Status
Available
Publication
New York : Thomas Dunne Books, 1999.
Description
Follows the authors as they explore the world of book collecting and shares their experiences as they discover new places to find and buy rare literary works.
User reviews
LibraryThing member cuicocha
This is an easy going look at the world of book collecting and the process of focusing interest on various aspects of collecting. As a second book (Used and Rare the first) this book follows the logical collecting progression to more specific interests nd specializations.
The book lacks the
The book lacks the
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emotional tie that is established with the reader in their first book; however, it is well worth reading for the glimpse into facets of the book collecting world. Show Less
LibraryThing member ecw0647
The Goldstones, apparently on their way to a trilogy, successfully followed their first book with this one. It’s another delight. Becoming more accomplished as rare book aficionados, they are able to provide even more enlightening and amusing anecdotes of the book trade. They are informative as
The group consisted of Lytton Strachey, Virginia and Leonard Woolf, Clive Bell, Roger Fry, Duncan Grant, and John Maynard Keynes, although there is some dispute about others. The group had a unique ethos "which can be summed up by the sort of incisive comment the group and Lytton Strachey in particular were known for. Upon arriving at Clive and Vanessa Bell's apartment one evening, Lytton noticed a stain on Vanessa's dress, 'Semen?' he inquired." Another interesting story of the Bloomsbury folks is that Virginia Woolf and her husband, Leonard had often spoken of starting their own press. One day, while walking by a small printing supply company, they saw a hand press for sale in the window. They bought it, took it home, and taught themselves how to set type.
Thus began Hogarth Press. It reflected their ineptitude visually. Virginia routinely confused the h’s with the n’s. They had trouble with the ink, and the woodcuts they used for illustrations never inked up just right. These volumes are, of course, quite valuable today, especially because their print runs were so small (the first was 134 copies, which sold out, making them a small profit). One of the delights of the Goldstones’ books is learning about many authors of years ago with whom I was completely unfamiliar, for example, William Mcfee (nautical stuff) and Josephine Tey (British mystery writer who died in 1952).
No stranger to book signings, having traveled along to many of Sheila’s, not to mention many at ALA and ABA, I got a huge kick out of an anecdote they relate that happened to a friend of theirs. This author was sitting at the table in the bookstore with lots of his books but hadn’t been aproached by anyone for over an hour when a woman and child came over. “Are your the author of these books?” she asked. He assured her he was. “You wrote them,” she inquired again, “and you’ll be here for a while.” He answered again in the affirmative. She then asked if he would watch her child while she went shopping. The Goldstones don’t relate his response.
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well about many of the authors whose books are collected. I had never heard of "Bloomsbury" members, being literature-challenged, but it seems the august members of that strange coterie are very collectible, not just because many were good writers, but also because they were prolific and lived lives (there are more than twenty-five 900- page biographies of the members) that would be unbelievable on most soap operas. The group consisted of Lytton Strachey, Virginia and Leonard Woolf, Clive Bell, Roger Fry, Duncan Grant, and John Maynard Keynes, although there is some dispute about others. The group had a unique ethos "which can be summed up by the sort of incisive comment the group and Lytton Strachey in particular were known for. Upon arriving at Clive and Vanessa Bell's apartment one evening, Lytton noticed a stain on Vanessa's dress, 'Semen?' he inquired." Another interesting story of the Bloomsbury folks is that Virginia Woolf and her husband, Leonard had often spoken of starting their own press. One day, while walking by a small printing supply company, they saw a hand press for sale in the window. They bought it, took it home, and taught themselves how to set type.
Thus began Hogarth Press. It reflected their ineptitude visually. Virginia routinely confused the h’s with the n’s. They had trouble with the ink, and the woodcuts they used for illustrations never inked up just right. These volumes are, of course, quite valuable today, especially because their print runs were so small (the first was 134 copies, which sold out, making them a small profit). One of the delights of the Goldstones’ books is learning about many authors of years ago with whom I was completely unfamiliar, for example, William Mcfee (nautical stuff) and Josephine Tey (British mystery writer who died in 1952).
No stranger to book signings, having traveled along to many of Sheila’s, not to mention many at ALA and ABA, I got a huge kick out of an anecdote they relate that happened to a friend of theirs. This author was sitting at the table in the bookstore with lots of his books but hadn’t been aproached by anyone for over an hour when a woman and child came over. “Are your the author of these books?” she asked. He assured her he was. “You wrote them,” she inquired again, “and you’ll be here for a while.” He answered again in the affirmative. She then asked if he would watch her child while she went shopping. The Goldstones don’t relate his response.
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LibraryThing member JBD1
One of the three fine Goldstone memoirs. I recommend each of them.
LibraryThing member t.peggy
After reading the first book by this couple (Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World) I had to pick up this book also. I enjoyed it almost as much. There is a little less glee of discovery now that the couple are a few years into collecting. The description of the Pequot Public Library in
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Connecticut and the seminar and book sale they attended had me racing to Google Maps to find out how far it was from where I lived. There are still plenty of information for booklovers and new bookstores discovered. I look forward to the next book this couple has written. Show Less
LibraryThing member LouCypher
The second book in the ongoing life of Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone as they attend book fairs, book stores, and other literary avenues, in the ongoing hunt for rare first edition books.
I really enjoyed this book. Well written and charming. Really makes you appreciate books not only for the stories
I really enjoyed this book. Well written and charming. Really makes you appreciate books not only for the stories
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the contain, but the actuall books history and collectibility. Show Less
LibraryThing member dono421846
A different book from the earlier Used and Rare. While the first book chronicled the authors' gradual immersion into the world of book collecting, this second volume focuses more on the book trade itself rather than their own relationship with the books. That does make this second book a bit less
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engaging, but nonetheless informational. It moves from book-related events, such as the auction of the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, to themes like the Bloomsbury group, the history of which is recounted in succinct and engaging detail. An especially intriguing chapter discusses the creation of the Bibliofind used book website (which has since been absorbed by Amazon), and the authors' skeptical doubts about the future of book collecting via the internet. My, how the world has changed! Show Less