COLLECTOR PITFALLS

The biggest mistake that most book collectors make early in their collecting is not staying focused. The best collections are intricate & complete with-in a genre. An example would be if your interest is hunting books and you bought a fishing book. Now your collection would be moving toward the subject of outdoor books. It’s even better if you focus on a specific style of hunting and decide to collect only bowhunting books. Of course all this being said, there’s nothing wrong with collecting books in 2, 3 or more genres as long as your book buying budget can support such a hobby! 

Another mistake is looking for books on sites such as Ebay, Esty or Craigslist. Often books sold on these sites are not described correctly and often have flaws, missing plates or maps. Or you can get caught up in an auction and pay too much.  Now that’s not to say that some excellent deals on great books can be found in these online auctions and I look under every rock for a good book and a deal. A good rule of thumb is to check the book trade sites and on-line stores first. 

Impulse buying is another book buying trap that’s easy to fall into. Especially if you have been looking for a book for a while and then suddenly think you’ve found it. Stop, take a deep breath and research the book. Know the year and the printer of the true first edition. Know the number of maps and plates. Know if there should be a second half-title page. In other words, know what your looking for and make sure this book has it.. & if it doesn’t..... use the missing elements to barter the price lower if the book is still of interest to you.