Blackwell's Rare Books

[seaJane]

 

Just to let you know that Blackwell's Rare Books has a list out on The Great War: https://blackwells.co.uk/rarebooks/catalogues/WW1.pdf.

 

It is quite an interesting read even if you don't feel rich enough to buy (I have asked for no.33).

 

@keithmrobertsthere are a couple of Salonika mentions.

 

sJ

 

[kenf48]

2 hours ago, seaJane said:

 

 

It is quite an interesting read even if you don't feel rich enough to buy (I have asked for no.33).

 

 

 

Excellent choice!

 

No 28 raised a smile,  reminded me of my role as an ugly sister in a similar production of Cinderella, I was not as glamorous as Cpl Dillon, who seemingly had a good war.

 

Thanks for posting some fascinating stuff.

[seaJane]

13 minutes ago, kenf48 said:

Cpl Dillon

He wears it well, doesn't he?

 

My contact at BRB is as late a bird as I am and has told me that the Kipling is mine. 🙂

[Dust Jacket Collector]

Thanks SeaJane, I’d not seen that. Some rather optimistic pricing in there. The Gurney letter would be nice if they’d move the decimal point back a couple of places!

[barkalotloudly]

yes a little optimistic pricing ! 

[Dave G]

Interesting information about the glassine dustjacket on Manning's Her Privates We. Printed flaps on the glassine, a bit unusual. 

[Guest]

Alas, not good news for Woof and DJC-  the appearance of odd catalogues on the Great War by the likes of Blackwells  with stratospheric prices usually indicates a couple of new heavy-hitters in the market.   Thus- the Royal Engineers may have to be called to unclench your hands to liberate a few extra bawbies if the price level is going to rise.

  The Gurney letter does not seem overpriced for the English Literature market.  The coloured French plate "En Avant" is stunning- I have not seemed this reproduced before, while the Salonika "small" archive, is, in effect, £1000 for one letter-unless the prices of Great War dried snakeskins has appreciated more than I thought.

[Dust Jacket Collector]

I suppose what concerns me most are the prices being asked for very minor works. Junger’s ‘Storm of Steel’ at £2500 is pretty steep but not unusual and it’s an important book but stuff like ‘Youth before the Flood’, ‘Cousins German’ & ‘The Last Million’ at up to £750 is just silly. Quality always sells as they say on Flog It but so it seems does any old tat.

[keithmroberts]

I remember looking at their then list on a visit at a brief inter lockdown visit, and deciding that their stock  was way too rich for me.

 

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, keithmroberts said:

and deciding that their stock  was way too rich for me.

 

     A feeling I have when entering Lidl.

 

Let's face it,folks- there are very wealthy people out there-and if a few of them choose to collect Great War stuff, then the rest of us had better wait for a Naval and Military Press sale 

 

(and on a conspiracy note-  do N&M sales ever take place at the same time as DFS?  Are they one and the same? )

[barkalotloudly]

some will, some wont, so what, ! it would appear from some of the "best offers " you can get  it would  seem  times are tight for many booksellers ! i am always interested in the fact that books i consider to be overpriced are still for sale months/years later i shall watch this list with interest to see the final outcome 

[Resurgam13]

"I remember the day well - it was the day N&M weren't having a sale"

[Dust Jacket Collector]

I suspect some of the more expensive books are just passed around between dealers. A ‘Storm of Steel’ has been in a leading dealers list for years, has recently disappeared, and now there’s one here. I wonder!

Many years ago I regularly attended the big ABA fair in Piccadilly & used to see a copy of Greene’s ‘Brighton Rock’ which over the years passed from one dealer to another. It started at £25,000 & finally reached £60,000 and then disappeared. No criticism intended, just fascinated by how the trade works. I certainly couldn’t exist without them.

[Guest]

34 minutes ago, Dust Jacket Collector said:

I suspect some of the more expensive books are just passed around between dealers. A ‘Storm of Steel’ has been in a leading dealers list for years, has recently disappeared, and now there’s one here. I wonder!

Many years ago I regularly attended the big ABA fair in Piccadilly & used to see a copy of Greene’s ‘Brighton Rock’ which over the years passed from one dealer to another. It started at £25,000 & finally reached £60,000 and then disappeared. No criticism intended, just fascinated by how the trade works. I certainly couldn’t exist without them.

 

    Yes- bibliophilic incest is certainly rife.  Watching "superb rarities" do the rounds is quite entertaining.- the last one I noticed was the little regimental newspaper done in Africa and ex-Bath Reference Library-  Certainly went through Frew and Maggs. 

    There did seem to be a little soupcon of information missing from the lengthy and elegant write-up of the Gurney letter............  Whats the word I am looking for?  Ah, that's it- Provenance.  Another little treat from time to time is watching known forgeries do the rounds- if all else fails, then auctioneers are curiously blind to such things.

[David Filsell]

Interesting, but these really are ouch prices.