Rare Book Monthly
Articles - December - 2008 Issue
Interview with a Classic Bookman
"What direction do you see the book business taking?" I asked.
"There will always be a book business. My crystal ball is a little cloudy as to direction. A few years back, the top people of my generation, who are still in the book trade, were saying they would never, never use computers. Most of them have come kicking and screaming onto the Net. When I was a catalogue dealer, I couldn't wait to get to the Post Office box in the morning; now I can't wait to turn on the computer. You've got to adapt to the situation or in Darwinian fashion, become obsolete and no longer able to compete. Despite the new transparency of values and easily findable books, there will always be a market for the best books."
My thanks to Ed for taking his time to talk to me and for letting me make free with information from his website, www.glaserrarebooks.com. I'd also like to thank the folks at the Antiquarian Book Seminar for letting me use some of the information about Ed that appeared in his Faculty Biography from the seminar info booklet. You may contact Ed at Edwin V. Glaser Rare Books, P.O. Box 755, Napa, CA 94559, or give him a call at (707) 258-6281.
