alt Hacker NewsThat runs very much counter to how collectors actually collect books currently. The more pristine the book, the better, aside from particularly rare or valuable inscriptions.
Replies
sevensor • 11/20/2024
True, but collecting is generally a terrible investment from a pecuniary perspective, unless you’re the mercenary type of collector who sells to people making terrible investments.
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sofayam • 11/20/2024
Sure. But while I can understand this approach for rare objects which are the result of great craftsmanship (I would rather not have a crack in my faberge egg) a book is generally a mass produced article with little individual character until someone has left their mark on it.
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emptiestplace • 11/20/2024
Are you actually a bot? I'm struggling to imagine a literate human who does not know this.
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The story of a bookseller who made a fortune selling complete libraries to collectors, warts and all:
~ https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/10/28/a-controversia...Different collectors buy different things- some like books owned by specific people, others want works (drafts, letter, editions, etc) of an author.
Pristine is for some, a book that's been lived in is worth more to others who look for margin notes.