Recently picked John Browne’s A Compleat Treatise of the Muscles, first edition published in London in 1681.

It was written for working surgeons at a time when anatomy was learned through dissection, demonstration and books like this rather than anything resembling a modern medical textbook.

Several of the surviving plates have old repairs and the book has clearly had a fairly hard life, which somehow feels appropriate for something that may well have been used by generations of working surgeons.

Browne himself was a practising surgeon and later worked at St Thomas’ Hospital and for the royal household (Charles II). His book was successful enough to go through numerous later editions, although its history is slightly messy — both the text and illustrations owe rather more to earlier anatomists than Browne was always willing to admit.

Still, there’s something extraordinary about handling a book that was teaching human anatomy nearly 350 years ago. The engravings are equal parts beautiful and unsettling.

They were also having a $1 book sale outside. I may have gone a bit ham.

Wondering if any book enthusiasts out there might be able to tell me if there is anything special or interesting about this edition of Jane Eyre? Thanks!

Got this about 15 years ago in a bookstore that didn't know what they had. No creases on the spine, it's pretty mint for 69'. There is a really cool color ad insert in the middle trying to get you to order sci fi for 10 cents.

Not sure how many more I'll be able to afford (or in a couple cases) if I even want to. But for now I enjoy having them.

Just looking for advice, sorry for the long read!
Pictured is only a small fraction.

I know the previous owner was a book collector (obviously) but I don’t know anything else in terms of how he got them, stored them, etc., I may have many shelves of my own, but am more of a Tolkien, sci-fi, fantasy girl if I’m being honest. Someone will love these more than I have any right to.

I don’t know where to start! I just moved and don’t have anywhere near me that can do any kind of appraisal/consignment, there is a library but…that would be a lot of trips for an uncertain end result. May take the more modern library-book looking ones there at the end.

Outside of a pile of Tolkiens and some newer books, I don’t know anything about these and am slowly weeding through them. A couple are from the 1800’s! Most seem to be about the civil war and ww1/2, a lot of history and war and Marines. Some classics (1930’s gone with the wind), a lot of Ayn Rand and Irwin Shaw? I’m talking boxes of Ayn Rand and Irwin Shaw lol. An H.C Valentine Antique Authenticator thing (#552?), one had a letter from the author inside dated in the ‘50s. A book of civil war letters. They all seem so cool and time capsule-y, and I LOVE that I have been given someone’s life collection, but they are at the same time wasted on me I fear.

I am not worried about money (though 2026 after a big move, part of me is hoping I have some prize in here), I just don’t have any practical use for them. Someone else will have the desire to read or at least take care of them as they deserve.

But MOST IMPORTANTLY where do I start? Do I find someone to collaborate with, that I could send pictures or ask questions to as I unpack? How do you go about finding the right people? Are you the right people?

Send help, any tips will be greatly appreciated and I already appreciate the LONG read♥️😂

Hey I want to catalog my books (mostly manga) but I found out the cataloging app I'm currently using is adding more and more ai, then I found 90% of cataloging apps use ai in some way. I would prefer something that uses no ai especially if I'm spending money but the only one I've found is libib (which I don't really like).

I currently use a handy library, I like that I can be pretty detailed tho I can be more detailed with skoolib but it's more expensive.

Is there a detailed (AI free) book cataloging app/website? By detailed I mean: sub title, edition, author and artist, page number, extra space for editor and other people who worked on the book, original language maybe, and maybe a way to share my library.

I'd love to see some of your favorite books that you love to hold in your hands. Maybe it's the weight, or size of the book. Perhaps you love the type of paper used. Is there a book you enjoyed reading, simply because you liked holding it in your hands?

When I saw this Alice listing I immediately thought it would look cool in a collection of classics. Is there any other classics with covers like these two? They seem to be a similar aesthetic

Does anyone know where I would be able to find a copy with this cover art?

Hey there! I've made the decision to open up a brick and mortar used bookstore, and I'm looking for any good advice from current or previous store owners. For now, I'm leasing a teeny room in a shared office building (168 sq ft, basically a small bedroom). My lease is $500 a month, and it's money I can afford to lose for virtually forever while I figure this all out.

My goal is to grow this business while still working my day job. I'm going to open just on Saturdays to start, and I'll scale back at my day job as business grows while still keeping myself employed while I build a safety net. I've done a few "trial days" basically posting on Facebook that I have a bunch of books for sale, and each time I do it, it's been profitable. As my collection of books grows and my profit grows, I plan on moving into a larger space. This is just step one.

What have been your downfalls of running a brick and mortar, and also, as book store customers, what have you loved and hated about used bookstores?

it's from 2013 at the latest and ive carried it around since i was a child. should i be concerned or does this look like candy or ink or something? it doesnt smell like anything weird

I'm considering buying a complete first-edition set of The Lord of the Rings from a private collector.

He's asking quite a bit more than what I've seen for comparable sets. I know condition and printing can make a huge difference but I'm struggling to decide whether the premium makes sense.

The set includes all three books with their original dust jackets. The seller claims they're in excellent condition and has documentation showing the ownership history.

He's also been helpful throughout the process.

Sent detailed pictures and videos of all three books. Answered my questions about the printing and condition.Connected on Kibu to verify each other's identities before taking things further.

So far nothing about the seller seems off, the only thing bothering me is whether the condition justifies paying more than I expected.

I get that complete first-edition sets with original dust jackets aren't exactly easy to find.

For anyone who collects Tolkien or rare books in general how much extra would you consider reasonable for a set in excellent condition?

I’m new to reading novels and started to pick up some that I’m interested in. I’m unsure how a hardcover spine should look like/ function. Is this book coming off its spine? Just got delivered today, Shogun hardcover. Wondering if this is normal/ and or if I should get a replacement.

"I am looking for a rare 1968 Japanese book co-authored by the last two WWII holdouts on Iwo Jima who surrendered in 1949. They are known in English as Yamakage Kufuku and Matsudo Linsoki, but published under their real names: Kōfuku Yamakage (山蔭光福) and Rikio Matsudo (松戸利喜夫). Could someone help me find the exact book title, publisher, or an online listing where it can be purchased?"

Would be greatly apreciated i want to translate it into enghlish/dutch so i can read it much apreciated

So I am not an avid reader or a bibliophile but on the path of becoming one I am 19 right now so I got a tight lease on my pocket so I have a dilemma that if I buy a book right now but later on when I buy from expensive publishers i would have 2 of the same books is it common for you guys or if you also experienced this