Rare books can be hard to obtain and expensive due to high demand or limited availability. Books can become rare due to age, nature, misprints, inclusions, or controversial content. Collectors seek first editions, signed copies, and books belonging to famous people. Collecting rare books can be rewarding but risky, as some sellers may forge autographs or make books appear rarer than they are. Truly old rare books are rare in the public market and are usually expensive and taken from academic institutions and private libraries.
Rare books are books that, for one reason or another, are hard to obtain. Depending on the book, demand may be high, in which case the book may be quite expensive, or demand may be lower, limited to a more specialized community. However, this may not necessarily mean the price goes down. Several companies around the world specialize in rare books, track down books for their customers and offer various finds at public sales and auctions, and rare book collectors can also be found around the world.
There are many reasons why a book can become rare. While rare books are often old, that’s not always the case, and being old doesn’t necessarily make a book rare or valuable, except for really old books. For example, Renaissance books and manuscripts, by virtue of their age, tend to command a high price due to their historical value and rarity, while books one to two centuries old are not necessarily of value. 19th-century dreadful pennies, for example, might be intriguing collectors’ items, but they’re usually far from uncommon.
A book can be rare by its nature. First editions, for example, are often very rare because publishers typically keep initial print runs small in case the book doesn’t sell. Book collectors who can find a first edition of a very popular book may be willing to pay a pretty penny; first editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, for example, sold for about US$45,000 in 2008. Books with misprints, inclusions that were later deleted, and other interesting errata can also be rare, as can books controversial that somehow managed to escape the shredding by the publisher.
Books signed by the author, especially with an inscription, are also considered rare books, as are books that belonged to someone famous. A prominent historical figure’s bookplate on the front of a book can elevate the value immensely, even if the book itself is not intrinsically valuable. Books that have been made into movies can be made more valuable if cast members sign editions of the books, illustrating a situation where the book is made famous by association.
Collecting rare books can be very rewarding, but also potentially dangerous. Bibliophiles can spend alarming amounts on books every year and will stop at nothing to secure a particularly coveted edition. They are also vulnerable to predatory sellers, such as people who forge autographs or make a book rarer than it is. As a general rule, any reputable seller will happily accept a third-party inspection to verify the book and its provenance, and if you happen to be looking at a rare book signed by a modern author, some authors have autograph verification programs.
You should be aware that truly old rare books rarely reach the public market for sale; most amateur rare book collectors focus on books from the past two centuries. Private collectors tend to hang on to their books, and when they die, their books are often donated to museums, rather than sold. In the rare event that manuscripts and older books make it to the open market, they are typically extremely expensive and are usually taken from academic institutions and private libraries.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
