at your local public, college,
>or university library. You can then photocopy the entire work, if you
>like, since copyright considerations no longer apply. At least thirteen
>publicly-accessible collections in the United States have this particular
>imprint:


A damm good way to destroy the book by damaging the spine.

>If you wish to purchase a copy for your own collection, ABEBOOKS,
>one of several online booksearch services. lists eighteen available
>copies, with some, indeed, at inflated prices. Among those at
>reasonable cost may be mentioned:


Of course many of those at your 'fair price' are in far worse shape
than Forrest's copy. (And virtually none of the copies on ABEBooks
are from known reliable dealers, which means you may not get what you
are paying for, even at reduced prices.)

>Check ABEBOOKS, BIBLIOFIND, and several other online booksearch
>services. You may well find the work for which you are searching
>at a quite reasonable price. In any case, you probably can get a
>good idea of the fair market value of all but the rarest titles.


Book search services are utterly unreliable when it comes to
determining fair market value - unless you have a great deal of
experience in pricing books.

D.
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