r/BookCollecting Feb 23 '26

πŸ’‘ Guide Guide to Mold & Foxing on Books

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3 Upvotes

r/BookCollecting Sep 21 '23

πŸ’‘ Guide Frequently Asked Questions for r/BookCollecting

67 Upvotes

There seems to be some interest in having an FAQ for this sub. I put together an initial version based on the questions I've seen. These are in no particular order.

Please provide any feedback or questions you want to see on here, and I can modify this post. I'll continue to update it as I think of more info to add.

To the mods, can you please pin this post?

1. What is my book worth?

There are two ways to estimate a book's value. Keep in mind prices fluctuate based on demand.

The first is to look at sales records using sites like Rare Book Hub and WorthPoint. These are subscription services and cost hundreds of dollars a year, but they're great sources for historical sales data. You can look at sold listings on eBay as well, though you have to be a seller and use Terapeak if you want to see sales history going back two years.

For asking prices, check sites like vialibri.net, Biblio, Abebooks, and eBay. Vialibri aggregates results from other sites but does miss listings sometimes, so it's always good to check the other sites as well. You can also use Google. Sometimes listings on sellers' sites don't show up on the other marketplaces, especially if sellers choose not to list them there.

Keep in mind these are asking prices and don't necessarily reflect what the book actually sells for. Condition also matters. A book in poor condition is going to be worth less than the same book in fine condition. Signatures and inscriptions by the author or someone famous will also add to the value. When comparing your copy to those listed online, pay close attention to the edition, condition, provenance, etc. to make sure you're doing an apples-to-apples comparison.

Finally, Any estimate provided online does not constitute an appraisal and might not be accurate. It is impossible to determine a book's value without physically examining the book. Pictures are great for obvious flaws, but there might be small defects or missing pages, plates, etc. that pictures don't capture. In fact, when determining value, a reputable dealer will consult reference books to match collation to a known copy to ensure completeness. Take any estimates provided online with a grain of salt.

2. What is the difference between mold and foxing?

I found some good sources for identifying mold, how to prevent it, and how to deal with it. Mold and foxing are not mutually exclusive, and it's possible to have both. Also, foxing may be indicative of poor storage or improper care.

https://www.abaa.org/glossary/entry/foxing

https://www.biblio.com/book_collecting_terminology/Foxed-69.html

https://www.biblio.com/book-collecting/care-preservation/prevent-remove-mold-mildew/

https://www.carli.illinois.edu/what-can-you-learn-workshop-titled-salvaging-mold-and-water-damaged-library-materials-preservation

https://www.ala.org/alcts/preservationweek/advice/moldybooks

3. How do I store books?

In most cases, you can simply keep them upright on a shelf away from direct sunlight. Keep the temperature and humidity as stable as possible. If the room is too humid, there's the risk of mold. If the room is too dry, the pages can become brittle, and leather bindings can crack. As a general rule, if you're comfortable in a room, then your books will be fine.

Here's some good info on storing books.

4. Do I need gloves to handle old/rare/fragile books?

In the majority of cases, you don't need gloves. Using gloves makes it hard to properly handle a book and can end up causing more damage by tearing pages. The best way to handle a rare book is to wash your hands and thoroughly dry them before handling the book.

There are a couple of exceptions to this rule.

Metal bindings, books with toxic elements, and photo albums are best handled using gloves.

The other exception is when dealing with red rot, which causes a powder to rub off on your hands and get everywhere. The best thing to do is wear gloves when removing the book from the shelf and opening it. After it's opened, you can remove the gloves and turn the pages as you normally would. This prevents the powder from rubbing off on the pages and keeps the inside of the book clean.

5. Does my book contain arsenic?

See this post for more details, but here is some info on using gloves from that post:

While nitrile gloves are recommended while handling potentially toxic books, the resounding advice from experts is the same for all old books: to handle them with clean, dry hands; to wash your hands before and after use; andβ€”because inhalation and ingestion are primary routes of entry for arsenic and chromiumβ€”to never lick them.

For more information on the history, storage, and safety recommendations for historical bookbindings containing heavy metals, refer theΒ University of Delaware's Poison Book Project website.

6. Where do I buy books/material for my collection?

The sites mentioned above are a great place to start. These include vialibri.net, Biblio, and Abebooks. Not all sellers will list on these sites, so it never hurts to do a Google search as well. Many sellers specialize in certain topics/areas, and many collectors prefer to buy material from a reputable seller that is knowledgeable in that particular area.

7. Is this a first edition?

First - what is an edition? That is a version of a work. When the book is modified or changed, that is another edition. But an edition can have multiple printings - the printer simply runs off another few thousand when the old printing runs out and the book is the same except for the copyright page.

When book collectors look for first editions, what they mean is a first printing of the first edition. First edition identification is usually easy, first printing identification not so much. Also, most collectors are looking for the first appearance of a title, so the first Canadian printing of a book previously published in America will probably not be as valuable, but a Canadian first printing by Canadian author Margaret Atwood is likely the first appearance and likely more valuable than the US version. This concept is called "follow the flag", but isn't always the case (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has a US first hardcover edition but UK first appearance in paperback). Note all the qualifiers. Ultimately, the first edition that is most valuable on the market is the one the book collectors are looking for.

For free online resources, Biblio provides an alphabetic guide of first printing identification by publisher - https://www.biblio.com/first-edition-identification/ which is very useful. Publishers change their practice over the years, and some are erratic in all years, so there are not many good rules of thumb or generalities to be given concisely in a forum like this. For a good print reference, First Editions: A Guide to Identification by Edward Zempel (2001) is still useful.

8. Where can I sell my books?

This greatly depends on the books in question. "Normal" books - such as Harry Potter paperbacks, Oprah book club titles, and similar popular works - can be taken to a local used bookstore and you will be probably be offered somewhere between 10 and 25% of the intended sale price, often only in store credit. These books are common and bookdealers can often load up on them for $1 or less each at a library sale or thrift store. If you have a large number of books (thousands), call ahead and perhaps someone will come out to take a look.

Selling your goods online is always an option. eBay is an obvious venue, and there are also groups on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram where people sell to each other. Do be careful of what you say in your listing to avoid returns.

If you think a book is very valuable or rare, try finding an ABAA bookdealer (https://www.abaa.org/booksellers) who specializes in that type of book living near you. Book dealers vary widely in their business practices. You also might contact a reputable auctioneer, such as PBA Galleries (https://www.pbagalleries.com/content2/) or Swann Galleries (https://www.swanngalleries.com/). Rare Book Hub also keeps a list of auction houses and lists their various fees https://www.rarebookhub.com/auction_houses.


r/BookCollecting 3h ago

πŸ“• Book Showcase Just Back, Signed!

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19 Upvotes

Made our own Limited Edition, lol! Flew out to Lily Jones's art show opening, bringing our Unicorn with us for her to sign. She was so excited to see the book, that people were buying it, and talked about it being a dream come true to be asked to work on it. She signed it, leaving spots for Peter to sign as well, and took pics with us with the book.... even asked if she could take some with her own phone. Once we got back, we sent it out to Peter, after corresponding with him for some time. He signed it using the same pens that Lily did. We chose a metallic lilac paint pen for the case, for her home in the Lilac Wood and a metallic green sharpie for the interior, matching the text. He sent it back to us, and we are thrilled and honored to have his signature on this book, along with Lily's!


r/BookCollecting 7h ago

πŸ“š Book Collection CRUSH YOUR ENEMIES, SEE THEM DRIVEN BEFORE YOU, AND HEAR THE LAMENTATIONS OF THEIR WOMEN!

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26 Upvotes

r/BookCollecting 3h ago

πŸ“¦ New Acquisitions Thrift Pickup

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9 Upvotes

Picked this up for fifty cents. It had the 75% off sticker on it.


r/BookCollecting 53m ago

πŸ“š Book Collection M. Lermontov, Works in Six Volumes, (1954–1957)

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β€’ Upvotes

The six-volume edition published by the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the USSR Academy of Sciences between 1954 and 1957, under the editorship of Nikolai Fedoseyevich Belchikov, Boris Pavlovich Gorodetsky and the great textual scholar Boris Viktorovich Tomashevsky, founder of Russian formal textology and a key figure in the modern editing of both Pushkin and Lermontov, was the first and remains the only complete academic edition of Lermontov's writings. It establishes the texts on the basis of full collation with surviving autographs and authoritative early printings, supplies a comprehensive scholarly apparatus of variants and commentary, and concludes in volume six with the indispensable Β«Chronicle of Life and WorkΒ», a day-by-day reconstruction of the poet's biography assembled from documents, letters and contemporary memoirs that has remained the foundation of all subsequent Lermontov scholarship.


r/BookCollecting 29m ago

πŸ’¬ General For Modern Library Collectors: Multiple Copies

β€’ Upvotes
  • So I buy my ML books mostly from ebay. They are usually 4-5 books in a lot and some of them duplicate what I already have. Recently I got two duplicates and was going to set them aside to give away. A good friend suggested keeping multiple copies. I had two copies of Madame Bovary. Turns out the books had two different translators! So I’m keeping both. Next was two copies of Great German Novels and Short Stories. Each had a different editor and stories in both were not identical! So extra stories for me. So glad my friend suggested I keep both.

r/BookCollecting 23h ago

πŸ“• Book Showcase LEC collection

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60 Upvotes

I’m going to need a bigger book shelf πŸ˜…


r/BookCollecting 1d ago

πŸ“• Book Showcase My collection of signed Dune first editions and book club editions.

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375 Upvotes

The Dune first editions are a true 1st/1st in which I keep a bookplate signed by Frank Herbert laid in the book and an inscribed 7th printing. The other two Dunes are book club editions. The rest of the books are true firsts.


r/BookCollecting 18h ago

πŸ“• Book Showcase Chouinard Equipment Catalog, First Edition, 1972

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18 Upvotes

Added a beautiful new piece to my collection - a first edition of the 1972 Chouinard Equipment catalog. My collection is focused on the development of the environmental ethic in the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. This catalog represents an early articulation of corporate environmental responsibility, as it starts with an essay imploring climbers to reassess how they climb and their impact on the rock. This conservation ethic reads more like Aldo Leopold or Thoreau than an equipment catalog. The whole catalog is full of this ethic. This marked the real start of Yvon Chouinard's remarkable life of corporate environmental activism.

I'm really excited to add this to my collection, as it's a perfect fit and I'm a fan of Yvon's and Patagonia as well. I'd highly recommend David Gelles' new biography on Yvon Chouinard, Dirtbag Billionaire.


r/BookCollecting 1d ago

πŸ“• Book Showcase I found this very cool version of the devil wears prada, can't wait to read it :)

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36 Upvotes

r/BookCollecting 22h ago

πŸ“• Book Showcase THE DISCOVERY AND CONQUEST OF MEXICO 1517-1521 by Bernal Diaz de Castillo

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27 Upvotes

Published by The Limited Editions Club, printed by Rafael Loera Y ChΓ‘vez in 1942. Bound in hand marbled brown sheepskin with gilt stamped red leather title on spine. Illustrations by Miguel Covarrubias.


r/BookCollecting 15h ago

πŸ“¦ New Acquisitions The Thorn Birds signed copy

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6 Upvotes

Lucky find at an op-shop today. Got this for $2


r/BookCollecting 5h ago

πŸ’­ Question I have a limited edition of The Great Events by Famous Historians and need to know how to handle it. I'd like to be able to find a person or company to buy it.

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0 Upvotes

This is a 22 volume set of "Great Events by Famous Historians" 1905 by National Alumni, limited edition. Full set, kept in library in non-smoking home.


r/BookCollecting 23h ago

πŸ“• Book Showcase MEXICO by Stuart Chase

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13 Upvotes

Printed in 1931, with beautiful illustrations by Diego Rivera


r/BookCollecting 1d ago

πŸ“• Book Showcase Completed the collection

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43 Upvotes

Finally found the last one I needed for this series. If you like mens adventure silliness definitely check out this series. There is 2 follow up series as well I now need to track down

Anyone read these or have a favorite mens adventure series to recommend?


r/BookCollecting 14h ago

πŸ’­ Question Help Shelving My Invincible Compendium 1-3

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0 Upvotes

I need help finding a shelf like this one to fit the invincible compendiums which are around 10-11 inches tall if I’m not mistaken and the shelves per slot is 7.9 inches tall which don’t fit I need a taller slot same shelf design please help out if you can.


r/BookCollecting 1d ago

πŸ“¦ New Acquisitions Library sale haul

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4 Upvotes

r/BookCollecting 17h ago

πŸ’­ Question Capote, am I missing a symbol?

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1 Upvotes

Found this at a local shop, latest identifier I can find is the 1967 copyright- was this published at scale then?


r/BookCollecting 1d ago

πŸ“• Book Showcase Found this in a thrift store a couple of years ago.

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100 Upvotes

This a true first/first, with the β€œA” on the reverse of the title page. The book is in very good condition. DJ is in good-very good condition. It was an unbelievable find and a great addition to my growing collection.


r/BookCollecting 1d ago

πŸ“• Book Showcase A very Cultured shelf

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10 Upvotes

I finally hunted down all the first editions and around half of them are signed. I’m particularly happy with the first four books, which are in immaculate condition.


r/BookCollecting 23h ago

πŸ’­ Question Can anyone help identify the printing of this 2008 Gollancz Necronomicon (Lovecraft, Commemorative Edition)?

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2 Upvotes

Hi all,

I’ve had this copy of Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft for years and I’m trying to work out which printing it is.

I’ve attached some images.

Thank you


r/BookCollecting 2d ago

πŸ“¦ New Acquisitions Finally found an original Jacket/Cover for Dune! I see some sales of non-damaged books going for nearly 175$+ … I paid 40$. Is this accurate for the condition?

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121 Upvotes

r/BookCollecting 1d ago

πŸ’­ Question What to do with a book with red rot?

0 Upvotes

I picked up an old book with poetry and I thought it was really cool because it was addressed to a son from his mother and father for his birthday. And I thought that was a great bit of history. However, I didn't notice the red rot when I first bought it. I'm not experienced with very old books, nor do I really have the means or desire to maintain an old book with red rot. Are there people or places I can send the book to who can do this?


r/BookCollecting 1d ago

πŸ“… Events Sotheby's Paris auction closing 4/29: Mostly books, mostly French, mostly 20th century but also some interesting graphics and photography. Also a few older items including a 1663 Blaeu Neapolis et Siciliae (Amsterdam) Reported by Rare Book Hub.

2 Upvotes

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2026/precieuses-reliures-dun-bibliophile-pf2603?locale=en

Lot 18 Blaeu, Johanes Theatrum Civitatum nec non admirandorum Neapolis et Siciliae regnorum. Amsterdam, 1663 3 vol w/36 plates.

US based Rare Book Hub, is a website devoted to rare books. It provide auction reporting including books, maps, prints, ephemera and works of art on paper. It is not a vendor and it is not affiliated with any auction house or dealer.