Rare Book Monthly
Articles - February - 2007 Issue
ABAA Show Comes to Bay Area February 16-18
To have a successful show make a plan.
Consider your approach and objectives in advance. On-the-spot purchases tend to be based on excitement and emotion. More considered transactions, made after the show or at least after looking on line for other copies and what they sell for, tend to look better in hindsight although it's fun to negotiate a 10 or 15% discount on the spot and go home figuring you did well. You may very well do so but not want to look carefully at either the historical records or other copies once you have pulled the trigger. The bullet is not going back into the chamber. Some book buyers only buy at the shows. For them the selection and electricity of big books selling for big bucks all around them is part of the kick.
One way to improve your chances for success is to look at the online inventories of participating dealers before the show. If you find material of interest express this to them by email or phone. Most dealers have 10,000 items or more but bring only representative examples. They will be interested to bring specific material for your consideration. In the meantime do your homework to understand the item[s]. Alternative copies may be listed on Abebooks, Biblio, Zvab, AE, the ABAA's own site and others. AE members can search auction and bibliographic history, create a file and print it out. Knowing what you'll see and knowing its availability and market value will help make an informed decision. And remember that a dealer's willingness to sell at a negotiated price will be a function both of their understanding of its intrinsic value and their expectation of what others will pay. In truth some people will simply pay more but in buying do not pay significantly more than you can sell it for in future. That's not collecting, that's a mistake. If you want to own an item in the worst way someone will help you achieve your goal.
Count yourself lucky if you find a book or two to buy and a dealer or two you can communicate with in the years to come. It may not be apparent while you are browsing but the most important virtues of the great collector are knowledge and patience. It takes an hour to fill a bookshelf. It takes decades to build a great collection. Bring patience, gain knowledge and this will be a great fair for you. It's not to be missed.
