How to Find Rare Books

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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Whether you want a rare book as an investment, to add to your personal collection or just to read, you'll want to know how to find it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Step1
Know exactly what you're looking for before you begin your search. Having the complete title, author's name, edition number and publication year will help you locate the book.
Step2
Look in Books in Print to see if the book is still being published.
Step3
Lurk at garage sales, antique stores, estate sales and bookstore sales, and scan book dealer catalogs.
Step4
Check out eBay's and Amazon's auctions as well as some of the larger used book sites. Some Web sites have a search option that checks many small stores across the world.
Step5
Decide what condition is acceptable for your collection. If you're a collector, you'll generally want first editions and well-cared-for volumes.
Step6
Look for books printed on early presses or with wooden type. Woodblock pictures indicate a good investment, as do hand-colored illustrations and first editions that have been signed by the author.
Step7
Focus on books concerning art, diaries and atlases if you're looking for items that will appreciate in value. Bibles and other religious books generally do not.

Tips & Warnings

  • Compare prices at several places. The same book may sell for substantially less at a place that has more than one copy on the shelf.
  • Remember that the book's condition, binding type and edition number and the presence of an autograph will affect its price. The book's age usually matters, but not in all cases.
  • Make sure that any seller you deal with will guarantee the quality of the book before you buy it.

Comments

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Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 9/4/2006 As a longtime bookseller, I am constantly amazed by how many buyers out there buy from sellers without checking feedback. I'll look at a book auction and find that someone with 10 or 12 negative feedbacks a month and low feedback is still getting bids! Would you continue to patronize a regular brick and mortar store which sold shoddy goods, had misleading ads and poor customer service? If not, don't buy from that type of seller online. Feedback can tell you a lot. Read the comments. Then decide whether to buy from that seller.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Abebooks.com is a wonderful seller. They catalogue about 70 million books from around the world, using a network of 13,000 sellers. I can usually find any book I want, at reasonable prices.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 Buy books that are very early or pre-1900s ("period") in good condition. Buy for 50 cents a volume or less ("price"). If both stipulations aren't met, I don't buy. These are the only criteria. Shopping/collecting is always fast and profitable.

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 If you go searching for a particular title, you will wind up spending too much. Rather focus on a genre. This will allow you to find hidden treasures in thrift stores and used book stores. Collect what interests you. What good are books you wouldn't read.

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eHow Article:  How to Find Rare Books

eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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