
First printed book in English sold for over £1m - acsillag
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-28344300
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thret
The smell of an old book that hasn't been opened in decades is distinctive and
pleasant, filled with happy memories. So at the risk of sounding creepy, and
as a fan of second hand book stores and old books - I wonder how this book
smells?

I have only looked at really old books through glass, I've never held one.

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tdumitrescu
15th-century paper has a fairly different smell from aged 19th-/20th-century
books; it was generally made from a pressed paste of old rags and clothes
(broken down by boiling). i have no idea how to describe the smell in a way
that distinguishes it from newer 'antiquarian' books, since it's still a musty
smell, a bit like some old drywall and construction materials. that said,
parchment manuscripts from the same period (written on animal skins) have a
very similar smell, so maybe it's more the dust and binding materials than the
paper itself which is the main component.

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tdumitrescu
FYI this is one of 18 known surviving copies of Caxton's translation of the
"Stories of Troy," not a completely unique item...except that every surviving
print or manuscript from this period really is uniquely valuable, taking into
account marginal annotations, bindings, stop-press corrections, etc (which are
often of greater academic interest than just another printed copy of a known
text). It's crazy to think how many scholarly treasures might be sitting
unknown in the private possession of rich collectors, things which could
change academic views significantly were they available for study (for
example, there are so few surviving music manuscripts produced in England in
the later 15th century that any new discovery changes the lay of the land).

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marincounty
If you are interested in buying First Edition books, now seems to be a good
time? I'm not sure why? Most of those prices you see in Price Guides are too
high. Someone told me the younger generations disinterest in First Ed. Books
is generational?(The minimalist generation?) Iv've thought about donating my
library(mostly reference) to a non-profit--Guidestar approved; make sure the
non-profit isn't a scam(hit free preview--look at taxes).

I don't think I will depart with my first editions though, there's just
something special about them?

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ChuckMcM
Wow, I guess unlike 'insuring the contents for flood damage' the contents of
the castle _were_ the insurance for flood damage.

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dasil003
Hopefully they didn't keep any other 500 year old books in the cellars.

