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Editor: What is your purpose in starting a online book database (i.e., to help online booksellers, to get a database that does what you think a book database should do, because it’s a good business to be in, all of the above, none of the above, or ????). A: A few years ago there were three major book databases on which dealers could list their stock under their own names http://www.bibliocity.com, http://www.bibliofind.com and http://www.abe.com. When one of the best of these, www.bibliocity.com, was absorbed by Alibris, the net was full of messages of anger, gloom and general bru-ha-ha. Well, we participated in those messages and then decided to do something about it! We set out to create an independent book site, with the most sophisticated search modes, where independent booksellers could sell online and get to know their customers in an informative and secure environment. Thus http://www.bibliology.com was born. While we were developing http://www.bibliology.com, other small independent sites appeared on the net, www.bibliofind.com disappeared into ABE, and the whole internet market scene cooled down to a profound sense of realism. The disappearance of Bibliocity and Bibliofind brought closer the danger that booksellers — and book-buyers — would have terms of trade imposed upon them by the large, dominant players in the market. Some of these large anonymous booksites are also building their own inventories and the time may not be far away when they will have no use for the small, independent bookseller. Our concerns would appear to have been accurate. One can see the self-same book listed on the internet at different prices — the lower price on a site which lists the dealer by name, based on a subscription, the higher price on sites which demand that the dealer become an anonymous stockholder and pay a high commission for the privilege of having her/his books listed under the name of the site! Today it is also clear that ABE are in the process of changing their rules — yet again. Editor: Is this a long-term commitment on your part? Where do you see yourself and your database in 3 years? 5 years? A: We are certainly in the business for the long term. We have worked long and hard over the last two years developing a book site for the independent bookseller, with one of the most sophisticated search engines of any of the on-line book sites. This is not an ego-trip, nor a search for quick returns. A great deal of time and our own hard-earned money has been invested in site development. We are looking towards much greater market recognition during the next few years, not only for the benefit of our subscribing members but for the book-buying public as well. We made many more good friends amongst booksellers and book buyers during the development stage of http://www.bibliology.com — people whom we might never have come to know otherwise, and we are grateful for their help and advice. We are also indebted to the booksellers who, having joined us during the free membership period of 2001 when the site was in final development, have given us their continuing support — in many cases taking out a year’s subscription. We don’t intend to let these people, nor any future members, down! Editor: What lister book database inventory programs do you/will you support? A: We aim is to serve the interests of our subscribing members and their customers. We are happy to accept our members’ favourite upload formats, in any delimited text format, from any cataloguing software. In parallel with the site development, Bibliology has created an excellent Inventory Management System [IMS], which is available free to all subscribing members. Data from most other inventory programs can be imported into IMS. Editor: What are your upload procedures? Deletion procedures? Are “wants” listings available? For sale matches? Are any additions/changes planned? A: When a subscriber uploads for the first time a ‘reception file’ is set to that subscriber’s chosen format and all subsequent uploads are handled automatically. To a large extent our members decide on their own upload procedures. Using a conventional upload method they may edit individual records, send us full uploads or add or delete files. FTP uploads are also supported. Customers are encouraged to register their wants if a book is not available on site. When a bookseller member uploads the ‘wanted’ book, the customer receives an email, with a link to the particular book, inviting her/him to return to http://www.bibliology.com. Further developments will be announced during the coming months. Editor: What customer service (for both sellers and buyers) do you/will you have? A: In the Information area of http://www.bibliology.com there are Links to a range of important reference sites, ‘What’s New’ news items, and Contact emails to Bibliology. There are also small adverts for book-related Services and a member’s ‘news forum’. Editor: Will you/do you have any quality (i.e., descriptions, shipping, and/or customer service) standards for your listers? If so, what will be/are the consequences of violating those standards? A: Bibliology will not interfere in the bookseller/customer relationship! We hope that good relations will be fostered between our subscribing members and their customers, in the secure ordering environment offered by Bibliology. Nevertheless, we reserve the right to terminate the membership of any bookseller who does not conform with the terms clearly set out in the Terms and Conditions they signed up to when joining Bibliology. With the hoped-for direct vendor/buyer relationship in mind, we will not accept listings by ‘consolidators’. The general Terms and Conditions relating to the site are accessible from the footer of any page. Editor: What are your technical arrangements (in non-technical language, please) to ensure reliability of service? Future growth? Additional services? A: We believe our resident technician is one of the best in the business and our server is hosted by perhaps the UK’s most reliable service provider. Beyond that, as far as the reliability of any service is concerned, it is a question of optimism, fingers crossed and not stepping on the cracks in the pavement. Unavoidably, things will go wrong and we have to be ready to mend them as quickly as possible, keeping our subscribing members informed of the problem and its expected resolution. Our future growth is dependent on the satisfaction of our members and their customers. Our aim is to ensure that the service we offer will continue to be second to none. As far as additional services are concerned, our members may link their home pages to Bibliology’s powerful search facility. The resulting returns may be presented in the dealer’s own preferred colour scheme. Our members’ suggestions for further improvements to the site are welcome, always remembering the principles we laid down at the conception of Bibliology. Editor: Will you/do you have the capability of taking credit card info for orders? If so, what can you tell us about the safety procedures you have or will have in place to ensure the security of such info? A: The Bibliology secure ordering system is there to inspire confidence. Apart from authorised Bibliology staff, payment details such as the credit card information are only accessible by the dealer concerned, using her/his unique username and password. These details are then deleted from the site by the dealer. Editor: Do you ever plan to process credit card orders through your database (rather than simply passing on the info to the lister) and, if so, will the lister or buyer bear the processing cost, and how long will it take to get payment to the lister? A: No we will not interfere in any way in the conclusion of a sale. The customer’s relationship with the dealer is private and confidential. We believe that our members will want to build on that relationship. Editor: Do you have any plans for programs associated with your database which would involve anything other than direct contact between seller and buyer? A: No! As already stated, Bibliology is simply an excellent listing service where buyers and sellers come together in an informative and secure environment. Editor: Do you have or do you plan to have an “all word search” capability? A: Absolutely! All ‘keyword’ searches on Bibliology are “all word searches” and the search terms are highlighted in the results. Editor: What search capabilities does your database have now? What is planned for the future? A: Searches on Bibliology can be as simple or as complex as the customer wishes, starting from a simple Author or Title search or a Keyword search (this is an all-word search). Other boxes in the search panel allow searches to be limited: by price (Price Greater Than, Price Less Than); by currency (Search in Which Currency – choose from drop-down box); by when books were added (Books Added Anytime or choose 24 hours, 48 hours, 7 days); by Dealer (All Dealers or select an individual dealer from a drop-down box); First editions only; Signed/inscribed only; Date of Publication (complete the After Before boxes); specify how the results are listed using Sort – (choose from Unsorted, Author, Title, Price, Publication Date) and specify Ascending or Descending order. Editor: On what will you base your listing fees? What fees do you have now or plan to have? A: Membership fees are based solely on the number of titles listed. A table of fees is clearly displayed in the ‘new member sign up’ area. There is a reduction for paying an annual subscription 12 months for the price of 10 and currently the first month is free after joining. There are no additional charges nor commissions on sales. Editor: Do you plan to have or now have your database searched by Addall or Bookfinder or any other mega-search site? A: http://www.bibliology.com is searched by both http://www.bookfinder.com and http://www.addall.com. Editor: How do you plan to advertise your database (both to draw listers and buyers)? A: Throughout 2001 we ran adverts in relevant trade and literary magazines. We, and our members, have also distributed thousands of flyers and bookmarks. Our PR and marketing efforts will continue throughout 2002 with the aim of gaining greater market recognition. Editor: What background or experience do you or other people involved with your database have that relates to the online book or online book database business? A: My wife Sue and I have been in the antiquarian book business for many years, under the Collectable Books banner. Our son Andy, Managing Director of Bibliology Limited, is a customer relations and computer systems specialist, with years of experience in the City of London. Editor: Do you or are you planning to have professional management, bookseller management, or ???? A: If I understand your question correctly, I have to say that all the directors of Bibliology Ltd are skilled, experienced, professional managers. Our cataloguing software, the Bibliology Inventory Management System (IMS), is designed as a tool, to enable booksellers to manage their stock and report on costs and results within any given period. In other words it is designed to enable the bookseller to manage his/her business. Editor: What markets (geographical and/or demographic) are you aiming at? A: We believe in the true meaning of the World Wide Web. Visitors to http://www.bibliology.com may be in the UK, Croatia, Japan, France, the USA, or Singapore. The same customer may be looking for a beautifully illustrated, hand-coloured Bible one day, a book of scientific reference the next, and some inexpensive reading matter to take on holiday after that. Why should Bibliology’s member bookdealers not be able to fulfil any of these requirements? Editor: What services/features does your database have that you feel sets you apart and/or will ensure the success of your database? A: Searches on http://www.bibliology.com can be as simple as you like or refined to satisfy a very specific requirement. They can also be limited to books uploaded within a particular period, with prices set in most major currencies. We believe we also carry more useful information on events, links to useful sites, library catalogues, etc., than any of the other booksites. This packet of information is growing constantly. We try to give personal service wherever possible. We speak to our subscribers on the phone and most emails are personal ones, typos and all! We like to get feedback — critical and laudatory. If you like what we do tell your friends, if you don’t like what we do tell us! Editor: Please tell us anything you’d like about yourself or your database, and thank you for participating. A: Recently, someone compared our marketing and PR efforts with featherbedding! Nothing could be further from the truth (unfortunately). Working 16 to 18 hours a day seven days a week, financed by our own efforts, doesn’t strike us as a soft, cosy number. But, it’s great! We enjoy every minute of it. We have discovered hidden talents and resources within ourselves, learned new skills and technologies and, most of all, we made a lot of great new friends!

Editor: What is your purpose in starting a online book database (i.e., to help online booksellers, to get a database that does what you think a book database should do, because it’s a good business to be in, all of the above, none of the above, or ????). A: My purpose all along has been to try and unite booksellers so that they have some ability to bargain for better prices and services online. When attempts at working with existing organizations failed, or they had a different goal, I decided a database site would be the best way to spearhead and tackle the issues I felt online dealers faced. That’s where the low $100/year rate came from: the need to help sellers find an inexpensive alternative, and to encourage them to join our unofficial guild. Many have read the paraphrased quote I have posted on our service agreement page, and I think it really goes hand in hand with the spirit of our website. The quote is from “It’s A Wonderful Life” where Jimmy Stewart basically says the town needs to support his savings and loan company”..even if it’s only so there is somewhere people can go without having to crawl to Potter,” referring to the greedy old bank owner who all but runs the whole town. I see us as the little guy and, believe it or not, a few even started referring to me as the George Bailey of the online book industry because of that quote. And as I remember, he ended up being called the richest man in town, but it wasn’t meant financially. If I can earn that type of honor, that will be all I need. Editor: Is this a long-term commitment on your part? Where do you see yourself and your database in 3 years? 5 years? A: Because I was able to start on $1000, I really have no fears of having to recuperate any investment or fears of loss. For my wife and I, our major forms of income are outside of Bookquarters.com, probably about 85-90%. She works full time and I primarily earn income from printing services and Bookseller Monthly advertising and subscriptions. Additionally, in September I took on a business partner, Patty Johnson, who does all of the programming for the site. This has really made things easier to improve the site as needed, plus it took any fear of excessive web development fees out of the picture. For both of us this has become an extremely fun, and sometimes nerve-wracking, venture. But because there are two of us now it is easier to deal with, and neither of us want to give it up. I’ve always had a hard time envisioning where I would be even a month from now, but I don’t see how our site can fail. Patty and I are too driven to let it fail. Editor: What lister book database inventory programs do you/will you support? A: Well, we haven’t run into anything yet that we can’t accept or import. Bookquarters.com allows direct FTP upload, it supports BookTrakker’s “one-touch” upload feature, we accept uploads from BookRouter.com, and then through our online upload page we can take everything else: Homebase, BookMate, BookHound,simple database files from Excel, whatever you have–UIEE, tab, comma, etc. We even have eight customers who aren’t online who mail us typed lists that we manually enter–so I guess you can include that we import paper files as well 🙂 Editor: What are your upload procedures? Deletion procedures? Are “wants” listings available? For sale matches? Are any additions/changes planned? A: I pretty much covered our upload procedure in the previous question. Deletions can be handled several ways. If you send us UIEE type text files, our script automatically detects which listings are to be deleted. For tab and comma users, we require that they create a separate delete file and use the “Upload Deletes” link on our upload page–or if they FTP, to make sure they name the file a delete file. The other feature we have, one that was positively commented on recently by a new member, is our online delete page that allows you to quickly go in, enter up to 10 book listing numbers at a time, then select and delete them. Want listings are not currently available nor is there a matching procedure. However, Patty already has most of the programming written for collecting wants, it is just a matter of putting it in place. More importantly, we’re expecting to affiliate with a website in February where libraries and individuals go to post their books wanted and how much they’re willing to pay for the book. It won’t be anything like any other “library matching program,” we won’t be involved collecting commissions or even forwarding sales. Instead, part of the agreement will be making all wants on the site available only to our members for the first few days they are listed. As well, the site we are affiliatingwith will be giving us exclusive rights to having only our members inventories searched from their site. Editor: What customer service (for both sellers and buyers) do you/will you have? A: As far as I have seen, we are the only site that offers online live customer service. By clicking the button on our site that says “Click here for live help” a customer is connected with me through a chat window, similar to AOL instant messenger. I’ve had quite a few people glad it was available, many asking for recommendations on where to find a book (a valuable chance to send them in the direction of one of our members who specializes in such a field), others simply looking for answers regarding other services on our site. It’s very convenient because I can turn it off whenever I am away from the computer, so it doubles as an email button in those instances. We do provide all of our phone/fax/email information very clearly on our “Contact Us” page, which is a clear link from the home page. I think, as well, there have already been some public posts on the email lists about Patty and my quick response time to problems or questions. I think between the two of us we are online around 20 of the 24 hours in a day! Editor: Will you/do you have any quality (i.e., descriptions, shipping, and/or customer service) standards for your listers? If so, what will be/are the consequences of violating those standards? A: I don’t think we will be restrictive unless there is a real problem seller amongst our group. I know many sellers want to see higher standards, but there are several reasons why I prefer not to get too involved. First, I can’t see trying to impose policies on very specific matters such as accurate descriptions. It is such a subjective area with so many potential variables it only invites a quagmire of involvement and would appear as heavy-handedness on our part. We stay out of all specific transactions. But if a number of customers start to complain about a particular dealer, whether it be failure to ship, not having inventory in stock, etc., then action such as refund and removal would be considered after speaking with the member. Secondly, I think some dealers may feel uncomfortable being put under a scrutinizing system, thereby potentially scaring away what would have been perfectly good members. Ultimately, a bookseller will suffer poor sales if they are unable to fulfill a customer’s needs. But if there is, as I said, a problem member who is hurting the site and hindering us from having a good reputation we will take action. We have no specific policy on such things yet, but realize situations like this are inevitable and need a stated policy. I simply prefer to be very flexible. Editor: What are your technical arrangements (in non-technical language, please) to ensure reliability of service? Future growth? Additional services? A: We expect to be switching web host providers very soon, as we have found even better services elsewhere. We currently run our database on a shared SQL server, but once we move this will be altered. The provisions for our site with the new host will provide us scalability to 18 gigabytes of data storage (enough for around 36 million titles), a guaranteed uptime of 99.93%, and initially 40 gigabytes of transfer (enough to handle around 10,000 visitors per day) with scalability options there as well. Editor: Will you/do you have the capability of taking credit card info for orders?If so, what can you tell us about the safety procedures you have or will have in place to ensure the security of such info? A: Bookquarters.com has a shopping cart that allows customers to enter a credit card. In mid to late February we will be making it a secure process. Editor: Do you ever plan to process credit card orders through your database (rather than simply passing on the info to the lister) and, if so, will the lister or buyer bear the processing cost, and how long will it take to get payment to the lister? A: That is something that I really have no desire to be involved in. Depending on the requests of our members in the future, Patty and I may implement a system that that processes cards for our members, but it seems a distant notion at the moment. I would rather integrate a PayPal, ProPay, or other button into the shopping cart that allows or encourages buyers to pay the seller themselves on the spot with a system the seller already uses. I’m not here to make commissions or get involved in a bookseller’s transaction. The only reason we would consider providing such a serviceis if it was feasible and if the members were sincere in needing such a system. If you have a secure server where a customer can send along their card number, it is no less efficient (for the customer) than having us bill them. In turn, however, if for some reason the book is unavailable, we won’t be billing the customer for an “invisible” item. If the seller is responsible for processing, they will know whether to actually bill or not and be solely responsible. I want them to have control over their business. Editor: Do you have any plans for programs associated with your database which would involve anything other than direct contact between seller and buyer? A: No, that is something we would like to avoid unless it is a program that is invaluable to the bookseller and buyer. Editor: Do you have or do you plan to have an “all word search” capability? A: Bookquarters.com has an all word search capability. I often complain that it is too slow, though, as it obviously has to look through everything. I think it was our member Vic Zoschak at Tavistock who suggested I should refer to it as a “full bodied” search. Editor: What search capabilities does your database have now? What is planned for the future? A: We provide search by author, title, subject (a combination search of title and keywords), and all word search. We also have browsing capabilities of all members’ listings, either by the catalogs/subjects provided in their listings or by “view all books.” We haven’t settled on the best form of an advanced search yet, so that is what is to come. Editor: On what will you base your listing fees? What fees do you have now or plan to have? A: Policy: The cheaper the better. Bookquarters.com is a special site that has peripheral revenue gathering sources that don’t require hitting up the bookseller. I think our fee of $100/year to list up to 100,000 titles is going to be safe for a long time–especially considering technology will always make things like web hosting and data storage cheaper. Editor: Do you plan to have or now have your database searched by Addall or Bookfinder or any other mega-search site? A: We’ve had a rough go just trying to get information from either of these services on the fees they charge to be included in their search. What has been rumored to me, however, are rates in the neighborhood of $1500 per month. First, we don’t have that much revenue at this point to put solely towards advertising–especially all in one basket! Secondly, imagine what you could do with $1500 per month to really target various avenues instead of just focusing everything at one website. I believe that these type of search facilities allow database sites to create a great deal of hype and instant results. Unfortunately, the long term result is dependency on those sites at a hefty monthly fee they won’t be able to escape. What are you really doing to promote your booksellers’ names and your site’s name? To me it is analogous to the parable of either feeding a man or teaching him how to fish. If we were to throw that much money each month at one source, we would forever be dependent on them to bring in sales–much like booksellers are dependent on larger database sites right now. On the other hand, if we use our creativity and energy, we can much more effectively advertise in grass-roots manners, through print, various online paid advertising, and any other forum we choose. When you advertise your web site you are building a brand and at least giving your dealers a chance for return sales. With the “mega search” sites, it is virtually impossible to expect a repeat customer. Bookfinder and Addall have no search capabilities for a customer to track down “Bill’s Used Books” if they forgot what site they list on. I would prefer to spend our money wisely, scatter it around and not be overly dependent on any one source. Those who own their own websites are taking the right path, and they know it is the truth when I say repeat sales are very much possible online and are very important. Many dealers don’t realize or expect this because too many of the database sites and mega-search sites do not emphasize the dealer, just that they have “a gazillion books.” That’s one thing that is very important to me, promoting our site as a place to find a bookseller or bookstore that carries the type of books you like to collect or read. I don’t think the mega-search sites facilitate this. Editor: How do you plan to advertise your database (both to draw listers and buyers)? A: Incredibly, even though we have such a low fee, we are able to do some wonderful things because of the equipment I possess for publishing Bookseller Monthly. Additionally, the mere fact that I own a publication really eliminates some print advertising costs. I have many ideas, but to list a few of what we’ve done and are going to do: **We print out photo-quality, single-page, heavy-stock 2002 calendars for distribution at book fairs. This gives show-goers something neat to pick up, and they see our name all year long. **We advertise on Google.com. **We advertise on regional snack products (hey, you have to target everyone!). **We advertise extensively in Bookseller Monthly. 🙂 **We’ve recently purchased advertising with Overture advertising online for display on sites like AltaVista, Yahoo!, and Lycos. **We have a mail list visitors can sign up for to receive our “Thursday Night Special” of discount offers from our members. **We will be purchasing ads in Book Source Monthly and Antique Week. But, we also advertise our members, and give them free advertising: **Our members receive as much as 1 free ad each month in Bookseller Monthly. **They receive 2 weeks of free advertising on Google.com. **We list members and their specialties in our general Bookquarters.com ads. We have many plans for wise advertising, but we are trying to grow prudently and solidly. We know our site is only growing because sellers are supporting it, not because we have $25,000 to keep it afloat artificially. As we grow, our potential for growth simply snowballs. I expect to be able to carry out more of our as yet un-announced advertising plans in the near future. Editor: What background or experience do you or other people involved with your database have that relates to the online book or online book database business? A: I came from a sales environment that exposed me to all types of manipulative and unsavory type back-door dealing, typically what you would expect to see corporations doing but can never prove. That’s why I am so wary about the current online situation. I’ve been a collector of fine bindings for a decade and a seller of such for 4 years, although it has taken a back seat these past six months. Patty knows how to put it all together and has worked extensively with helping several booksellers create and maintain their own web sites. Editor: Do you or are you planning to have professional management, bookseller management, or???? A: Bookquarters.com will never leave my site or be out of my control, unless (with Patty’s permission) I can eventually simply turn it over to the members and take a long vacation. This isn’t all about money for me, but I would never deny it’s nice to be compensated for all the work that goes into the site. I am at home all day with my 2 1/2 year old daughter, so that makes me thrilled beyond belief. Getting a “hired gun” to run the business would only indicate to me that someone is looking to pull more revenue for their own pocket. I want revenue to build the site up for our members. Editor: What markets (geographical and/or demographic) are you aiming at? A: Everyone. Considering we aren’t going to be running $20,000 six-month ad campaigns in The NY Times, it is really silly to consider who we are targeting. We are talking to everybody and examining all realistic and worthwhile forms of advertising to reach whoever wants to listen. I tend to feel word of mouth and solid grassroots building is the best plan. This includes the simplest things as popping into a high-traffic chat room and letting everyone know there is a great new site out there to find used books called Bookquarters.com. Editor: What services/features does your database have that you feel sets you apart and/or will ensure the success ofyour database? A: I think the only thing that makes us similar to anyone else is the fact that we host booksellers’ databases; everything else is pretty unique. To my knowledge, no other database-type site has weekly guest author chats to attract readers. In fact, through NewBookReviews.com we actually work with Time Warner to pull in some big names. As many know, we hosted David Baldacci, a #1 NY Times bestseller, in our chat on January 15th. Just as well, we are able to provide unique and interesting content from my Publication, Bookseller Monthly, although abe.com also carries some of our articles. As I mentioned before, I’m pretty sure we are the only site that offers live online service. We also have a unique rotating banner ad on our site that we control, selling ads to booksellers who want to post books wanted or sell particular special volumes. I like this neat feature as it allows the site to seem more alive and active, like a true marketplace and not just a sterile search engine. We also offer many services to booksellers, such as all the printing options and website design. With what we offer, we can take a bookseller from selling on our site, to printing and mailing their print catalogs for them, to building and hosting their own web site for them, and then printing out their promotional materials for them. We are also the only site that gives the customer the ability to search within a particular bookseller’s listings from the main search bar, making it very easy for them to locate a dealer they would like to buy from again. For collectors and readers, aside from the chat and articles already mentioned, we will be opening a specific Kid’s section with materials on home-schooling, recommendations on books, moveable author puzzles, educational games and reading contests with books for prizes. We will also be finishing our book collecting information area. Later this month we will also be including a section where readers can find book related items from other independent websites, such as cloth book covers, specialty book marks, etc. Need more? We are also going to be partnering more heavily with NewBookReviews.com, who have a database of over a thousand book reviews written by readers, so that we can offer our browsing customers peer information on an author or title they may be interested in. Our site is going to be a center for books, that is why we changed the name to Bookquarters–Your headquarters for books and collecting online. Editor: Please tell us anything you’d like about yourself or your database, and thank you for participating. A: All I would like to say in following up is that booksellers should not be impatient with any of the new sites. Instant success is not in the realm of reality for any of us. Perhaps moreso than others, even though we got a “head start,” Bookquarters.com will alter and improve things slowly instead of launching everything all at once. This simply is a result of our revenue-generating system and my belief that prudent growth based on the support of people is what will ensure success. You aren’t successful if you have a “gee whiz” site that you dumped $25,000 into. Building a better mouse trap of a search engine isn’t going to get people to your site either. It all requires creativity, hard work and time. It is much more difficult an idea to reproduce the success a site like abe.com has achieved in the online market we see today. The Internet was not as competitive nor as over-crowded with web sites as it is today. And even though there are more customers, they have all had a great deal of time and saturation advertising thrown at them by ebay, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Half.com–so we actually need to not only try to grow and attract customers, but to educate them as well. The wonderful thing is that so many people are trying to pick up the ball that was left by Bibliofind, so there will be a great deal of competition–hopefully this will work to the booksellers advantage and give them better prices and services.

Q. I have a 1905 copy of BLACK BEAUTY with a nicely illustrated cover. I think I see the initials “DD” intertwined near lover edge. Is this the mark of a book illustrator I should know about? A. The intertwined D’s is the signature of the firm of The Decorative Designers of Henry and Lee Thayer (who also wrote mystery novels). Q. Sometime back, I purchased a wonderful tool. It removes price stickers and other adhesive based labels with the help of a little Goo-Gone or similar product. It is about 6″ long with a red handle and rectangular shaped blade. I’d like to buy several more and have lost ordering information. A. Tool found. Following is a link to the website where they can be ordered directly:http://home.pacbell.net/peelerco/order.html Q. Could someone enlighten me as to the proper term for older illustrations done in brown and white tones. I have seen the term sepia used a lot for this. Is that the correct term? A. Sepia is a color, not a technique. The origins of the word sepia comes from the Greek word for cuttlefish (Soupia) which was the source for a natural ink which faded to brown over time. So “sepia” is used to describe printed materials where the ink is a soft brown, rather than deep black. Q. Is there a simple method of restoring slightly bowed covers (boards) to their original position? A. I find success with my copy press, but encyclopedias work as well. You can try adding a damp paper towel backed with a piece of plastic wrap to the inside cover. Take it out after a few hours and replace with a dry paper towel and new piece of plastic wrap. The moisture will loosen the paste and as it dries the board will bend back into its original shape. Our thanks go to Joyce Godsey, William Cole, June Samaras of Kalamos Books, Sara Armstrong – Books, Pam Brown, Sandy Portella, Terry from Books and Spirt. Hope we haven’t left anyone out. Jean S. McKenna – Books. Chairman Education Committee

The IOBA seminar on identifying first editions was held at Vic Zoschak’s shop in Alameda last fall. It was free of charge to IOBA members and to any interested folks in the area who could attend. A lucky few turned up for the midmorning to early afternoon workshop. We each introduced ourselves, delivering more-or-less book-related thumbnail histories. Primary discussion, of course, pertained to the announced topic, but we wandered down many side paths, too, including digital cameras, costs-of-goods, forgeries, and so on. Vic led our group very well, in particular demonstrating the need for specialized reference works in order to accurately describe the more arcane items one wishes to sell. The survey guides such as McBride and the Ahearn Book Collecting 2002 do not supply more than an outline, if that, in many cases, and to do a scarce book justice, sleuthing through some costly, limited print run bibliographies is vital. First editions of any era can have variants that may be significant and be more (or less) valuable, for a number of reasons. Chris Volk, with partner Shep Iiams, attended the seminar, and definitely has the whole book club edition situation totally sussed. We were regaled with the rules for divots, dots, blindstamps, priced and unpriced jackets–which companies had which policies when…. Bob Erwin brought a book or two he was puzzled about, or just wished to demonstrate the ambiguity of in terms of printing. Vic showed several examples from his stock. We were all treated by Vic to a splendid luncheon at a nearby Japanese restaurant and then we “talked shop” back at his shop awhile, before going our separate ways. He certainly has a trove of fascinating printed material, some of it fragile and expensive, of course, but he was open for biz on the main drag of a fairly typical town, and courteous and attentive to the folk who ambled up during our brainstorming. I’m looking forward to participating in more of these functions, as all sorts of book collecting and selling issues get knocked around, and I acquired very helpful knowledge from this one. Not to mention the camaraderie engendered in encounters in “meatspace”, as the estimable Dusty Humphries refers to it. Jim Pollock Most of the booksellers attending this workshop were already familiar with identifying modern first editions and so the heart the workshop was an introduction to some of the most important Americana and other specialized reference books. I think it is worth repeating Vic Zoschak’s comments, which Bob Erwin already mentioned, that reference books serve two functions: first of all, they will give you the essential information which you need to identify WHAT you have: is this a first edition? how do you identify a first edition? what were the differences between the different editions? etc., but even more importantly, reference books tell you WHY a particular book is important. Every bookseller should have a goal of constantly improving and expanding his or her own personal library. Although the internet is a valuable source of information, it is not a substitute for a carefully selected reference library. (Just as an aside, a library such as this can also be an excellent investment!) The following are just very brief comments about the books presented at the workshop. The two most basic and important general Americana reference books are usually named in catalogue listings as simply ‘Sabin’ or ‘Howes’. ‘Sabin’ is “A Dictionary of Books Relating to America, from its Discovery to the Present Time” by Joseph Sabin. Originally published between 1868 and 1936 in 29 volumes, this was reprinted in a 2 volume, mini-print set.. It includes over 100,000 entries of books and pamphlets printed in the Western Hemisphere and work about America printed elsewhere. ‘Howes’ refers to “U.S.IANA 1650 – 1950” by Wright Howes, which was published in many editions – it is described as a selective bibliography which includes over 11,000 uncommon and significant books relating to the continental portion of the United States. While less comprehensive than Sabin, its’ focus on the most important books, including giving information about reprints and an indication of scarcity, makes it perhaps even more useful for a bookseller. Other useful and important Americana reference works discussed (and actually looked at) in the workshop included: Wagner & Camp on the opening of the American West (Henry R. Wagner and Charles L. Camp. THE PLAINS & THE ROCKIES. A Critical Bibliography of Exploration, Adventure and Travel in the American West. 1800-1865 the 4th edition is generally considered the best) Storm, Colton – Compiler. A CATALOGUE OF THE EVERETT D. GRAFF COLLECTION OF WESTERN AMERICANA. Chicago: 1968. Chad J. Flake (A MORMON BIBLIOGRAPHY 1830-1930: Books, Pamphlets, Periodicals, and Broadsides Relating to the First Century of Mormonism – plus a later supplement Larry by Draper and Flake). While this reference is rather expensive and difficult to obtain right now, a new edition should be coming out soon. Robert E. Cowan (many books on California history – with perhaps the most significant “A Bibliography of the history of California and the Pacific West 1510-1906” ). Ramon Adams on gunfighters and cowboys (“Six-guns and Saddle Leather; a Bibliography of Books and Pamphlets on Western Outlaws and Gunmen” and “Rampaging Herd : A Bibliography of Books & Pamphlets on Men & Events in the Cattle Industry”. Francis P. Farquhar (“Yosemite The Big Trees and the High Sierra – A Selective Bibliography”), and L. W. Currey (who in addition to producing the definitive bibliography of science fiction, also co-authored one of the significant bibliographies on Yosemite: “Bibliography of Yosemite, the Central and the Southern High Sierra, and the Big Trees 1839-1900”). Children’s reference books, references for medical books, and those relating to pre-1920 literature were the other main areas covered in terms of reference books. However, the often wide-ranging discussion included information on identifying the first printings of older books (including the fact that the US did not recognize English copyrights until the 20th century and so when one sees a copyright in older US editions of works first published in England, often the copyright is for the illustrations or other material which might be unique to the US edition), and the traditional method of identifying the date a book was printed when cataloging books (if the date is on the title page, this appears in the catalogue entry as 1890, if on the copyright page, it will have parentheses around it (1890) and if the date does not appear in the book, but is known to the bibliographer or cataloguer it will have brackets around it [1890].). Another issue which was touched on briefly was that of dustjackets – and the fact that far too often the assumption is made (and incorrectly stated in catalogue entries) that a book from the late 19th century or the early 20th century was issued without a dustjacket, when in fact the opposite is true – they were issued with dustjackets, but few of them have survived. While written comments on a workshop like this might be able to include some of the factual information which was presented, what is lost is the ability to actually look at the books, to discuss them first-hand, and also the fact that those who attended each brought a different perspective and knowledge to the workshop. These factors are a large part of what makes attending a workshop like this so valuable – and they are the reason why I hope that the IOBA (either alone, or working with other regional booksellers associations) will be sponsoring many more in the future. Christine Volk & Shep Iiams I had the pleasure of hosting the first-ever IOBA educational seminar this last December at my shop in Alameda CA. 5 IOBA members, plus myself, gathered around one of my display cases for a few hours and discussed the challenges & problems inherent in first edition identification, with emphasis on the use of [actual] reference books in this task. The other participants’ synopses of the day more than adequately summarize the specifics of what was covered, and Chris relates in some detail those books I deemed important enough to haul out and give reality to the reference citations perhaps only previously seen in descriptions on AddAll: Sabin, Wagner-Camp, Wing, NCBEL, the BAL, Wright, et al. So let me use my remaining few lines of allowed print to explain my advocacy and philosophy for reference book use. Chris’ quote of my beginning seminar comments is a good place to begin–reference books can not only tell you WHAT you have, but also WHY it is important. The two aspects of book cataloguing have different functions but when used in conjunction with each other, they can contribute significantly to one’s success as a professional bookseller. WHAT you have is important only if you’re involved in the First Edition game and a participant in the collectible book market, for most will agree that it is in this context that one’s reputation as a bookseller will suffer if the WHAT is [repeatedly] not identified correctly. Since most of IOBA members are sellers of [at least some] first editions and couple this with the fact that I am of the opinion that one’s reputation is especially critical to one’s success in these days of global e-commerce, my advocacy for the use of the appropriate reference(s) may be easily understood. At this juncture, a comment or two on the use of the ‘net is warranted–that the ‘net has given access to lots of information is not in dispute. But I am of the firm opinion that it is not the ‘end all, be all’ with respect to book identification. It is another tool that is to be used, and the information garnered compared and contrasted with other facts that are known–information used without knowledge and context can be more damning than no information at all. Witness the fellow who cribbed another bookseller’s book description, citation and all. When the customer asked for an explanation and copy of the cited reference to accompany the book being purchased, the seller hadn’t a clue and experienced a bit of embarrassment when he was forced to admit that not only could he not supply a copy of ‘Gullans & Espey 303’, but that he didn’t know exactly what it was. One can just imagine that buyer’s thoughts on this particular ‘professional’ bookseller. Perhaps a worthy corollary to WHAT it is, is WHAT it is not–that is, if you don’t know, I strongly suggest you don’t guess. Just ask yourself whether it’s worth the egg on your face if you’re wrong. Many buyers of first editions are very knowledgeable in their subject area, and often will know more than the generalist bookseller. ‘Guesses’ will quickly be returned should they be in error, and the premium in price sought by calling it a ‘first’ rarely compensates for the damaged reputation when it is discovered the bookseller really didn’t know. So the WHAT is covered;the companion question is “WHY is it important? The answer to this question can sell the book being catalogued. Consider another 18th C. theology text…ho-hum, but if it be known that Ben Franklin worked in the print shop for this edition, well–wouldn’t that be a nice bit to use in the description*? So reference works can be of significant help in this regard, and perhaps one of my most used sets of general reference to answer this question is the ‘Oxford Companion’ series. They’re wonderful for providing a context with respect to an author and his/her works. Also very useful are the Dictionary of American Biography (DAB) and Dictionary of National Biography (DNB – British personalities). Even though weighted towards ‘dead white males’, the references have a wealth of information on significant personalities through the past centuries. I could go on and on, as there are many, many others that can be listed, but I think you get the idea. So in summary, you’ve no doubt gathered that I am of the strong opinion that the use of reference books has a prominent and critical role in professional bookselling. I just hope I’ve convinced you to share that opinion. See you at the next seminar. Vic Zoschak * Can anybody identify this book? Vic Zoschak provided a meeting place for the first seminar. Tavistock Books was centrally located for the Northern California IOBA members that attended. And, Vic has a extensive collection of reference works. Three areas were discussed under the topic of identifying first editions. The first was Modern First Editions, then American, and finally Early Printed Books. Attendees brought reference materials that they use and others for catalogue subjects (detective fiction, science fiction, etc.) were discussed. Vic showed many of the American & California works that he uses. A point that Vic made was very important. Reference works not only help identify which copies are first editions but also why a book is important. In other words, is it the author’s first book, does it introduce a series character, was it the first book on a particular subject. As always, when you get more than one bookseller in a room, the subjects discussed weren’t always limited to the agenda. The various internet databases, cataloging tips, sources for finding good books, and many other topics were discussed. We had six attendees for the first seminar. I hope that when the word gets around about how valuable these meetings can be the attendance will rise. Bob Erwin I recently attended the IOBA on-line bookselling seminar at Vic Zoschak’s store (Tavistock Books)in Alameda, CA. I was especially impressed with Vic’s scholarly amd enthusiastic approach to identification and pricing of first edition books. He has a bibliographic reference library “to die for,” and the requisite personal eclecticism to go along with it. His specialty is Americana, and his store is stocked with many desirable and hard-to-find items in this genre. He also is a very careful businessman, and most other booksellers would do well to visit his small but fascinating and well-organized facility. Vic is an inspiring example of how one can be honest and ethical, and at the same time successfully operate a used, rare, and out-of-print book business. Although only about 7 persons attended, we had an interesting time discussing many aspects of book connoisseurship, as well as the many opportunities and pitfalls of on-line bookselling. To celebrate this charter meeting, Vic treated all of us to a delicious luncheon at a nearby Japanese restaurant. This was a highly successful start for this type of seminar, and I am looking forward to our next meeting. John Reiland

OCLC has become, in a few short years, an indispensable resource for the academic librarian, but is it as useful for the bibliographer and/or rare bookseller who uses its database? As with all other bibliographic work, the information provided is only as accurate as the cataloguer has been. Using a method similar to that used in the grand old green volumes of the Union Catalog, with all its photocopied cards (typed and handwritten) from every major American library, the cataloguing librarian identifies the existing book record and attaches her/his library’s copy to that record if all details (publisher, place, date, collation of pages, size, etc.) match the volume in hand. If any of these points differ, a new record is added. If the book has a frontispiece and none is noted in the existing cataloguing, another record is made. And so on, until a very full picture of a book’s publishing history can be discerned from the complete listing of that title. Anyone using these records to trace back to the very first printing of a title not only depends on the accuracy of the cataloguers, but also on the likelihood that the true first edition is part of at least one library’s collection. Many mistakes, typographical errors and informational errors occur during the cataloguing process. Sometimes they are caught and eventually corrected. Very often, however, the errors remain, so the researcher must proceed with caution. Libraries and other services pay to use the resources of OCLC by subscription. Many university libraries offer OCLC look-up as one of their many extra services for students and faculty. It is possible to subscribe as an individual, but the fee is rather steep according to Vic Zoschak of Tavistock Books, who was a subscriber until a few years ago. The cost was a minimum of $350 for 500 searches, but it may have increased. The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America now offers access to OCLC’s WorldCat with its member services; it is, therefore, no longer necessary for ABAA associates to subscribe to OCLC to use that database. ABEBOOKS offers its customers the opportunity to use a greatly abbreviated version of OCLC whenever an advanced book search fails to find a book listing: “No books match the given criteria.” Click the link “Find it at a local library” and a search form for the OCLC appears. This function, however, is offered in order to find the location of a book, i.e., the library that owns a copy. It does not give the more complete details available through the OCLC subscription service nor does it include all editions or all publications available of the particular title searched. And, as is true of the OCLC database in general, popular books, modern children’s books, or any book not likely to be found at a university or major library, will not show up at all. Search results do offer some tantalizing clues for the bookseller who is searching for the first edition of an older title, but no more. While the “complete” OCLC includes book descriptions, notes and, if applicable, bibliographic references with the bibliographer’s number for the book, no such details are given in this quick search. The results for the same search may vary rather greatly when repeated. The most glaring omission of this service is that microform copies of books are not labeled as such; therefore, the physical count of the existence of a rare book is skewed by the addition of all the microfiche or microfilm copies that are normally catalogued under separate categories within the OCLC database. Unfortunately, this short form OCLC is extremely unreliable for judging the rarity of a title in original book form. For example, a search on ABEBOOK’s OCLC (since none are currently available for sale) for the little volume Emblems of Mortality, Representing, In Upwards Of Fifty Cuts, Death, First American Edition, Hartford: Babcock, 1801, leads us to listings of 102 libraries that own copies. The results do offer the additional information that the “authors” are Hans Holbein and Samuel Stennett, and a later edition adds Alexander Anderson. Using the full version OCLC for the same search, results show that only nine libraries, which include The Connecticut Historical Society, Boston Public Library, Princeton and Harvard University, hold copies of the actual book; ninety-three copies are in microform and its scarcity as a book is now apparent. The book is 14cm. and has 108 pages with publisher’s advertisements on pp.107-108. It is listed in Shaw and Shoemaker’s Early American Imprints, Second Series, no. 443. “The cuts are from the design of Holbein and The Bird of Paradise by Samuel Stennett.” Exploring later editions, we find that Alexander Anderson was the woodcut artist who adapted the Bewick illustrations of the 1789 London edition for this first American edition, and a proof copy of his illustrations for Emblems of Mortality is available at the New York Public Library. A look-up for the 1789 English edition tells us the preface is by “J.S. Hawkins. Cf. ESTC. An identical edition was printed in Newcastle the same year under the title Dance of Death, with attribution of the illustrations to Hans Holbein, adapted by Thomas and John Bewick. Illustrations accompanied by a translation of Imagines mortis, or the Images of death.” No surprise, there is a copy at the New York Public Library. Now it is off to the Library to compare the London preface and illustrations with the American, find Shaw and Shoemaker’s notation, do a little more research on Alexander Anderson, explore other bibliographies and auction records…. While the OCLC offers a wealth of information, is it not fortunate that there is still old-fashioned bibliographic detective work to be done? The library catalogs of the past contain phenomenal bibliographic records thanks to the many, many librarians who created them; they are the basis for the catalogs/databases of today. It was my pleasure to meet a retired Cambridge University librarian, Arthur Tillotson, the younger brother of literary scholar Geoffrey, who knew as much and more about bibliographic detail than any rare bookseller. He was the exemplar of the knowledgeable bibliographer who brought the highest degree of accuracy to his profession. Now the computer reigns, and while there is greater speed and efficiency, something is lost. Book holdings quickly entered into databases lack more and more of the minute points we as booksellers appreciate. Sadly, even on OCLC Worldcat, the longer book descriptions of only a few years ago were pared down when its format changed. Further, it is to be hoped that mistakes and omissions are caught and eventually corrected, but this brings us back to the acumen of the librarian/cataloguers. Library science schools now emphasize computer technology, which is obviously important, but perhaps the study of the book has become secondary. Library databases cannot be used solely to trace a book’s history nor to determine its value, but can be effectively used together with the resources of reliable bibliographies such as The Bibliograhy of American Literature (BAL), auction records such as American Book Prices Current (ABPC), compendia of booksellers’ descriptions and prices such as Book Prices: Used and Rare, edited by Zempel and Verkler, and the Annual Register of Book Values, the great booksellers’ descriptive catalogues of old and, as always, our own intuition and good judgment.

Dear Readers, I’m going to discontinue just relisting what is in any particular issue of the newsletter—you have the Index for that. Instead, I’ll touch on themes and what I find exciting in the current issue. We’ve got a lot in this issue about authors and their works. Some first-time authors and some who’ve been around a while. A common theme for them all, though, is promoting their own work, the pitfalls and virtues of self-publishing vs. traditional publishers, and the good, the bad and the ugly news about editors, agents, and publishers. We’re also starting a series about reference books/research materials in this issue, which will be a continuing project for IOBA. This series will include everything book-related we can find, and will have lists and articles written by book people about their specialties and areas of expertise (with some catalog pages in later issues, as illustrations), plus links to excellent book-related sites. After the lists and articles have appeared in the newsletter, they will be archived on the IOBA site in an educational area, as part of an ongoing project for helping to educate newer booksellers and continuing education for those of us who have been around a while. They’ll also serve as a reference area for book buyers and collectors (and, of course, we hope many knowledgeable collectors will contribute to this project). This time we’ve also covered subjects as diverse as Biblical sci-fi and views on pet afterlife to First Amendment rights and what is pornography as opposed to art. And, of course, coverage of current book world events such as book fairs and an upcoming Book Fest, our first coverage of a graphic novel, and various interviews and informational pieces on book-related people/matters. The interviews in this issue pretty much finish up our series on online book databases, whether new or established, for this year (though we’ll always cover any new developments). And last, but certainly not least, we have brought you news from a legendary but very private book world figure about a revolutionary upgrade in the UIEE standard, including a new software program that is the first to utilize this upgrade. Something for every interest, we hope. Enjoy! Shirley Bryant aaabooks@azalea.net