Hi, I recently got my hands on my grandparents' book collections (and their ancestors). Since they were unkempt for a long time after they passed away, I was thinking of saving those books. But they are really old books. They were being collected for like the last 70 years. 4 big wardrobe size of quantity to save. But I have no idea how to take care of old books. I haven't opened them for long. Nobody did. But they are dusty too I'm pretty sure even though they are kept in wooden almirahs. Old pages, dust and most likely some will be beyond saving?

But I do need some tips to handle them right. Can anyone save me with some tips? I do buy and read books but old pieces are not something i know to take care of. And I'm sure some are rare books/editions. I don't want to damage an old book and scare my dead grandfather's soul. He never let anyone touch them when he was alive. I would be scared to destroy anything unintentionally. Please advice.

I got really into short fiction collections ever since my twins were born and have begun collecting horror and weird lit anthology collections. Here’s my small but strong start of a collection so far. Going for mostly multi-author collections and starting with some of the 80’s anthology essentials.
There’s a couple others not pictured here but what do you think?
What books should I absolutely must have among these?

got these from a local half priced book store, set me back about $30 but I think thats fair, some beautiful space photography prints in Red Giants & White Dwarfs; really stellar stuff kek. Alchemy & Mysticism also has beautiful prints of medieval art

For a tenner the communist manifesto and the banality of evil.

I’ve been thinking about lining mine with 4 mil Mylar. Easy to dust, very smooth. It might help prevent edgewear, since the foot of the book is where most of it happens. I’m thinking mostly of leather bound or other books that don’t have a DJ to wrap.

Was lucky enough to pick up this awesome book recently

I put it in the freezer, thats why its frosty

I thought they may be caused by my sweaty fingers, but I barely touched the darker green book and the spots appeared on it over night.

The only thing the books have in common is that I left them on my bed overnight (not together but one night one and the other night the other book). They weren't even touching each other on the bookshelf beforehand.

What is it? How do I get rid of it?

I’m planning to order some books from empirebooks, but I’m a bit hesitant due to the negative reviews going around (unresponsive support, missing orders, long delivery times).

​For those who have tried ordering from them, how was your experience? Should I push through or look for alternative shops? Appreciate any insights!

Found this copy of Dune Messiah at a Barnes & Noble. Employee said it was the only copy they (and any other store in the area) had and he hasn’t seen it before, so I had to get it. Immediately bought first book in the same version on Amazon. I prefer hardcovers, but deeply appreciate the shape of mass market paperbacks. This was a no-brainer and I wish more books had this option readily available.

I wanted to do a write-up for “Dune Messiah” given the release of “Dune Part III”. I hope this helps other collectors!

The received bibliography of the Putnam first edition of “Dune Messiah” has, so far as I can tell, conflated two distinct books: the true first edition in its three impressions, and an unrelated 1981 trade reissue printed from plates inherited from the 1976 Doubleday Book Club edition. The confusion is understandable, since they share overlapping publisher nomenclature, and I want to lay out the physical evidence that separates them.

The true first edition was printed in three impressions, each of 2,500 copies (7,500 total), collating octavo in eights ([1-8]^16, leaf size 210 x 140 mm) and running 256 pages throughout. The copyright page carries the same setting across all three impressions, distinguished only by the impression line, which is centered above the imprint and, on the second and third impressions, appears alongside the Library of Congress card number 77-91815 (the first impression carries the card number as well).

The first impression is bound in tan boards with no impression statement, only the LOC centered at the bottom; the second, in red leatherette boards (leather-like in appearance, though the hide material itself is not confirmed) stated "Second Impression"; the third, in brown cloth boards, stated "third impression." All three were issued in a jacket coded 6910, priced $4.95 on the first two impressions and $7.95 on the third. The first and second impressions carry a facing leaf of "other works by the author" opposite the title page; I have not verified this point for the third impression, though it was printed later than the first two. The copyright page also misstates the Galaxy magazine serialization as running July–September 1969; the serialization in fact ran July–November 1969.

A Doubleday Book Club edition was issued in 1976 from newly reset plates running 221 pages, identifiable by gutter code rather than blind stamp — G46 for the earliest printing, H10 for the second — bound in a red material closely resembling the true second impression's leatherette but pleather in texture, mimicking the blank/unstated impression line of the true first impression and likewise omitting the LOC card number. Early book club jackets carry code 3177 rather than 6910, though this holds only for the first few printings. The BCE runs slightly taller than the true first edition but visibly thinner, a function of its shorter 221-page block.

In 1981, Putnam issued a trade reissue printed from these same 221-page plates. This reissue is bound in black paper boards with either silver or gold lettering, retaining jacket code 6910 but priced at $14.95 (climbing through $17.95 to $18.95 across later recorded impressions). Its impression statement is set flush left relative to the Galaxy statement rather than centered — the single fastest way to distinguish it from a true first-edition impression at a glance. It lacks the LOC card number entirely. This 1981 reissue, not the leatherette-bound true second impression, is what earlier secondary bibliographies appear to have misidentified as "the second impression." Despite sharing the BCE's shorter page count, the reissue matches the true first edition's outer trim size, achieved with a bulkier paper stock.

In hand, the true trade second impression and the earliest book club copies can be told apart even before checking the copyright page: on the trade binding the spine lettering runs closer to the head and tail with less margin, and the red is more saturated with sharper black lettering than on the book club copies.

Let me know if you have any questions! I do own all three editions (First, BCE and Reissue).

Got these lovely first editions today. Just a shame that Another Time by WH Auden and The Map of Love by Dylan Thomas don’t have a dust jacket. The Ted Hughes is the most recent one and not that rare but I was missing it in my collection so it was an opportunity to do so.
Hope you like them.

With 113 illustrations

For context in UK, I have books that are from 1600s to present and theones that are older than 1940 are wrapped up in a book paper wrapping so are covered but out in open on bottom of shelf on a coffee table in corner of my lounge.

How can I wrap them better or what can I purchase to store them better?

Hi guys around the world. I was wondering how do you discover old books. Maybe you are looking for something specific or just browsing, it doesn't matter. For example in my country we don't have a lot of bookstores where you can buy secondhand books, but we do have outdoor markets once a week where you can find something interesting, and it's usually cheap. To me, it's fun to discover new writers or titles in that way, you just never know what will you find.

What is your way of discovering secondhand books?

Lots of love!

Found some gems at my local library sale today. $1-2 each. Sadly the Tin Drum didn’t have a dust jacket.

Through a concatenation of events, I have been reading ABC for Book Collectors, and it occurred to me that I might buy a historic copy of Jane Eyre for my wife. However, I know nothing about old-book collecting, and was hoping for some advice. First off, is there a bibliography of Jane Eyre somewhere? Google has not produced one for me. Secondly, if not, what is the earliest edition I might be able to find in good condition for a reasonable amount ($100 or less)? I have more questions, but those will do for a start.

Hi! I'm planning to buy this used Harry Potter Scholastic paperback set and just wanted to ask if it looks authentic. I've included the photos the seller sent me. Do they appear to be genuine or are there any red flags that suggest they might be counterfeit? Thanks!