A word about used book sales.

Although all informal and anecdotal indications are that used book sales are increasing, there are no reliable figures on the actual dollar volume of used book sales.

The reliability of estimated annual sales figures is limited by what the estimate counts and does not count, the source of the estimate, the methodology used to make the estimate and the motivation of the person or entity making the estimate.

The major reason for the lack of hard, verifiable sales information is the fact that most of the 7,200 used book sellers are small sole proprietors and as such, they are not required to publicly report their sales figures.

While large public companies such as amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com have reported that their used book sales have increased as a percentage of their total sales, they have not specified the dollar volume of their USED book sales.

Similarly, other large used book companies such as Alibris have reported increased sales volume, but not the dollar volume of the sales.

It is impossible to quantity the total number of sales, or the dollar volume of sales, made as a result of visits to multi dealer sites such as abebooks because only a portion of these sales are processed by the site owners.

For more information, tables and charts and prior years' information, please go to: http://www.bookhunterpress.com/index.cgi/survey.html?id=IXwQh2uB

Report Methodology
(Revised, 2002)

Who's Included

- - Booksellers who identify themselves as selling used, rare, secondhand, recycled, pre-owned, out-of-print or antiquarian books. Stores that sell both new and used books are included. - - Dealers whose business has been verified by phone, mail, email or personal visit.

Who's Not Included

- - Paperback exchanges that sell only used paperbacks. - - Used booksellers who sell only at book fairs. - - Dealers whose business operations could not be verified. - - Relatively new dealers who operate exclusively via the Internet and typically, but not always, have limited stock.

Information Gathering

- - The names of potential used booksellers are gathered from a variety of sources including, but not limited to: . membership directories of state and national bookseller associations . local lists of booksellers . the Internet . trade publications . direct requests from booksellers . leads from other booksellers . leads from book collectors . telephone directories - - Information about dealers is continuously gathered by questionnaire, phone calls and personal visits to bookstores. A minimum of two attempts, and often more, are made to verify information about a potential dealer. - - Information gathered between 1992 and 1996 was first published in six regional Used Book Lover's Guides plus a revised edition of the New England Guide. Between 1997-2000, revised editions were published for five editions, including a second revised New England edition. - - Beginninig in 2000 when the database was put online, updates to all six guides have been made on a weekly basis. The print guides are updated yearly with print supplements.

Regions
- - New England: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island
- - Mid-Atlantic: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware
- - South Atlantic: Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida
- - Midwest: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia
- - Central/Western: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana
- - Pacific: California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii

About the Company

Book Hunter Press was founded in 1992 by David S. and Susan Siegel.

A life long book collector, David Siegel retired as Superintendent of Schools for the Croton-Harmon School District in 1992. Susan Siegel was a public relations consultant before teaming up with her husband to form Book Hunter Press.

Since 1992, the company has been gathering information on the used book market in the United States, and, beginning in 1999, in Canada. The company's database is the most comprehensive and most up-to-date database of used booksellers in North America.

In 1993, the company published The Used Book Lover's Guide to New England. Subsequently, five additional guides were published covering other parts of the United States, and in 1999, a guide for Canada was added to the series.

Since 1995, the company has published revised and expanded editions of five of the original six guides.
Between new editions, the guides are updated annually with published Supplements. The series currently features 8,000+ used book dealers offering in excess of 200 million books.
In 2000, the entire database of 8,000 used book dealers was put online in a searchable format. The online database is updated on a continuing basis.

To date, the Siegels have traveled over 100,000 miles and visited thousands of used bookstores in the United States and Canada. 0ver 50,000 copies of the Used Book Lover's Guides are in the hands of book collectors, specialty enthusiasts, used book dealers and librarians around the world.

The Siegels have been featured on national television on C-SPAN's Book-TV, and in the Wall Street Journal , Washington Post, The New York Times , the Gannett Newspapers, Kiplinger's Magazine and dozens of national and regional newspapers and magazines across the United States and Canada.

Good ethics are good business (but don't forget your margins)

by Stuart Manley

Anyone who has read the autobiography of Richard Booth, founder and 'King' of Hay on Wye, the original and foremost Book Town in Britain (indeed, the world), will have their views on booksellers confirmed - they are a shady lot who will take you for a ride if you give them half a chance.

Richard is a very colourful character (the book is an entertaining read) and the success of Hay is indisputable - an annual footfall of over 2m people and enough business to support around forty bookshops. But with such wild success, how come he has gone bankrupt several times?

One of the reasons is there for all to see in his biography - his ethics were deplorable. Not only does he recount many 'deals' of questionable morality, but also he does so with pride - he actually believes he is being a smart businessman. In reality, what he is doing is making a short-term gain and a long-term loss.

Which is the subject of this article.

There are as many ways to run a successful business as there are to run an unsuccessful one.

And there are more pitfalls to screw up a successful business than you can count, not the least being hubris.

You can run a successful business being smart, ruthless, cynical, and hard. And you can throw in sharp practice and even criminality and it can still be successful. Often wildly successful. But, sooner or later, such businesses founder.

Or you can run a successful business going down a different route.

You still need smart, and even a little bit of ruthless, but the rest you replace with basic honesty, honourable practices, and genuine effort on behalf of your customers, clients, business associates, and staff.

Such businesses tend to endure and grow.

It is on this latter method I will be dwelling, but before I do, let me remind you of the famous three Paul Getty principles for a successful business:

Get up early. Work late. Strike oil!

Which means that whichever method you finally choose to run a business, high ethics or low, it will not succeed if the basic business is flawed.

Getting up early and working late is good, but if the basic business is unsound, it will still founder.

Likewise, striking oil is good, but rare is the business that succeeds if you do not work at it.

Never forget that.

These rules run throughout all business (Enron is a spectacular example of low business ethics - incandescent short-term gain - long-term disaster) but I will concentrate on the relevance to the business of selling books.

The bookshop (and its small branch) that my wife and I run is a very successful business that is now a major employer in the very small pond that is Alnwick. It has had twelve years of constant growth in a market that some say is declining, so we must be doing some things better or differently than others.

It has been our equivalent of striking oil and the strong ethics behind the business is, I believe, one of the reasons for its success.

We have never knowingly ripped off a customer.

That is not to say we have not made mistakes, but we have never knowingly offered less for a book that is offered to us than we believed it was worth, or charged more for a book than we believed was its market price. Yes, we only offer trade price and guard our profit margin with our life, but we never offer less than that.

To see how this affects your business let us examine this ethic in practice.

All the prices I am about to quote are in pounds sterling. If you have a problem with this, whenever I say pounds, think dollars - it will do for the purposes of this demonstration.

A little old lady comes into the shop with a valuable book to sell, say, for example, worth £200.

She clearly has no idea of the value - it has been in the family for years.

The low ethic business offers £20. The little old lady is perhaps disappointed, but she accepts because she knows no better - she might even be persuaded that it is a wonderful offer.

Whoopee, our smart businessman has made a huge profit - what a clever lad am I!

But stop - let us follow this through a little further.

He puts the book on display at a massive mark up.

The granddaughter comes into the shop and sees 'Grannies book' at £300. (or even more!).

She tells granny and the rot sets in. Granny vows never to bring another book to that bookshop, and more importantly, tells all her friends.

Sooner or later that short-term profit will become a long-term loss. She will grumble about that bookshop for years to come and do untold damage.

Now look at the other side.

The same little old lady offers the book to a high ethic business, and is absolutely thrilled with the £200 she is offered.

The granddaughter comes into the shop and sees 'Grannies book' at £300. (or even more!).

She tells granny and, and granny, who is older and wiser than the granddaughter, explains why, with overheads and staff to pay, the shop must charge more than she got for the book.

Granny is happy, tells all her friends, and the bookshop continues to be offered excellent books.

Now look at a third scenario, which is even more wonderful.

It is a high ethic business but it gets the initial valuation wrong - not intentional, but perhaps a signature or a plate was missed during the valuation.

Granny is offered only £100.

Later, the bookshop discovers its mistake, and gets back to granny and insists on paying her a further £100.

Granny is astonished.

But more importantly, 'the story of the book' becomes a standard anecdote with granny for the rest of her life.

I maintain that, in business terms, this 'word of mouth' recommendation is worth many more hundreds of pounds than the extra payment made to granny.

You can extend this principle to all aspects of your business - how you deal with your colleagues or how you offer at yard or boot sales. Keep doing it and your reputation will grow to the point where all the best books and all the best deals are offered to you before anyone else.

If you look through the histories of major corporations that have taken a fall, it can often be traced to the low business ethic of ruthlessly taking advantage of your customers when you feel you can get away with it or have the market cornered.

IBM and Enron are classic examples of this, but there are many others.

When customers have been abused they will stay with you only as long as they have to. The moment they have the opportunity to go elsewhere, they will leave you in droves. And conversely, if you treat them well, they will stay with you - the competition never gets a chance to break in.

If you make 'doing the right thing' your instinctive reaction to any business situation, it can be remarkable how well it can turn out in business terms in the end.

Another important area of business ethics is dealing with complaints when things go wrong.

A high ethic business will take extraordinary care with complaints and to hang with the expense. A low ethic business will avoid responsibility wherever possible. This does not mean caving in to unreasonable complaints on the principle that 'the customer is always right'. I do not think this is so, and the maxim should be modified to: 'the customer should always have the benefit of the doubt'.

The same sort of reward awaits the business that treats its staff well - we pay above the local norm, and, importantly, have a bonus system geared to the success of the business, so everyone who works for us has a direct financial interest in the shop doing well. The result is a happy and loyal staff - undoubtedly one of our major strengths. I forget the name of the man who said this, but it is true: 'I pay my staff well, but this is not because I am rich. The reverse is true - I am rich because I pay my staff well.'

So there you have it - two ways to run a business, both of which can be successful: high ethics, low ethics.

I maintain that high ethics brings the biggest business gains - and has the added value that you get to sleep at night!

Stuart Manley, co-owner, Barter Books, Alnwick, Northumberland, England

BOOKS AT AUCTION

By: Stan Modjesky

If you don’t shop for your bookshop stock at auctions, you may be missing some real bargains, as well as some damned fine entertainment. Granted, sitting through an auction waiting for the books can be time-consuming, as many auctioneers offer books at the very end of the sale. But the people-watching is hard to beat, and you just never know what will turn up.

There are several different categories of auctions. Most booksellers are familiar with the rare-book auction houses, with their elaborate cataloging. These specialists inhabit a universe all their own, and I doubt I will ever understand them. One such individual, in the Washington area, would always try to sell me his auction business when I phoned to inquire about the next sale. Another told me point-blank, in the presence of other booksellers, that I did not spend enough money to merit his attention, and that I’d never own a book worthy of being consigned to his sale. Needless to say, I don’t go to those sales any more.

But you’ll find books sold at any weekly "antiques" auction, as well as those sales where the contents of a house are being sold on-site, before the house itself is auctioned. My primary specialization-performing arts-got its first real boost at just such a sale. The sale was well-attended but, as I’d feared, the books were to be sold dead-last. For six hours, we stood on a slanting driveway as the crowd bid on dilapidated living room furniture, old kitchen utensils, and the like. To relieve the boredom, I bid on a couple of things, and ended up buying a trombone. Finally, the auctioneer walked us into the basement, where the books had been stashed. My eye fell upon a carton of hardbound opera scores, which I quickly calculated would be a reasonable buy for me if I had to pay as much as $200. By the time the bidding started, my only competition was a timid-looking woman who'd also been waiting. My heart caught in my throat as the very box of books I craved was the first lot offered. I thrust my bidder’s card into the air and stared straight into the face of the other bidder, preparing for a real fight. To my surprise, she melted at a mere $18. To my further surprise, she was so intimidated that she actually left the sale at that moment. A competing bid brought me up to two dollars on the next box, and that was the end of the competition. Not another bid was made on the rest of the books. The auctioneer pled with the crowd, and finally entreated me to bid one dollar, in return for which I could have the remainder of the basement-full of books, playbills and magazines. I politely refused, at which point he begged me to bid a dollar, saying he’d be happy if I took only those books I actually wanted. Thus, for a total outlay of $21, we went home with our van loaded with opera, classical music and ballet books. The auctioneer was relieved, as he had committed to emptying the basement. Without my one-dollar purchase, he’d have spent $50 or $60 paying his helpers to haul the remaining books to the dump. At a more recent auction, I saw three large bookcases full of cookbooks fetch no more than $30, including the bookcases! And several weeks ago, I saw a couple of our colleagues score several Mencken first editions, in very good dustjackets, for a fraction of what they were expecting to spend.

Things don’t always go so cheaply. A couple of years ago, I attended a sale held at the home of an aging couple who were moving to a retirement community. A dozen books of Gustav Dore illustrations, in pretty nondescript editions, went for prices nearly eight times what I’d sold them for at retail. Later, I learned at least part of the story. The elderly homeowner’s wife had insisted that he unload most of his books, including the Dore. While she was busy in some other part of the house, the old gent sneaked outside and bought back his own books, at rather scandalous prices. Of course, the price would have been less had there not been a competing bidder, and heaven only knows what was on HIS mind!

Here are a few tips about buying at antiques auctions.

• If the books are set at the beginning of the sale, or offered at a pre-determined time, this means the auctioneer is expecting higher prices. Books sold at random throughout the sale, or near the end, generally sell for less.
• Many auctioneers will allow buyers to create their own lots, choosing from among tables full of books. This is a great way to buy only what you want, and save hauling unsaleable books. But because most auctions comprise property from a number of consignors, and the auction house needs to sell each consignor’s stuff separately, your freedom to create lots may be limited.
• Most auctions allow you to leave a bid and go about your business, paying and collecting your merchandise later if you’ve won. Be certain that you understand the auctioneer’s left-bid policy-some establish a minimum dollar amount for left bids, and many will start the bidding at 60 to 70 percent of your maximum left bid. Don’t leave bids on lots that are not secured under lock and key. Too often, the contents of box lots get shifted, deliberately or otherwise, as dozens of people sift through the books.
• Be careful about discussing your bidding intentions with potential competitors. Most localities have laws that forbid "bid-rigging," the definition of which includes agreeing not to bid against a competitor on certain items, to ensure that someone gets the best possible price. (The auctioneer’s legal obligation is to the consignor, and his job is to squeeze every possible penny out of each item offered.)

Selling your own over-stock at auction is a crap-shoot. At least once I’ve come away at a total loss, the cost of the boxes in which I hauled the books having exceeded the price realized at the sale. Selling at auction is a gamble, which I like to consider one step above the Dumpster. If you’re one of that minority among booksellers who has taxable income, you can probably do as well by donating the books to a local charity and taking the fair-market-value as a tax deduction.

You will need to shop around for an auctioneer to handle your books. Although you see numerous books offered at auction, many houses have a policy of handling books only as part of a larger estate. You can make your offering more palatable to the auction house by doing a couple of things:

• Negotiate the best deal possible on sales commissions and fees. Hauling, storage and setup all add to the auctioneer’s cost, and these costs are passed along to the consignor.
• Offer to unpack and arrange the books at the auction. Offer to haul away any lots that do not receive bids. This saves time and money for the "house," and will endear you to all those hard-working people who set up the sales and clean up afterward.
• Don’t use the auction as your dumping ground. Discard textbooks, useless encyclopedias and the like before you pack up for the auction.
• Don’t expect "reserve" pricing. Except in the case of rare and unusual books, best offered at book specialty auctions, this will make your offering unpalatable.
• Do try to get your merchandise placed early in the sale. The best positioning, time-wise, is an hour to two hours after the start of the sale. The lots sold at the very beginning of the sale are "warm-up" merchandise, sold while the auctioneer awaits late arrivals (many of whom are the most regular spenders).
• Don’t fret over how browsers handle the books. Once consigned to the sale, they are out of your hands.
• Support your favorite auction house by bidding on other stuff offered. As you watch neat old stuff get sold cheaply, you’ll discover other interests beyond books. (My personal favorite non-book purchase is a heavy woolen rug, formerly used in an Order of the Eastern Star temple, which I bought for $15.)

As the auctioneers often say, "bid early and often."

CONSTANT CHANGE

By: Annette Kolling-Buckley

Columbia Books

January 24, 2003 marked the end of an era in Columbia, MO with the closing of Nowell's. The Nowell brothers came home from the Civil War, wanting something different than farming, so in 1876 they opened Nowell's Grocery Store, just up the street from where my bookstore is now located. Over the years this little store changed and grew, as did the generations of the Nowell family owning the operation. In the early 1960's the store (in a much larger location) burned to the ground, and it re-opened in a giant tent while the new and improved store was built. Nowell's was the first grocery store in town to have a multiplicity of services besides basic groceries, and Nowell's was the first store in town to use scanners. At one time Nowell's had two warehouse stores and 3 stores in Columbia and 4 more in surrounding communities. They were successful, innovative and interesting places to shop. Walmart opened a supercenter, and then Hyvee came to town and the fourth Jack Nowell closed the stores for good last month. And now I must purchase my groceries from one of the several corporate-owned chain stores---fortunately I do not have to stoop to Walmart.

One thing I have learned in the years Columbia Books has been open (since October 1, 1977) is never to take anything for granted. Nothing stays the same in the book business, constant change is inevitable, and just about the time you think you have your business model in place is the time you will get blindsided by any variety of unknown circumstances.

To survive and thrive in the book business one must have the extreme flexibility of a ballet dancer, the capacity to re-invent oneself repeatedly, tenacity, determination, stubbornness, and a certain amount of plain old dumb luck. My degree in Library and Information Science combined a program of rare book courses under the late Dr. Helmutt Lehmann-Haupt, and a series of courses in library automated systems. This was in the 1970's when library automation was in its infancy. My vision was to be surrounded by old and rare books, utilizing the new methods of research through computers.......needless to say reality has been a somewhat different creature, involving such details as providing a living for myself and two children---and insurance on their vehicles as well as college tuition.

In the mid-1980's the only bookstore in downtown Columbia selling new books moved out to the large Mall. New books slowly became a part of my operation, over the next 15 years growing to become a viable business itself with sales reps calling regularly, and author events part of the venue.

In 1992 the first computer was purchased to help manage the paperwork, catalog the books, etc. In 1994 Richard Weatherford started an internet service called Interloc, which he felt would revolutionize the op book business via the internet. I was one of those he called to take the plunge, and since we were never able to keep on top of the catalog mailings, this seemed to be a logical evolution.

Those early days of internet selling were truly amazing; the books flew out the door and the main challenge was to type in enough titles to keep ahead of what was selling. The first computer was replaced with a bigger faster model, and then a second computer was added so we could type faster. Abebooks started up, Bibliofind was born and the databases grew like topsy as the big scramble began with everyone trying to get online. Amazon dipped its toe in the waters of used books in an effort to tap into another market....and the rest is history as they say.

Big Corporate Entities have taken much of the book market, both B & M and online as well, making it a real challenge to survive and to maintain integrity and identity as individual booksellers. Between 1985-2000, 34% of the independent bookstores in this country closed, largely due to the invasion of B&N and Borders, and the domination of the internet by Amazon. Lengthy litigation on the part of the American Booksellers' Association leveled the playing field as far as publisher pricing of books, but it came too late for all too many stores both small and large. Many communities and major cities in this country have no independent stores left. One of my sales reps told me about four years ago he had only a dozen accounts left in the entire state of Texas.

Before the advent of the internet, the chain stores for the most part were unaware of the parallel world of used, op, and rare bookselling which had co-existed for some 500 years. Book buyers and collectors shopped both sides of the book world to satisfy their desires.

The internet revolutionized this. Amazon discovered the link to the seemingly infinite world of used and op books on the internet and began the stampede of the Corporate Bodies to take over and control yet another segment of the market. Independently owned databases and websites disappeared rapidly as Amazon, B&N and Borders and, later, Alibris jockeyed for dominance, and book buyers found they could tap into seemingly endless listings of books online without having to expend the time and energy visiting and browsing their local bookshops.

Another undocumented wave of bookstore closings is happening with the decline of walk-in traffic. B&M bookstores not actively involved with the internet are few and far between. Many booksellers have only internet presences with no visible storefronts. Bookseller catalogs are almost a thing of the past, as online listings make printed catalogs instantly obsolete. Local and regional book fairs are dying out due to lack of attendance. Book scouts and charities become instant booksellers online, making competition for the good books almost like a feeding frenzy in shark-infested waters.

The internet is tailor-made to dovetail almost perfectly with bookselling; the problem is how to avoid the tenacles of Corporations who are invested in selling units of products, to work within their system in such a way as to maintain individuality and integrity, how to thrive as professional booksellers, how to withstand the Walmart pressuring of more is better, cheaper is best, quality is irrelevant.

At the moment A's are duking it out for internet dominance, their main concern being the bottom line of profitablity as far as selling units of product: more is better, cheaper is best, quality is virtually irrelevant. The first generation independently owned databases are gone, very few of the second generation databases are still around, but a third generation is now upon the horizon, with the emphasis being on quality, customer service, product integrity, individuality, making the whole process come full circle. They lack the size and clout of their larger counterparts, but they take into account the idiosyncratic nature of book buyers and collectors that ultimately is the driving force behind the used and rare book world.

The browsing process is an integral part of the buying process for readers and collectors, and booksellers who can adapt the internet to recreate this "feel" for their online customers will survive and thrive over the long haul. The internet never closes---just crashes from time to time--and bad weather outside is a positive factor; readers and collectors thrive on serendipity, which translates into personalization, quality, integrity, and knowledge on the part of the bookseller being key factors----once again moving full circle.

Columbia Books has a server now, with the capacity to host its own website, several workstations. I list online with Abebooks, Alibris, Amazon, Antiqbooks, Barnes and Noble, Bibliodirect, and the ABAA/ILAB database. By using the Bookrouter service I am able to customize and tweak my listings to "fit" each database. I have 27,000 titles online, but not all of them are on all of the sites. Barnes and Noble has driven the regional chain store out of the Big Mall here and they in turn have located across the street from my store and are actively working to completely take over my market group. The internet keeps my store open and viable because they cannot touch what I do there. The possibilities are almost infinite: ILAB has had successful virtual book fairs, which means I can "show" my books without having to pack them up and wear out my body, the newer databases are so much more personal, the Bookrouter service is beta testing features to make websites better, easier, more personalized and much more readily accessible, my walk-in customers can check out my inventory at 2 am......I have thought about a new greeting on my phone machine to say "Columbia Books, we never close..." which, because of the internet, is indeed the case.

English Teacher Efforts To Interest Teens in Books, Reading

By: Catlin Rice

"Ms. Rice, why do we have to read so much in this class?" I field this question at least once a week but it still shocks me each time one of my students asks it. The reason it shocks and disturbs me is because I teach ENGLISH. I teach six mainstream classes of freshman and sophomore English at Windsor High School in Sonoma County, CA. My students range in age from 14 to 16 and I have a total of one 150 students. I am finding (to my dismay) that my students do not enjoy literature or the process of reading as much as I do.

I just received my first-semester class evaluations from my students. After reviewing them I came to the conclusion that my class would be much more enjoyable for my students if we did not spend so much time reading or writing. They would prefer to interact in more group activities or spend their time working on artistic projects. Unfortunately, I do not teach physical education or art. Although I can appreciate that group activities and artistic projects have a place in my classroom, they can not and will not be the central focus of my class.

As a high school English teacher, I feel that I am fighting a battle to preserve what is left of the dying art of reading. I want my students to get excited about words and the possibilities that literature offers them. Most of my students do not recognize the magic of books or the beauty of words. They are so absorbed in our high tech, fast-paced world that they are unable to appreciate the beautiful simplicity of literature. Students today seem to need high levels of stimuli to be entertained, which is probably a byproduct of advancing technology. I see kids of every age walking around campus playing hand -held video games and/or listening to their CD-players. When students discuss their lives outside of school, most of them admit without hesitation that they spend a majority of time at home watching TV, talking on the phone, playing video games or using their computers to download music or chat via email and instant messenger. Reading and writing seem to be activities that are only associated with school, which is a scary reality.

How do I get students excited about reading when I only have them for 90 minutes every other day? I have tried several strategies in my classes in an attempt to kindle a small flame of interest in reading, which I hope will one day grow into a passion for literature. I know it is unrealistic to think every student will learn to appreciate and enjoy reading, but my goal is to give each one a positive reading experience before they leave my classroom.

My first attempt to get students interested in reading is through my SSR (Silent Sustained Reading) program. I require students to choose a book from home, our school library or my personal classroom library.¹ They must bring their SSR book to every single class. The book can be on any topic that interests them, which leads to some interesting selections, but I stress that the book must be age-level appropriate. Students must read their book for the first 15 minutes of each class and then complete a variety of projects throughout the year using their SSR books. There is always a great deal of resistance to SSR the first month of school. I have been pleased, however, that students generally pick books on topics that interest them, and as a result most end up enjoying their 15-minute reading period. I want students to realize that there are books on every subject from "how to" books on skateboarding to biographies about famous people and general fiction. Most students tell me they don’t enjoy the books that teachers choose to teach, which is a legitimate complaint. I have worked in districts that require me to teach books that I would rather not include in my curriculum. It is important that students be exposed to the plethora of book styles, genres, and topics that are available. I think SSR is successful because it encourages students to search for a book that might interest them. Many students have never done it before because it takes time and energy.

At the beginning of last year, I had a student proclaim proudly that he hated (abhorred, might be a more accurate word) reading because it was so boring. I suggested he choose a book in an area that interested him because that would add excitement to his reading. We had a long conversation about different authors and book styles. He finally decided to read Steven King’s novel, The Green Mile, because he had heard the movie was good. One day, after about four months of SSR, the kitchen timer rang to signal the end of SSR. He let out an exasperated sigh and said in an irritated tone, "SSR is too short. It should be at least 20 minutes because 15 minutes is not enough time to really get into my book." I was thrilled! He was actually disappointed that he could not continue reading because he was so caught up in his book. That moment was a tiny victory in my battle against student apathy towards reading. It is also the inspiration that keeps me doing SSR despite the instructional time I lose.

The second thing I enjoy doing in my classroom to provide students with a positive reading experience is "story time." My classroom is large enough that I am able to organize the students’ desks into two U-shaped rows. This leaves a substantial amount of space in the center of the room, which I use for story time once every week. The first time I announced to my high school students that I wanted them to sit on the floor for story time, I was met with gasps, dropping jaws and rolling eyes. They could not believe I was serious. Many of my students informed me that "only kids read children’s books, Ms. Rice!" I also heard comments like, "this is so lame" and "she is so weird." Despite their protests and disbelief, I read them story after story. I wanted to give students the opportunity to just relax and enjoy a story without being "held accountable."

One week in November I forgot to schedule a story time and at least one student from each of my classes pointed out my mistake. I explained (to every class) that we had a lot to do before Thanksgiving break and we did not have time for a story that week. My students were outraged! All I could do was smile at their disappointment. They had begun to look forward to story time. It was a break in the curriculum that gave them a chance to relax and enjoy a fun story. My second language learners were especially entranced by story time, because the language was simple and easy to follow. I think story time has been my most successful strategy in terms of providing my students with a stress-free, positive reading experience.

I think the apathy most students show toward reading is a result of their lack of exposure to reading different types of books. Most students view reading as a chore. It is my job as an English teacher to show students that although reading is an educational tool, it is also a form of entertainment. I hope that SSR and story time (among other reading activities) will help me to break down some of the barriers that keep students from reading for pleasure.

¹ Most IOBA members have low-value or unsaleable books lying around book club editions, copies missing their dust jackets or others with cosmetic flaws that are still eminently readable. Have any of you tried contacting local English teachers or school principles about donating some of these volumes for classroom use? If not, you might consider it. After all, our livelihood depends on having people out there who want to read books. What better way to do so than to encourage the younger generation to read?

The Future of Used Bookselling - An Observation

By: Erwin H. Bush

The world of the used bookseller has gone through radical and sometimes painful changes over the last few years. Many people have commented on the changes brought about by the Internet and online book purchasing. No one can doubt the profound effect the evolution of online book databases such as Interloc/Alibris and the Advance Book Exchange have had on booksellers. And let's not forget that pesky little dot.com startup company -- I think it's called Amazon.com? That these changes get a lot of attention from booksellers and book buyers isn't surprising; they are having a huge affect on what is happening in the used book market today. But there are other technological and business changes going on in the book world that will have an even greater effect on booksellers in the not-to-distant future. Changes that will affect how books are bought, produced, marketed and distributed.

Three key trends in book publishing that will significantly alter the future of bookselling are Print on Demand (POD) publishing, eBooks and Audiobooks and changes in the publishing marketplace. To put these trends in proper perspective it is useful to categorize used book buyers as either collectors or readers. Admittedly there is some overlap and a number of subcategories in each of these groups¹, but most book purchases can be classified as a sale to a collector or a reader. This distinction is an important one; although most booksellers cater to both groups, some specialize and serve mostly collectors while others tend to target the much larger group of readers. It this latter group of booksellers whose future is at risk.

Let's start by looking at collectors. Collectors are by nature a difficult lot. They want a very specific book. They care about true first editions (first printings), signed copies, etc. They want the proper edition of a book in a particular condition at a reasonable price. They demand assurances on these points; direct interaction with the bookseller is often desired and sometimes required. Booksellers may have to spend more time to make the sale, but collectors are usually willing to pay a bit more to get what they want. The good news is that no matter what happens in the future, there will always be collectors and a market for collectable books, although what makes a book collectable may change in the future. It's when you look at readers that the future of used bookselling looks hazy. By volume most of the used books sold today are reading copies of one sort or another. This creates a potential problem for booksellers as, unlike collectors, these customers aren't looking for a specific copy of a book, only a way to gain access to the content. So long as all the words and/or pictures are there the form and condition of this content is of lesser importance.² There are many reasons why a reader will look for a used book; the two most obvious ones are availability and cost. There are thousands of new books published each year, and thousands of books go out of print to make room for them. Even if a book is still in print, for more common non-collectable titles a used book is often much less expensive.³ As readers aren't as particular about form, they can be seduced by new alternatives as they appear.

Print on Demand Publishing

POD books are generally looked down upon by "real" book people. Many dismiss them because of the perceived high price and low quality of these books. I suspect most of this distain for POD books comes from early attempts that produced books using crude and expensive photocopying techniques. Times have changed. In larger quantities modern POD books still cost more per copy to produce than traditionally published books, but costs are not as high as they once were. The rise of POD printers like Lightning Source (owned by Ingrams) and subsidy publishing houses such as iUniverse and Xlibris have made POD printing much easier to do and much less expensive. Many small presses today use POD technology exclusively to produce their titles. Even major NY publishers are starting to use it to augment their normal printing processes; they are also looking at utilizing POD technology as a way to keep slow but steadily selling books in print (much to the dismay of authors who would like them to go out of print so they can get the rights back, either to resell it to another publisher or to arrange their own POD versions⁴). As for quality, most books printed using current POD technology are nearly indistinguishable by most buyers from the trade paper and hardcover books being produced by Big Publishers today (which are admittedly inferior to those produced in the past).

There are also publishers who specialize in reprints using POD technology; a good example of this is John Betancourt's Wildside Press (http://www.wildsidepress.com/). They currently have over 500 titles available, many of them in several formats including hardcover and eBook. According to their website they only need to sell 6-8 copies of any title in a given year to make a profit on that title.⁵ Looking at their catalog prices, trade hardcover editions run from $24 to $49; trade paperbacks run from $5 to $24. These prices may be slightly higher than traditionally published books, but certainly not excessive or unreasonable.

What does this mean to used booksellers? The ability to bring an out of print book back into print at a reasonable price effectively removes most readers from the marketplace for rare books; if all they are interested in is a reading copy a POD produced copy will be more than adequate. For collectors POD technology adds some interesting twists to the notion of a "first printing."

eBooks and Audio Books

I'm sure most used booksellers are laughing at the notion that eBooks are a threat to their business. After all, eBooks have been touted as the future of books for years and so far have made few inroads. But that will change. One of the things I've learned during my 20 years working in the high tech world is that some changes require a lot of massaging before they take hold. Apple tried to create a market for handheld computers with the Newton which was hailed by pundits are being the next big thing. But it didn't happen then; the Newton was a failure and it wasn't until several years later that Palm got it right and the PDA was born. Right now eBooks are still in the not-ready for-prime-time phase, but that will soon change.

What makes eBooks attractive? From the publisher's perspective it's the production/distribution costs. Once the content is prepared electronically you're done. No printing costs. No shipping expenses. No distribution warehouses to stock. You can keep a title in print indefinitely with a minimal maintenance cost. And you have the opportunity to cut out some or all of the middlemen; it is easy to sell direct to the customer.⁶ From the readers perspective it's instant availability; once they decide they want a title all they need to do is go to a website, provide payment information and download it. Instant gratification.

What is preventing widespread acceptance of eBooks? The first and most important reason is the need for a usable and affordable handheld viewer. There have been several proprietary attempts made to develop such a viewer, but with limited success. The hardware has tended to be bulky, fragile and expensive. But help is on the horizon. There already is a viable platform out there; the PDA. I have read two novels on my HP Jornada 548, including Michael Crichton's Timeline. While the displayed page size is small (2 1/8 by 3 inches) making this book over 2000 pages long (compared to about 500 pages for the mass market paperback edition) the Microsoft Reader Font technology makes reading relatively easy on the eyes. And the thumbwheel that the Jornada has on the side allows me to hold the PDA in my left hand and change pages with a simple flick of the thumb. I can read the "book" and change pages with one hand; I can't do that easily with a paperback. With a 128 Mbyte CompactFlash Card ($50 at Costco) I could carry about 200 books the size of Timeline with me. Even if you want a dedicated book viewer, the proliferation of PDAs and cell phones with displays are making the cost of the electronics and LCD displays for small devices drop significantly; I expect to see several new and inexpensive viewers on the market in the next few years.

Of course there are those who just like the feel of a book. But there is a technological solution for them as well -- electronic paper. Several companies are working on this right now; for a peek at one you can see the work being done at Xerox Parc by going to http://www2.parc.com/dhl/projects/gyricon/.⁷ This technology provides the potential for something very much like a conventional book, but with pages that can be filled and refilled electronically. This will help placate older readers who have grown up with books; I suspect as the computer generation matures there will be less need for such a substitute.

There is also the issue of copyright protection. Initially publishers were hesitant to release eBooks on any platform that might allow the user to make an illegal copy. This created a Catch-22 for publishers; release on a proprietary dedicated platform and maintain control with a limited market, or release on a PC/Mac platform where users can easily make illegal copies. The major players are attempting to resolve this issue by adding digital rights management (DRM) to their players, restricting where and how a title can be played. This satisfies the publisher's needs, but has not been universally accepted by users.⁸ This issue is much broader than just eBooks; it affects the music and video industries to an even greater extent. Publishers of the latter will either be successful in forcing acceptance of the current DRM solutions or will come up with some kind of compromise; whatever solution is accepted is likely to be mimicked by eBook publishers.

Finally there is the issue of price. Initially publishers were very cautious and greedy, charging the same price for eBooks as they were for hardcover editions. At the moment most seem to be pricing eBooks the same as mass market paperbacks. This is still high, but because of the vastly lower overhead there is opportunity for publishers to price eBooks even lower and still make more money per copy than they do for a printed book. They'll be reluctant to do this, but doing so will help speed along acceptance.

On the surface it would appear that Audio Books are very different than eBooks; after all they are currently packaged and sold in the same way as printed books. However it is very easy to distribute these electronically, and they have the extra added advantage that inexpensive and widely-used platforms already exist for "reading" them. Audible.Com seems to be the leader here, and they have very shrewdly priced their services so they are significantly less expensive than the corresponding tape or CD versions. And for most titles they give you the option of burning them to CD as well. I expect the acceptance by audio book customers of the Audible.com solution will be quick, and may even provide a model for eBook publishers to follow.

How will this affect used booksellers? Like POD technology, eBooks and Audio books provide an easy and even less expensive way for publishers to keep books in print and reprint older works. But subtler is the effect on the sales of future titles; as more and more copies of books are sold electronically, there are less printed copies available. This reduces the supply of used books which will have two contrary effects; it will reduce supply which on the surface would appear to make these printed copies more valuable on the used book market. But with this comes a decreasing demand for such books on the part of readers; as they adopt eBooks they won't want to buy printed copies, especially if prices go up because of limited supply. So you have fewer and more collectable copies of a title, but also fewer customers for those copies.

As for the eBooks themselves, DRM technology makes the concept of a "used" copy obsolete. They can't be resold. In essence you've moved from owning a book to licensing one. Collectors obviously won't go for this, but the much larger reader base will find this less onerous - especially if the price is right. And just as Audible.com provides the ability to "burn" a copy to CD, I expect similar technology will arise for eBooks as they sort through and resolve the DRM issues.

Changes in the Publishing Marketplace

The consolidation of major publishers into a few mega-conglomerates and the resulting mass market mentality will also have a profound effect on future titles. The trend in Big Publishing today is towards selling more copies of fewer titles. Like the movie industry, Big Publishing is only interested in Blockbusters. Yes, they'll take on new authors, but if they aren't on their way to becoming bestsellers after a few books they're unceremoniously dropped. Mid-list publishing by the Big Publishers is rapidly disappearing. We've all seen the effect such publishing strategies have on the used book market; several million copies of the latest Tom Clancy or John Grisham title that are barely worth using as birdcage liner.

So what happens to the mid-list writers? In the film industry there have arisen independent film companies that have taken over the production of "small" films. Along similar lines there has been a proliferation of small presses arising to take over the mid-list from the Big Publishers. On the surface this looks like it could be a good thing for booksellers; more books with small print runs. But how are these new small presses producing their books? You guessed it -- as POD titles or as eBooks! And in addition to all the challenges already mentioned that this creates for selling used copies to readers, the concept of a "first printing" becomes a complicated and difficult one.⁹ Again, this helps create collectable copies, but doesn't address the broader reader market. And many of these small presses also offer eBook versions; they're easy to create from the same files you use for the POD copies.

The Demise of the Reader Market

The inevitable conclusion that I draw from these observations is that there will be a gradual decrease in demand for used reading copies of books as the trends discussed above take shape. Booksellers who make their living by selling used books to readers will find it harder and harder to make a living at it. At the same time there could very well be a slight increase in the marketplace for collectable books, as fewer printed books are produced. I don't know how long this will take; 5 years, 10 years, maybe more. But I'm convinced it will happen. Booksellers who want to be in it for the long haul will need to focus their attention increasingly on the collectable market. That requires a lot of experience and knowledge of books. Which in many respects is a return to the good old days.

¹For example I'm a book collector and a reader; I collect what I want to read and I intend to read what I collect. However I primarily buy books as a collector; even if my prime motivation for acquiring a book is its content, I generally try to find a collectable edition. If nothing else it allows me to rationalize the money I spend as an investment. And occasionally it works. I spent $20 in 1982 buying a trade edition copy of Stephen King's The Dark Tower: Gunslinger at the World Fantasy Convention in New Haven Connecticut. As Mr. King was at the convention (the World Premier of the movie Creepshow was held in conjunction with it) we had him sign and inscribe it, as did the cover artist Michael Whelan. They were inscribed to my former wife who, at the time, was a fledgling cover artist herself; she went on to win Best of Show Awards at the Ottawa (1984) and Nashville (1987) World Fantasy Convention Art Shows. At the moment I can't find a signed copy for sale online; unsigned copies run from $500 - $1250.

²Some readers do have preferences as to form, but these are usually due to specific usability concerns. For example, I have a friend who has trouble with her hands and finds reading a large hardcover book uncomfortable -- she prefers paperbacks. Also readers will sometimes buy a collectable copy of a book because that's the only form in which that content is available.

³For non-fiction there is another important reason; often in research it is desirable to find a particular edition of a book which may not be the current one sold new. In this case readers are often as picky as collectors when it comes down to the specifics of a title.

⁴The Authors Guild has set up Backinprint.com, a program that allows authors to reprint their out of print titles. The Mystery Writers of America has an imprint program arrangement with iUniverse. I'm sure there are other similar examples.

⁵See the question in their FAQ at http://www.wildsidepress.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/000019.html

⁶Although this is easy, most eBook publishers still sell books through "traditional" online bookstores like Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com or Powells.com for marketing reasons; having their eBooks available right "next" to the printed versions.

⁷Xerox Parc, for those who don't know, is the research facility where the mouse, Graphical User Interface, desktop publishing and the Ethernet were born. Alumni went on to start 3Com and Adobe Systems, and their ideas were "borrowed" by both Apple and Microsoft.

⁸See http://www.epic.org/privacy/drm/ for a discussion of the privacy concerns over DRM.

⁹As a collector of Modern First Editions myself I'm very interested in what may happen to this area of book collecting. But that's a subject for another day.

A "police sketch" by 18 year police veteran and FBI-trained sketch artist Robin Burcell... who is also a mystery author (nominated for the 2000 Anthony award for Best Mystery Paperback Original.)  See http://www.robinburcell.com/.

Bio for Erwin H. Bush

Erwin started out as a reader who turned into a book acquirer and eventually became a book collector.  Over the years he has been a patron of the illustrative arts and early member of ASFA (The Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists), a radar technician on a naval destroyer, a small press publisher, an editor of an academic journal, a book reviewer, a professional philosopher (who talked his way into a non-existent Masters Degree program at an Ivy League School), a spouse and business partner to a book cover artist, a computer repairman, a course designer and teacher, a technical writer, an early designer of CD-ROM based documentation, a steering committee member for the Silicon Valley Chapter of the Association for Software Design, and an aspiring fiction writer and member of the Mystery Writers of America (MWA).  He has spent the last 20 years working in the high tech industry, focusing on how to make technology accessible and understandable to ordinary people.  The beginnings of a website can be found at http://www.erwinbush.com.

Never Mind The Book, How's The Cover?

By: Oliver Corlett

Books As Literature

"It is a salutary discipline to consider the vast number of books that are written, the fair hopes with which their authors see them published, and the fate which awaits them. What chance is there that any book will make its way among that multitude? And the successful books are but the successes of a season. Heaven knows what pains the author has been at, what bitter experiences he has endured and what heartache suffered, to give some chance reader a few hours' relaxation or to while away the tedium of a journey. And if I may judge from the reviews, many of these books are well and carefully written; much thought has gone to their composition; to some even has been given the anxious labour of a lifetime. The moral I draw is that the writer should seek his reward in the pleasure of his work and in release from the burden of his thoughts; and, indifferent to aught else, care nothing for praise or censure, failure or success."

So says the narrator in W Somerset Maugham's 1919 novel, based on the story of Paul Gauguin, The Moon And Sixpence. Certainly, it's enough to give any writer pause. And, doubtless, Somerset Maugham would have been no less inclined to his conclusion if he were to face the stacks of books which commonly confront every day that inveterately hoarding species, the common bookseller. For here, evident even more some 80 years later, is concrete proof of his theory - the 99% of books which failed to stand the test of time, which weren't the Great American Novel, which didn't become standards in the canon, which were merely, after "the tedium of a journey", put on the shelf and forgotten forever.

Books In Context

Literary merit aside, though, it is often hard to do the sensible thing and throw these long forgotten, apparently worthless objects, into the dumpster in the alley - if only because they have managed to make it so far. Take, for instance, this volume found in the back row of a triple-stacked shelf the other day:

A Little Brother of the Rich by Joseph Medill Patterson, published by The Reilly & Britton Company, Chicago, 1908, fifth printing. Blue grosgrain cloth hardcover, decorated front board, octavo, 361pp, in Very Good condition, clean and bright but with corners bumped and a slight warp to the boards, probably from careless storage.

It must have been an unexpectedly hot item in its day: the first printing was August 24th, and there were reprintings August 27th, September 3rd, September 7th and this one September 16th. Moreover, Grosset & Dunlap, the reprint house, ran to at least seven printings in 1908 and 1909.

But hot in 1908 is one thing - hot in 2001 is quite another. Search in vain for the name of Joseph Medill Patterson (1879 - 1946) among the list of Nobel Laureates in subsequent decades. The first few pages aren't bad, but this is clearly not the stuff of which Great American Novels are made. A quick check on some of the book lists, too, confirms the suspicion: True, an optimistic seller has listed it for $125 on the grounds that it is a Rideout novel (ie named in Walter B Rideout's The Radical Novel in the United States, 1900-1954, pub. Harvard University Press, 1956); but there are 15 other copies (excluding the Grosset & Dunlaps) listed, including another fifth printing at $5 and quite a number around $12 - not really enough incentive to go to all the work of photographing it and putting it up on Popula.

As it happens, a little research reveals some good reasons (other than the hoarding instinct) to keep the book. For one thing, Joseph Medill Patterson, it turns out, is not a totally obscure name, after all. His grandfather was founder of the Chicago Tribune. He was in his youth a prominent socialist (hence, perhaps, the Rideout reference) and a member of the Illinois House of Representatives; he founded the New York Illustrated Daily News, in imitation of English tabloids he had seen during service in the first World War; and though he missed the Nobel he did win a Pulitzer for editorials supporting FDR's second re-election. Hence, though his name is not usually mentioned in the same breath as those of Mark Twain, Henry James, or even Nathanael West, it does lend enough incidental interest to provide an excuse not to chuck out the book.

Open the weirdly decorated, oddly compelling cover, and there is another - a rather charming frontispiece, in color, with a touch of Alma-Tadema/ Ladies Home Journal kitsch about it. The artist, it is noted within, is someone called Hazel Martyn Trudeau (1887 - 1935). Off to the web again, and we discover a couple more interesting tidbits. Hazel Martyn Trudeau was widowed by the Canadian Trudeau at an early age and, apart from being something of a painter herself, married in 1909 to a somewhat well known Irish artist from Belfast, John Lavery (1856 - 1941). His portrait of her - a story in itself, since it also served at various times as a portrait of three other women, including Sarah Bernhardt -- is one of his better known works. The two of them, Sir John and Lady Lavery as they became, apparently lent their London house in 1921 to Michael Collins and others of an Irish delegation who came to negotiate the Anglo-Irish treaty which shortly thereafter precipitated the Civil War in Ireland. The Irish Free State government which emerged from that war invited Lavery, as a token of their appreciation for his help, to paint a portrait of his wife to be used on the Irish pound note, which it was for the next 50 years. The face of the painter of the frontispiece was known to millions of people.

Hence, despite its apparent obscurity, the book has all kinds of unexpected historical associations.

Books As Objets d'Art

This is all very interesting, of course. But the real reason for keeping the book, what really stays the dumping hand, so to speak, is the cover. The strange mixed fonts of the white lettered title, obscured behind the thin black cord of the money bag, and, stranger still, by a gold halo - why the halo? Not to mention the grasping white paws beneath, one hand rather fleshy with oddly blunt fingers, the other smaller, skinnier and even more deformed. On second looks, are they grasping, or are they throwing the moneybag, like a basketball? The whole palette of gold, black and white blocked into the dark blue grosgrain just too characteristic of the era. Who could resist this oddity, who throw out this feast for the eyes? The book is a work of art.

The realization quickly sends one back to the three-deep shelf in search of more pretty covers, to the library in search of more information about book covers in this period, and, naturally, to the web in search of same.

A Little History

Modern bookbinding could be said to have begun in the 1830s. Up until that time, books were generally produced without covers or in plain paper wrappers. Either the bookseller, or the final buyer of the book, would have it bound to his liking by a specialist in the art. With the advent of new bookbinding technology, however, it became economically feasible for publishers to mass-produce books fully bound between hard boards. The books could be covered in paper or cloth and decorated. With this "case binding", the spine of the binding is completely separate from the back of the text block, which greatly simplifies the whole process of decorating the exterior binding of the book. (For a fuller explanation, click here)

It was a while before truly decorative covers were produced. Early cloth bindings may have had some decorative border, but they were generally quite plain. For a few decades, enabled by advances in printing technology, cheaply printed paper bindings were made. In England, these so-called Yellow Backs (they were block-printed in three or four colors on a glazed yellow paper) thrived beginning in the 1840s (some say early 1850s), but they were gradually superseded when the art of truly decorative mass-produced cloth bindings began in around 1880, and had more or less disappeared by 1900.

Generally, cloth covers were decorated using a technique known as "blocking". Blocking is similar to other "intaglio" or "relief" printing methods in which the design is raised from the surface, in this case on a metal "block". ("Blocking" is an English term - in America one would generally call it "stamping"). The color is laid over the cloth board and the block, usually after being heated, is impressed on it, using a block press, to stamp the color into the board. Gilt and "blind stamping" (impressing without using any color) were used in the 1830s, with other colors generally coming later. Obviously, designs with more than one color require blocking as many times as there are colors to be impressed. By the time of the true golden age of decorative covers (say, 1905 - 1915), there could be as many as six different blocking operations in the production of one multi-colored cover.

In the library in downtown Los Angeles, the best book available on the subject is The Twentieth Century Book, Its Illustration and Design, by John Lewis, published in this country by Reinhold Publishing, NY, 1967. (Grab a copy if you see one going cheap - it'll cost you upwards of $40 on the web, maybe a tad less for the 1984 revised and updated edition). The roots of twentieth century illustration, typography and cover art, according to Lewis, can mostly be traced either to Art Nouveau or to the private press movement most prominently exemplified by the extraordinarily influential arts & crafts school of William Morris (1834 - 1896) and his Kelmscott Press in London. These two influences were, on the surface at least, totally opposed to each other. Art Nouveau professes to be anti-historical, completely "new art" - even though, in fact, it is clearly heavily influenced by oriental art, particularly 19th century Japanese prints beloved of such exponents as James McNeil Whistler. The William Morris school, on the other hand, is deliberately medieval, rejecting the art of the Renaissance and going back to earlier roots, emphasizing the painstaking care and craftsmanship of medieval work and the predilection for quality, also, in materials. According to Lewis, the art of the book, from the 1880s when art nouveau began to flourish until well into the twentieth century, was completely bound up, so to speak, in these two remarkably persistent threads.

It quickly becomes clear, though, that Lewis is concerned mostly with the inside of the book - the typography, layout and illustrations. There is very little material on the illustrated "case". He mentions an edition of Robert Herrick illustrated by Edwin A. Abbey (1852 - 1911) and published by Harper & Brothers, New York, in 1882; this has a cream colored case binding blocked in gold, black, red and green with a design showing medieval influence in the font and art nouveau in the illustration. He shows the 1889 Tess of the D'Urbervilles designed by the very influential Charles Ricketts (1866 - 1931), and a couple of covers decorated in a style reminiscent of medieval illumination from the 1890s. To show the roots of the illustrated case-binding, he offers The Astonishing History of Troy Town by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, published by Cassell & Co., London, 1888, as a modest piece of early work in commercial cover illustration printed with a black design and with gilt-blocked lettering; and, in contrast, a beautiful art nouveau German cover by Ferdinand Freiherr von Reznicek (1868 - 1909), showing very clear lineage from French poster art of the nineteenth century, for Die Frau in der Karikatur by Eduard Fuchs, published by Albert Langen, Munich, 1906. And there are a few other examples from the early 1900s, when commercial cover art really began to hit its stride

Strangely, perhaps, Lewis makes no mention of one of the better known American cover artists from the early days of modern cover design, Sarah Wyman Whitman. Sarah Whitman designed several hundred covers for the Boston publisher, Houghton, Mifflin, beginning in the early 1880s. Her designs incorporated elements of Morris as well as of Art Nouveau. Shown here is a design for Oliver Wendell Holmes's Dorothy Q Together With A Ballad Of The Boston Tea Party & Grandmother's Story Of Bunker Hill Battle: With Illustrations by Howard Pyle, published by Houghton, Mifflin in 1893. The cover is charcoal grey cloth, and the lettering and decoration are blocked in silver.

Anybody Need Ideas For A Thesis?

Relative to the material on typography, layout and illustration, though, there isn't a lot of information on the subject of cover design from this period. As Lewis himself noted, "The history of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century illustrated cover is still to be written".

One of the main problems in researching such a hypothetical work, though, would be to identify cover artists. In the case of books and magazines, the illustrators are often explicitly credited in the text; or at least have legibly signed their work and can thus, albeit with some effort on the part of the researcher, be identified. The identity of cover artists, though, is much more problematic.

Unless the artist has unobtrusively introduced initials into the design, there is almost no way to make an attribution. Hence, even in Lewis's well researched and well documented book, there is very little about the cover artists in this roughly 1890 - 1925 period. The web is almost equally uninformative (though there is an excellent site-in-progress on German bookbindings at the University of Wisconsin).

Evidently, there is an opportunity here for anyone taken with the subject to do a bit of primary research. Nobody seems to know very much about these covers, and, to judge by the prices of many of them, nobody is really collecting them - at least, some are collected for their literary or historical interest, but very few people seem to be collecting them for their artistic interest or as relics of this extraordinarily rich period of bookbinding history.

Which takes us back to the source - the books themselves. The following is a sampling, shown in roughly chronological order, from our shelf of forgotten early 20th century English-language hardcovers. Note that there is nothing particular or special about these covers individually, except in that they illustrate some of the features of covers of the time. There are doubtless far better examples around.

A Kentucky Cardinal and Aftermath, by James Lane Allen (1849 - 1925), pub Macmillan, NY, 1900 (originally published 1894 and 1895, Harper & Brothers). The elaborate gilt-blocked foliage pattern does seem to have something of the Medieval Morris about it; and there is more than a hint of the "fine binding" so beloved of the arts & craft school, of small presses and their often rather self-congratulatory proprietors. It looks like a typical binding of the 1890s, which became less and less common as the more flashy, trashy and more vital art-nouveau-influenced covers took hold. Come to think of it, is there a hint of this future, echoing faintly the celebrated Beardsley decadence of the 'nineties, in the prevalence of the charactertistic art nouveau S-shape; and in the slight cockiness of those crowing gilt cardinals (At least one presumes they are cardinals, however parrot-like they really look). Inside are one hundred illustrations by Hugh Thomson (1860 - 1920, a Northern Irish illustrator active from around 1890), but the cover artist is anonymous.

Castle Craneycrow, by George Barr McCutcheon (1866 - 1928), published by Grosset & Dunlap, copyright 1902 (Herbert & Stone). The cover is a sort of yellow ochre color with lettering blocked in dark green. The charming picture has white blocked in, with red and green seemingly printed on. There is, sadly, no credit given to the artist. George Barr McCutcheon was evidently an enormously successful popular novelist in his day. A collection of McCurtcheonabilia is held at the Yale University Beinecke Library.

Beverly of Graustark, by George Barr McCutcheon, published by Grosset & Dunlap, September 1904, with illustrations by Harrison Fisher. (The copyright is Dodd, Mead, 1904). The illustration on the front - this is one of Fisher's eariliest assignments -- is pasted into a blind-stamped panel and is signed Harrison Fisher. This is a sort of sequel to McCutcheon's hugely successful romantic melodrama, Graustark, The story of a love behind a throne, published in 1901.

There is a whole series of George Barr McCutcheon novels with illustrated covers published by Grosset & Dunlap. Grosset & Dunlap, as well as the other well known New York reprint publisher, A L Burt, tend to be rather despised by book collectors generally, in much the same way and for the same reasons as Book Club editions are today: they are rarely, if ever, true first editions; print runs tended to be large, so that scarcity often isn't a factor; and in many cases the materials and production are of lesser quality. (There are notable exceptions, like A L Burt's 1918 Son of Tarzan, which goes for $30,000 - $40,000: check the web price before you throw it out!) It is worth noting here, though, that both these publishers produced some very worthy illustrated covers in this roughly 1900 - 1925 period. It isn't inconceivable that they might one day stumble into respectability.

Days Off, and other digressions, by Henry Van Dyke (1852 - 1933), pub Charles Scribner's Sons, February 1908 (first printing was October, 1907). Dark blue cloth blocked in gold, white, teal and violet. The William Morris look is very strong here. This is one of a collected works series by Scribner's and, as such, has all the hallmarks of a book "made for posterity", including the top-edge-gilt text block. It's interesting to compare it with the Kentucky Cardinal cover of almost a decade earlier though: clearly, even in such a solemnly "genteel" book, some of the frivolity of art nouveau has crept in. There are eight illustrations by Frank E. Schoonover, who illustrated books, dustjackets and case bindings for Harper & Brothers in the teens and early twenties.

As for the cover artist on this book, there is no direct attribution in the text, but the front bears the inconspicuous initials, MA, for Margaret Armstrong (1867 - 1944), who was prolific in designing similar covers for Scribner's (as well as Dodd, Putnam and Harper) from the 1890s through the early years of the 20th century and has been held largely responsible for the "genteel" look of many such made-for-posterity books in this period. Perhaps because she inscribed her characteristic monogram on her designs, she is almost alone among cover artists in having escaped anonymity during this golden age of cover design. This talented woman also achieved some fame as a mystery writer, publishing three whodunits in her waning years.

Soldiers of Fortune, by Richard Harding Davis (1864 - 1916), pub Grosset & Dunlap, NY, 1910. White lettering is blocked onto a red grosgrain cloth hardcover. As in Beverly of Graustark (above), the illustration has been "onlaid" onto a framed panel of the cover. The illustrator is Charles Dana Gibson (1867 - 1944) - the same Gibson whose "Gibson Girls", so epitomized women's fashion and new-found independence (of spirit, if not of corset-bound torso) in the 1890 - WWI era. Gibson was a prolific and very influential illustrator of magazines (Life, Harpers, Scribners, Collier's Weekly, Century, etc).

Mildred's Married Life, by Martha Finley (Martha Farquharson), pub A L Burt, copyright 18?? (Illegible) Dodd, Mead and 1910 by Charles B Finley. Printed in black, green and pink on a light green cloth cover. Apologies for the quality of this one. It is a very attractive, if perhaps a little too symmetrical, decoration. Both the font and the decorative foliage frame have a touch of the medieval monk about them, but the flowers are very Edwardian. No attribution to the artist of this little piece

Excuse Me, by Rupert Hughes, pub A L Burt & Co., copyright 1911 by the HK Fly Company. The cover is of light blue cloth with white lettering and a blue, white and brown illustration. No credit is given to the artist of the illustrations within or to the cover artist, but the color frontispiece bears the name of James Montgomery Flagg, a very well known artist most famous for his Uncle Sam Wants You poster.

The Last Days of Pompeii, by Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, pub AL Burt & Co. Not dated - at a guess, 1912. Light blue cloth with black and red printed lettering and decoration. Some of the aforementioned defects of this reprint publisher are present - notably, the author is billed right on the cover as "Sir Bulwer-Lytton" - but, for instance, the paper isn't dark or brittle and the binding has stood the test of time. Is there the merest echo of Aubrey Beardsley in the illustration? No attribution, of course, for the lowly cover designer.

The Westerners, by Stewart Edward White (1873 - 1946), published by Doubleday Page, Garden City, NY, 1913, (original copyright 1900, 1901) in their series The Works of Stewart Edward White. There is a frontispiece by famed illustrator, N. C. Wyeth. The cover is light green grosgrain cloth with stamped gilt lettering and pictorial decoration stamped in a darker shade of green, showing a cabin in the hills, surrounded by conifers and with a rather conceptual thread of smoke arising almost to the top edge of the cover from the brick chimney. Another meant-to-be-collected book, like the Van Dyke above, with the genteel gilded top edge. The cover design is unattributed.

The Port of Adventure, by CN & AM Williamson, published by Doubleday, Page, NY, 1913. The cover is blue cloth with the silhouette of a California mission, possibly Santa Barbara, against the hills, in yellow and two lighter shades of blue. The end papers, frontispiece and title-page illustrations are by Arthur Covey, a New York artist best known, probably, for being married to a famous illustrator of children's books, Lois Lenski. They are all done in glowing, effulgent colors reminiscent of Maxfield Parrish, and feature prominently that looming symbol of new-fangled technology, the Motor Car. The cover - unattributed, as usual - is actually rather atypical of the period, and to this author's eye, at least, prefigures later, German-influenced art deco covers which began to appear in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley, by Belle K Maniatis, pub Grosset & Dunlap (copyright Little, Brown, 1915). Even though the copyright is 1915, this copy isn't dated and is most likely from around 1920. The cover is beige cloth printed in black, maroon and yellow. The book is illustrated by J Henry, who also illustrated the original Little, Brown edition. A search reveals no further information on J Henry, and, naturally, the cover artist remains anonymous. The style is curiously reminscent of certain English covers from around the turn of the century.

The Lost Little Lady, by Emilie Benson Knipe and Alden Arthur Knipe, published by The Century Co., NY, 1917 (title page dated 1922). Illustrated by Emilie Benson Knipe. The cover is brown cloth printed with black and white, the rather delightful design, with its proportions strangely pre-figuring the Barbie Doll, unattributed.

Miss Billy Married, by Eleanor H Porter, published by Grosset & Dunlap, NY, tenth printing February 1918 (first printing by this publisher 1914). Illustrated by W Haskell Coffin, a somewhat obscure illustrator of magazines, particularly the Saturday Evening Post. By the time this book was published, many books were being published with full color dustjackets. The "onlay" (illustration pasted on the front cover) was increasingly popular. The influence of magazine covers is very clear in this artwork.

Catty Atkins, Financier, by Clarence Budington Kelland (1881 - 1964), published by Harper & Brothers, NY, 1923. Though now almost forgotten, Kelland was an enormously successful writer of books and stories, many of whose works were made into movies. Illustrations are by one WW Clarke (no info available). The cover design is plain black printed on brown cloth, with no attribution.

Marketing Deb, by Cornell Hughes, published by The Macaulay Company, NY, 1926. Well, we began with a bag of gold on the cover, so this, with three more bags, ties it up nicely. Marketing Deb is stamped in dark green on a yellowy beige grosgrain cloth with gold-ochre printing for the moneybags. Needless to say, it's unattributed (the frontispiece is by one William C Hoople - no info available). In some ways, it's like the A Little Brother of the Rich cover we began with - particularly in the clarity and prominence of the lettering.

As in so many other spheres of life (some may say: alas!), the key may well be in the bags of gold. By the mid-twenties, almost every book wore a colorful dustjacket. Early dustjackets had been relatively drab, but by this time printing technology had reached the point where full-color jackets were, presumably, much cheaper to produce than elaborately blocked cloth-covered boards. They could compete visually on the bookstand with the highly designed and gorgeously colored magazine covers of the day. Not only that, there was more scope for advertising on a dust-jacket than on a cloth-covered board: some choice words on the flaps could be used to sell the book - or other books by the same publisher; and there was, similarly, space on the back. Hence, economics dictated at the very least a more modest expenditure of resources on what had become, so to speak, the underwear of the book.

Not that there weren't some spectacular cover designs to come - more of that, perhaps, another time. But it is clear from the most casual inspection of those dusty shelves that, with the possible exception -- true in all decades of the twentieth century -- of children's books, as well as some fantasy/science fiction and adventure titles, from about the mid-twenties onward, illustration and decoration of the cover generally took a back seat.

The moral for the likes of Willie Somerset Maugham are clear: when you plan the marketing campaign for your book, make sure your publisher hooks you up with a good cover artist. You may end up unread, but at least you have a shot at being collected.

Collecting

What to collect in book covers? Well, as we've seen in this brief survey, the field is pretty much wide open. Even those few artists who are well known are not out of the range of most pockets. For instance, there are several copies on the web of the Sarah Wyman Whitman Oliver Wendell Holmes cover (see above), the most expensive of which is $105, with a Near Fine copy offered at $60 and half a dozen Very Goods in the $15 to $50 range. True, you can spend $20,000 to snap up in one swoop a collection of 300 bindings by Margaret Armstrong, but you could assemble a decent collection piece by piece yourself for a lot less than that, starting, perhaps, with the Scribner's Van Dyke (Van who?) collection.

Perhaps the best part about this whole field, though, is the conspicuous lack of knowledge and easily available information on the subject. For example, who did all those Grosset & Dunlap and A L Burt covers? Any collector could have a lot of fun finding out, and maybe in the process rescue some poor undeserving writers from obscurity.

Some Interesting Links not in the text above:

Bowling Green University's Popular Culture Library - This link shows work from their exhibition of Decorated Bindings by Women Designers

New York University Bobst Library exhibition of bindings - a quick tour of binding history, with representative examples and a bibliography

Bud Plant Illustrated Books - A site put together by someone who clearly loves his subject, with hundreds of illustrations and tons of information (and opinion) about illustrators. Bravo!

Violet Books gallery - some beautiful covers in Sci-fi and Adventure from the late 19th century to about 1940. Another wonderfully informative connoisseur's site.

American Library Association correspondence showing a detailed timeline for 19th century book production

University of Wisconsin gallery of German book covers - some really superb work here

Smith College's Mortimer Rare Book Room - a gallery of beautiful late 19th and early 20th century bindings

Oberlin College Special Collections - A splendid illustrated tour of 19th Century American book covers with information on some of the cover artists.

God Bless the Library of Congress, and all those who pay for her.

EPHEMERAL ASSAYS-THE PAPER TRAIL

By: Shawn Purcell

If I had five seconds to ask two questions about life, they would be "From whence?" and "Where to?" Same with paper ephemera. Where on earth do you get it, and what in heaven's name do you do with it once you've got it? Paper is great for collectors because they know what they want and how much they will pay for it, and most antique dealers and booksellers can handle the occasional good piece that comes their way, but full-time pursuit and dealing is pretty specialized. It requires a lot of hunting, winnowing, processing, and marketing. The word is out about paper, especially at auctions, and it’s getting harder to make the big scores that can sustain this career choice. On the plus side, house call purchase prices are still fairly low, the gene pool is deep, you attain a highly efficient degree of retail display verticality (a bucket of nicely packaged paper totaling hundreds of dollars takes up the same shop or show space as a musty $19.00 deco hamper), and you're in a niche market with universal appeal.

Ask an ephemera dealer how s/he got started. In my case, I used to buy dollar box lots at the tail end of auctions, including those loaded with the paper detritus of an individual's life. Much of this is dreck, such as banking records, but there’s usually a good amount of family history in there which future genealogists would surely like to see saved. A lot of the older ephemera from the first half of the last century has little monetary value, but these items were created in interesting ways for interesting purposes. They come down to us from an innocent, unhomogenized era, and have defied the odds of survival in doing so. I couldn't bring myself to discard these things, which led to storage problems, so I packaged the saleable pieces and box lotted out the non-garbage remainders at other auctions in the hope that someone else would spare them from the dumpster. I bumped along in this slightly bemused and barely profitable mode until I had a $5.00 auction purchase epiphany which appeared in the form of two thirty gallon garbage bags filled with the early paper of a future bank president. I was able to trace his life without any voice-over narrative. As a young man around 1928 he made modest investments in mid-western oil wells and western mines that went bust as soon as the Great Depression hit. These certificates and high-pressure missives were nicely decorated with oil rigs and mining equipment, and probably made more for me than they did for countless investors. After that debacle, our young man contacted hundreds of firms that marketed get-rich-quick schemes with a fervor that foreshadowed his future predominance in the world of high finance. There were full color pamphlets and catalogs (the lion king of ephemera) for advertising stilts, store punch-cards, fountain pens, soda fountains, novelty items like nudie knives, radios, popcorn machines on portable advertising stands, thermometers, and just about anything you could think of, all in perfect condition and in their original envelopes. I stayed up all night absorbing them till the robins told me to call it quits. The better examples sold to specialist collectors at book and antique shows for several years at an average of about $40.00 per piece. One telescope catalog collector up from New Jersey begged to come home and look through whatever I hadn’t brought with me, and repeat customers would run way back to my full booth as soon as the doors were flung open at future shows. What I couldn’t have known then is that the days of such auction finds were numbered, and that I would have earned ten times more for this stuff by selling it online years later.

Thus bitten, the next step is to see what ephemera reference books there are, attend paper shows and auctions, join an organization like the Ephemera Society of America, and perhaps learn at the feet of a master. Thus schooled, it’s time to journey into the wilderness alone to test your mettle and perfect your techniques.

Hunting ephemera at general auctions is a very hit-or-miss affair. Many auction halls don’t bother with it at all. Others don’t understand it, and if auctioneers misstated the nature or importance of pottery or furniture in the same manner they’d be hooted off the platform. The only thing funnier than a worthless beer flat of religious hymn books or Currier & Ives calendars or Etude music magazines failing to get a single bid is when somebody pays far too much for them. I know many antique dealers and even booksellers who have been burned by paper so often that they’ve learned to avoid it assiduously. For those auctions that don't have an aversion to or ignorance of paper, you often find box lots arranged by category. One can usually tell if these lots are first time to market or if they’ve been picked over already. For example, if you scope out a groaning table of Life magazines with no Marilyn, Ali, Beatles, or other standout covers present, you’re not in Kansas anymore. If the auction print ad uses the words "paper" or "ephemera," bring extra cash. Serious, well-advertised items such as a batch of good Civil War letters seldom go under the money these days.

The secret to success when it comes to general auction paper lies in the preview process. Arrive early, or, if possible, the day before. (True ephemera auctions require a whole day, though you often have the aid of a printed catalog.) If you can't preview adequately, sit as close to the front as possible. There have been times when I arrived very late and just outbid everyone else on the boxes of ephemera which caused the most excitement, but this is risky business as you may be bidding against the uninformed or against the determined collector who doesn’t have to worry about resale value. On one occasion innumerable boxes of alphabetized files from the career of an ancient social studies teacher came up. It took a long time to preview them and others gave up, but five or so were quite valuable, being chock full of ephemera on Native Americans, canal monographs, etc. I must mention verticality again. When you buy a big box of postcards or a van full of books and paper, you’re getting a lot of stuff for the money. And all kinds of great things can be hiding in there. When you buy a rocking chair in need of repair, there are no mysteries. You’ll spend hours fixing it up, and it may or may not sell for a small profit in your lifetime. If it’s a Hummel figurine called "Sensitive Hunter" or something, you know within twenty bucks what you’ll get for it someday. You know who your three Hummel competitors in the area are, you have to worry about authenticity and hidden repairs and breakage, and you have to have this around your house until you sell it. Give me the virgin forests, hidden ravines, deep fishing holes and swarming exotic game of ephemera any day!

In addition to the Power of the Preview, another admonition is Let the Buyer Beware. All the chicanery of auction houses and the antiques field is refracted by the multiplicity of surface planes and undulating folds inherent in rag and wood pulp products. It pays to know what’s going on around you. Several years ago I was acrobatically extended over a tall narrow box of Boys’ Life looking for Norman Rockwell covers. Ten mags from the bottom I found a huckle of early Stanley tool catalogs that I eventually sold for hundreds. Hours later they got to this part of the heap. The auctioneer was trying to signal his pal up front to pay attention, but the guy was chatting away and didn't notice that his hidden cache was about to be knocked down. The fix was becoming obvious, so the auctioneer had to let it go for a few dollars. When the burrower realized he'd missed out a moment later, he looked around to see who the naive buyer of a bunch of boy scout magazines might be, in order to make a lowball offer on the tool catalogs. It's also a good idea to check the lot you're interested in periodically, to make sure that expensive trade card or whatever didn't somehow leap from one box to another or even right into a pocket. I heard about a guy in Boston who bid thousands on a loose lot of stamps for one very valuable specimen that disappeared between the preview and the bidding, and the auction house did not give him a refund.

Other more standard auction advice also applies to the pursuit of paper. Calculate ahead of time what you can reasonably expect to make on an item, and don't let auction fever sway your estimates. Try to pick up some things that you can turn over quickly. Learn what’s hot and what’s not. Listen in on free appraisals during the preview. Avoid entangling alliances because there are usually too many variables. Get to know the runners. Go over and ask them to put stuff up when your bitter rival starts heading for the bathroom (just kidding, sort of). Roll with the punches. I’ve paid $700.00 for a box of faraway local historical photos and papers I fully expected would sell for one tenth that price, and I’ve paid one dollar for a huge amount of 1920s architectural greenhouse drawings I would have spent $500.00 on. Look for unexpected opportunities, stay frosty (as in alert), and make mental notes for future reference. If we don't learn from the mistakes of buying history, we are doomed to repeat them.

Where else do you find good paper? Yard and estate sales provide the occasional score. Some outfits that run estate sales are willing to unload all the books and paper for one money days before the cutthroat event even begins. Estate lawyers can help along these lines too. Targeted newspaper advertisements sometimes get your foot in the door without the competition breathing down your neck. Dumps are clamping down on bin diving, though I was reading the other day about a growing company that cleans out garages and attics. Many of their franchise holders take advantage of the free spoils policy, and the article included a photo of a guy in overalls (if I recall) holding up a valuable comic book that went quite high on eBay. I work on a commission basis with a good plumber friend, and my brother’s best informant is a Roto-Rooter man. There’s probably even some valuable ephemera laying around your own house which may or may not have enough sentimental value to keep it there.

When you reach the tyrannosaurus level, like a certain colleague of mine (we'll call him "T"), you no longer have the time, space, or inclination to deal in lower-end ephemera. T displays at a book and paper show almost every weekend, following the circuit. He prefers those where he can set up the night before, allowing time to shop around. T has a great customer base, and he knows his merchandise, so he can simply walk the aisles before the regular crowds arrive, buying low and selling high. He can double his money on a $500.00 broadside with just one long distance phone call. He has the confidence to buy an old bicycle poster all in pieces for hundreds, have it professionally restored, and sell it shortly thereafter for thousands. T also buys entire estates full of paper and books. When I first met him he said he’d just bought a house one state away for $85,000.00, which I thought was pretty cheap for that county, but he meant just the paper in it! He finds things I can only dream about, like a captain’s trunk full of 1850s clipper ship cards and related NY to San Francisco transportation ephemera. A few years ago he purchased a barn-full of boxes that came from a rural New Hampshire lawyer's office. The lot was sold for the first time in the 1970s, and it changed hands a couple of times before he picked it up for $5,000.00. Obviously, the standout items had been skimmed, but even some of those he was able to buy back separately after the sale because the previous owner didn't know how to market them. Most of the boxes had not even been opened, however, so he was faced with the monumental task of wading through them one at a time. The amount and variety of ornate nineteenth century letterheads and billheads alone was staggering. There were thousands of old deeds (which will hopefully find their way back to New Hampshire some day). And there were loads of hidden treasures. T opened a boring, nondescript ledger book late one night and ended up with a lapful of early, unusually indecent cabinet cards. These are of the type most highly sought after by serious erotica collectors. "Were they French?," I asked. "The poodle was, anyway," came his reply. One can picture the proper small town Victorian lawyer squirreling these away in such a hiding place. After years of handling boxes in alternately broiling and freezing self-storage units, T bought another house near his own in which to sort and store all this stuff. Separate rooms are reserved for different types of subject matter. Someone asked him how his new house was looking and he said, "Frankly, I don’t have very high hopes for it." T is tired of auctions with a capital "T." Besides the trickery and all those wasted hours waiting for the books and paper to come up, he often finds himself competing with his friends and customers or being asked to enter into cooperative arrangements with them. He particularly doesn't like those auction houses that allow consignors to bid their own items up, which most do by the way. T says he makes ninety percent of his mistakes at auctions. He does use them to unload mass quantities of less than stellar stuff, however, and I haunt these whenever possible like a sucking remora follows a shark.

To bring us regular ephemera fanciers down to earth for a moment, there is one final paper trail, and that is serendipitous discovery. True ephemerons hide well. Awhile back I purchased a box lot of books, one of which was that ubiquitous A through B free first volume of a supermarket encyclopedia offer. I think it was called The Encyclopedia of Collectibles. Flipping through the pages very quickly, a crisp yellow and red Big League Chewing Gum card from the 1930s worth $30.00 fell out from the baseball entry under the Bs. I bid on a dreaded old regular encyclopedia set at auction not long ago because I noticed the tiny tip of a silver certificate poking out, and that one volume alone was some departed soul’s hiding place for ten or so more. My favorite, though, is another little coincidence that got me interested in ephemera early on. I was sitting high up in the corner window of a major research library plowing through some books for hours on end, and time was running out. I'd left one large tome that appeared as if it hadn't been cracked open in twenty years for last because it didn't look helpful. Turns out it contained just what I was seeking. At the very end of this research session a curious piece of paper fell out and spiraled down in the waning golden twilight. It turned out to be a learned mini-essay on, and tribute to, ephemera, published in the 1970s by some eccentric down south. It is multi-colored and quite beautiful. He likened ephemera to his other passion, which was fireworks. He told of the print run, some five hundred and fifty or so if I recall, and of the vault where a certain number were archived. I doubt if they're still in that vault. How many have survived? Less than a third, I'll wager, and half of those accidentally alive like the one I found. Maybe fifteen will still be with us in excellent condition by the year 2100. I believe in the severest punishment for taking anything from libraries, but surely this was different. It didn't belong in that book or in that building. Some hurried researcher left it there years ago by accident. Any staff person finding this on the floor would have thrown it out. Though not really worth any money, this is my favorite piece of ephemera. I'd like to reprint it in full, but, like all good ephemera, I re-lost it some years ago. I know I'll find this printed May Fly again when I get down to the right archaeological level in the Mesozoic carbon heap that is my office, and it will be reprinted some day as a farewell column in this series like the finale at an ephemeral fireworks display.

IOBA: Miami Book Fair International

By: Madlyn Blom

My husband Bob and I have just returned from the Miami Book Fair International. This is an achievement returning, that is. Because we drove. A CAR, not a TANK!

A tank would have felt a little bit safer as the trucks hauling goods to the port were rerouted en masse thru town due to an accident on a causeway. This inconvenience caused massive traffic jams which irritated the truckers and the auto traffic. Generally Miami traffic is bad, I hear, but this was ridiculous.

I've been a used/rare book dealer for approximately 11 years and have attended a number of book fairs during that time both as a buyer and as a seller but I've never attended as a buyer or seller any book fair like Miami's. It is more like Printer's Row in Chicago than an ABAA rare book show but not the same as either one.

Miami has not only the usual rare book dealers, the used book dealers and the publishers but you find parades, authors, dancers, writing workshops, consulates from Venezuela, Italy, Chile and more, countries selling travel books, lots of authors and publishers in non-English speaking languages as well as Cuban, Latin and Asian food vendors (this puts the International in the Book Fair International!).

This is part book fair and part book festival! A celebration of books in the very broadest sense not exclusively rare books or remainder books or discount books but some of each. A book fair which can also be enjoyed by the family members not interested in spending a full day browsing rare book booths with their family bibliophile. .

There were over 130 booths and I spotted some bargains (1^st editions of Sue Grafton's newest Q is for Query at ½ price), and I saw some wonderful books in the rare book annex which housed the 8 rare book dealers (Heminway's Death in the Afternoon in a dust jacket for $2,500 from Wolf's Head Books, St. Augustine, FL) but I also saw a small publisher who was promoting the sale of their edition of gold gilt facimile copies of The Holy Grail. These were beautiful editions and their booth was outside with the vendor selling books at $1.00 each or 10 for $5.00.

The program listed over 225 authors who were in attendance at some point during the fair. I was able to get Scott Turow to sign a copy of my newly purchased copy of Reversible Errors and my husband was able to get a picture of me with him (and, yes, I don't mind saying I liked having that opportunity!). I missed the Daniel Ellsburg presentation I just didn't read the program fast enough to know that he was speaking Friday night. I later found out that the room was filled to capacity (500) and another room opened and still people had to be turned away. Attendance was free to listen to him speak, along with all of the other authors.

I picked up a copy of Pages; The Magazine for People Who Love Books which I hadn't seen before (www.ireadpages.com). This Nov/Dec, 2002 issued features Scott Turow on the cover, had 112 pages of articles about 2002: The Year in Books, Tartt Redux, Jeffrey Eugenides, Alice McDermott, ads and a follow up article about Savannah eight years after the publication of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and more. This is Vol. 10, issue 11/12, costs $3.95 at the newstand and the articles are really quite good reading.

Dave Barry and Tom Gardner were listed under 'author readings' in the flyer but I missed them both. Bob and I did see a bit of one of the parades and listen to some of the music as we 'dined' on the Cuban sandwiches outside under the sunny skies. The tents and tourists and vendors all made it so exciting it was hard to go inside to listen to the authors.

Bob and I did want to watch Dave Barry, Amy Tan and the rest of the Rock Bottom Remainder Players sing on Saturday night but we were invited to attend the Authors' Party on the terrace of the Miami Marriott and decided to do that instead.

Since my husband and I don't go to Miami often we did go to North Beach, which is right by Wolfson College, and saw a bit of the art deco district but we skipped the nude beach there as the weather was only mid 70s! We wished we could have had time to visit the Jewish Museum which was close by and we missed this year's largest Christmas tree (we didn't know about that until the day after we got back). We drove by the Port of Miami (where all the cruise ships dock) and saw Stars Island where all the really big houses are but alas, the entrance is guarded so we couldn't see all the mansions up close.

We left Sunday a.m. and on our way home across Alligator Alley we saw at least 6 very large alligators out sunning themselves. This was a nice ending to a short weekend getaway and certainly worth the ride if you or your kids haven't crossed Alligator Alley.

So, next year on the weekend prior to Thanksgiving, I suggest that you make sure your car insurance is in order and take your tank (or throw away car), load up the kids and head over to Miami for the book fair. It will be bigger and better than ever because it will be the 20^th anniversary 'edition'. The Board of Directors is already starting to plan the event. According to one of the Board of Directors, the booth fee is $450 and it is first come, first served. If all of the booths are rented by rare book dealers first then the flavor of the show is different than if the remainder companies rent them first. Only the rare book annex vendors are screened (except for being book related) and there are only 7-9 booths available inside.

For additional information: http://www.miamibookfair.com or Miami Book Fair International, 300 N.E. Second Ave. Suite 1515, Miami, FL 33132.

Madlyn Blom is owner of CenterAisleBooks.com and can be reached at 941-639-7397, Inquiries@CenterAisleBooks.com or at the the St. Petersburg Book Fair, March 7-9, 2003. She also has a book booth at the Harbour Inn Antique Mall, Charlotte Harbor, FL and will be doing a rare book appraisal for the Commodore Club residents on March 16, 2003. Member IOBA and the Florida Antiquarian Booksellers Association.

ALBANY BOOK FAIR

By: Pat Sheldon

Oliver and Gannon's Albany Book Fair has changed locations numerous times in the last few years. Nevertheless, the Fair seems to attract a loyal crowd, some of whom are ready to spend.   The November venue was the brand-new Christian Brothers Academy in a new business development about half a mile from the airport. Officially named the Antiquarian Book & Ephemera Fair, sponsored by the Albany Institute of History & Art, this was the 29th annual fair. Veteran dealers thought the new location the best yet, though there was some unevenness in lighting throughout the room.   This lighting has several dealers rather miffed and with good reason, as at least one very large space packed with ephemera was very hard to shop.

Very trying weather made loading and unloading a wet, cold chore and the lack of lights outside the building was a puzzling deficiency. Nonetheless, the show went on with an early buying preview yielding a good to very good start for most dealers.  Numerous dealers said they would have been pleased to go home after the early buying, in light of what their show day was like.

There was a strong market for ephemera and Americana, if any market could be considered strong.

Overall, the show continued to attract quality exhibitors. If the promoters can keep building traffic and stay in one place, it's decent, but not a must-not-miss.

THE 2002 OREGON ANTIQUARIAN BOOK FAIR

By: Christine Volk, Bookfever.com

On November 23  and 24, 2002, the Oregon Antiquarian Book Fair  was held at the Convention Center in Portland, Oregon.  This was the first year that this book show was produced by Palmer/Wirfs & Associates in conjunction with their Collectible & Antique Show, and it was dedicated to the memory of Oregon bookseller Leonard LanFranco, the tireless organizer of the book show in years past (and former IOBA board member) in "honor of his great knowledge of books, his passion for them and also the vision that he had to bring this group together."

Chris Volk

It was also the first time that we had participated in a book show that was part of an antique show - and there was a bit of culture shock involved.  While the number of booksellers in the 'book fair' corner was fairly typical of a small to medium sized fairs (about 45 dealers), the overall show was huge by book show standards with over 600 booths of collectible and antique dealers.   Palmer and Wirfs seemed to have the logistics of loading and unloading well-organized, but the sheer quantity of dealers with material to drop off made this a unique experience for us.  The book fair portion of the show was at the far end of the huge hall - but one of the pluses for this became apparent at the end of the show when the book dealers were allowed to drive into the hall, and almost right up to their booths to load up, while the line of trucks and vans and cars waiting to use the loading dock snaked around the block.

The other difference from the typical book show was the hours during which the show was open:  set up was as early as Wednesday before the show - and while Friday was officially a 'set-up' day, a limited number of pre-admission badges were sold and the show was open to the public from 10 AM to 6 PM that day.  Instead of just the usual dealer pre-show sales, collectors also got to watch you unpack.   While it was not mandatory to remain in your booth that day, it was recommended - and, for us, worth it, since our sales on Friday covered the booth fee.  Saturday was open from 8 AM to 6 PM and even Sunday was 10 AM to 5 PM.   Antique hunters might be dedicated enough to get to a show by 8 AM (in fact, there was a long line waiting when the show opened), but most book lovers don't seem to be - so the early morning hours were rather quiet at our end of the exhibit hall.

I have mixed feelings about the effectiveness of combining a book fair and antique show into one, with each in their separate section. The organizers apparently did a very good job of publicizing the show (according to many people who came) and even the fact that the Convention Center was under construction did not seem to deter the crowds.  On the other hand, most of the attendees were not there to find books - and the location at the far end of the hall meant that only a small amount of casual traffic came all the way to the book booths.  It is hard to say if the show would generate more sales if the book booths were interspersed among the others (there were a few paper/book/magazine dealers who had done the Palmer/Wirfs shows in previous years, and who were not in the book fair section, but over in the general section.)  Traffic was fairly steady throughout much of the show, despite the extended hours, and unlike the book dealers who had reservations about the dual set-up, several of those attending expressed their approval of the combination - and we had a few people who came by the booth who had never been to a book show before.

Although some of our stock (and that of some other dealers) was selected with the aim of appealing to antique lovers, one of the ironies of the show for us was that our best selling items were modern science fiction books:  there was a small science fiction convention in town, and there was some crossover traffic from that show.

Lynn DeWeese-Parkinson

There were other differences in the way the show was organized and run:  the cost of the booths were very reasonable, but tables, chairs, table coverings, etc. were all 'extras.'  The size of the show made it practical to have a company on hand that provided credit card processing for those exhibitors who did not already have this ability.   There was also a "restoration row" (which included a bookbinder) that was   open during the whole show, both for the experts there to demonstrate their crafts and to answer questions.

And, of course, there were all the usual benefits of doing a book show, including meeting up with old friends, getting to meet booksellers who might only have been a name before, as well as meeting some of our customers for the first time.  In addition to the books being offered by the other booksellers, I also managed to find some interesting items over in the main portion of the show.  The drawback, of course, of doing an out-of-town show is that the truck was already loaded with books - and that makes scouting difficult - but somehow, even when it seemed that not another bag would fit in, we found room for more -

At any rate, visiting Portland was worth it for us - the weather almost co-operated with only occasional light rain; Lynn DeWeese-Parkinson recommended a wonderful authentic Mexican restaurant (one that is almost worth a trip to Portland all by itself) and on Monday, when we hit the road on the way back, the weather was sunny, so a detour to the coast became mandatory! OP MAGAZINE: A New Book Magazine

By: Dee Stewart, Editor
P. Scott Brown, Publisher

OP, a magazine about book culture, collecting and commerce, launched at an interesting time in bookselling history. The word we hear most often about the out-of-print book market these days is revolution. The pace of change is accelerating, and it is fair to say that the business has evolved more in the last five years than in the entire time since Gutenberg printed his Bible. A trade group of Internet booksellers like IOBA is a logical and welcome development to meet those changes and to address the fundamental issues of trust and reliability essential to commerce.

While the buying and selling of books is undergoing tremendous change, it is ironic that the book itself has remained relatively impervious to innovation. The physical format of the book was established a millennium or more ago when scrolls were first folded and bound into boards for easier reading. The invention of moveable type in the 1550s was the last major advance. Techniques for reproducing photographs revolutionized newspaper and magazines in the 20th century but books have not followed suit. The text is still the most important element of most books printed today, and black type on white paper is still the best way to deliver that text.

Electronic books and digital text will grow in importance in coming years, but they are not likely to replace books until a handy device with a long-lasting energy source can be read easily in bed, on a bus, on the beach, or in the bath. Steven Spielberg conducted extensive research with futurists for his movie, Minority Report, yet he still shows commuters reading the newspaper on New York's subways--although the content was electronic, the format of the paper was unchanged. The picture closed with characters in front of a fire reading books. Books aren't going away for a long time.

That's why we decided to start OP (named for the standard abbreviation for out of print), a magazine printed and distributed on paper. We like magazines, books and paper. We believe that our target audience--book collectors, booksellers and general readers--does, too.

We recognize that a print publication needs an Internet component. The Internet has changed the rules of the game for the casual book buyer, serious book collectors, and booksellers of all sorts. On our website, http://www.opmagazine.com, we have posted information about the magazine, the contents of the current issue, an article or two to whet the reader's appetite, and reviews of books and bookstores. Our subscription page includes secure online sign ups as well as mail-in forms.

OPMagazine.com also hosts an extensive calendar of book-related events, including auctions, book fairs, classes, and author signings. Visitors to the site can post their own events with our easy-to-use Add Events interface. OP costs $21 for a one-year (six-issue) subscription in the U.S. and somewhat more elsewhere. We also cover current events of interest to booksellers and book buyers in an email newsletter. For starters, you can just sign up for the free online newsletter, but eventually it will be available only with a subscription.

Shortly after we announced that we were going to publish OP, one of our subscribers wrote, "We need another magazine. I am always embarrassed that they have more magazines on the subject in England than we have here." Many interesting topics are not explored in any other magazine and we will do our best to fill the gap. At its heart, OP is about the one thing book collectors and booksellers have in common: the love of books and the printed page. The response to the magazine has been so strong that we think we're onto something.

Will yellow police tape surround the Pasadena Hilton Feb. 27 to March 1? See story for clues

Here's A Clue For Mystery Fans: Left Coast Crime 2003 Opens Feb. 27

By: Ken Fermoyle

Robert Crais

Pasadena, CA won’t be wrapped in yellow police tape on Thursday, Feb.27 but it will be a major crime scene from then until Sunday, Mar. 2. The only clues you need to solve the case are three words: Left Coast Crime, the killer convention for West Coast mystery authors, publishers, booksellers, collectors and dedicated fans.

Left Coast Crime Convention 2003 will draw mystery fans from around the globe to celebrate "Lights! Camera! Murder!" at Hilton Pasadena Hotel. Robert Crais appears as Guest of Honor with Jerrilyn Farmer as Toastmaster and Sue Feder as Fan Guest of Honor. The weekend is packed with over 60 panels, plus author signings and discussion groups.

The convention kicks off Thursday night with a live performance of a vintage radio mystery, "Sorry, Wrong Number," and a special K-9 police dog demonstration.

Sue Feder

Friday's panels feature Robert Crais, Michael Connolly, T. Jefferson Parker, Barbara Seranella, John Morgan Wilson, Richard Barre, Roger Simon, Robert Ferrigno, J.A. Jance, Rochelle Krich, Denise Hamilton, Eddie Muller, Dick Lochte, Kelly Lange, Earlene Fowler, April Smith and Jan Burke. Day passes are $75.

Jerrilyn Farmer

Saturday's key event is a Q&A with Robert Crais. Also on tap: forensics sessions with Elizabeth Devine (from TV's CSI) and polygraph expert Jack Trimarco. Panelists are Paul Bishop, Adrian Muller, Matt Witten, Michael Perry, Stephen J. Cannell, Nathan Walpow, Jerrilyn Farmer, Rhys Bowen, Gillian Roberts, Parnell Hall, Robert Levinson and Michael Collins. An evening dessert party includes the presentation of awards and an auction, with proceeds going to the L.A. Chapter of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. Saturday passes are $90 and include the party.

Michael Connolly

Sunday's half-day session features a dialogue-writing workshop led by screen-writer Sharon Doyle (Nero Wolfe) and panels with David Sherman, John Shannon, Carolyn Wheat, Paula Woods, Michael Mallory, and Rodney Johnson. Sunday passes are $30.

A complete schedule and registration information is posted at www.leftcoastcrime2003.com. Enrollment for the entire convention ($175) includes continental breakfasts, Friday buffet dinner, new books and a souvenir gift bag.

Julie Fauble at last year's Festival

L.A. Festival of Books Set for April 25-27; IOBA’s Toothsome Twosome Will Be There

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books again promises to be the book event of the year on the West Coast and one of the best in the nation. The two-day celebration of the written word is free to the public and attracted 140,000 booklovers last year. At least as many are expected to crowd the UCLA campus on Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27, for the 2003 Festival. And IOBA will be there, led by that toothsome twosome of Julie Fauble and Maria Bustillos, with "assorted henchmen, plus whichever IOBA members would like to show up and hang out," as Maria puts it.

Royce Hall

Festival events scheduled include lectures by noted authors, book reviews, writing workshops, and storytelling at two stages in the children’s area. A panel of respected judges from the literary world will also be on hand to award the annual Book Prizes for outstanding offerings from the past year.

The Festival promises something for every booklover, from seemingly endless rows of booths stocked with the biggest selection of books assembled annually on the West Coast to exciting events and demonstrations on six different stages. The Festival also features book signings by today's leading authors, poetry readings, and an extensive children's area and books.

If you would like a bookseller booth, contact Tina Pinelli at 213-237-7334 or tina.pinelli@latimes.com.

Dickson Plaza

Authors or anyone who would like to submit an author for consideration to participate in a Festival of Books panel, please call the author submission hotline at (213) 237-3364 or e-mail

Information currently is sketchy on the Festival website but more will posted in early to mid-March. URL is http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks

Go to http://www.ucla.edu/map/viewmap.html to view a map of the UCLA Campus. - Ken Fermoyle

BOOKSELLER MONTHLY

A few years ago I cried "unite" to online booksellers. I believed booksellers, more so than business people in other trades, interact like a brotherhood rather than competitive entities. Through my recent experiences I have found this to be proven true by the genuine kindness and support many have shown in my hope to be part of the fold once again.

Most online booksellers may not know of me. I founded BookGraveyard.com (later renamed Bookquarters.com) in 1999 and later purchased "Bookseller Monthly." Due to personal problems last year I bowed out of and sold Bookquarters.com and suspended publication of "Bookseller Monthly" unannounced. Some would say, rightfully so, that I seemingly fell off the face of the earth. But even with my failures most booksellers have welcomed me back, first and foremost, with a genuine interest in my well being as a person. For that I am very grateful and will once again be rolling out issues of "Bookseller Monthly."

As before, my primary goal will be to print quality material to further the trade of bookselling and the joy of collecting. Profit was not something I came to know the first year of publication. I believe I printed more free ads to support our online dealers at Bookquarters.com than paid-for ads! But that was okay. I was simply trying to return the sentiment that so many had given to me--a measure of support. And although I must take a bit of a different financial approach with the re-launch of the publication, I still would like to play a role in this brotherhood that we see through organizations like the IOBA.

In the one year since I have been away, the industry continues to ride the wave of change brought on in the late 1990's by the Internet. After the demise of "AB Bookmans" a few years back it seemed clear that the Internet was the primary source for listing wants and books for sale. Many felt the need to change their approach on bookselling to keep up, some more than others. Interloc was the new way to go. And it was discouraging to see such a quality publication such as "Biblio" fold as well. It started to seem that the Internet was going to be the only tool for selling, buying and communicating. It troubles me that in my own small way I signaled more coalescence to the Internet by suspending the publishing of "Bookseller Monthly."

And even since then I've seen other small publications change as well, mostly due to the influence of the Internet. "Martha's Kid Lit," a small quarterly publication, recently announced they were going strictly online. Also about seven months ago "Australian Book Collector" changed from a monthly to a quarterly publication apparently because of a drop off in subscriptions. This discourages me, as I feel we are losing the tradition of having hard copy publications laying on cluttered desks full of wants lists and orders. Now we will be receiving emailed newsletters in our cluttered inboxes...full of digital want lists and orders.

But I do not wish to sound anti-Internet. From day one it was my intent to help preserve the traditional print forum and marketplace for booksellers. I wanted to help build a bridge between those online and those who chose not to make the change, hoping to keep the option of print alive for all. So, as has been a romanticized goal of mine from the beginning, I will push forward with my monthly print publication if only to say we have another one left. It is good to see "Firsts" still going, "Bookseller" in the United Kingdom, "Book Source Monthly" out of New York, among some other small specialty bookseller publications. At the same time, it is wonderful to see TomFolio.com going strong, the wonderful launch of BiblioDirect.com by such committed book people, and the other independent sites bent on making things better for all of us.

And as always, I will be open to anyone who would be interested in contributing material to the publication. By the last issue in February of 2001 there were around 6 or 7 regular contributors appearing in every issue, all reaching a level of quality I was very proud of. I really felt we were providing a unique service to the bookselling and collecting community while keeping a tradition alive. Often the simple fact that "Bookseller Monthly" had been around 29 years prior to my purchasing it humbled me, and still does. And the terrific growth accomplished in that first year, from 550 subscribers to just over 700 (with a great deal of the new growth being international), gave me promise.

So what can you expect to see in future issues? Even though the publication is not substantially profitable, nor will it likely ever be, I hope to use it as a tool for the benefit of our trade. I want to create more of a relationship between online activity and the brick and mortar world, as well as furthering support for the IOBA, TomFolio.com, and other organizations that support bookseller interests and promote reading and collecting. There will still be sections to post books wanted and for sale. And I would hope to see an increased "Letters" section to promote thoughtful discussion of the issues that affect all of us. We must all remember that there are still many booksellers with stories and ideas to share that are not on email lists or not online at all. As well, I hope to build a relationship with our trade partners by offering columns in the publication, similar to the previous "Booking with Tom" feature presented regularly by TomFolio.com.

I still believe in the general good will booksellers have for each other and for the preservation of their trade. I would like to continue a publication that reflects that. It is unfortunate what happened last year in my life and I do not wish to dodge any criticism from those who subscribed or supported my efforts without any seeming return. But I would like to encourage everyone to take a fresh look at what we are all doing, what part each of us plays in this centuries-old occupation, and to put a revitalized effort into keeping positive things happening with regard to bookselling. There are many challenges ahead as always, but many eventful times to share as well. May I simply offer this publication as a source for trying to achieve common goals. And to all of those who have welcomed me back, thank you!

Joe Spoor

Bookseller Monthly

LINKS TO SITES RE WOMEN IN THE BOOK TRADE

By: Alyce Cresap

Women Illustrators:

http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/pcl/pcl33.html

http://www.virginia.edu/oldbooks/exhibitions/current.shtml

Women bookbinders in 19th century:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0712304118/202-7813865-3886207

Women who organized the printing trade:

http://www.mfh.org/specialprojects/shwlp/site/honorees/sullivan.html

http://search.eb.com/women/articles/Kehew_Mary_Morton_Kimball.html

Women printers, illustrators and book designers:

http://www.princeton.edu/~rbsc/exhibitions/hands/

Emily Faithfull--typographer/publisher 1835-1895:

http://www.xrefer.com/entry/172559

Women Publishers Directory:

http://www.wifp.org/DWM/publishers.html

Women’s National Book Association (men members, also):

http://www.he.net/~susannah/wnba.htm

Women Authors:

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/subjects/Women-Writers.html

http://www.ibiblio.org/cheryb/women/wlit.html

Questions & Answers

Q. I've got a book, printed in Switzerland in 1944, appears to be perfect bound, but with flimsy cardboard boards, no endpapers (not removed – they were never there). And it has a dustjacket. What do I call this binding? Flexible boards? Is there a more precise term?

Julie Fauble

A. Flexible binding should work fine. Limp binding seems to only apply to suede or soft leather.

Joyce Godsey

Q. What is the name of the plastic binding of interwoven fingers (for lack of a better term.) Not a spiral binding.

Bruce (Bookends Bookstore)

A. I believe you are referring to a comb binding. If the 'plastic binding of interwoven fingers' you described were laid flat (don't try it, because the plastic might be too brittle for that) it would resemble a comb.

Jerry Blaz

Q. Can some savvy list member tell me how to change the shipping default on ABE upward?

Susan Halas

A. Go to Your Books. There is a new special little box at the right side of the screen that says "Adjust Shipping Rates."

Alyce Cresap

Q. Hope someone can help me. Several days ago I received an order through ABE. The customer had left a card number, but when I processed it the card was declined. I emailed the buyer asking for a new card number or a check, but the customer has not responded. I would like to cancel the sale, so that I am not charged the commission. Does anyone know how to do this?

Donna (The Eloquent Page)

A. Recent message to me from ABE:

" To process a refund for the commission fee charged by ABEbooks, please follow the steps below:

1. Log in to your Bookseller account

2. Click on "Your sales"

3. Click on "abebooks"

4. Click on "Review and process your orders"

5. Select "abebooks" as the program and select "Processed" as the status

6. Click "List orders"

7. Find the order that needs to be refunded

8. Under "Review and process", click "Request a Refund" (refers to commission fees)

9. Put a check mark in the box beside the item to be refunded

10. In the drop down box, select the reason for the refund i.e., "Incomplete Sale"

11. Type your exact reason in the comment box (this will be sent to the buyer) i.e., Credit card rejected

12. Click "Initiate Return"

The refund for commission fees is now complete."

John and Carole Ansley

Q.   I don't usually deal in ex-library books, but have recently come across a few that were just too valuable to pass up. The dust jackets are glued to the pastedown endpapers with dirty dust sleeves covering the jackets. Do you leave the jacket glued to the endpaper and sell the book as is with a dirty dustwrapper, or do you peel the jacket off the endpages, remove the old mylar wrap and just deal with the unsightly glue marks that result from this? If so, do any of you have a good method for removing a glued dust jacket?

David Peterson

A. Try HEAT first. Most library adhesives react well with heat. I use a household iron and put stiff paper on top as a shield. However, others have suggested putting a quilting iron in my toolbox as it has a much smaller 'head'. If the Rubber Cement has oxidized too much, and won't soften, there is such a thing as Rubber Cement Thinner.  It's hard to find - an art store may have it.  If I have to use it I sneak it onto the offending adhesive with a q-tip [remember it will melt anything plastic].

Joyce Godsey

We thank all of our contributors.

Jean S. McKenna, Chairman Education Committee

PDA's In Bookselling

By: Joyce Godsey

I started writing this column like ten times already.  The advances in PDA technology have been careening along at such a gallop that most have gotten whiplash as it went past us.  The last time we had such a radical change in information technology, Gutenberg was casting scrabble tiles.  Sure, two years ago I was up on all the newest and bestest ways to use my PDA to make book buying in the field more profitable. But with the new PDA's and a cellular modem you can order takeaway, phone your mom, sends snaps of your kids, check your messages, look up book values, email someone on the underside of the planet, bid on an auction, AND read the complete works of Bulwer Lytton all with 8 ounces of metal & plastic (and you thought STAR TREK was fiction).

The majority of booksellers don't like change, we still run Windows 98 and Office 97 and won't usually change until we absolutely have to. It's just our way.  My little obsolete Visor Deluxe with it's 8 megs of RAM still works fine and does just what I need. Sure, I would love online capabilities but until it becomes cost effective for me, I probably won't upgrade.   There are two types of booksellers, those who have a PDA and those who want a PDA and right this very second there is no reason NOT to have one; a device that can do what the average bookseller would find needful costs ridiculously little second hand.  The Personal Data Assistant that was cutting edge 3 years ago is now selling on eBay as something good enough for your kids to play with (mine cost me 250 new and now sells for 50 bucks, go figure).

What does a bookseller WANT from a PDA?  For those of us who have been having senior moments, since I was a senior in college, I needed a better MEMORY. Sure, I could remember a book's title and author and ballpark value, but all the little things escaped me, like what customer asked me for it a week ago or which state dust jacket had an extra line on the back, at least until I was sitting in the car on the way home.   You would be amazed at how much data you can get in 8 megs of RAM; I have never been able to fill mine more than halfway with important stuff. (hey, all those e-books don't count!) Sure not every bookseller wants to carry their stock list around in their pocket, but hey some of us do, as well as a shopping list, want lists, lists of pseudonyms and first edition identification info for publishers.   All that good stuff, that you hardly ever look at, except that ONE time you need to look it up and you discover that your battery ran out.

PDA'S 101- abridged
[If you know this part skip to the next section, show off.]  
 
PDA's are not mini-versions of desktop computers   Small screens can't display as much content as full-size ones. And limited OS capabilities, CPUs, and RAM mean less sophisticated web and application content.  What is most effect is entering data at home and then loading it to the PDA to take with you.
 
The PDA screens are still very small, they are terrible in direct lighting, color screens are much easier to read than grey scale.  Reading things like e-books or spreadsheets can be a pain in the patoot if you don't like scrolling.
 
PDA's and their 'shoe' are connected just like any other peripheral to your desktop computer. Files are sent back and forth, called 'sync-ing' using PDA specific software.   You can't expect wireless connectivity right out of the box. In most cases, you need to buy a wireless modem or cable to connect with a digital phone and then sign up for service.
 
If you let the battery run down the odds are good you will lose your data. So if you update it on the PDA, back it up onto an expansion memory or the PC every time you get home. The operating systems aren't designed to be upgraded so to upgrade you really need to buy a new device.
 
PDA's don't read the same files that desktops do. EVERYTHING needs to be converted. Luckily all the software developed to run on PDA's come with conversion programs to do it for you.  It will take your database or any 2 or 3 dimensional data file and create a ".pdb"  file of it.  Which can go back & forth from the PDA.  You will need to un-convert it in order to fiddle with it on the desktop.
 
You can't use them with one hand and hold books with the other. You need one for the unit and one for the stylus (penlike object).  Some have KEYS on them, some don't. The more keys and buttons the smaller the screen and the larger the device.  

PDA Explanations by people who KNOW what they are talking about   http://www.howstuffworks.com/pda3.htm  

Databases

For as many hand held devices out there, there are as many types of data file handing software.  Stay away from the proprietary kinds.  You want to use software that will use the most common file formats. You don't want to trade someone for a nice fat little file full of book points and find you have nothing to open it with.  There are three major PDA database programs out there and unlike desktop software it's all relatively cheap.   

Jfile $24.95 http://www.land-j.com/jfile.html 
MobileDB $29.95 http://www.mobilegeneration.com/products/mobiledb/index.html
HanDbase $29.99 http://www.ddhsoftware.com/handbase.html?UID=2003012912475324.61.82.64  
[old comparison revew but still helpful http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/databases-review.html]  

Both have free conversion programs that will transform .csv (comma separated value) files into .pdb files. MobileDB has a free direct conversion program for MS Access tables.  I find MS Excel easily saves stuff in .csv format (like .txt format, only with commas.)  

Document 

You can't squeeze a major application into a relatively low-powered device, so be satisfied with the ability to view and edit data.   There are things like QuickOffice http://www.quickoffice.com/ that allows for MS Excel spread sheet and MS Word conversion.  The new PDA's have screens with color and better resolution and some just larger that make handling these kinds of documents less painful that the old days.  

Typing

Some of the PDA's & PALMTOPS come with their own keyboards built in, [they remind of the HP-12C calculator in the 70's where the device was larger than its manual].  For typing anything larger than a scribble, there are an amazing array of keyboards available these days with more being invented as we speak. Little thumb size keypads, life size fold up keyboards, flexible roll up ones, you name it. [here's some reviews http://www.pdabuyersguide.com/tips/keyboards.htm] Personally, I just got very good at writing graffitti with a guitar thumb pick. Who has time to dig out an attachment when you just want to write an ISBN?  

EBooks N'Stuff

Once you have this nifty little device rattling around in the bottom of your book bag holding your business stuff, it's time to load it with stuff that you DON'T need. There are a ton of places to get that too, and some of it is helpful.  [My advice is try it, if you don't use it blow it away, chance are you won't remember what the file was for anyway.]  http://www.Palmgear.com  is the best place to find PDA specific software on the net.  Shareware, freeware, tryware, it's all there. (hey that rhymes.)  

http://www.memoware.com/  is a great place to get docs to run on the software, it will show you huge lists of ebooks, data files, small databases, AND explain what format it's in and where to get the software to run it.  'http://www.memoware.com/?screen=help_format#Doc .  Once you create something yourself you can post it along side, best PGA golf scores, chronological Start Trek bibliography, Bar Drink guides, and the E-version of Crime & Punishment.  

PDA Bookselling Specific Tools

Saved the best for last. [How else would I get you guys to read all the way through?]  

Bookscout

Combining the advent of online access in the palm of your hand with the depreciation of online book values, Dave Anderson has written an extremely valuable software tool, SCOUTPAL http://www.scoutpal.com, this will allow you to enter an ISBN and in one step check book prices on Amazon, both used & new, thus confirming or denying it's buyability for you.  With only 1 or 2 GOOD buys you can easily pay for this service. [It works on web enabled cell phones too.]  

Book Collectors Reference Pack

Just for giggles last year I collected all the information I needed in my PDA and put it in the JFILE .pdb format http://palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?sid=52833720020602193156&prodID=44720

Publisher First edition identifier: 3600 publishers and their usual method of first edition notation. Book Collecting Glossary: a 500 word dictionary and Author Pseudonyms: over 9000 pseudonyms and their authors  

When more booksellers get PDA's, we will surely have more bookselling-oriented software being written, collected & traded.     

A Weighty Subject

By: Susan Bugher, P.E.
email: sebugher@kvi.net

One of my favorite books quotes is about the spy who likes to pose as an engineer. His reason: "when I tell people I'm an engineer their eyes glaze over and they don't ask any more questions."

Today's topic is building loads, almost guaranteed to make your eyes glaze over.

however . . .

If you have a lot of books, if you are afraid to sleep at night because you fear you will wake up in the basement, if you have no idea at all if your concern is justified, prop your eyelids open and read on.

Buildings are designed to safely support anticipated dead loads and live loads. Dead loads are permanent loads (the weight of the building). Live loads are all loads that are not permanent. Live load includes your books, the people who walk through, and the refrigerator that stays for 30 years.

Design live loads are specified in building codes. The Uniform Building Code (UBC) is one of the more common codes. There are several others. In the US building codes are adopted by governmental entities. The agency that issues building permits can tell you what building code (if any) is in effect in your area.

Some common design live loads:

homes: 30 to 40 psf (pounds per square foot) (attics: 0 to 20 psf)

retail stores: 75 to 100 psf

warehouses: 125 to 250 psf

library stack rooms: 150 psf or more

Some night when you are up worrying calculate your own uniform live load. That will give you numbers to worry about - which will be a change from your previous unformulated fears.

To obtain the total live load estimate the weight of your books (weigh a representative foot long section of books), add the weight of the maximum number of people in the room at any time (weigh a representative person), estimate and add the weight of shelving and other furnishings.

When you have the total live load weight divide it by the number of square feet in the room. This is YOUR uniform live load. It may help you decide whether or not you have cause for concern.

A few other considerations:

The way the load is distributed makes a difference. Heavier than average loads may be okay if they are placed directly above the supporting walls and columns. Lighter than average loads may be a problem if they are concentrated near the center of a room or along a single joist.

Buildings may be weakened by deterioration, poor construction or other factors. The load classification of a building may not be obvious. A warehouse designed for light loads and one designed for heavy loads may look alike. Their load capacity is not the same.

The above discussion deals only in generalities. Consult a profession engineer or architect for advice about your particular situation.

Using the IOBA Classified Ad Program

The classified ad program allows IOBA members to post ads for free. While it would be far too much work to post regular inventory for sale one by one in the classifieds, there are some quite good uses for them. If you are selling a collection for example, or if you have particular wants. If you have a really special item, you might want to take the time to list it.

In order to post an ad, you first have to register as a user. You only have to do this once and will be able to use this same login anytime you'd like to add or remove an ad. First go to the main page of the classifieds at http://www.ioba.org/classified/classifieds.cgi. There is a green bar across the top and the bottom. Click on the link for "Place Ads".

The next page will have a login form, but just above that you will see: "New Users: Please Register For An Account". Click on that link.

Now you'll come to a registration page. The fields with a red asterisk are required fields. Enter any user name and password you would like and will be able to remember. However, don't worry if you forget it. There is a function which allows you to send your password to your email address if you forget.

Once you have registered, you'll be able to place ads. Go again to the "Place Ads" link and login with your new username and password. The next page allows you to select a category for your ad.

Now you'll come to a form that allows you to create your ad. Your personal information should be all filled in for you You can keep personal information such as your phone number or street address private if you wish. Subcategories are optional. If you don't choose any subcategories, your item will just be listed under the main category.

The Caption Header is optional as well. It just prefixes whatever you put in the Caption field. So if you choose "For Sale" in the the Caption Header field, and then type "Military History Collection in the Caption field, what you will get in the final ad listing is this:

FOR SALE: Military History Collection

Enter anything else you'd like to describe your items. There is a limit of 1000 words (words, not characters... so there's lots of space!). Don't forget to choose a duration for your ad. You can have up to 90 days.

Once you finish posting your ad, you'll be given the opportunity to upload a photo to go with it. Choose the image file that you want to upload by clicking on the "Browse" button below and selecting the file from your local hard drive. There are size limitations on the size of the image… file size no larger than approximately 50000 bytes, and have a width no greater than 400 pixels and a height no greater than 600 pixels. This should be fairly easy to do in any graphics program. But if you're not sure how to resize your images, write to me and I'll try to help deanna@ramsaybooks.com

Make sure to write your ad number down, or save the email confirmation. You'll need that number if you need to modify the ad later.

Interview of Robert Westbrook, Author

Published Works:

JOURNEY BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN, G.P. Putnam's, 1963

THE MAGIC GARDEN OF STANLEY SWEETHEART, Crown, 1969; Bantam paperback, 1970

THE LEFT-HANDED POLICEMAN, Crown, 1986; Warner Books paperback, 1987

NOSTALGIA KILLS, Crown, 1988

LADY LEFT, Crown, 1990

RICH KIDS, Birchlane, 1992

INTIMATE LIES, Harper Collins, 1995

Novels based on screenplays:

THE MEXICAN, Signet, 2001

INSOMNIA, Signet, 2002

Howard Moon Deer Series:

GHOST DANCER, Signet, 1998

WARRIOR CIRCLE, Signet, 1999

RED MOON, Signet, 2000

ANCIENT ENEMY, Signet, 2001

Website: http://www.robertwestbrook.com/pub1.html

Robert, I understand your book Ancient Enemy was nominated for the Shamus Award as the best private eye paperback of 2002—how exciting! Is this the first award your work has been nominated for?

Yes. I didn't actually win the award, but it was an honor to be nominated.

I believe Ancient Enemy is the 4^th in the series featuring Howard Moon Deer and ex-cop Jack Wilder. Tell us a bit about Howard Moon Deer—what tribe does he belong to and is he traditional or alienated from tribal ways? And Jack Wilder—I understand he is a blind detective? From what police force? And what is the story on his being blind?

Howie is a Lakota Sioux who received scholarships to good schools – Dartmouth and Princeton – and like all Native Americans who leave the rez, he discovered there was no going home again. As a literary device, I deliberately alienated him from his own culture to make him a sharp observer of the life around him – an outsider, a sort of visitor from outer space who sees things with a fresh eye and takes nothing for granted. As for my ex-cop Jack, he was a commander, a high official in the San Francisco Police Department before he lost he eyesight.

How did you come up with this combination of American Indian and blind detective? Are they based on anyone you've known?

Howie, as I've said, was created to be an outsider to be better able to observe the main setting of this series: the chic, arty, white émigrés who arrive in New Mexico from other places, usually in a brand new SUV, looking for the latest installment of the American Dream. With Jack, I made him blind because I thought it would be an interesting device to create more suspense – for Jack, simply crossing a busy street becomes an adventure. Also, I wanted him to solve crimes by his brain, not brawn.

Have you been associated with any American Indian tribes in any way? How do you research American Indian culture for your books?

I live in a town in New Mexico where there is a large Native American population and over the years, I have made a number of friends with the people at the Pueblo here. Also I simply read a great deal to get the information I needed to make Howie plausible. Fortunately, there are many good books on Native America.

I believe you used to write police procedurals set in California? Did you live there at the time? And what made you switch to the New Mexico setting?

I grew up in Los Angles and spent most of my adult life in Northern California, so it was natural to place my first mystery series in California – the "Left Handed Policeman" books. Ten years ago, my wife and I moved to New Mexico, and eventually I wanted to write about my new home.

What got you started writing crime fiction? Were you ever involved in this field of work?

I simply like the genre, and enjoy the fact that crime fiction is extremely story driven. I also like the fact that a detective is someone who is searching for the truth of what the world is like around him; he is, in fact, a heroic archetype, one of the "thousand faces of the hero" in the Joseph Campbell sense.

I believe you also wrote some non-fiction? On what subjects, and were they based on a particular interest of yours?

I've written 2 non-fiction works. My very first book, written in 1963 when I was 17 years old – "Journey Behind the Iron Curtain" – was based on a high school trip to Poland, the Soviet Union, and Czechoslovakia at the height of the Cold War. Then in 1995, I wrote the story of my mother and F. Scott Fitzgerald, "Intimate Lies," that was published by HarperCollins.

Your mother was involved at an early age with F. Scott Fitzgerald, wasn't she? This sounds like it had an enormous effect on your mother. Did it also affect you? I believe she wrote a book about it called Beloved Infidel? And that you also wrote about it in Intimate Lies?

My mother was involved with Fitzgerald in Hollywood from 1937 to when he died in her apartment in 1940. It was a difficult relationship, as Scott struggled with alcoholism and his failure as a writer, and it had an enormous effect on my mother – and on me as well, indirectly. I feel that "Intimate Lies" is my best, most deeply-felt book.

Anything you want to tell us about this ghost writing you do?

I ghost-wrote 8 novels for a TV celebrity I'm not allowed to name. I think of this experience as part of my apprenticeship as a writer – I learned a great deal, and it was strangely freeing to know that someone else's name would be on the book. Of course, there's something depressing about it as well: we live in a brand name society where someone famous (like my TV celeb) has a much better chance of selling books than someone non-famous, like me.

And what is this bit about you taking a break to "find yourself? What kind of life did you lead then? More or less exciting than that of an author?

This was a GREAT time of my life! In my late-20s I built a cabin in a redwood forest, played guitar, studied piano, and did a number of things that had nothing to do with writing . . . but greatly enlarged me as a writer, gave me much more experience to guide me in the mid-1980s when I began publishing again.

Do you remember much about the Black List era in Hollywood? Did you know people it affected?

Yes, I remember when it was dangerous even to mention Civil Rights – someone might think you were a Communist! I knew a number of people whose lives were changed forever by this terrible time – including Budd Schulberg, who wrote "On the Waterfront," and ended up testifying for HUAC, and the director Carl Foreman, who had to flee to England when he couldn't work in Hollywood anymore.

How did you get into writing novels based on screenplays? Is it interesting work?

I was hired for these jobs by various movie studios to write novels based on screenplays – a marketing device, really. I did "The Mexican" and "Insomnia," but probably won't do any more. As a semi-struggling author, I always need work . . . but this was fairly boring, really.

I understand that you've traveled and lived abroad quite a lot. Which places have you enjoyed the most, and why? And have they had an influence on your work?

I love to travel and live outside the United States – we've spent a year in Europe, another in China, and most recently a year in Alexandria, Egypt. My wife, Gail, teaches English as a foreign language, and I simply bring my laptop along to continue writing my novels. I haven't used these foreign settings per se, but living abroad has certainly affected my creative outlook.

I believe you've also taught writing workshops and have an editing service? Do you enjoy these activities as much as writing?

Yes, I love teaching! I've been giving workshops on writing mystery novels, as well as writing fiction – I enjoy my students, and I've really learned a lot, trying to put what I know about writing into words. Also, from time to time, people send me their manuscripts and I do my best to help them get their projects into shape.

Please tell us how you got involved with Addall and Lily and Hup? Was it originally through your wife, Gail? And what work do you do for or with them? And how did you and Gail meet?

Gail and Lily met on an airplane to China. Gail currently does customer service for Addall. My own part is to write a weekly column where I review books – a dream job, really, for someone like me who loves books. As for Gail and me, we've been together for 25 years – we met in our wild youth in the small town of Pt. Reyes Station on the northern California coast.

What made you decide to try your hand at writing originally?

Growing up with the myth of F. Scott Fitzgerald hovering over my head, writing has been in my blood since day one. In my youth, I tried a few other things, but somehow I couldn't escape my fate. I'm a writer, through and through.

Have you always written, as while you were growing up and long before trying to get published that first time?

Yes, I began writing stories when I was about 10 years old. I knew even then that this was the life for me.

What type of worker are you when you write, i.e., do you write at certain times, or for a certain amount of hours daily, in long stretches straight through, as the spirit moves you, or?

I like to write best in the mornings, maybe 6 or 7 hours a day. The most important thing, when writing a novel, is to keep at it day after day, whether the spirit moves you or not. Eventually, the pages begin to add up to a book.

Do you conceive of an entire story or subject line to be covered in your head before starting to write, or do you get just an idea and sit down, outline it and flesh it out, or?

I usually start with an idea, a beginning – a vague feeling of how things will work out, but I don't quite know how until I've stumbled through a first draft. Then I go back, look at what I have, and begin to shape the thing into a novel. It takes me a number of drafts to get it right.

Tell us how you first got published, and whether it was difficult that first time. Did you have an agent for that first published piece? Was it a book, an article, a paper, or what?

As I mentioned earlier, my first book, "Journey Behind the Iron Curtain," was based on a student trip to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. This was a subject that sold itself. When I returned from the trip, I wrote a few newspaper articles about my experience – an editor at Putnam's chanced to read the articles and contacted me, asking me to expand them into a book. In short, my first experience with publishing was absurdly easy – I got to experience publishing angst later in my career!

How do you feel about editors? Does it disturb you or comfort you to have someone checking your work pre-publication?

Writers NEED to have a good editor, someone who can give an objective point of view. Unfortunately, most New York editors are too busy these days in sales meetings and no longer serve this function. Luckily for me, my wife Gail is my best critic – I give all my manuscripts to her, and she helps me get them into shape.

Have you ever been on a tour with one of your books? If so, what is that like? Did you find that it helped increase sales of your book?

Yes, I've been on book tours. They are probably necessary, but they are hard, hard, hard. I don't particularly enjoy selling myself. As for books sales, we are living in a very difficult publishing environment where basically 90 percent of American readers read 10 authors. Like everything else in our corporate global world, the big are getting bigger and the small are struggling. In short, this a great time to be an author if you're Tom Clancy, but a challenge for all the rest of us.

Can you tell us a bit about the book you're currently working on? I understand it is to be a completely different genre for you?

I'm working on two books, actually: a spy novel, and a story based loosely on my mother's life. I'm enjoying experimenting with different sorts of writing than I've done before.

Any stories about the hazards of trying to make your way as a writer, particularly when starting out?

It's extremely difficult to make a living as a writer these days, but rewarding in its own way. I wouldn't advise anyone to do it, really . . . yet personally I wouldn't do anything else. In short, you have to be a bit crazy to give it a try. But if you just happen to be slightly mad, well – it's splendid to make a living with your imagination.

Any advice to aspiring writers on finding an agent or contacting publishers?

It's more difficult to find an agent these days than a publisher. Basically, a new writer needs to get a book that lists literary agents – there are several available – and send prospective agents a GREAT cover letter with maybe 10 or so sample pages of their work. It's like fishing: you put a line in the water and wait. The main thing is, keep at it – don't get discouraged!

Are you a reader? If so, what types of things do you enjoy reading?

I love reading. Just about anything, really – but my favorite reading is the 19^th century classics. Tolstoy, Chekov, Thackery, Dickens, Jane Austin . . . I could reread these books forever.

I understand that you enjoy opera? Which are your favorites? Jazz piano? Do you play or just enjoy the music? Skiing? Downhill or cross-country? And are you good at it? What other things do you enjoy?

With opera, I'm a great Puccini fan. At one time of my life, I studied to be a jazz pianist – I still play whenever I get the chance, and my heroes of the keyboard are Fats Waller and Keith Jarrett. These days, I'm fortunate to live in a famous ski resort and I love to spend winter afternoons going downhill on the slopes. Cooking also is a hobby of mine – very relaxing to chop and stir up fantastic feasts at the end of a busy day.

Please tell us anything else about yourself you'd like us to know, either personal or professional, and thank you very much for allowing us to interview you!

I feel very fortunate to be a writer, extremely lucky. These days I am trying to use my talent in a positive way to promote peace and oppose the current military adventurism in Iraq. To be an artist is to affirm human values and oppose the dysfunctional deadness of globalism and war.

Interview by Shirley Bryant

Review: SIC RAVINGS

Spring 2003 and Winter 2002 now available. Cost is $6.25 each ppd US, Cash, Check, Paypal, MC, Visa, Amex. Published by J. Godsey Booksellers, 14 Pleasant St., Methuen, MA 01844, 978-725-0073, gods@attbi.com.

By: Stephen Windwalker

If there is an ordinary experience of reading, especially in this age of fragmented days and the hyper-saturation of cheap cultural stimuli, it is the experience of reading on the run. A dustjacket here, an article there, here a newspaper headline, there an email message … we may resist, but we are driven by many forces, few of them truly friendly, to read "for information" as if our lives and livelihoods depended on it.

This type of reading experience could not be more different than the experience that taught me to love reading: the invitation to enter a world made whole and full of wonder by a deity named L. Frank Baum or John R. Tunis or Ralph Ellison or George Eliot. The fiber and rigor and texture of these planned escapes made them well worth the cost of whatever I might miss in the experiential foreground of my life, and sooner or later I discovered that the form and even the occasional polemical excesses of these works of wonder had the power to inform my own living, in ways both serious and frivolous.

While I long for such transforming experiences among the too many competing claims that close in on me these days, I do not expect to find them very often, and least of all in magazines. A magazine, after all, is just a magazine. And more often than not magazines are part of the problem, petty parcels in the relentless flow of informational sewage that neither transforms nor illuminates.

So it took special resolve to send in my $6.25 one day late last year for the first issue of SIC. My resolve had been forged through regular reading of the "IOBA Monday Item" internet columns penned by SIC’s founder, editor, and publisher, J Godsey, Bookseller. I had a sense of what to expect.

SIC has delivered what I hoped for, and more. The first issue was great stuff, and the next even better. We are blessed to have a colleague among us who can so deftly and with such stunning humor make literature of the daily experience -- banalities and bathos and all -- of the bookseller's life.

Literature? I use the word advisedly, because what Godsey does in the full body of her work including her magazine and her Monday item and even the occasional snarky message board post, is to create a world of bulls-eye verisimilitude every bit as worthy of the printed or digitalized page as the worlds of Sue Miller’s mother-daughter dyads or Salinger’s adolescent chatter or William H. Gass’ wide and happy protagonist. It may or may not a fictive world; by my lights it seems a bit of both.

As booksellers and bibliophiles, it is a world we feel we know so well that in a reverie of recognition we claim it for our own. But in truth it is J. Godsey’s world, God help her, and lest we blaspheme and forget her omnipotent place as its she-deity, she takes it upon herself every few paragraphs to come upside our head with biting irony or to split our sides with the kind of humor that not only makes us laugh out loud in the moment but also awakens us, cackling inexplicably, in the middle of the night.

As one who ever so earnestly operates a do-good bookselling website and who observes the many helpful if rather dull contributions of important and self-important bookselling experts in message board posts as well as in periodicals and in books such as my own dry tomes, I am immensely pleased that there is at least one among us who could care less about being helpful, and thereby probably provides more meaningful help than all the rest of us combined. I hope and trust that she will be cashing my checks, and yours, for many years to come.

(Stephen Windwalker is the author of Selling Used Books Online and Buying Books Online and the founder and proprietor of Windwalker Books and the Online Bookselling Resource Center.)

secondhandbooks.org: buy and sell books online for FREE!

secondhandbooks.org is a new site created by UK web developer Tom Chadwin to allow non-book dealers to buy and sell second-hand and antiquarian books online.

"I have always loved second-hand books," says Tom Chadwin, "and long ago, I registered the domain secondhandbooks.org. Life got in the way of the project until December 2002 when I was able to construct the site."

The site charges no commission or advertising fee, and hence is ideal for the hobbyist. "Since the launch of secondhandbooks.org," says Tom, "I have tentatively asked for feedback and advice from trade expert mailing lists, and have subsequently developed some tools useful to the professional dealer.

"Since launch, secondhandbooks has grown to hold over 45,000 volumes, but this represents the tip of the iceberg. I want to use my skills as a web professional to provide a first-class service to a pastime I have enjoyed for many years."

Tom has been involved in design for over ten years, and in online development for five. He has carried out work for clients including Miramax, Lego, Newcastle Airport, and Typhoo Tea. The site can be found at http://www.secondhandbooks.org, and Tom can be contacted at info@secondhandbooks.org.

CHRISLANDS ONLINE BOOKSTORES

By: Lance Christen

Is an online bookstore for you?

Have you ever considered setting-up a website to promote your bookselling?

Have you started building a website but found the task too time consuming?

If you have your own website, would you like to add the ability for your visitors to search, browse, and securely order books?

Do you want to build your online identity and your own base of customers?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then Chrisland.com may be able to help you.

Who is Chrislands.com ?

Chrislands.com is a builder of easy to maintain online bookstores. Chrislands.com designed their service so that a bookseller with no computer programming knowledge could easily update and maintain a bookstore. The key strength of Chrislands built bookstores is that Chrislands manages the technical aspects (e.g. maintaining a secure server, processing of inventory files) of maintaining a bookstore and provides the bookseller the flexibility to manage the business aspects (e.g. setting shipping fees, payment policy, refund policy) of an online bookstore.

What does Chrislands.com provide and what computer skills do I need to operate a Chrislands built bookstore?

Chrislands provides a total e-commerce solution for operating an online bookstore, everything from providing assistance with domain name registration through setting up a secure server for online order processing.

If you can upload your inventory of books to ABE.com* (or other listing service), then you have the computer skills necessary to operate a Chrislands built bookstore. Learning HTML or any other computer programming is not required to operate a Chrislands built bookstore.

When did Chrislands.com start building bookstores?

Chrislands started building online bookstores during the summer of 2001. Since 2001 Chrislands has continually strived to add new features, improvements and upgrade the stores it has built.

Where can pricing information about Chrislands.com be found?

Pricing information for Chrislands can be found on the Chrislands Pricing Page . The set-up for a Chrislands built bookstore is $99.99. Monthly fees range from $9.99 a month for stores with less than 2500 books up to $29.99 a month for stores with 30,000 books. The monthly fee for stores with more than 30,000 books is $29.99 plus an additional $5 per each increment of 10,000 books above 30,000 books.

Why should I have my own online bookstore?

If you want repeat customers and want to build your own base of customers, then you need to provide customers an easy way to find you. A bookseller once compared telling a customer "You can search my books at ABE.com" as being the equivalent of a customer asking a brick and mortar bookseller for a business card and the bookseller handing the customer a phone book and saying "I'm listed under books."

How much customization is possible with a Chrislands built bookstore?

Operating a Chrislands built bookstore is similar to leasing a brick and mortar (B&M) bookstore. You can choose the color and provide the images for the online store (paint and add furnishings to a B&M store) but you can't change the structure of the store. Items such as processing for searches, shopping cart, secure server (heating, cooling, and plumbing in a B&M store) can't be modified. A sample of Chrislands built bookstores can be seen at http://www.chrislands.com/shops/builtstores.php. Viewing a few of the listed stores will provide an idea of what can and can't be modified.

The above paragraphs cover the "5 W's and how" of Chrislands. Listed below are other frequently asked questions about Chrislands.

Q: If I have a bookstore, how do I get customers to order from me?

A: Bookstores with the most success look at marketing as a continual process. There are a number of low/no cost things you can do to market your bookstore on a continual basis.

1. You can "market" your bookstore by including your web address in bookmarks, business cards, flyers, email signature lines and other low cost methods. The key is to make it easy for your customers to find your web address.

2. Another method for independent booksellers is "cross-selling". If someone orders a book from you through ABE.com*, then in your confirmation email to the customer you may want to recommend another book that might interest (same author, same subject, etc...) the buyer and provide them the web address to that book at your bookstore. For example a buyer may order a book about spices and in your follow up email you could state

"I have a great book on food and flavors listed for sale at

http://www.tarmans.com/?page=shop/item&si=9161

or you could say

"I have many great cook books. You might want to browse my other cookbooks at

http://www.tarmans.com/?page=shop/cname&cname=cook+books

Even if the buyer doesn't buy the recommend books you have let the buyer know how to find your bookstore. Online consumers still fear fraud. After you have completed a sale to a buyer's satisfaction, you have earned their trust. Customers are much more likely to buy from you a second time, because the fear of fraud is reduced or eliminated. The key is to make it as easy as possible for the customer to find you when they are ready to order more books.

3. Offering discount and coupons is a great incentive to get customers to order from your bookstore. You may want to advertise a 5% "first order" discount code on your bookstore homepage. When the customer checkouts they enter "firstorder" in the coupon code box and are rewarded with a 5% discount at checkout.

You can then follow up with a "second order" coupon to your customer. If you use delivery confirmation, then you know when the customer receives the book and you can follow up with a "Delivery Confirmation" email. In the "Delivery Confirmation" email you can tell the customer that the post office has confirmed delivery of the book and that you hope they are happy with the purchase. Additionally, you can add in the email that you are offering a 10% discount (coupon code = second) if the customer places a second order from your store.

Offering the coupon after delivery has been confirmed is the best time to offer the coupon because that is when the customer will be most satisfied with their purchase. The customer may still have some reservations about the purchase until the book has been delivered.

Q: I already have a website. Can I integrate Chrislands service into my current website.

A: No and Yes.

No. Chrislands cannot be inserted into your current website. Chrislands is a stand-alone system and you cannot modify the basic functioning of a Chrislands built bookstore.

Yes. You can integrate a Chrislands built bookstore by linking together your current website with a Chrislands built bookstore. The two URLs listed below show how the Chrislands portion of a bookstore can be seamlessly integrated into one web site.

http://www.AnglophileBooks.com

and

http://www.AnglophileBooks.net

AnglophileBooks already had a website she built and liked, but wanted to add a search and ordering capability to her site. She maintains her original site (anglophilebooks.com) but has added links to her "back end processing" (Anglophilebooks.net) that allows her customers to search her books and complete orders online.

Q: Is there a long-term commitment when signing up for a Chrislands built bookstore?

A: No. Chrislands works on the equivalent of a month-to-month lease.

Q: Can I upload my inventory to a Chrislands built bookstore just like I upload to the book listing services?

A: Yes. If you use BookRouter.com or BookTrakker, then there will be no additional work to upload to a Chrislands built bookstore. If you use another database program, then uploading to your bookstore will be the equivalent of uploading to another service.

You can learn more about Chrislands at the following web pages.

Chrislands Home Page

Benefits of Chrislands

Chrislands Frequently Asked Questions

Chrislands Pricing

You can contact Chrislands customer service with questions at info@chrislands.com

*ABE.com is the property of the Advanced Book Exchange Inc.

Biblio.com Announcement

I am pleased to announce the launch of biblio.com, a new database for used, rare, and out-of-print books, dedicated to serving independent booksellers and bookbuyers.

Currently, we are offering a free 3 month trial period for booksellers who would like to participate. There is no setup fee, and no obligation, and after the three months are over, we offer an outstanding guarantee for our members: monthly fees are based on the number of books listed with us, or 15% of monthly sales through us -- whichever is less. For information on our services, fees, guarantee, or to sign up, please visit http://www.biblio.com/listing_info.php.

In addition, I am further pleased to announce that we have recently purchased  Bookopoly, a well-established source for buying and selling books. We are very excited at this opportunity, and are working to improve Bookopoly's services, as well as looking for ways in which we can integrate some of the functionalities and features of biblio.com.

I very much look forward to continuing to serve the online community of bookselling through our new ventures, and welcome the opportunity to answer any questions.

Brendan Sherar
President and CEO
biblio.com, Inc.

used - rare - out-of-print - hard-to-find books
from independent booksellers worldwide

http://www.biblio.com
http://www.bookopoly.com
http://www.searchbiblio.com