The History of the International Standard Book Number
For fifty years, the ISBN has uniquely identified tens of millions of books in 150 countries.
A Guide to Modern Standard Book Sizes: What Consumers Need to Know
When you walk into a bookstore, browse an online retailer, or scan a supermarket rack, the variety of book sizes can catch your eye. These dimensions, known as trim sizes in the publishing world, represent the final measurements of a book’s pages after printing and trimming. Far from random, trim sizes are carefully chosen to suit a book’s genre, audience, format (hardcover or paperback), and purpose, influencing everything from readability to portability. This guide explains modern standard book sizes, clarifies terms like hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market paperback, and details the types of books you’ll encounter in stores and online. Whether you’re a casual reader, a collector, or a parent shopping for children’s books, understanding these sizes will help you choose the perfect book for your needs.
Creating Custom or Reproduction Dust Jackets
A missing dust cover can cut the value of a collectible book in half or more.
A Guide to Antiquarian Book Sizes: Understanding Terms for Collectors
For collectors of antiquarian books, the variety of sizes and formats can seem daunting, especially when terms like folio, quarto, and octavo appear in catalogs or listings. These terms, rooted in early printing practices, describe the physical format of a book based on how many times a sheet of paper was folded to create its leaves. Unlike modern books, which are often described by precise measurements in inches or centimeters, antiquarian book sizes use a specialized vocabulary that reflects their historical production. This guide explains the traditional book size terms, their approximate dimensions, and the types of books collectors might encounter, helping you navigate the world of rare and historical books with confidence. Whether you’re hunting for a grand Shakespeare folio or a compact duodecimo prayer book, understanding these formats will enhance your collecting experience.
The Internet Archive National Emergency Library is Closing
The National Emergency Library is closing, and the lawsuit behind the closure may be affecting all digital lending libraries.
Caring for Your Rare Book Collection at Home: Practical Preservation Tips
Collecting rare books is a rewarding pursuit, connecting you to history, literature, and craftsmanship. However, these treasures require careful handling and storage to maintain their condition and value, especially without access to professional climate-controlled facilities. This guide offers practical, accessible methods to preserve your rare books at home, ensuring they remain in excellent condition for years to come.
The Proliferation of Inaccurate Book Information on the Internet
Why is it that book publication information is so incorrect, by so much, in so many cases?
Did Gene Wolfe Invent Pringles?
If you are a Gene Wolfe fan, you've likely heard that he had a hand in the invention of Pringles. Maybe you've also heard he is the face of Pringles. How much (if anything) is really true?
How Well Do Expensive Textbooks Hold Their Values?
Over ten years ago CBS News published a list of the 12 highest-prices college textbooks in America. Ten years later, how have their values held up?
Trouble-Free Textbook Buying for Less
Think buying textbooks online sounds like a straightforward process? Think again.
Rage by Richard Bachman: Find Your Book
Rage by Richard Bachman is very expensive for a paperback book. So what do you do if you're a Stephen King fan and want a copy for yourself?
Interesting Books: The Art of Manipulation by RB Sparkman
A late-70s book about con men and manipulators is both a fun (while disquieting) read and a particularly difficult book to find.
Guide to Amazon's Advanced Search for Books
It seems simple enough to search for books on Amazon, doesn't it? But there really is some finesse necessary to navigate millions of books, often listed with unreliable underlying data.
Is There a Single Best Book Buyback Vendor
Who has the time to compare dozens of buyback vendors for a pile of ISBNs when all you want is to be done and have your time and storage freed up? We did the work for you and have a recommendation.
How to Clean Up Collectible Books from a Library
If you collect books online, you are going to end up with some ex-library books. There are some simple steps you can perform to restore and/or preserve the book's value.
Some Truly Odd Paperback Values
Ever see a crummy pulp Sci-Fi paperback for sale over $100? Have a look at a few of these weird ones.
Navigating the Online Book Buying Landscape
Sounds simple, right? You want a book, you buy it on the internet. Options beyond Amazon abound, though, and you need to understand them before you buy.
The Simplest Way to Sell Used Books
Buying and selling used books can be a full-time job. It can even be a standalone business. But if you have a pile of used books you want cash for and you aren't yet ready to change careers, this is the simplest way.
Is Better World Books a Great Bookstore?
Starting in 2003, you'd have already thought the bookstore war had been won. Amazon dominates. Abe, Alibris, Biblio are there for collectors. But BetterWorldBooks has built a truly great online bookstore.
Why Buy Inaccurately Listed Books?
We've all seen it -- the lazy or deliberate mis-lister sticking their trash into the offers for a collectible we've been searching for. But they're not always trash, and they're sometimes even worth buying, although not usually for the asking price.
Beginning to Collect Books with ISBNs Only
Books either have ISBNs or they don't. A simple distinction, but a distinction that has many implications to the beginning book collector or investor.
Identifying Valuable Undercover Books
Undercover valuable books are just what they sound like -- books that can be worth a bundle but often look like thrift store shelf filler. Here we share methods to build up a list of possible-to-find and lucrative-to-sell books.
How to Buy Rare Books for Less and Sell Them for More
The process for getting hold of a rare book is the same process you use to sell it for more -- it is as simple as controlling as much stock as you can.
The Strange World of Overpriced Used Paperbacks
Just because a book doesn't look like much doesn't mean it can't be incredibly valuable. With a little luck you can grab these interesting oddballs for far less than they're worth.
Find a Copy of The Camp of the Saints
The Camp of the Saints is a controversial novel written by French author Jean Raspail. Published in 1973, the book explores themes of immigration, nationalism, and the clash of civilizations.
Buying Thrift Store Books
Whether you're there to pass the time, or just because there are fewer and fewer book stores around, buying thrift store books can be a fun and lucrative pursuit.