About this Item
First Edition, First Printing. Published November 1927. Octavo. In the publisher?s original light brown cloth, gilt-titled on spine and upper board, with gilt vignette of an auctioneer?s mallet to the front cover. Top edge gilt; thick deckled paper throughout. Frontispiece plate depicting a facsimile leaf from the Gutenberg Bible (Ten Commandments), with blank verso. Text clean and unmarked; binding sound. Previous owner?s signature bookplate affixed to front pastedown. A very well-preserved copy of this foundational work in the literature of book collecting.
Illustrated throughout, containing 78 illustrations and line drawings of notable bookmen, bindings, book arts, and shop interiors; additionally illustrated with 40 photographic plates and 38 facsimiles, accompanied by an 11-page index.
Contents include essays such as Talking of Old Books, A Million Dollar Bookshelf, Sold to Dr. R!, Some Literary Forgeries, Among the Manuscripts, American Children?s Books, Old Bibles, Why America Buys England?s Books, and The Collector?s Best Bet.
Collector?s Note:
A.S.W. Rosenbach was the most influential antiquarian bookseller of the early twentieth century, instrumental in shaping the modern rare-book market and responsible for placing some of the world?s greatest books?including multiple Gutenberg Bibles and Shakespeare First Folios?into institutional and private collections. Books and Bidders offers Rosenbach?s firsthand account of landmark auctions, great collectors, and the inner mechanics of the international book trade during its formative golden age. Both memoir and market history, the work stands as a foundational text for bibliophiles, booksellers, and institutional collectors alike.
First editions are especially sought after for their proximity to Rosenbach?s active career and for preserving his voice at the height of his influence, making this volume not merely a book about collecting, but a primary document of the discipline itself.
Additional photos available upon request and gladly. Book will be carefully wrapped in bubble wrap and boxed for safe shipping. We ship internationally. [Attributes: First Edition; First Printing; Hard Cover] Pagination:
[xiv], 299, [1], [1], [12] pp. index (pp. 300?311); with front free endpaper, half-title, frontispiece (Gutenberg Bible leaf facsimile) with facing blank, title page, copyright, dedication, foreword, contents, and list of illustrations; two terminal blanks preceding rear board.
Seller Inventory # 2024WSWR34F
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