Rare Book Moment 7: What makes a book valuable? Here's what you should know

Welcome back Hope you had a great Christmas. Here we are between Christmas and New Year's Day, and we thought we'd resume our revisits to our Rare Book Moment series we first started producing nine years ago. This particular one was created eight years ago. 

You know, some one once asked why we call this Rare Book Moment because it really isn't just a moment. In a sense, that's true. However, in a larger sense, we're really only here for a moment, aren't we? And we're custodians for some wonderful tomes that span the centuries. So, if you think of it that way, the name Rare Book Moment is perfectly appropriate. 

This time (and next) were probably among our most popular entries ever. People want to know if their book is valuable. In this episode, Mike offers a way to think about that question. Next time we'll be talking about how to build a great collection. We hope you can join us then, too. 

Rare Book Moment 6: 19th century childrens' books – what you ought to know about them

One of Mike Slicker's favorite genres for collecting is children's books from the 19th century, and he shares some details of books from that period in this installment of Rare Book Moment. Lately, we been revisiting videos we made several years ago on a wide variety of topics of interest to collections. This is episode 6 in the series, and it was produced in 2012. We hope you enjoy this video and you find it useful. Please leave a comment to let us know what you think or if you have any questions.

Rare Book Moment 5: How old is that map?

Rare Book Moment 4: Victorian women

One of the fascinating aspects of book collecting is the opportunity to look down through history to a specific time and place and learn much about the inhabitants of the era. In this case, we're taking a look, through several beautiful little volumes, at American women during the Victorian Era. The books shown in this short episode of Rare Book Moment are snapshots that give us a glimpse into what life might have been like for educated women of some means. Please watch the video, and if you have questions, please leave them below.

Rare Book Moment 3: Fine Bindngs

It's probably not surprising that we enjoy revisiting the early videos of our Rare Book Moment series. After all, they're all about old books, right?

So this is the third in our series that we started nine years ago. 

Of course, this video was made in our old store in St. Petersburg. Last time we checked, that old blue bungalow was still there. Across the street these days a new apartment complex has risen from the ground. And Lighthouse Books, ABAA? We're happy in our new home in Dade City, which is about an hour drive north from St. Petersburg. 

We've had people wonder if we had moved to Miami. (We're guessing they were linking Dade County and Dade City.) No, we're in a sweet little town with a lot of history. In fact, Dade City is named for Brevet Major Francis L. Dade, the cavalry officer who led two companies of U.S. Army soldiers in a battle during the Second Seminole War. It became known as the Dade Massacre. A total of 108 soldiers were killed as a result of that battle in December 1835, including Major Dade. 

But this post isn't about the Seminole Wars. We may visit that in another post. Meantime, we're discussing beautiful workmanship on fine bindings. We hope you enjoy this journey back to the early years of Rare Book Moment and we hope you'll look for more episodes soon. 

Please leave comments below or send us an email at lighthousebooksabaa@gmail.com and let us know you're enjoying the series or any questions you'd like answered. Click the image above and you'll see the video. Or follow this link.

 

We're going back in time to revisit our early entries in our Rare Book Moment series

Here's a second installment of our visit to the early episodes of Rare Book Moment, a series we started nine years ago to share knowledge about book collecting. This particular episode has been particularly popular. It explores some of the criteria used to determine an antiquarian book's worth. We thought it would be instructive for first-time collectors who are trying to figure out what book they've come across might be worth. As always, we invite you to let us know if you like the series. You may comment below or send us an email at lighthousebookabaa@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you.

We're revisiting our old video series Rare Book Moment. Tell us if you enjoy it.

Nine years ago, we began a video series called Rare Book Moment. It was meant to provide some insight into the world of antiquarian book collecting. Over the years, we've been told that viewers found the series useful and informative. We're grateful for the loyal following.

Now we're opening up our archives and revisiting the series, one week at a time. Please let us know if you find these useful and if you have any questions.

We're talking old books here, so not much has changed. The books, like the rest of us, have gotten a little older but the principles of collecting have remained much the same. For that reason, we think this series can still be useful to book collectors.

Keen-eyed observers will realize this series is a a place that doesn't look at all like our location in Dade City, Florida, just up the road north from Tampa. That's because when we began this series we were located in a little blue bungalow (1920s vintage) located in the Methodist Town neighborhood of St. Petersburg. It was on First Avenue North, and it was our home for about four decades.

Now we're located on Fifth Street in Dade City, a charming little town about an hour drive from where we were in St. Petersburg. We love it here, and we encourage our St. Petrsburg friends to take a little roadtrip and visit us in Dade City, which, if you're familiar with Florida history, you'll know is named for Major Francis Dade, a U.S. Army officer who unknowingly led his troops into a massacre during the Second Seminole War.

You can see some of the new store in videos we have started posting on Facebook and YouTube. In the meantime, get ready to go back with us to the first insallments of Rare Book Moment.

Murder & Mystery Sale: Find a whodunit at Lighthouse Books and then find out whodunit

Some of the best crime writers in the business are gracing our shelves (and our floors). We have a plethora of finely written mysteries in excellent condition and we just wanted to share.

That’s why we’re having our Murder & Mystery Sale at such terrific prices (just $4 for most copies; a little more for some signed copies that would be first-rate additions to any crime fiction fan’s collection.)

You can see from the video just what an excellent collection we have. Most are Florida-based writers (we like that), though not all have Florida settings for what they write. No matter. They’re still fun reads. Here's a partial list: Randy Wayne White, Patricia Cornwell, John Sandford, Michael Connelly, Robert B. Parker, James Patterson, Stuart Woods, J.D. Robb, Carl Hiaasen, Jack Higgins, Sue Grafton, James W. Hall, Lee Child.

So come in soon and find out whodunit.

Thank you to everyone who came out to our Open House at our new home in Dade City

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO A SLIDESHOW

We had a grand time on Saturday, January 18, as we celebrated moving into our new shop in Dade City. It was a beautiful day and we're so thankful for all our friends who turned out for the event. Thank you especially to the Dade City Chamber of Commerce for arranging a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the occasion. It was quite the festive event.

In the slideshow above, you can get a glimpse of some of what was going on that day. We're grateful for the treasure hunters, the folks who come in looking for a hidden treasure among the stacks – and finding them. You'll see photos of some of them here. It was gratifying to see so many old friends, some of whom we hadn't seen for quite awhile, and so many new friends who came and celebrated with us. In the slideshow below, you'll find a lot of hugging going on. We admit it. We're huggers, and we were just so pleased to see so many of our friends at our Open House.

We're so happy in our new roomy shop. Countless visitors remarked on how open it is compared with our cramped little blue house we were in for so many decades in St. Petersburg. To be sure, we enjoyed our time in St. Petersburg, and we're grateful that so many of our friends from St. Petersburg and Tampa have made the short journey north to our new little burg.

One thing they've discovered is that aside from the roominess of our new location, things are pretty much the same when it comes to what we have in the store. If anything, we can just see more of what we've always had. The same subject areas that our friends have come to know and love over the years are still here. We have a fine Florida section, as you might expect. We have lots of Americana from all over the country. Aviation enthusiasts know we have an extensive aviation collection. Natural history abounds. Our children's section has a lot of very special material. Of course, there's literature, and there's maps and there's military. Civil war? You bet. And so much more.

So longtime fans of Lighthouse Books need not worry that their favorite subjects have been overlooked in our move to new facilities. We still have what we've always had –– an extensive collection of used and collectible books certain to please any book lover. Plus maps, prints, photographs, and ephemera.

So, if you came out for our Open House, thank you for doing so. If you haven't had a chance yet to visit our new location, please do. We'd love to see you. Before you make the trip, though, be aware that our hours have changed. We're open Wednesday through Sunday, Closed Monday and Tuesday. Most days we're open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Sundays it's noon to 4 p.m. If you haven't discovered it before, Dade City is a delightful town, with interesting shops and restaurants. It is a place worthy of your time to explore it. See you soon.

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO A SLIDESHOW

A quick peek inside our new home

We're looking forward to seeing you in our new home. We have all the same kinds of book, maps, prints, and ephemers that we've always had. We just have more room now.

So, this is happening and we want you to come and join the celebration in Dade City