Classic literature is one of the most solid areas of the
market for collectors,” he says. “They may not collect all of Charles Dickens’
books, but possibly one or two that he is known for, such as Oliver Twist or A
Christmas Carol.” Wahlgren adds that the books often become part of a larger
treasury as passionate collectors add to it book by book. Still,
content is only one rationale upon which to base a rare book collection. Some
people select books with beautiful bindings of Moroccan leather decorated
with gilded details, while others seek antique books with meticulously
hand-colored maps or illustrations, such as those found in Audubon’s famous
folios of birds. Still others prefer to amass miniature books, which are never
larger than three inches in size.
Respect the Aged
But age matters most to collectors of incunabula, books
that were published prior to 1501, a time when the printing press was
cutting-edge technology. “Those books are valuable even if they are the most
boring texts,” says Weinstein. “Eighty percent of them are about theology. You
can buy many for $5,000 to $10,000,” he says, noting that several 15th-century
Latin-language Bibles are available within that range, such as the Froben Bible,
which was published in Basel, Switzerland, in 1491. The version of the Bible
published by the inventor of the printing press, Johannes Gutenberg, is probably
the best-known incunabula. Only 48 copies survive, and most reside in the
world’s great libraries. William Caxton was the first printer to publish in
English, and his works are just as coveted as Gutenberg’s. A copy of Geoffrey
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales published by Caxton set a record six years ago when
Christie’s auctioned it in London for $7.5 million.
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