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A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANTIQUE BOOKS and OLD BOOKS? You Decide...
Antique books were defined as pre 1800 until some collectors began describing antique books as those over 100 years old. Now that the interest of many collectors has turned to modern first editions - which are not necessarily that old or
rare - the definition of antique books has become "more blurred."
In the past, collecting of antique books has been a relatively small field, designed for the wealthy, with collectors of antique books often more financially capable than knowledgeable. The dealers often supplied the antique books to collectors, as well as collecting advice. Generally, it seemed cost was not an issue and the antique books were often given to institutions or were resold. Past collecting of antique books was more about prestige than about economics.
As collectors of antique books became more knowledgeable their interest in the details increased, causing an increase in prices. What many collectors had considered a hobby eventually developed into a viable intellectual search. Each year book prices began to rise, fueled by a rather controlled scarcity in which dealers would withhold copies of titles, thus creating a demand.
After the introduction of the Internet in the 1990's, a new horizon was available to collectors of antique books for displaying and selling their material. It is estimated that there are seventy-five times as many books for sale on the web, as there are owned by all the major dealers in the world. The broad exposure of the Internet has allowed collectors not only the opportunity to easily access resources around the world, but to resell antiques attractive prices.
See this page for more on These
Books.
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