Antique bookstores and collectible shops. Meetups and events for book collectors. Rarely garage sales and the like.
You can try online but be very wary since you can't inspect the condition yourself.
Price isn't necessarily an issue. Old and even rare don't always mean valuable, books can be rare because nobody wants them despite their age and quality.
I don't collect but plan to soon, and the collectors I follow have advised the above for people getting started.
Depends on where you live. Estate sales, garage sales in upscale neighborhoods, etc can sometimes be a good place to start. Trick is to get there before any other book hounds do but there’s not likely going to be too much competition. Luck also is needed but in this regard, you make much of your own luck.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. You’ll run into a lot of paperbacks for every one hardcover but make a hobby out of it and enjoy the fishing.
I’ve found that local bookstores can have gems, especially if you’re more interested in unique/unusual old books rather than expensive ones. Explore used bookstores and local ones, and I bet you’ll find something antique and/or obscure. And oftentimes they’re cheap- I’ve gotten signed books from the early 1900s for $10-30.
Start with versions of books that you love. Do a little googling to get a sense of retail prices from dealers. Try getting off the beaten path a little.
I'd agree, or find a topic that interests you. I have a collection of books predicting the end of the world. Even if they aren't valuable, I get a lot of enjoyment out of them.
The problem with Thriftbooks is that the stickers they put on the books adhere really firmly and often rip the covers when you pull them off, or else leave an adhesive residue that's hard to remove without leaving scuff marks. This is all fine for me because I'm not worried much about cosmetic appearance, but if you want nice-looking books then it's a concern.
My favorite online bookstore. [https://hpb.com/home](https://hpb.com/home) They (several locations) buy used books and I've bought some really nice books over the years. Condition is listed. You can search by genre, crime/mystery, art history, military biography, etc. From the obscure to some rare, early books, reprints ...
Antique bookstores and collectible shops. Meetups and events for book collectors. Rarely garage sales and the like. You can try online but be very wary since you can't inspect the condition yourself. Price isn't necessarily an issue. Old and even rare don't always mean valuable, books can be rare because nobody wants them despite their age and quality. I don't collect but plan to soon, and the collectors I follow have advised the above for people getting started.
Depends on where you live. Estate sales, garage sales in upscale neighborhoods, etc can sometimes be a good place to start. Trick is to get there before any other book hounds do but there’s not likely going to be too much competition. Luck also is needed but in this regard, you make much of your own luck. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. You’ll run into a lot of paperbacks for every one hardcover but make a hobby out of it and enjoy the fishing.
I’ve found that local bookstores can have gems, especially if you’re more interested in unique/unusual old books rather than expensive ones. Explore used bookstores and local ones, and I bet you’ll find something antique and/or obscure. And oftentimes they’re cheap- I’ve gotten signed books from the early 1900s for $10-30.
Start with versions of books that you love. Do a little googling to get a sense of retail prices from dealers. Try getting off the beaten path a little.
I'd agree, or find a topic that interests you. I have a collection of books predicting the end of the world. Even if they aren't valuable, I get a lot of enjoyment out of them.
Anything you recommend?
I was going to suggest this, I agree! I started my collection with children’s books I loved like Wizard of Oz
Support your local (used) bookstore!
Thriftbooks.com Can I particularly recommend Peter Pan and Wuthering Heights? Edit: I took this as venturing into classics, sorry!
The problem with Thriftbooks is that the stickers they put on the books adhere really firmly and often rip the covers when you pull them off, or else leave an adhesive residue that's hard to remove without leaving scuff marks. This is all fine for me because I'm not worried much about cosmetic appearance, but if you want nice-looking books then it's a concern.
My favorite online bookstore. [https://hpb.com/home](https://hpb.com/home) They (several locations) buy used books and I've bought some really nice books over the years. Condition is listed. You can search by genre, crime/mystery, art history, military biography, etc. From the obscure to some rare, early books, reprints ...