Book collecting guide
So you want to start a book collection - but not sure where to start? We have created a basic guide to starting a collection and understanding the terminology of booksellers. Our guide to book collecting covers many of the basic elements of book collecting from where to find rare and collectible books to caring for your collection. Happy book collecting.
Booksellers have their own language and jargon that they use to describe every possible detail on a book. At first it can be a little intimidating but once you learn the terminology it will help explain every detail of a book including its condition.
Our booksellers are experts in their fields. You will find a vast array of collectible and valuable books on any subject. Look through the directory to find a bookseller specializing in an area that interests you.
AbeBooks is proud to work closely with a number of bookseller associations around the world who are dedicated to upholding high professional bookselling standards.
AbeBooks regularly publishes fascinating features about a huge variety of bookish subjects, including rare books, book collecting, authors, publishers, and interesting characters in literature and notable anniversaries.
In celebration of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America's (ABAA) 75th anniversary, we interview dealers who are breaking the mold and re-defining the art of book collecting.
More collecting guides
Explore a vast library of collecting guides covering topics from valuable cookbooks and rare bibles, to vintage magazines and ephemera.
A book’s format refers to the shape and dimensions of the physical book. Learn more in our guide to book collecting.
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Vintage magazines appeal to people who have a particular interest in old paper, to be sure, but they are also collected for the specific content on and between their covers.
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A pre-first edition is any limited run copy of a book printed before the first standard edition is published. These include advance(d) reader copies (ARCs), galleys, salesman’s editions, proofs and sometimes manuscripts. The importance of these editions varies from collector to collector - some enjoy seeing the evolution of a book from concept to publication while others are only interested in collecting the editions meant for public release.
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Since the first goal of book collecting should be to collect books that you are interested in it shouldn't be much of a surprise that collections will often be built around a specific kind of fiction or non-fiction topic. Even if you do not consider yourself a "book collector" you can probably take a look at your bookshelves and find the beginnings of this kind of collection simply based on your reading tastes.
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One popular theme for collections is books by your favorite author. This could be as simple as finding a single copy of every title published by your beloved writer, or the more specific goal of finding each first edition.
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There are two main points to consider when looking at an illustration. Who created the illustration, and what artistic method did they use to create it?
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