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<center><b>Gonnelli<br>Auction 41<br>Books, Autographs & Manuscripts<br>March 21st-23rd 2023</b><b>Gonnelli:</b> Nabokov, <i>Lolita,</i> 1955. First edition, mint copy. Starting price 1900€<b>Gonnelli:</b> Marinetti, <i>Zang Tumb Tuuum,</i> 1914. First edition. Starting price 1600€<b>Gonnelli:</b> A collection of <i>Playboy,</i> starting price from 20€<b>Gonnelli:</b> Kepler, <i>Dioptrice,</i> 1611. First edition. Starting price 9500€<b>Gonnelli:</b> Barbault, <i>Les plus beaux Monuments de Rome,</i> 1761-1766. Starting price 5500€<b>Gonnelli:</b> Watson, <i>Dendrologia Britannica,</i> 1825. Starting price 380€ -
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<b><center>Koller Auctions<br>Books & Autographs<br>29 March 2023</b><b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> DADA - <i>Cabaret Voltaire.</i> A collection of artistic and literary contributions. Edited by Hugo Ball. CHF 5,000 to 8,000.<b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> EXPRESSIONISM - <i>Der Sturm.</i> Weekly magazine for culture and the arts. Almost complete suite from the years 1910 to 1932. CHF 20,000 to 30,000.<b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> LISBON EARTHQUAKE - <i>Augsburg collection of copper engravings of Lisbon. CHF 40,000 to 60,000.<b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Hamilton, William. <i>Campi Phlegraei. Observations on the Volcanos of the Two Sicilies as they have been communicated to the Royal Society of London.</i> Naples, 1776-1779. CHF 50,000 to 70,000.<b><center>Koller Auctions<br>Books & Autographs<br>29 March 2023</b><b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Leonardi, Domenico Felice. <i>Le Delizie della villa di Castellazzo descritte in verso dall'abbate Domenico Felice Leonardi lucchese fra gli Arcadi Ildosio Foloetico.</i> Milan, 1743. CHF 12,000 to 18,000.<b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Zwingli, Huldrych. <i>Von erkiesen und freyhait der speisen. Von ergernusz und Verbößerung. Ob man gewalt hab die speyß zu etlichen zeyten verbieten [...]</i>. CHF 2,500 to 4,000.<b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> HENDRIK VAN VULLENHOE, UMKREIS. Benedictional and other texts for Johannes von Venningen, Bishop of Basel. Latin manuscript on parchment. CHF 50,000 to 80,000.<b>Koller, Mar. 29:</b> Gujer, Hans Rudolf. Master typist's book by Hans Rudolf Gujer from Wermetschweil (Wermatswil). German manuscript on paper. CHF 3,000 to 5,000. -
Rare Book Monthly
Goin' South
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We talked about finding books; how hard it is and how to price. He knew a book dealer in Kansas City who used to buy books from him in Albuquerque once a year. He used to buy strange things and be pleased with them. Now, he says it is almost impossible to buy anything on the road because even if he's never seen anything like it before, and he thinks it's a $20 book, he gets online and there are dozens of them and they start at $3.50 and go, maybe, to $10. His overall book adage is that it is a sad statement that we [independent booksellers] have become little more than warehouses for Barnes and Noble."
We talked about using Alibris, Amazon or ABE. He felt Alibris seemed a little bit more professional in general and that they took 2% less commission from their sellers.
We talked about book fairs and old school booksellers. Jerry is good friends with Robert and Dorothy Emerson; very knowledgeable, old-time booksellers. "One night I was in the Emersons' booth and watching all the dealers go around looking at different books. One buyer looked around for a long while, handled a book three or four times, and then turned to Dorothy and said "Can't you do a little better on this?" Dorothy, who was very old school; sensible haircut, sensible shoes and a wool suit, stepped up into his face like a basketball player taking a charge; nose to nose, and said 'Well, the thing is, Robert gives a great deal of thought to pricing the books, and if we changed them, it would somehow imply that...he was wrong!' And then she hard stared at him."
I noted that I had learned a lot about the book business from working at Powell's Books, but learned more about books and pricing from my friend, J.B. at Eureka Books in California. Also, I learned a good deal about books, pricing, points, and the like from John Dunning in Denver. We agreed that there is a huge difference between knowing books and knowing the book business. Knowledgeable booksellers are getting scarcer and scarcer.
