Classic Titles, Why I Love Connecting Books And People At Christmas

 

Photos of vintage Christmas post cards by Suzanne Currie

THE PRICE OF SOME CLASSIC FIRST EDITIONS CAN REPRESENT MORE THAN A QUEEN OR KING’S RANSOM - DID I MENTION THAT I LOVE BEING A BOOK SELLER AT CHRISTMAS

A PREAMBLE TO TODAY’S POST

BY TED CURRIE

     Of all the months of the year, there is something powerfully wondrous about being a bookseller at Christmas. In fact, I begin my old book blitz beginning at the end of August, and I have an amazing amount of fun hunting and gathering the kind of books we most typically sell during the month of December, right up to New Year’s Eve. It may not be a big month for some old and used book dealers, but we have always pushed ahead that way, as if anticipation alone is what it takes to guarantee a good sales stat at the end of one year and the commencement of another. But being positive is awfully important, and in our storefronts since 1990’s, whether in Bracebridge or here in Gravenhurst, we have always made it clear to our clientele that although we are antique dealers, because that’s what’s listed on our signboard out front, we love to represent the work of great authors, and some of them are from antiquity. But we are not a full fledged bookshop in the traditional and even conventional sense, because we are less about strict organization, that about wearing our tradition like a badge of merit. We are first and foremost book hunters. Book scroungers. Treasure hunters. While we try to keep some semblance of order in our book room, and anywhere else in our shop that you can find an old book, most of the collection tends to be on the random side of “organization.” Not the cookbooks of course. Suzanne is very precise about her huge cookbook collection, whereas, I am far more liberal in my set up, which looks usually as if a book sleuth had just returned from a treasure hunt at a local estate sale, or while visiting any number of second hand and even other used book shops. In other words, if you know my work, and you really like a good book find to add to your own collection, consider me a source of excitement; because when I return with my finds, those who know my habits, know exactly where to look for the new “old” arrivals. It pays to know your book seller’s habits, quirks and eccentricities, if that is, you want to know more about what I’ve been up to out on the hustings. We sell a lot of books this way, and we have many eccentric buyers who happen to like the unpredictable nature of their host. Suzanne isn’t included in this, as I mentioned, because she is “old school” about organization, and she critiques me all the time, even while reporting the large number of book sales of my finds, made on a good day, or during a high volume week. We just get along, and enjoy, at present, sending interesting books home with bibliophiles, and with the knowledge that some of our great book finds from this district of Ontario, are going to be given as presents. Now that does make both of us feel great.

     First editions are, of course, a jewel, if they are works by a well known and celebrated author. I have had a small but significant number of high profile first editions, but have always been on the down side of the evaluation scale, because so much rides on condition. The better the condition, like stamps or hockey and baseball cards, the more significant the appraised value. There are antiquarian and rare books out there, somewhere being under-recognized, on a dusty book shelf in the low light of a second hand shop, that could be worth fifty thousand dollars or more. I don’t often write about these valuations because it can create a problem at my end, when many folks scoop up their copies of Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With The Wind,” and believe they’ve found a coveted and valuable first edition; yet it is clearly identified as a thirtieth edition, and thus, worth next to nothing or less. I won’t even get into the way a book dealer examines an important find, to determine if it might be a first edition, because it is far more complicated than just finding a date that seems to coincide with what the internet has identified as a true first edition. But I will not kid about this fact, that there are what we call “sleepers” out there on the hustings, shop to shop, and true book sleuths never say never, so to speak, because we have all, at one time or another, come very close to a big payday. Some dealers have hundreds if not thousands of first editions, as do rare book collectors, and yes I am full of envy. And surprisingly, for me, it’s not about the money, as much as it is about having the distinction of being able to commune with an author’s first major work, or at least, their first successful book in terms of market appeal and the longevity as a classic in the marketplace. Would I like to own a first edition book by Poe, Dickens, Emily Bronte, Washington Irving, Tennyson, Thoreau, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes would be nice), and maybe even Robbie Burns, Sir Walter Scott, Bram Stoker, “Dracula,”  Mary Shelly, “Frankenstein,” or a little something, in first edition, from American poet, Robert Frost, who I adore. I will never be able to afford one of their most popular first editions, unless I get the kind of lucky break that every book hound dreams of, on the eve of another planned hunt come daybreak. I can dream, can’t I? It’s the affordable part of being a book collector and dealer.

     A first edition is special because it’s “first.” Not second. First. The author was waiting for the printer or publisher to deliver a finished copy, of the first run, to get approval for the acceptability of the press run. Some authors did reject poor printing jobs, and it was the case, for a few of these authors, that poor copies that weren’t approved, did get into the market place, and can attract higher prices in some cases that the one approved by the author. There are many exceptions. But to hold a first edition of Poe or Thoreau, is quite a privilege for a book seller, and for a fellow like me,…..who really gets turned on by being so close to the author’s original work; meaning that it was in this first edition, that the author actually thumbed through a copy, or more, of the very same run as the one being examined in-hand. There’s a great aura attached to such a relic.

     Yes, I do very much enjoy being a book seller at this time of the rolling year, and when a buyer tells us that it is being given as a Christmas gift, wow, that is a very great honor for us; the book hunters who travel thousands of miles each year to find such significant treasures; and that doesn’t only refer to first editions. We wish very much to represent the work of good authors first and foremost; from the present or from deep, deep in antiquity.

NTRODUCTION TO THIS CHAPTER OF OUR OPEN WINDOWS SERIES

     I've always paid attention to the stories of others, who are in the business of hunting, gathering, and selling old books and antiques. I have great respect for their biographies, and insights, about what can go wrong in the pursuit of books and antiques, and what are the consequences of self imposed ignorance; playing silly ass in a profession that goes back centuries. Pitfalls. Oh, they're very deep. I most definitely want to know all about the successes, of these top ranked professionals, but at the same time, I want to know about their struggles to support and grow their respective businesses. If there's one major shortfall I see in the antique trade especially, is the very obvious reality many fledgling dealers are failing because of inexperience. They want to start at the top and figure that anyone can be an antique dealer, or for that matter, sell old books, even when they haven't got a clue how to appraise their condition, and identify whether they are a first edition or a thirtieth. It matters a great deal. They can't operate in this fashion without consequence! It just isn't possible, and there isn't a day out on the hustings, while we're searching for elusive antiques and antiquarian books, that we don't come across glaring examples of folks, who simply shouldn't be in our trade. For their own welfare. They make mistakes in valuations and base very little these days on condition, meaning a lot of their wares offered for sale are well below what we would consider pristine or even excellent condition pieces. Valuations drop heavily when condition is an issue. Did you know that a book can lose up to seventy-five percent of its value, if it doesn't have its dustjacket, and even then, it has to be in perfect condition, meaning without tears and staining . A piece of antique furniture, in my fledgling years learning the trade, could not have more than twenty-five percent replacement restoration, (material repairs) to maintain its investment valuation. More than this, and it was just an old piece of furniture. Today it's like the wild west out there, and there are dealers taking huge liberties with the antiques they're restoring, and passing off as untouched. 

     Biographies like Dora Hood are important because they offer an inside scoop on what it was like to run an old book business through tough economic times; tougher than we've experienced in our lifetimes. I want to know how she was able to navigate all the obstacles, many of them financial, and raise a family in a crowded book-filled house in Toronto. She had competitors who had more money and better situated shops, with larger floor space, but she was a tough lady, determined to make it in a male-dominated profession. I have suggested to a number of fledgling antique dealers, who surround themselves with large numbers of antique price guides, that they, instead, would be well served, to have amongst them, some of these biographies of antique dealers and book sellers, who have blazed the trail for us in this new century. We might then have dealers out there who know how to accurately evaluate their inventory, based on condition and rarity; not simply on the basis of "It's mine, I found it, and I can price it as high as I wish!" It's the reason so many inexperienced attic dealers fail, and lose a lot of money in the process of trying to be in the big league without having come up through the minor program. There are biographies out there that can help with this quagmire of ignorance. Dora Hood's story is a cornerstone for me, of my own durability in this precarious and tough enterprise, of buying and selling old stuff.  Hope you enjoy today's story.

SOME MORE INSIGHTS ABOUT THE OLD BOOK BUSINESS, ACCORDING TO DORA HOOD

     "What books do Canadians collect? Before launching on this, one of my favorite subjects, I must try to clear up some of the misconceptions on this book collecting game as it is played in Canada," writes legendary bookseller, Dora Hood, in her 1958 biography, "The Side Door - Twenty-six Years in My Book Room," (Ryerson Press, Toronto)

     "Do not expect from me advice on how to become a book collector. The libraries are full of books on this very subject. I have dipped into many of them and remain convinced that you can not make a true book collector out of a person who has to be told how to go about it. In all my long years in the business no one has ever asked me, 'how shall I begin to be a book collector?' It is possible that this independent spirit is characteristic of the collector of Canadiana. I hope it is, and my experience points that way. I can not be quite so dogmatic on the next point. It has pitfalls and is not as simple to explain," writes Dora Hood, of the industry that consumed her, from the period before the Great Depression, through World War II, and into the mid 1950's. "The term book collecting is often considered synonymous with the acquisition of first editions. This is not necessarily so among Canadian collectors for several reasons. One of these may be that we in Canada are far removed from the great book centers where world-famous first editions repeatedly change hands at fabulous prices. This lack of stimulation may have something to do with our indifference. Again, our own literary output as yet, is known scarcely at all beyond our own borders and the books of many of our best writers have never gone beyond their first issues. (This was her opinion circa 1958) Moreover, the collectors of these first editions are few, and they are, therefore, comparatively easy to acquire. This lack of competition gives little impetus to the first-edition quest. Fortunately for posterity, a few far-sighted Canadian collectors have over the years consistently gathered the first fruits of our writers," she notes of bibliophile associates.

     "For the most part, however, the majority of Canadian book collectors who came my way were more interested in the subjects they collected than in first editions in general. And they would probably have agreed with one delightful book buyer who wrote thus on the subject: 'Some of the greatest lovers of letters who ever lived - Dr. Johnson, for example, and Thomas De Quincy and Carlyle - have cared no more for first editions than I do for brussels sprouts.' Augustine Birrell who penned this devastating indictment wrote many diverting essays on book buying and even on antiquarian booksellers. The small edition of his 'Selected Essays,' I have had since 1909; and in reading it again lately, found it had an unsuspected Canadian interest. Birrell wrote in the preface, 'When asked lately by my friend John Buchan to allow a selection (made by him) of my essays be added to this series, I readily assented, for when all is said and done, circulation is an author's life.' The book was published by Thomas Nelson, and probably cost me not more than a dollar. Buchan was then a partner of T.A. Nelson who had been his friend at Oxford. That the editor of essays became our most literary-minded Governor General, and that the author has so much to say about second-hand booksellers doubly endears this book to me. I have read it many times these forty years."

     Dora Hood adds, "Now, having made some statements that may be challenged, it is to be hoped I have left a loophole or two, in case I have to withdraw in the face of an attack. I shall feel on firmer ground if I proceed to describe some of the many fields that have been successfully explored by Canadian collectors. I even may recall some ardent first edition collectors among them! Canadian art as a collector's subject is a comparatively recent development. What makes it interesting is that it has an intense appeal especially to the younger generation. It was William Colgate, an early researcher in this subject, who first drew my attention to the attractive vistas it opened. I soon began to tuck away odds and ends in any way connected with Canadian art in order to have something to show him the next time he dropped in for a talk. I had some early annual reports of the Ontario Society of Artists. The first of these were issued in 1873, when the exhibition was held at Notman & Fraser's Galleries on King Street East in Toronto. There were no illustrations but the names of the exhibitors were given and among them Verner's name appears so often in both the oils and water color sections that it is surprising why examples of his work are now hard to come by. Verner was born in Sheridan, Ontario, and was noted chiefly for his pictures of buffalo. It was not until 1886 that some paintings were reproduced in these little O.S.A. folders; they were the forerunners of many hundreds of pamphlets on the subject that passed through my hands. Mr. Colgate is the author of a number of biographies of the early artists, many of who dwelt here briefly, leaving samples of their work, only to move on perhaps to greener fields. It was in 1944 that The Ryerson Press published Mr. Colgates fine book, 'Canadian Art, Its Origin and Development'."

     "There are two approaches to Canadian art collecting. The purely artistic, 'whose subtle power could stay yon cloud and fix it in that glorious shape,' and the definitely historical side. Both have their devotees and are sometimes combined. My duties to all these collectors were to provide all the literature, old and knew, that would enlarge their knowledge of the subject. It is not possible here to tell of the many delightful avenues I explored with my customers. I content myself with stories of only a few of the collectors. writers and artists who came my way. The great collection of Canadian pictures, known as the William H. Coverdale Collection, gather for the adornment of the walls of the Manoir Richelieu, at Murray Bay, stimulated interest in the art of this country to a high degree. Old prints, engravings, maps, oil and water color pictures were gathered and catalogued under the direction of Percy F. Goldsmith, and by 1930, when the printed list appeared, they numbered 1,598. In the preface of this catalogue we read: 'The deep current of Canadian history moving through three centuries has carried on its flood tide countless diaries, intimate letters, biographies, reminiscences and state documents which were the living chronicles of their time. But the ever-moving tide of generations has swept vast quantities of this rich substance down to oblivion. Diaries, unappreciated by contemporaries, are discarded and lost. Letters, often the richest of historical sources, are put aside and forgotten or crumble with brittle age. Even books, famous in their day, have been literally read out of existence. So, the passing of time has left only comparative fragments of the casual or deliberate writings of those who went before us in the making of Canada. Pictures, unlike the written word, seem to have survived the restless movements of generations'. I was told by Georges Ducharme that after the Coverdale agents had scoured the country there was not a picture of Canadian interest or even an illustrated book to be found. This dearth continued for a few years but in the mysterious way in which the secondhand market works, it has since recovered. The Coverdale collection was a brilliant though somewhat wholesale effort, and the pity of it so comparatively few people see it, and then only in summer months during which the hotel is open.'"

     Dora Hood concludes, "To refresh my mind on the development of interest in this subject, I looked through the volumes of my bound catalogues and found it was not until 1949 that 'Art' appears as a separate section. It had gradually worked its way into the collectors' esteem so that it could no longer be classified with 'Literature and Handicrafts.' Art has in fact now become an important subject in any Canadian bookshop."