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When we became involved in the book business thirty-five years ago, we would visit book dealers, book shows, and bookstores from one end of this country to the other. We often traveled to Europe asking book dealers if they had any leather bound books. Most of the dealers and shop owners we
dealt with in those days were mortified with our query. Some even seemed insulted by our questions. A typical reply from very perturbed book dealers would go something like this, “Sir, we do not have leather books per
se. We do not deal in just leather books, for what we are interested in is the content of the books, not the type of covering or binding …. ” This kind of reaction underscores what we encountered for many years. Our feeling,
and the feeling of very few others at that time, was
that the leather bindings of many of these books would
be worth far more than the actual content of the books.
To most, this was simply a bibliophile kind of heresy!
Since our early days of buying books and fine bindings,
we have seen this field of collecting leather bindings
simply explode with interest, and with this interest
the reality of “supply and demand” emerges. As more
people became interested and involved in collecting
these fine leather books, fewer fine leather bindings
were available. As a result, in the past several decades in
particular, a field all of its own emerged – the field of
antique leather bindings. The past twenty-five years
have seen antique leather books change from simply
things of beauty to one of the hottest antique collectibles.
This has created significant value and return
for those who have invested in fine antique leather
bindings. Collecting them has indeed become a business
all its own within the vast book trade. This article is
primarily written to address the investment value of
leather-bound antiquarian books.
In the past, collectors traditionally placed a premium
on specific types of books such as first editions,
signed books, illuminated manuscripts, and the like.
These types of specialties were, and are still, highly
sought after. There has always been keen interest in
extraordinary fine bindings, particularly well-preserved
examples of a master binder’s work. Those items still
command premium prices, in most cases more than
ever before. What is different is that regular antique
leather bindings and sets have also become extremely
desirable and rare. Books, that just ten or fifteen years
ago could be purchased for little or nothing, have now
seen an unprecedented rise in popularity and value.
Again, it’s the old story of supply and demand. No
one doubts or questions the beauty of antique leather
bindings. One merely has to walk into a room where
the bookshelves are aglow with the beauty of fine calf
and Moroccan leather bindings, and the warmth of the
room simply embraces you. Even when one walks into a
room and there is simply a grouping of leather books,
less than a shelf full, your eye is automatically drawn to
“the look” of the fine leather bindings. To pick up a
book and to feel the supple leather and examine the
fine artistry and craftsmanship is a wonderful experience
in and of itself.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, feugiat delicata liberavisse id cum, no quo maiorum intellegebat, liber regione eu sit. Mea cu case ludus integre, vide viderer eleifend ex mea. His at soluta regione diceret, cum et atqui placerat petentium. Per amet nonumy periculis ei. Deleniti apeirian temporibus eam cu, ad mea ipsum sadipscing, sed ex assum omnium contentiones. Nobis suavitate moderatius has eu, epicuri ancillae pericula ei nam, ferri ipsum quaeque est ea. Ex omnis menandri conceptam his.Ferri reque integre mea ut, eu eos vide errem noluisse. Putent laoreet et ius. Vel utroque dissentias ut, nam ad soleat alterum maluisset, cu est copiosae intellegat inciderint.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, feugiat delicata liberavisse id cum, no quo maiorum intellegebat, liber regione eu sit. Mea cu case ludus integre, vide viderer eleifend ex mea. His at soluta regione diceret, cum et atqui placerat petentium. Per amet nonumy periculis ei. Deleniti apeirian temporibus eam cu, ad mea ipsum sadipscing, sed ex assum omnium contentiones. Nobis suavitate moderatius has eu, epicuri ancillae pericula ei nam, ferri ipsum quaeque est ea. Ex omnis menandri conceptam his.Ferri reque integre mea ut, eu eos vide errem noluisse. Putent laoreet et ius. Vel utroque dissentias ut, nam ad soleat alterum maluisset, cu est copiosae intellegat inciderint.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, feugiat delicata liberavisse id cum, no quo maiorum intellegebat, liber regione eu sit. Mea cu case ludus integre, vide viderer eleifend ex mea. His at soluta regione diceret, cum et atqui placerat petentium. Per amet nonumy periculis ei. Deleniti apeirian temporibus eam cu, ad mea ipsum sadipscing, sed ex assum omnium contentiones. Nobis suavitate moderatius has eu, epicuri ancillae pericula ei nam, ferri ipsum quaeque est ea. Ex omnis menandri conceptam his.Ferri reque integre mea ut, eu eos vide errem noluisse. Putent laoreet et ius. Vel utroque dissentias ut, nam ad soleat alterum maluisset, cu est copiosae intellegat inciderint.