Who Might Be Interested in Those Antique Books?
If you're new to the antique business, you might wonder why the world anyone would be interested in these old antique books. If you glance through them, you'll see that they're totally inaccurate. Science and medical books are almost comical. Mere speculation on how the body works, or where the earth fit in the solar system and universe. The workings of the illness, and disease were totally misunderstood. The importance of hygiene was totally missing. Old history books sound more like fairytales. In fact, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between real history and true fairy tales. But for true collectors, ancient books are truly valuable treasures. Things like old family Bibles, the writings of famous people, or if it's old enough the writings of anyone at all can fetch huge sums of auction.
Antique books are coveted by book collectors for many reasons. They give us a view into human learning and reasoning in the past. They make it easier for us to see how things that seem silly today gained their roots in the past. I remembered the report that I did in college that really blew me away. The report was about how early Americans justified slavery. It was astonishing to see how these writers justified slavery based on assumptions that slaves were not really human. In fact, they were considered animals, just like farm animals. There was a lot of detail, I don't remember now 40 years later, but to this day the report makes an impression on me because of the antique text I read for my research. The slave owners thought the bodies and brains of their slaves were so different from their own that it's pretty obvious they didn't have a clue about either. This really helps us to see how much we progressed in a hundred years. Today we have an African-American, a descendant from those very slaves, as the Democratic candidate for president of the United States. This is huge progress and I'm happy to be around to see it. Without the antique books I read in college, I would not understand the amount of progress we've all made.
For others, it is the timelessness of antique writings that appeals to them. Reading the writing of ancient poets and philosophers, we can see that the human spirit really hasn't changed much. Our knowledge base has changed dramatically, but our feelings are still about the same. We still love, we still hate, we are still jealous, we are still ambitious. We still have all the emotions are ancestors had. You can see that in antique books.
And of course antique books can really tell a story about history that probably not many other items can. Older law books show how government and politics have shaped the history of some countries. Storybooks tell of what was important to people and how they would talk between themselves.
Many appreciate antique books because they're a true tie to the past. Knowing that a bible is decades old makes you wonder who else touched it and read it on a regular basis. Having books that some philosopher actually wrote in is probably the best connection you'll ever have to that person.
So where you find customers for antique books? They are all around us. It does take someone who's interested in history and connecting with past. People who want to transport themselves back to the times of the writer and feel their feelings. These people are fanatical about their books. Most auctions have separate showings for antique books because the buyers are different from those who buy antique toys and furniture. Once you get into this group you'll find that it is a vast network that will spread the word about newly found, antique books. Most libraries are looking for historical books so they are always buyers. There are some libraries that specialize in historical and antique books. University libraries and large legal libraries are always looking for antique books and texts that illustrate how civilizations and laws have developed. Religious organizations, and many individuals are always looking for ancient Bibles and religious texts. Just look at some of the shows on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic and it's easy to see how the search for ancient knowledge is ongoing and new discoveries are being made all the time. Just watch an episode of the Antiques Roadshow, they always have a section on antique books. Antique books are hot.
Antique books are coveted by book collectors for many reasons. They give us a view into human learning and reasoning in the past. They make it easier for us to see how things that seem silly today gained their roots in the past. I remembered the report that I did in college that really blew me away. The report was about how early Americans justified slavery. It was astonishing to see how these writers justified slavery based on assumptions that slaves were not really human. In fact, they were considered animals, just like farm animals. There was a lot of detail, I don't remember now 40 years later, but to this day the report makes an impression on me because of the antique text I read for my research. The slave owners thought the bodies and brains of their slaves were so different from their own that it's pretty obvious they didn't have a clue about either. This really helps us to see how much we progressed in a hundred years. Today we have an African-American, a descendant from those very slaves, as the Democratic candidate for president of the United States. This is huge progress and I'm happy to be around to see it. Without the antique books I read in college, I would not understand the amount of progress we've all made.
For others, it is the timelessness of antique writings that appeals to them. Reading the writing of ancient poets and philosophers, we can see that the human spirit really hasn't changed much. Our knowledge base has changed dramatically, but our feelings are still about the same. We still love, we still hate, we are still jealous, we are still ambitious. We still have all the emotions are ancestors had. You can see that in antique books.
And of course antique books can really tell a story about history that probably not many other items can. Older law books show how government and politics have shaped the history of some countries. Storybooks tell of what was important to people and how they would talk between themselves.
Many appreciate antique books because they're a true tie to the past. Knowing that a bible is decades old makes you wonder who else touched it and read it on a regular basis. Having books that some philosopher actually wrote in is probably the best connection you'll ever have to that person.
So where you find customers for antique books? They are all around us. It does take someone who's interested in history and connecting with past. People who want to transport themselves back to the times of the writer and feel their feelings. These people are fanatical about their books. Most auctions have separate showings for antique books because the buyers are different from those who buy antique toys and furniture. Once you get into this group you'll find that it is a vast network that will spread the word about newly found, antique books. Most libraries are looking for historical books so they are always buyers. There are some libraries that specialize in historical and antique books. University libraries and large legal libraries are always looking for antique books and texts that illustrate how civilizations and laws have developed. Religious organizations, and many individuals are always looking for ancient Bibles and religious texts. Just look at some of the shows on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic and it's easy to see how the search for ancient knowledge is ongoing and new discoveries are being made all the time. Just watch an episode of the Antiques Roadshow, they always have a section on antique books. Antique books are hot.
About the Author:
Trading Antiques can make an interesting hobby and a great business. Hordes of excited people are finding the joys of the antique business ever year. Get started with Rob Gormly's exciting eBook " Ka~CHING How to Buy and Sell Trading Antiques ... Just Like They Do On TV!" or learn more about the antique business on our blog.
posted by Marcondes Allen at 11:27 PM
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