Hi everyone,
I'm a final year degree student and for one of my final major projects I am setting up a website for the purchase of rare and collectable children's books. This mostly comes from my love of Enid Blyton books as a child, especially Secret Seven, Amelia Jane and the Magic Faraway Tree, which no-one else I know seems to have read!
I'm finding it hard to get started as there is such a wealth of information I'm just getting lost in it, so the best thing to do is to talk to people who are passionate about the books and identify the most important elements.
I'd greatly appreciate any help, advice or inspiration anyone can give me about any aspect of Enid Blyton or children's literature in general. One question I would love to know your opinion on is whether a site where you can buy books directly, or one which acts as a middleman, connecting you directly to an external seller after placing a request for a particular book would be better.
I know that people who love old books usually love old book shops and spending hours there, but I am aiming to cater for people who don't get the opportunity to do that and have no time to search for hours, but still love the thrill of finding a childhood memory in beautiful condition, or people who are unsure of where to source great books.
Sorry, this has turned out to be a really long post! But hopefully some of you are still reading and will be able to help me out! Also, the names of any particularly good sellers of rare children's books would be much appreciated.
Thanks so much,
Katy
Please read, help needed!!
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HeatherS
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Hi, Katy.
I can give you a little bit of information, perhaps others could contribute more.
ABE Books is a website that is like a "middle man", and is probably the most popular of its kind for rare and collectible books. However, plenty of bookshops have their own websites as well. Ebay is a particular favourite for collectors, as bargains can quite often be found there (plus the bidding aspect of it can be quite a buzz!).
Both sites are very popular among collectors, and both do their jobs well. Books listed on ABE are often overpriced though, which is why a lot of collectors prefer trying their luck on ebay.
Collectors prefer to have as much information about the condition of a book as possible, including whether it has been price-clipped, if there are inscriptions, and the amount of age spotting the book has. Listings often don't include this information. A photograph or scan of the book also makes a huge difference, which is something ABE falls down on - most listings don't include photos. I'm not sure why - perhaps they charge the seller a lot for having the photo attached to the listing. On ebay you'll notice books with photos generally go for more than a similar book without one.
I don't know what else to really tell you. If you have other specific questions, please feel free to ask.
I can give you a little bit of information, perhaps others could contribute more.
ABE Books is a website that is like a "middle man", and is probably the most popular of its kind for rare and collectible books. However, plenty of bookshops have their own websites as well. Ebay is a particular favourite for collectors, as bargains can quite often be found there (plus the bidding aspect of it can be quite a buzz!).
Both sites are very popular among collectors, and both do their jobs well. Books listed on ABE are often overpriced though, which is why a lot of collectors prefer trying their luck on ebay.
Collectors prefer to have as much information about the condition of a book as possible, including whether it has been price-clipped, if there are inscriptions, and the amount of age spotting the book has. Listings often don't include this information. A photograph or scan of the book also makes a huge difference, which is something ABE falls down on - most listings don't include photos. I'm not sure why - perhaps they charge the seller a lot for having the photo attached to the listing. On ebay you'll notice books with photos generally go for more than a similar book without one.
I don't know what else to really tell you. If you have other specific questions, please feel free to ask.
Heather
"Have you held your breath in wonder, at the sky so dark and deep?" - Enid Blyton
http://www.heathersblytonpages.com/
"Have you held your breath in wonder, at the sky so dark and deep?" - Enid Blyton
http://www.heathersblytonpages.com/
That's brilliant, thank you so much!
I'm off to the V&A archives tomorrow so I should be a bit more focused with some more specific questions, but that has given me some more avenues to explore. Once I start on a trail of research all will become clear, so any thoughts and tips are appreciated. Katy
I'm off to the V&A archives tomorrow so I should be a bit more focused with some more specific questions, but that has given me some more avenues to explore. Once I start on a trail of research all will become clear, so any thoughts and tips are appreciated. Katy