If you are a bibliophile, you’ll know that all books are incredibly valuable. Society’s most important information and records can be found within the pages of a book. If you have your own home library or want to make some money from your hobby, collecting rare works can be a lot of fun.
Walt Chantry is an avid historian who enjoys researching and reading about the American Civil War. Over the years, he has cultivated quite the collection of antique books. Today he shares his tips for how to find rare books.
Finding rare books can be time consuming, for obvious reasons. There’s a few places you can go to find books, such as auction houses or websites, thrift stores, flea markets, antique stores, etc.
When you are rifling through books, there are a few things to look for in order to figure out if it is rare.:
- Check the binding. Is the leather in good condition? Does it stand out to you in any way?
- See if there is any art on the book that makes it particularly beautiful
- Check to see if the book is first or limited edition.
- See if there are signatures from the author in the book.
- Check the age of the book.