| A book is a good place to stash personal, valuable, embarrassing stuff. Unless, forgetting all about the stuff, you sell the book to a used book store.
Americans bought 150 million old books last year, reports Ipsos Book Trends. Online used-book sales, Forrester Research predicts, could double and hit $2 billion by 2007. The more books people dump, the more tittle-tattle they pass on to strangers.
Used books often gain value from forgotten paper — paper money, for example; the Strand's staff rakes in lots of that. They haven't yet found a "hell scene with a fish monster," as Cristiana Romelli did two years ago at Sotheby's in London. The original Hieronymus Bosch sketch fell out of a client's old picture album and sold for $276,000. A few years earlier, her colleague Julien Stock found a Michelangelo stuck in a 19th century scrap book. In 2001, that one brought its owner $12 million.
The Strand did buy a $15 doodled-over book of drawings by the Renaissance artist Ucello. The doodler was Salvador Dali. Fred Bass, the Strand's owner, once opened a book titled "The Bill of Rights" to find it was hollowed out. The bottom of the inside was signed, "Boo! Abbie Hoffman." Mr. Bass says he learned later from Mr. Hoffman that he had hidden a tape recorder in there during the Chicago Seven trial.
Modern world books:
In spite of the growth of volumes of book printing in the 15th century, books were issued in limited circulation and were very costly. The necessity of cautious treatment with them was obvious. One of the old references about the usage of bookmarks can be related to 1584, when Royal printer Christopher Barker presented a silk bookmark with a border to Queen Elizabeth I. The thin silk strips become very famous bookmarks in the 18th and 19th centuries, they were fixed on the covering page and the size was bigger than page height. The first removable bookmarks started appearing in 1850, they were usually made of silk or embroidery.
Only in 1880, did paper become very famous. Vapor printing machines were very famous in the beginning of 1800. They could print up to 1100 sheets per hour; however workers could compose no more than 2000 signs per hour.
At the end of the 19th century, monotype and linotype presses were launched. They provided the possibility to compose up to 6000 signs and even entire lines directly.
Many years starting from the 15th century have gone to waste for the improvement of printing machines and the acceptance of word freedom, by gradually reducing the level of censorship. By the middle of the 20th century, the production of books in Europe reached the 200 000 mark of nomenclatures per year.
Storage of books:
In the beginning of the 19th century, paper was produced from cellulose. Novels, school text books and books become accessible to a wide range of readers. However that paper contained acid, which caused a type of slow burning gradually destroying the paper from inside. That’s why modern libraries should take measures for the neutralization of acid in old books. This effect is applicable to the books printed between 1850 and 1950.
During the storage of books, it is necessary to consider the possible chemical changes in the book jacket and text. It is better to store the books away from the direct fall of sunrays, in cool and semi dark premises, at moderate moisture. Neighboring toms for preserving the shape should support books, especially heavy. Due to this reason, it is desirable to sort out the books as per sizes.
The collection of books:
Having a library initially was a privilege of noblemen and rich people, and also monasteries and universities. The spreading of public libraries made the books accessible for a wide mass. Though, as per the prestige issue, some people preferred to have their own library.
The appearance of books in a soft book jacket in the 20th century resulted in a boom of popular literature. Books with a soft book jacket enabled many people to have their own collection. Due to the low price, many books and due to the spreading of bookshops, having a private library was no more a symbol of status in society.
In huge libraries, the searching of books was very laborious. That’s why their cataloging systems started acting – as per subject, name of authors, publishing country etc that simplify the search and sorting.
In house conditions, books are generally stored in bookshelves or in racks. When a small quantity of books is available in a rack, sometimes it is necessary to have holders for preventing shifting.
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