Collection of Books - Purpose and Values by:Joseph Letzelter

Book collecting is bringing together of books which in their contents

, their form or the history of the individual copy possess some element of permanent interest, and either actually or prospectively are unusual, in the sense of being difficult to acquire. This condition of rarity, which figures much too largely in the popular view of book-collecting, is entirely subordinate to that of interest, for the rarity of a book devoid of interest is a matter of no concern.

On the other hand, so long as a book (or anything else) is and appears likely to go on to be easily procurable at any moment, no one has any reason for collecting it. The expectation that it will always be easily procurable is often groundless; but so long as the eagerness exists it restrains collecting, with the result that Horn-books are much rarer than First Folio Shakespeare's. It has even been laid down that the ultimate rarity of books varies in the inverse ratio of the number of copies originally printed, and though the generalization is a little sweeping, it is not far from the truth.

To conquest over small difficulties being the chief element in games of skill, the different varieties of book-collecting, which offer almost as many varieties of grades of difficulty, make excellent hobbies. But in its essence the pastime of a book-collector is identical with the official work of the guardian of a museum, and thus also with one branch of the duties of the librarian of any library of respectable age. In its foundation every library is a literary workshop, with more or less of a garden or leisure ground attached according as its managers are influenced by the humanities or by a narrow conception of utility. As the library grows, the books and editions which have been the Books tools of one generation pass out of use; and it becomes largely a collection or storehouse of a stock much of which is dead.

But from out of this seemingly dead stock preserved at haphazard, critics and antiquaries gradually pick out books which they find to be still alive. Of some of these the interest cannot be reproduced in its entirety by any mere reprint and it is this salvage which forms the literary museum. Book-collectors are advantaged to leap at once to this stage in their relations with books, using the dealer's shops and catalogues as depositories from which to pick the books which will best fit with the aim or central idea of their collection. For in the modern private collection, as in the modern museum, the need for a central idea must be fully recognized.

Book Qualities

To make a center of attention a collector of book must appeal to his eye, his mind or his imagination, and many famous books appeal to all three. A book may be beautiful by virtue of its binding, its illustrations or the simple perfection and harmony of its print and paper. The desirability of a fine binding has always been felt in France, the high prices quoted for Elzevirs and French first editions being often due much more to their 17th and 18th century jackets than to the books themselves. The admiration of old bindings has greatly increased in England since the exhibition of them at the Burlington Fine Arts Club in 1891 English blind stamped bindings, embroidered bindings, and bindings attributable to Samuel Mearne being much more sought after than formerly.

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Joseph Letzelter is an expert author, who is presently working on the site Joseph Letzelter. He has written many articles in various topics. For more information about Joseph Letzelter. Visit our site Joseph Letzelter . Contact him at

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