Book Collecting Now: The Value of Print in a Digital Age

Matthew Budman

Print is back—and so is book collecting. As more people ditch their e-readers in favor of traditional paper, ink, and glue, a new generation of collectors—particularly young women—are reinvigorating the world’s greatest pastime. “Book Collecting Now” is more than a new guide to an old hobby—it aims to bring in people who are fond of reading but have never considered beginning a personal library, as well as novice and intermediate collectors. Illustrated with 100+ photos, the book offers a framework to think about collecting, along with all the practical information necessary to get started and go further.

And this is exactly the right time to focus on books. Especially now that so many of us spend our days in sterile, digital, seamless environments, we need more life in our lives. Books—as much as any objects can—forge an immediate connection to real people, real lives, real emotions, real ideas, real imagination. In the same recognizable form for the last five centuries, they are a link to history, as well as a way to make an aesthetic and intellectual statement about your interests and values.

It’s absolutely true that, as is written so often about books and book collecting, the internet has changed everything. But collecting is a centuries-old hobby, and most of the basic principles remain constant even if more people are browsing volumes online than in quaint little bookshops. It’s only the details that have changed—and those details are what “Book Collecting Now” aims to help readers navigate.

Read More