Book Collecting
“Collection: the process of collecting, an accumulation of objects gathered for study, comparison, or exhibition or as a hobby.” - Websters’ Dictionary
I like to think of book collecting as a type of art form. Diligently researching, and carefully curating books that are both rich and pleasing to the mind and eye. Whoever said, “don’t judge a book by it cover” is a Dodo bird. Who doesn’t like seeing beauty? Beauty, in general, brings a sense of calmness and serenity. Here are my tips and suggestions on book collecting.
Tip #1
Define Your Genres
Perhaps you don’t even know what you like to read anymore, but your past love of books is beckoning you once more to get back into reading and also start collecting. The first step in discovering what you enjoy is very important. I would highly recommend checking out a book from the library first and trying out different genres to rediscover your reading style. You don’t want to end up wasting a lot of money and getting discouraged once you start the book collecting process. Use your local library! It's there for you and it's free!
Tip #2
Research
This is a habit I have had to train myself in. Researching didn’t come naturally to me, but then I met my husband and he inadvertently taught me how to wait and gather as much information as I can before making a decision. This has helped me a lot in different areas of my life. When I get excited about something I normally want to jump in head first, but that’s not always a good thing. As it applies to books, one way you could research is to go to a bookstore and collect different editions of one specific book. Compare page quality, text legibility, cover design, etc., making note of the differences and similarities between the editions. Good job taking the first step by reading this post because that counts as research too!
Tip #3
Book Editions
This is a subcategory of your research. Go on YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram—wherever you find inspiration—and look at which book editions people are collecting. One of my favorite things to watch on YouTube are home library tours. Not only are they fun to watch but you begin to see common threads throughout different channels. For each genre, there are usually particular publishing companies you will gravitate toward. For example, if you love to read classic literature and really enjoy the look of a book but want to have more context and notes within the book, I would suggest Penguin Black Spine Classics. They have extensive notes, afterwords, mini bios on the author, etc. Defining which book editions you want to collect is really important because there are so many out there. Try not to be overwhelmed with this process. You might not even know what you would be interested in until you try. Take it slow, one book at a time.
Tip #4
Budget
We all need a budget, especially nowadays. If you get excited like I do and want to run out to the bookstore and start your book hunt immediately, take a minute to go over your monthly budget. Ask yourself some questions like: How much am I wanting to spend each month or per week on books? Can I afford the book edition I am wanting to start collecting? How much would I need to save to purchase a particular book? How many books can I get for “x” amount of money? Have fun with this process and take your time. One mistake I made when starting on this book collection journey is that I didn’t read the book before buying it. I think we all do this to some extent, BUT let’s say you are going to collect all of Jane Austen’s works in all the editions you can find. I would highly recommend narrowing this goal down to either your favorite Jane Austen title and start collecting OR treating yourself to a special edition every time you read one of her novels or specific novel. This will help you not only accomplish reading goals, but save you some money as well.
Tip #5
Bargains & Deals
When you start book hunting as I like to call it, try secondhand shopping first. You would be surprised with what you find. Some of my go-to places to shop in person are Half Price Books and local thrift stores. These store are nationwide which is awesome so even when I go out town, I can always find one of these stores. When looking online my go-to’s are Thriftbooks and BookOutlet. I prefer Thriftbooks to the latter because they have way more selection of titles that I am looking for, but BookOutlet usually has better prices. I try my best not to pay full price, but sometimes when you are wanting a specific collection you pay the price and that’s okay too! Even if you can get a few of the books secondhand and then pay full price for the rest I still think that’s a win.
Here are some websites that have amazing deals for book hunting.
Blackwell
https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/home
World of Books
Better World Books
https://www.betterworldbooks.com/
Thriftbooks
Pangobooks
Tip #6
Have Fun!
I know so cliché but it’s true! You are not in a race to finish your collection. I’m preaching to myself too here! Try to enjoy the hunt of finding unique collections—even better when you go with a friend!
I hope you have found some ideas to use in this post. Let me know in the comments what your favorite book is and what your favorite book cover edition(s) are. Until next time!
Happy reading!