Are you interested in collecting rare books? Then one of the best methods available for you to start searching for rare books is your local bookstore. By taking a look at the local bookstore, you will get the opportunity to figure out some of the best rare books available out there. However, you should still have a strong understanding on how to spot the valuable rare books that are available for sale in the local bookstore.
Here are some useful tips, which you can follow in order to locate the rare books that are available for sale at your local bookstore.
Explain your requirement to the local bookstore owner
Before you start going through the bookshelves, you will need to get in touch with the owner of the local bookstore. That’s because he has the best understanding about the books that are available for sale in the bookstore. If you can get in touch with the local bookstore owner and explain your intentions, you will be provided with appropriate recommendations. These recommendations can help you to make your life easy.
Shapero says that in some of the instances, the local bookstore might not have any rare book at all. When you get connected with the bookstore owner, you will be provided that information. Hence, you can make sure that you don’t go through the bookshelves unnecessarily. On the other hand, the owner of your local bookstore will provide much-needed information related to the rare books that are available for sale. You can get to know about the exact location of the book. This will also help you to save a lot of time while you are hunting for old books.
Figure out what defines rare books
You shouldn’t blindly trust the local bookstore owner and purchase books. Before you make a purchase, it is worthy to double check with the local bookstore owner and see whether you are buying a rare book or a not. This is where you need to have a strong understanding about the factors, which are in a position to transform a book into a rare book.
For example, the first edition versions of some of the books are rare. That’s because the first edition books are limited in quantities. The first edition of the very first Harry Potter book is a perfect example to prove the above-mentioned fact. Therefore, you must look specifically for the first edition books. However, there are instances when the second and successive editions can be rare as well. Hence, you shouldn’t entirely rely on the edition.
Completeness of the book is a factor that you should never ignore while you are purchasing rare books at a local bookstore. It is important to manually go through all the pages of the book and make sure that they are available. If not, you are not purchasing a valuable book. While you go through the different pages of the book, you must check whether the blank pages that you can find in the front and rear are available as well. Otherwise, you will fail to get the most out of the book that you are purchasing.
Another important factor that you should not ignore while you purchase rare books is the dust cover. If the dust cover of a rare book is not present, the overall value associated with it can drop exponentially. Therefore, you shouldn’t forget to take a look at the dust cover.
You can also do a small research online and verify that you are spending your money to get a genuinely rare book. Then you can experience all the worthy returns that come along with the book you purchase as well.
Understand the difference between vintage books and antique books
We have seen how most of the bookstore owners tend to confuse the rare book collectors with antique books and vintage books. That’s why it is important for you to have a strong understanding about the differences that exist in between the vintage books and antique books. Then you can end up with purchasing the best books available out there for you to use.
As a book collector, you know that the antique books are much older when compared to the vintage books. This is one of the biggest factors that would contribute towards the sale of the book as well. For a book to become an antique book, it should have a lifetime of more than 100 years. Apart from the age, the book should be in good condition as well. You should be able to go through the book and read the content. Likewise, you should also make sure that you are in a position to resell the book as well.
Make sure that you pay the right price
Some of the bookstore owners tend to quote absurd prices for the rare books. This is the main reason why you need to make sure that you are spending a worthy amount of money out of your pocket to purchase the rare book that is available for sale at the bookstore. Otherwise, you will just be spending your money unnecessarily on a book, which is not worthy at all.
There are numerous resources available for you to cross check the value of antique books. For example, you can do a cross check on a platform such as eBay. Then you can figure out the amount of money that the book is generally being sold for. Likewise, you can take a look at the historical auctions as well. If no information related to the price of the book is available on the internet, you can get in touch with another rare book collector and see whether the amount of money you are spending on the book is worth it or not. Based on the recommendations, you can pay the right price and buy the book.
Keep these facts in mind and you can easily locate the best rare books at your local bookstore.
