mammybearsbooks Blog Antiquarian_and_Rare 20200813

Mammy Bears Books 13 August 2020 Antiquarian & Rare...ever wondered what book dealers are going on about? "Antiquarian" according to my old Cassell's English Dictionary means "pertaining to antiquaries or antiquities" - basically something that is old! "Rare" means "scarce, uncommon, unusual, especially excellent". "Rare" and "Antiquarian" CAN be qualities that are encompassed in the same book, however old books aren't necessarily rare, and rare books aren't necessarily old. Confusing isn't it. Welcome to my world :) So, why aren't all Antiquarian - old - books Rare? Basically, it is because a lot of old books have no demand in the marketplace. Conversely, a Modern First Edition of say, 'Casino Royale' might have been printed in hundreds of copies, but collectors want the best copy they can find. It is this demand that drives the value of Fine copies, which often sell for large sums of money. Therefore, it is in the pursuit of a desirable book, where supply and demand determines the price. Saying all that, I have a soft spot for "Antiquarian" books, mainly due to their bindings...often in tooled leather. You can often pick up these books at very reasonable prices (assuming that they are not "Rare") and create a wonderful display of glowing leather spines in your bookcase. I have a nice selection of both "Antiquarian" and "Rare" books on my website www.mammybearsbooks.com some are even both