Bernard Shapero Rare Books: The Travel Book Sale 40% off. In an apparent departure from the selling methodologies employed by most book sellers, Bernard Shapero prices his books fully in this category and then discounts them if they haven't sold. But he doesn’t employ the gentlemanly 10% discount or even the rather motivated 20% reduction. No, he simply says I made a mistake and he cuts, as he did in this case, prices by 40%. When is the last time your dealer gave you a 40% discount? This is an extraordinary departure from the standard approach which is this: I price the book. In time it will sell. If I have priced it too high it may take five years to find a buyer. I will simply wait.

I must warn you that this sale catalogue says the discount expires on March 15th. I’m sure that many items have sold but you can simply say to the staff, when placing your orders for those items that remain, that because of late posting of this catalogue to the AE Monthly, you did not learn about it until recently. I’m certain they will give you fair consideration. Because you see, Mr. Shapero isn’t trying to sell you a book. He wants to make you his customer.

Forty-one titles under the category Americas are found in The Travel Book Sale. If I didn’t have a globe handy I might think that South America is 10 times the size of North America because the books in the Americana section are overwhelmingly from south of the Rio Grande. But the fact is European dealers simply market these books effectively. In the not-so-distant past London also handled a significant percentage of important North Americana. But higher dealer prices in the United States and Canada have simply drawn the inventory, like a moth to a light, to the dealer shelves here.

For a look at this catalogue, get a calculator, and go to www.shapero.com , send them an email at rarebooks@shapero.com or call them in London at +44 (0)20 7493 0876.

Libreria de Antano: A Selection of fine books & manuscripts 1488 – 1994. This catalogue is issued by Gustavo Breitfeld in time for the New York Antiquarian Book Fair that takes place April 10 – 13 at the Armory at 67th Street & Park Avenue. The material has a strong South American and Caribbean feeling. It includes 96 items.