The Antique Palette

December 8, 2006

by Natalie Polito

The art of antique book collecting is probably not the most prevalent category in the realm of arts. Indeed, antique book collecting and antiquarianism in general exist under the radar for all but dedicated bibliophiles. Such an art, however, does exist, and there are certainly patrons and clients to fuel its steady presence in society.

Antique books are entities of art in and of themselves. This includes everything from 11th century illuminated manuscripts to humanist translations of the Italian Renaissance to annals of the American Civil War. In fact, according to the American Antiquarian Society, although the cut off date for an “antique” is traditionally somewhere around the 1800s, books that are 100 years old are categorized as “antique.” This of course is subjective, and in the world of antique book collecting, there is a plethora of varying opinions on the subject. And although in theory those who collect antique books should have similar motives for doing so, the sphere of antique book collecting is anything but homogenous.

Commonwealth Books on Boylston is an example of such diversity. The store specializes in both paperbacks and scholarly antique books from most fields of the humanities: language, art, and philosophy, to name a few. The price range for books in the store is between 50 cents and $15,000, and the categories are eclectic. What is so fascinating about the art of antique book collecting is that it appears to be flourishing in spite of its relative invisibility. John Beresford, the manager of the bookstore, sees the art as timeless. His logic makes sense: as long as there are people who read, there will be people who collect books. Even in an era when many choose television over the newspaper, reading books is certainly not a lost activity. And according to Beresford, of the small fraction of people who read, many will eventually develop at least small collections of books in their lifetime. While there was a temporary stagnation in the consumption of antique books with the introduction of the e-novel and the prevalence of online books, once the novelty of the innovation wore off, antique book collecting experienced a resurgence.

Martin Winkle of Bruddenbrooks on Newbury Street, however, actually uses the internet as a medium to facilitate the process of collecting. In addition, Winkle prepares catalogs, exhibit books, and even travels to visit clients to further his book collections. His intimate, pristine shop is an antiquarian’s paradise; the books are in amazing condition, and the genres and editions are varied. Specializing in incunabula, literally books “from the cradle,” Bruddenbrooks is laden with books printed between the inception of the Gutenberg Bible on February 23, 1455 and around 1500. After an experience inside Bruddenbrooks, it is obvious that the art of antique book collecting is not even close to being dead—it’s thriving.

Winkle contends that the internet has not diminished the collection of antique books; in fact, it has facilitated more transactions. The problem, however, is that anyone can sell an antique book on the internet. In terms of price range, there will always be a vendor that will go lower, especially when there are so many sellers independent of a store. The question comes down to rarity—there could be hundreds of early editions of Leaves of Grass on the internet, but when a collector is interested in a truly scarce edition of a work, purveyors like Winkler, with accessible, tangible copies of such books are definitely in demand.
So the question remains: will the art of antique book collecting maintain its steam? It’s hard to say. It is impossible to know whether our generation will continue this traditional art, or if we will continue to want to afford the antiques. Antique book collecting is a true art, but it is also an expensive one.

Nevertheless, because antique books are considered by some to be investments in the same vein as those in a painting or a sculpture, if antique book collecting continues to appreciate in value, the art of collecting is nowhere near its last leg, in spite of an increasingly technological society.