Rare Books And Collectibles—

Treasures To Be Found At Book Sale

By Nancy K. Crevier

When book sale volunteers finish the initial sorting of donated books, there is always a special pile set aside for John Renjilian to appraise. Mr Renjilian has been evaluating the worth of rare and collectible books for the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library Book Sale for nearly all of the sale’s 32-year history.

“There are always a few gems donated to the library book sale,” said John Renjilian; and while donations of rare and collectible books this year are not quite as numerous as past years, book collectors will still have plenty of volumes to sort through.

What make a book rare and collectible is based on quantity, Mr Renjilian explained, as well as how many people want it. How many copies of a book were originally printed and how many remain in circulation affect the value. Using his years of expertise and the assistance of online services, he is able to fairly price the books that come to the library.

Fifty-one volumes of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion will pique the interest of someone, he is sure, as will a Burlington Fine Arts Club book, Exhibition of Chased an Embossed Steel and Iron Work of European Origin. The Exhibition book, published in 1900, is in very good condition and contains 70 full-page photographic plates. The Wood Collection, Volume I, holds actual wood samples within the pages, and will perhaps appeal to the curious woodworker, he said.

The title of the most mysterious book donated this year is Greek to him — literally and figuratively. “The art book seems to be about the life of artist Spyros Vassilou,” Mr Renjilian. What he finds intriguing are the numerous autographs in various languages that fill the inside cover of the book. “Nobody knows anything about this book,” he said. “We have no idea if these are the autographs of other famous artists, friends, or who it could be.”

A fairly famous book considered to be an early science treatise, said Mr Renjilian, is the four-volume set of the Studies of Nature by James Henry Bernardin De Saint Pierre, and the library has been fortunate to have the set donated to them this year. “This book remained an important book for quite awhile,” he said. The 1801 fourth edition set has a number of botanical plates and folding plates, which may have been drawn by the author, he said.

“In terms of strict rarity, probably the most rare book we have this year is one of all the laws passed at the very first session of the Territory of Colorado,” said Mr Renjilian. The 1861 book is in worn condition, but still very valuable, according to Mr Renjilian. “Anytime you find things done in the first days of a place, it’s good,” he said. “Especially in the American West, these things seemed to disappear.”

The second and third sessions are included in the book, as well, justifying the $900 price tag.

Of other interest to book lovers is a copy of The Decisive Moment by Henri Cartier Bresson. Stamped “In France” at the foot of the copyright notice, the book is in very good condition with only a bit of darkening on the spine and minor chipping. Harlem On My Mind, Schoener, editor, is in the rare book collection. This book includes a form letter from Thomas Hoving, former director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and author of the preface, apologizing for the “error in judgment” for including the controversial essay by the then-17-year-old Candice Van Ellison; also offered this year is the Life of Captain Nathan Hale, by I.W. Stuart. The 1856 publication contains eight lithographs by E.B. and E.C. Kellogg.

It turns out you can actually judge a book by its cover, and Mr Renjilian said that the book sale will not be a disappointment for those who cherish decorative book covers.

Prices for books in the rare book section range from $4 to several hundred dollars. “We will probably sell at least half of these books in the first day. By the end of the third day, half-price day, I would guess that nearly 80 percent of the rare and collectible books will have been sold,” Mr Renjilian said. Truly rare books that do not sell by the end of the third sale day will go back into the regular stock for next year, or will be sold at book fairs for the library by Mr Renjilian later in the year.

The Friends of the C.H. Booth Library Annual Book Sale takes place this year from Saturday, June 30, to Wednesday, July 4, at Reed Intermediate School, Trades Lane, Newtown. The book sale runs from 9 am to 5 pm each day, with an entrance charge of $10 from 9 am to noon and $5 from noon to 5 pm on June 30 only. July 2 is half-price day; July 3 is $5 a bag day; and the final day is free day.