You can collect antique first editions

Books are worth collecting. Some of them can be very valuable. What determines value is usually related to rarity and condition. So, if you find a book that is rare, and is in good shape, you might have a terrific find in your hands!

How do you know if a book is rare?

There are a number of ways: you can either take your book in to an expert at an antique bookstore. They have a pretty good idea of what's common and what's not. Check the credentials of the expert before you go. You want the truth, not someone offering to buy your book for a few dollars when it's worth hundreds.

You can also check online. Research the author, the title and the edition. (Hint: if there are no words saying 'second edition' or 'First impression 1820" (or any date), or words like 'First published', or 'First printed...' on the first few pages, you might be holding a first edition.

A first edition is a book that comes out of the very first print run of a book. Some of them are very valuable. First editions that are also signed by the author and are in good shape are rare. If they also still have their dust cover, you're onto a good thing.

First editions need not be antique, but some people prefer them. There are some copies of the Harry Potter series in first edition that are already worth hundreds of dollars. Do you have one somewhere?

The older a book is, the less likely it is that there are many like it. Books get destroyed, thrown away, left behind, spoiled by the environment, torn apart, chewed by dogs, spilt on, used to prop things up, to start fires, used to wedge things together or apart... books get wasted. But if they did not, the ones we still have would not become so valuable.

A little research will soon teach you a lot about old books, first editions, print runs, rare titles and sought-after authors.

Some of the most precious books are those old ones with great pictures or maps inside. Illustrated old books have plates (pictures) that are very special, not only because of what they represent, but also because of how they were created. Some are real etchings, some are coloured or outlined or detailed by hand. Some are very very old photographic prints. Their age and how they were made makes them valuable and sought-after.

The most popular ones among book collectors are those with great collections of pictures. Nature studies and collections of creatures such as birds, big cats, exotic animals, fish, animals from certain regions and extinct animals are very good. Birds' eggs, plants, insects, mushrooms, landscapes and rock formations are also worth looking for.

Then there are terrestial maps (of the earth) and celestial maps (of the skies) that collectors would give their right arm for. Keep an eye open for these. Old maps of cities that still exist, such as Paris, or Rome, or Virginia, or Las Palmas are totally interesting because they show aspects of the cities that no longer exist, even though the city is still there.

Many thousands of books have been ripped apart and their precious illlustrations sold piecemeal. People frame the individual prints or etchings. A lot of money has been made... and lost. Because if those books were still in one piece they would literally be worth hundreds of thousands today. But by the same token, if they had not been ripped apart, the whole ones that are still around would not be worth as much.

Look for biographies with pictures. Look for histories with pictures. Look for rare art catalogues. Look for rare furniture catalogues. Look for guide books to monuments and heritage buildings.

There are very few really old books that are still in perfect condition. But they exist, and there are some that have never been read. It is possible to tell because the pages have never been split. In the olden days, books were bound differently to how it is done now - it was done by hand, and the pages were printed and folded in such away to be stitched together and bound, that a reader had to slit the folds to open the pages and read them.

That's what paper knives are for, not just for opening envelopes. Every reader had their own paper knife, and slit the pages apart as they went. Find a book that still has its folds intact, and you have an unread book. Or a partly read book. See how far that ancient reader got before something happened or they got bored.

Check the spine. It should be whole and not broken or cracked. Check the cover - books were often covered in various textiles such as vellum or linen. Some were covered in leathers like calfskin. Tooling is when the leather is scored in a design and the lines filled with gilt. Check the condition and wear of the edges. Check the flyleaves for writing: dedications, love notes and acknowledgments. Check the inside margins for annotations - people often write in books. These notes can either wreck or make a book even more precious, depending on who wrote the notes, how, with what, and when!

Check for foxing. Foxing is discoloration of the paper, which goes coffee-colour at the edges. It is not always desirable, but it also shows age.

Check for bookworm! Ah, if borers have got into your book, its value has diminished somewhat. Check for mould and mildew, because these too lessen its worth.

Weigh one thing up against another. If you have a book in terrific condition, it might be worth more than others like it. But if you have the only existing copy of an edition, and it's in shocking state, it might still be worth a lot.

Before you start a collection of old books, you need to make a few decisions. What will you collect? You can't go for everything, because the possibilities are immense. Try to limit yourself to certain finds, and your search will become more exciting.

What will your choices be? There are lots of themes. First editions, leather-bound, a certain language, a certain century, a certain kind of paper or cover? Books by a certain author, or books with a certain word in the title? Books about a certain place or a certain creature? Books published by a certain press? Books of a certain size?

Before you decide, pay a visit to a couple of antiquarian bookshops and have a look at what's available and what other collectors are after. See what will be an affordable option for you.

You might be collecting for a specific reason: you might want to fill a bookcase with old books, or a library in a very old house you are renovating. You might want to create an old corner to reflect your reading taste.

Whatever your theme or reason, it is very possible to work around it and find the experience rewarding.

If you simply love collecting and cannot get enough information, look at another of my hubs called You Can Collect Antique Jewellery