After years of working with old books and paper, it always surprises me how much I enjoy getting out and hunting at flea markets, antique shows and estate sales. The Antique Mall can yield a gem or two here and there, but for the most part you really have to be willing to buy what […]
A phone conversation with an old appraisal client this morning has me reflecting on bookselling a bit… What is the issue between those who “sell” stuff and those who “study” stuff? Is there an unwritten rule, a “code red” if you will, that tells those in the academic world to harbor resentment for those who […]
Being someone compelled to write is really a curse for some of us. The need to say something doesn’t always come with the prerequisite knowledge of actually knowing how to say it. You often read words slaved over by others and knowingly think “how the hell did this get printed.” I know, I’ve been there. […]
The book sold to Crown Publishing in 2010 after a bidding war for the rights to print. The movie rights were sold in a bidding war to Warner Bros. even before the book was published. At least two signed, limited edition versions have been issued and Steven Spielberg directed the film adaptation that is set […]
As an Elmore Leonard fan, it is a forgone conclusion that I LOVE ‘Get Shorty’ and his other work that has reached commercial success in film etc… What I love about Leonard, beyond character development that is spot-on, is the fact that he shape-shifted himself in his career to move with the times. Many writers, […]
It is no secret that I am a longtime proponent of blogging. It took me quite a while to get over my inexplicable aversion to using Facebook. It took other booksellers, who essentially felt sorry for me, to explain the powers on Instagram. I am an advertiser of sorts I suppose, but I would like […]
For an internet based bookseller, I sure do talk about doing physical book shows an awful lot… I know, I know… That said, let’s talk about a book fair! For many of us in the rare book trade, our days go something like this: Wake up Drink coffee Think about our Day Drink coffee Plan […]
Long ago, I grew tired of writing, talking or really even discussing To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Tremendous first novel; southern white girl on race issues in 1960 America; autographed copies available at little shops in Monroeville, AL… Every collector and Antiquarian book dealer in the world has a story, a blog, a […]
I have often said that collecting is something that you are born with. You either have the switch in the “ON” position or the “OFF” position when you enter this world of light of chaos. For those of us lucky enough to be born in the “ON” position, we have a life of diversion, exploration, […]
As with others in my business, I get lonely during the working hours of each day… Working online is not really all it’s cracked up to be. If you have a day-job, you dream of quitting it all and heading off to work for yourself. I know, I have had the same thoughts countless times. […]