5 Sebastiaan Hesselink, interviews with the author, and Travis McDade,
6 Nicholas A. Basbanes,
7 Robert Vosper,
8 James Gilreath and Douglas L. Wilson, eds.,
9 Wilmarth Sheldon Lewis wrote this for a speech that was never delivered. Quoted in Basbanes,
10 P. Alessandra Maccioni Ruju and Marco Mostert,
Chapter 11
1 Lawrence Sidney Thompson,
Chapter 13
1 American Library Association online newsletter, December 12, 2003.
Chapter 14
1 Marcello Simonetta, ed.,
2 Jonathan J. G. Alexander, “Perfection of Illustration and Ornament,” in Simonetta,
3 According to Freud, the collector’s makeup often includes “an enquiring mind; a penchant for secrecy” and “a propensity for rationalization.” As quoted in Burke,
4 Baez,
It’s probably no surprise that there are many books about rare books and those who collect them. To read them is to learn the rich history of the book, the varied forms it has taken, and why some periods, genres, authors, illustrators, and presses lend collectible charm to a selection of them. Surprisingly few books, on the other hand, detail the deeds of book thieves. The bulk of this information I found in periodicals and by interviewing those who have had firsthand experience with them. Readers interested in learning more are advised to visit rare book libraries and bookstores, where they will be able not only to see, touch, even read, fine old books, but also to hear for themselves stories that have never been put to paper, never bound into a book.
While there are several fine memoirs by and biographies of individual collectors, the following books offer readers an expansive view of the rare book world and those who inhabit it:
Nicholas Basbanes,
Philipp Blom,
Rick Gekoski,
Holbrook Jackson,
Robert H. Jackson and Carol Zeman Rothkopf, eds.,
Werner Muensterberger,
Harold Rabinowitz and Rob Kaplan,
William Targ,
And this is an invaluable dictionary of terms:
John Carter,
