It occurs to me that some of the disagreement which arises in a certain book collecting newsgroup crops up because a number of posters write from the standpoint of the dealer and/or investor, rather than from the collector with a love of books.  While in many cases the resulting viewpoints do not need to conflict at all, sometimes they create certain mindsets that do on occasion clash. For the most part I buy my books off-line and at far below the going price on the net.  When I buy books, it is  because I like them.  The low prices I pay are possible because I spend time checking out thrift shops, library sales, garage sales, etc.

those books in some climate-controlled outbuilding with the idea of letting them appreciate for a few years and them re-selling them, that would be one thing.  That is hardly the case, though. Those procedures I outlined above are things I do because they make me feel better about my books.   For instance, I personally don't care if a book on my shelf has Property of Ed Smith, San Franciso Public Library or Joe's Bar and Grill stamped in black ink on the page edges.   Seeing something like that detracts from the pleasure of owning the book.  It further detracts, in a very small way, from the atmosphere of my home.   I am, you will remember, a book lover. A true book lover does not cause further damage to his or her books. Francis A. Miniter

It occurs to me that some of the disagreement which arises in a certain book collecting newsgroup crops up because a number of posters write from the standpoint of the dealer and/or investor, rather than from the collector with a love of books. So you buy picture books because you hate words, got it. And then when you bring them home, you stick your own pictures in to cover up any words there might be. Or you White-Out words you can still see. Or you glue fresh pages in to cover up the words that other people have left visible. Failing any of those solutions, you'll soak your book in water, or douse it with lighter fluid to remove any trace of the written word. In other words, you treat books like the average child of 18 months does. Or would, were he allowed access to White-Out or sticky glue type substances. One does tend to wonder, Palmjob, why you would want to post testimony to such an atrocious mishandling of books on a newsgroup like misc.writing, where the written word is paramount. I can just see your collection now. A valuable first edition (slightly gummed-up) of A Tale of Two Cities, which begins: It was the best of times, it was the worst of [text obscured by picture of a cowboy on a horsie]

It occurs to me that some of the disagreement which arises in a certain book collecting newsgroup rec.collecting.books In general, water is bad for cloth bindings and is certainly bad for the paper content of the book.  Those of you who have seen the effects of water will understand. Aren't WE clever today!  My point in the other post you read was that after I had applied the bleach with the q-tips, I gently rubbed the clamped page edges with a damp towel.  The effect of the water was precisely what I predicted before performing the experiment: the light rinse reduced the bleach smell, and after I let the book set near an open window for a couple of hours there remained no signs whatsoever of either the bleach or the water

Alan Hope < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it wrote in message <news: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it You don't fool anyone, Hopester, you ignorant wimp.   You feel very defensive because you know nothing about book illustration.  Maybe you can tell a Beardsly from a Frank Frazetta, but that is probably as far as your knowledge takes you.  I DOUBT if you know who Jack Davis even is, but of course

It is very difficult for me to consider someone who could not immediately spot a Jack Davis illustration as anything other than ignorant. The EC _base_ball game with the body parts, the album covers, the TIME covers, just where the heck have you been, Hopey?) I moved on to the written word some years ago, Palmjob. Even the children have grown out of sticking pretty pictures into their books. But you go ahead. Be sure to use acid-free glue though, as the man said. And no wax crayons, against which Tippex is powerless.