Primer of Book Collecting

by John T. Winterich

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Genres: Nonfiction

228 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1926

About the author

John Tracy Winterich (1891–1970)

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why does this bibliomaniac have to read a book on book collecting with the word 'Primer' in its title??? Whatever, it is an excellent read and many of the points from its original publication (1926) and this revised edition (1966) still apply. It is particularly interesting to read the tastes in literature chapter, nothing changes! Perhaps one major change has been the modern insistence on price-unclipped dust wrappers, something never greatly considered in 1926 and 1966! A good read for the serious and non-serious book collector with lots of pointers towards making the hobby a great one.

[Warren Wulff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read through the perils and fun of book collecting. The authors give good advice well written. Further, they do so in a timeless way (I can’t blame them for not foretelling the Internet as far as its impact on book research and the rare book market), but I would hazard that their broad advice still holds sixty years later. The book is less systematic and thorough than I wish it to be. It would do well with the inclusion of a good glossary and diagrams to show the fine anatomy of books and what to look for. Fortunately, there is no shortage of other bibliographia that do this. I enjoy their emphasis on obtaining proper bibliographies to assist in research. As a librarian I can attest that an expert print bibliography for a given topic is far more accurate and thorough than anything found online.

[K.N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's definitely some interesting information in this book. It talks about the differences between first editions, association books, book condition (including pristine and the disputed "uncut"), and also gives many examples of rare and sought-after books and what they've sold for. The issues with this book are that it can be wordy and a bit monotonous. Also, Winterich complains about collectors' disinterest in American editions, but I believe time has changed in the years since 1966 (the date of the publication I've read). For anyone who needs to learn more about collecting books or what the different statuses of different books and printings are, this is a good read.