Books for Book Collectors Books for Book CollectorsFor newcomers to (or those well into) collecting Modern First Editions, here's a reference list of books about collecting that can answer many questions about the field. I've prepared this list for clients, and distribute it without charge. I do not have copies of the following books for sale--check at your library, or local book stores.
Allen & Patricia Ahearn. Book Collecting; A Comprehensive Guide, 1995 Edition. Putnam, 1995. 480p. Price handbook with list of first editions of authors' first books and market prices for 1978, 1986, and 1995. Has a great bibliography of author bibliographies at the back of the book, plus table of author pseudonyms, booksellers, and auction houses,
Allen Ahearn. Book Collecting: A Comprehensive Guide. Putnam, 1989. 320p. bibliography. glossary. Major section: list of first editions of authors' first books and market prices. List of authors most requested, abbreviations, pseudonyms, booksellers, auction houses.
Allen & Patricia Ahearn. A Collection of First Books. Bethesda, MD, Quill & Brush Books, 1984. Illustrated with B&W photos of dust jackets. Bookseller's catalogue listing first editions of authors' first books and their (then) market prices. Highly useful annotations for 1,035 entries.
Joseph Connolly. Modern First Editions: Their Value to Collectors. Trans-Atlantic Publications, 1987. 2nd ed. Author is a London bookseller; book has British orientation.
John Feather. A Dictionary of Book History. Oxford Univ. Press, 1986. 278p. 650 articles on bibliophile subjects.
Salvatore J. Iacone. The Pleasures of Book Collecting. Harper & Row, 1976. 303p. index. bibliography. glossary. abbreviations. Chapters include first editions, impressions/issue/state, association copies, list of desirable author signed copies, plan for collecting (several lists), first editions, points (list of notable books and their points), care and protection, bookseller psychology.
Jack Matthews. Collecting Rare Books for Pleasure and Profit. Putnam, 1977. 317p. index. bibliography. glossary. Rare books as investments, points (notable books and their points), modern firsts, private presses, association copies, Grolier & Connolly lists of high spots, condition and care, buying/selling strategies.
Jean Peters, ed. Book Collecting: a Modern Guide. R. R. Bowker, 1977. 288p. index. Twelve essays: bookseller relations, auctions, antiquarian market, manuscripts., descriptive bibliography, forgeries, care and condition, appraisal, collection organization, literature of book collecting.
Jean Peters, ed. Collectible Books: Some New Paths. R. R. Bowker, 1979. 294p. index. Nine essays: non-firsts, books in series, book catalogs, "American Fiction Since 1960" (includes bibliography, pp.275-279.
Robert A. Wilson. Modern Book Collecting. Knopf, 1980. 270p. index. glossary. Author collections, bookseller relations, auctions, collector's condition, first edition identification, bibliographies, (includes list of 20th century author bibliographies.), book production, care and condition, forgeries, investment issues, selling a collection. Appendixes: list of book auction firms, bookseller list (modern first editions), clubs for collectors, 50 most important American literary books published since WWII. Emphasis on the HOW, not the why, of book collecting. Author was proprietor of the Phoenix Book Shop, New York City. Paperback reprint edition. NY, Lyons & Burford, 1992. 276p.
McBride, Bill. Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions. Hartford, CT, Author. 4th ed., 1990. 76p. Pocket size, easy-to-use guide.
McBride, Bill. Points of Issue; A Compendium of Points of Issue of Books by 19th - 20th Century Authors. Hartford, CT, Author. 2nd ed., 1987. 100p. Pocket size, easy-to-use guide.
Edward N. Zempel & Linda A. Verkler, eds. First Editions, A Guide to Identification. Peoria, IL, Spoon River Press, 1989. 2nd ed. 307p. Statements of North American and British publishers on their methods of designating first editions. The most detailed source.
See also Ahearn, Book Collecting (1989), in monographs above.
See also Wilson, Modern Book Collecting (1980), in monographs above.
See also the Identifying First Editions Page
Carter, John. ABC for Book Collectors. New Castle, DE, Oak Knoll Books, 1992. 6th ed., rev. 219p. Includes abbreviations. A classic in the field.
Margaret Haller. The Book Collector's Fact Book. ARCO Pub. Co., 1976. 271p. Handbook for collectors, arranged as a glossary.
Jean Peters, ed. The Bookman's Glossary. R. R. Bowker, 1983. 6th ed. 223p. bibliography.
Ray Prytherch, ed. Harrod's Librarians' Glossary and Reference Book. Gower Pub. Co. [Grafton Book], 6th rev. ed., 1987. 880p. Comprehensive glossary for bibliophiles.
See also Ahearn, Book Collecting (1989), in monographs above.
See also Iacone, Pleasures of Book Collecting (1976), in monographs above.
See also Matthews, Collecting Rare Books for Pleasure and Profit (1977), in monographs above.
See also Wilson, Modern Book Collecting (1980), in monographs above.
FIRSTS: Collecting Modern First Editions. Monthly which began publication January 1991. [Eleven issues per year, beginning 1993.] Feature articles, checklists with market prices, how-to articles. The best single periodical source for collectors of modern first editions. Write for info to FIRSTS Magazine, P.O. Box 65166 - Dept. EO11, Tucson, AZ 85728-5166 USA
Allen and Patricia Ahearn. Collected Books: The Guide to Values. Putnam, 1991. 636p. Up-to-date price handbook listing over 15,000 first editions in all fields. Special feature: Bibliography of literary author bibliographies, the best single source available. Acknowledged as the successor to Van Allen Bradley's Book Collector's Handbook of Values.
Allen & Patricia Ahearn. Author Price Guides. Rockville, MD, Quill & Brush Books. Individual guides to first edition prices of over 100 authors. Supplements title above.
See also Ahearn, Book Collecting (1989), in monographs above.
See also Connolly, Modern First Edition (1987), in monographs above.