Some People Just Like to Read Books, Not Snool Over Them
Yesterday, I visited the antiquarian book fair held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. I had visited book fairs in the past, and actually found some good buys—most notably a four-volume edition of the works of Sir Thomas Browne—but I found that most of the books exhibited were not my cup of tea. Well, this time it was even worse.
It seemed that the median price of the books on sale was around $650, and virtually all the books were:
- Signed first editions of famous 20th century authors
- Lavishly illustrated oversize books filled with old engravings
- Leather-bound books like the ones in the photograph above
- Seemingly endless books about the Old West
I got the impression that the book fair was primarily for those whose notion of a book does not go beyond the dust jacket, the binding, the front endpapers, and the page showing the edition and printing. That impression was confirmed when I heard some of these people talking to the dealers in the kind of pseudo-cultivated tone adopted by the very wealthy who wish to impress others with knowledge they don’t have. For one thing, they don’t actually read books!
The upshot was that I didn’t buy anything there, though I spent $10 for parking and $5 for admission. Right afterwards, I drove to a real bookstore, Sam Johnson Books in Mar Vista, where I had difficulty choosing what to buy. I finally settled on an interesting-looking book by Adam Sisman entitled The Friendship: Wordsworth and Coleridge. I had previously read Sisman’s book on James Boswell and loved it.
Tarnmoor 
You mean there are still book stores open? I must go there. Sounds good.
Was it the Simon Wilkins 1834 complete works you acquired or the modern Keynes 20th century complete works ? These are the only two major editions of the complete works available. Oxford University press are in the process of publishing an 8 volume collected works of Sir T.B. for 2015-2018.
It was a nice copy of the Keynes.
While perusing the internet today, I’ve come across a few blogs/posts about the different types of book lovers. Your trip to the book fair, and the average price and presentation of the books held there, makes your assumptions about the people that buy them sound reasonable.
I myself collect leatherbound books, mainly because I love the look and feel of them. That said, I only purchase books that I have read or plan to read, in leather. I consider them as pleasing to read, comfortable to hold, and as nice dressing to a bookshelf. Plus, they last if taken care of.
There seems to be a sub-group of book fans that look down upon people that collect leatherbound books. I’m not categorizing you as one of these people, but it is something I have come to notice. I would find it mildly humorous, if while walking out of a used bookstore with leatherbound tome in hand, opinions were being formed of my genuine interest in what is inside a book, or possible lack thereof.
In my opinion, books serve multiple purposes. They educate, entertain, make you think, and yet, they also can be works of art. There is only an aesthetic difference of opinion between a person that gravitates towards a Folio Society published book over someone that prefers an Easton Press version. I know people that only buy papebacks, and think less of people like me that prefer to “own” a specific book in fine bindings. In the end it’s presumptuous.
If I had been at that same fair, my thoughts may have gravitated along similar lines as your own, but perhaps not. Your post made me think about this.
I
Thanks for your comments, Sean. My own books run the gamut from (a very few) leather-bound editions to Folio Society to trade and cheap paperbacks. What I buy depends on my assessment of whether the title is just a one-time read (to be sold on Half.Com or contributed to charity afterward) or a permanent resident on my shelves. It’s not always an easy decision to make.