First Editions Of American Authors American History And Genealogy Old And Curious Books Bibliography Etc Etc Together With Some Framed Engravings

Author : Richard Curle
Publisher : Curle Press
ISBN 13 : 1443729329
Total Pages : 348 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (437 download)

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Download or read book Collecting American First Editions - Its Pitfalls and Its Pleasures written by Richard Curle and published by Curle Press. This book was released on 2008-11 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Collecting American first Editions- ITS PITFALLS AND ITS PLEASURES by RICHARD CURLE. This book was originally published in the United States in 1930 and is extensively illustrated with fifty-one illustrations. PREFACE: THIS work is concerned primarily with, first principles. Its aim is not to deal with every book of the authors mentioned, but to clear up moot points, to demolish false theories, to present new discoveries, and in general to suggest sound rules for the collecting of American first editions of the classic period. Tentative and imperfect though it be, I trust it will supply a real need, for the subject is full of obscurities and up to now comparatively little effort has been made to light it up from within. And yet it is only by so doing that the chaos can be dis solved and the collector enabled to steer a path through the maze. By describing methods of publication and by bringing ordinary logic to bear, I have at least tried to simplify the problem and to evolve some sort of synthesis. I do not for a moment suppose that the val idity of all my ideas will be admitted by everyone. That would be too much to expect. But I hope that my facts, which have been care fully checked by several experts, are correct, though as all knowledge is relative and as there is no such thing as finality in bibliography it would be foolish to be over-optimistic. I am well aware that the fable of Sisyphus is painfully applicable to the man who writes about Ameri can first editions. No sooner does he solve a diffi culty, as he supposes, than along comes fresh evidence, down rolls the stone, and he has to start all over again. Yet it is only by experi menting that we advance, and only by arousing opposition that we bring about argument. And bibliographical discussions, unlike political ones, do occasionally end in agreement. It comes to this: that if somebody has always to be standing up to be kicked, I am willing, in a good cause, to be the next victim. The real purpose of these pages is to encour age collecting. But that can best be achieved by giving the collector confidence. And therefore I have endeavored to warn him not alone against the many snares due to the natural intricacy of the books (which, of course, have led to many mistakes about them that are commonly accepted as facts), but against those other snares spread for him by mankind. Needless to say, I do not refer to the honorable craft of book-repairing, to which almost every collector is under a debt. Certainly not. I refer to something quite differ ent the dishonorable craftiness of book-faking, done for the express purpose of deceiving both book-dealer and book-buyer. The rarer American first editions are being tampered with out of all conscience, and unless this be put a stop to they will fall into universal disrepute and people will turn their attention elsewhere. To everybody connected with books this is a matter of grave concern, and there can be only one opinion as to the desirability of stamping out suspicion by stamping out swindling. And the sure way to end swindling is: first, to be able to detect the swindles when you see them and, second, to decline to have anything to do with them when they are detected. In given instances, I admit, one cannot be positively certain, but by working along the lines I have laid down the swindler's position should gradually become more and more untenable.