Kristina Lynn asked what kind of books I have been looking for. I don’t think I’ve mentioned that before.
I collect children’s books illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger, Helen Oxenbury, Rosemary Wells, Maurice Sendak, Jan Ormerod, Shirley Hughes, Gabrielle Vincent and a number of others.
Just recently I’ve been looking for hardcover first editions of two of Oxenbury’s books, Tom and Pippo go to the Beach, and Tom and Pippo and the Washing Machine. Once a week or so I check all the online sources for the books on my list. Over time I’ve had pretty good luck finding the books I’m looking for.
The big exception is Gabrielle Vincent’s work. She publishes mostly in France, and it’s next to impossible to find hardcover (not ex-library) US edition copies of her Ernest and Celestine books.
EDITED TO ANSWER A QUESTION:
Q: What exactly do I do with these books I collect?
A: That depends. On rare occasions I have bought a book simply because I have a hunch it might turn out to be valuable down the line. So, books as an investment. Those I definitely do not fuss with. Example: I’ve got a pre-Oprah debacle copy of Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections.
Most usually I go looking for a first edition/first printing of an adult book because I really loved it. If I can find a signed 1st/1st for a reasonable price, I’ll get that. I tend to leave the signed 1st/1sts alone, not so much to protect their value (although that is also a factor) but because I’ll usually have a reading copy. Examples: A Soldier of the Great War, The Rose Grower, The Time Traveller’s Wife. Of course there are hundreds and hundreds of books that would be in this category, if I could only afford a first edition/first printing. Examples of that: Lonesome Dove (a 1st/1st runs somewhere around $800); Shipping News, all the Dorothy Dunnett Niccolo Rising series, etc etc.
I collect children’s books almost exclusively because of the illustrations. I do look at these books, but I’m careful with them. In many cases we still have the Girlchild’s original copy, which I have packed away. This category is where I can get into real trouble, because kid’s books are expensive. But oh, the illustrations. As Rachel mentions, there are many I would love to have as prints to hang on the walls, but I never would take one of those books apart. The original illustrations are sometimes for sale, but way beyond my budget. Have a look at Lisbeth Zwerger’s original illustrations for sale at Storyopolis. $14,500 for a watercolor… yikes.
Today our local library is having an annual book sale to raise money. This is not the sale where they get rid of books they no longer want in the collection; this is good stuff. Donated stuff. A first edition of Anne of Green Gables, for example. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I have a class on Tuesday afternoons, so I’m going to miss the pre-sale. The question is if I can stay away from the sale proper, which starts tomorrow at ten.
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Tom and Pippo=Leo and Popi! My daughter reads those books here, but in French.
Ooh, we are HUGE Rosemary Wells fans. I would love to have a print of the page in Bunny Cakes where Ruby puts the note on the kitchen door with the little No-Max-Allowed picture. I get the giggles just thinking about it.
I’ve been accused of being a book collector, given the piles of ’em in my house. But I’m just curious – do you display your books, are books collected for illustrations eventually cut up to frame the favourite prints? Is it like collecting action figures, or Barbies, where the items can never be removed from their packages? I can’t leave a book un-read, so I have a hard time picturing that last option. And of course, this is a total sidetracker question.
I’m with Pam. I can’t imagine leaving a book in a package or packed away. I read and re-read and sometimes re-re-read (Is that a word?). I have to replace my original Into the Wilderness (Read 13 times and now pack away for sentimental reasons) Because it is falling apart.
Aw go on. It’s just a teensy book sale, and for a good cause. My daughter and I walked into the local library the other day and she commented, perhaps to remind me, “these aren’t the books for sale.” Cute, but then hilarious as I read signs posted on the re-shelving trollies, saying “These books not for sale.” Our libraries here have discards on sale on a six week cycle, with various percentages off the books as they progress through the weeks. I guess some people are wishful thinkers.