Investing In Rare Books

As a lover of books, and an avid collector of tomes both old and new, I came across this interesting article which appeared in The National on investing in those gems from the past and, sometimes, our not so distant present.

It is the stories behind the stories that really appeal. The tantalising inscriptions, long-forgotten messages and illegible scribbles.

”Books are a physical touchstone to the past,” says Margaret Ford, the international head of the books department at Christie’s. “And something that makes it personal, like a signed copy - that association is extremely special. Just knowing that book was actually in that author’s hands at some point in time, or knowing that I’m holding something that Churchill once held. Or owning an early edition of Virgil from 1470 - something that is more than 500 years old - and being able to hold that in your hands.”

There is nothing better than rummaging through a book sale or book store to find that old dusty gem that you want for your own personal library.  There are many such tomes on my over-stacked shelves - many well read, many unread, but all treated with love and care.  To say that the age of the book has long been overtaken but its digital cousin is a fallacy - books will always remain with us - especially when the world is still full of us bookworms who are also insatiable collectors.