Bibliomania
Articles, bibliographies, and resources for book lovers and collectors. I wrote these articles some 25 years ago for my book reference site Littera Scripta. I dusted them off recently and did some minimal updating. I was surprised to see how well they've held up. But additions and corrections are always welcome.
For Buyers & Collectors
- How to Describe Book Condition — condition grades, terminology, and what bookseller descriptions really mean
- Buying Used Books Online — how to shop with confidence, spot trouble before it happens, and resolve problems if they do
- How Much Is My Book Worth? — the three factors that determine a book's value, and how to research it yourself
- Cleaning Books — practical techniques for cleaning dust jackets, bindings, and pages, and dealing with musty odour
- How to Identify a First Edition — book club editions, reprints, number lines, and the essential reference books
Author Bibliographies
- Robertson Davies: A Bibliography — first and notable editions of the works of Robertson Davies (1913–1995). Work in progress.
- Margaret Laurence: A Bibliography — first and notable editions of the works of Margaret Laurence (1926–1987). Work in progress.
Reference Lists
- Canadiana — price guides, bibliographies, and collectors' guides for Canadian books
- Americana — price guides, bibliographies, and collectors' guides for American books
- History — price guides and bibliographies for collectible history
- Fiction — price guides and bibliographies for collectible fiction, including modern firsts
- Non-Fiction — a broad list covering many non-fiction specialities
- Children's Books — price guides and bibliographies for children's book collectors
- Cookbooks — price guides and bibliographies for cookbook collectors
- Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror — price guides and bibliographies for genre collectors
Curiosities
- Curses on Book Thieves — deliciously awful imprecations lettered into manuscripts to deter theft.
- Literary Quotations — a purely arbitrary collection of quotations on literature and the writing life.
More articles coming. This section is being rebuilt from the original Littera Scripta archive.