Calix Books - About Books!: April 2022

*Friday*	April 15, 2022			*Issue 1*
Book Collecting
	*SOME BOOK MARKET NEWS*


While the dust jacket has some obvious damage, the signature of John Le Carre on this first edition for the Le Carre collector is a great find. A duplicate of higher quality can always be purchased later. Many book collectors have several copies of the same edition, signed. A great way to collect your favorite author is by using the First Edition, Signed (not personalized, unless it’s a famous person), First Issue and collect multiple copies. The number one absolute rule is preservation of the pristine dust jacket. Any damage, even the slightest nick, brings the price down, sometimes appreciably, and alarmingly to the collector. Another rule is don’t buy the books except from a book dealer. All book dealers rely on reputation. So when a bookdealer sells you a signed first edition, first issue in a pristine dust jacket, you can bank on it. Other sites and sellers of first edition, signed books on any of the number of sites, sometimes are not qualified to represent the item you are buying, correctly. Remember the old adage, “if it’s too good to be true, then it probably isn’t true”. I keep a fake Chinese made first US Silver dollar to remind me, while old, it was a forgery, made shortly after the first US trade with China in which dollars were used!			Monthly News The Latest Auctions Richard Gabriel *March 31, 2021, Forum Auctions in the UK (tinyurl.com/2p8juxzd) had its usual fine selection of books from early to modern. Being a life-long John Le Carre fan, latterly from his very first books till the day he passed. Forum hosted a fine collection of all the Le Carre books, many first editions for both UK and USA and many signed by the author. A great Le Carre novel, set in of course, Germany following world war 2. Alan Turner, a British spy catcher with the British foreign office, and if he's talking to you, your career is probably over. With gleeful ferocity, he tramples across uncross able boundaries of diplomacy, decency, and class. The year is 1968. The West is mired in the Cold War, the British have lost their empire, young people are rioting all over the globe, the Vietnam War is in full swing, and in Germany, a mysterious and charismatic leader is rising swiftly to power. Le Carre (David Cornwell) was in Germany at this time working for the British Secret Service (MI6) and had many personal issues, which affected the writing of this novel. Some of the characters and the sites are based on real people and locations. Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi catcher, helped Le Carre understand the ex-Nazi’s. Serious about Collecting?* Then go to Fine Books & Collecting and sign up for the magazine! *Fine Books and Collecting* Book Collecting The book collecting genre has somewhat fallen over the last several years as the much younger generations of people across the world, not just in the USA are turning more and more to the internet, books online, apps and other electronic sources for their reading and viewing habits. However, there is a bright spot on the future for book collectors! All the electronic versions of whatever is being published can now be sold as non-fungible assets or NFT’s. The trick for all of us in this age of digital transformation is how to convert rare books into non-fungible assets!! For a primer on NFT’s there is an excellent article by Forbes that does a much better job at explaining the ins-outs of NFT’s and what they can and cannot do. Go to this link for more information on NFT’s: *Forbes Advisor*

Possible Finds? The latest Auctions for April and May 2022
Richard Gabriel		1. April 13, 2022 - April 27, 2022, Old World Auctions – Online April Online Auction Sale 187 The Auction will be made up of maps, charts, atlases, engravings, historical documents & books. Time: Wed, Apr 13th 8am - Wed, Apr 27th 10pm. If you are near there, you can go look at the stock: VIEWINGS: Apr 14th - April 27th by appointment. Old World Auctions 3850 Gaskins Road, Suite 220 Henrico, VA 2. May 25, 2022, Christie's - New York The Private Collection of William S. Reese Part One Part One of The Private Collection of William S. Reese will feature New World Exploration and Landmark Americana to 1814. *The Christie’s Auction will feature some fabulous and rare works. William S. Reese, one of the premier rare books and ephemera dealers.*
One of the best places to find rare books and ephemera are the auction houses. The trend has been increasing over the last few years so here is a list with the links: 3. April 26, 2022, Sotheby's - New York. Books and Manuscripts from the Collection of Jay I. Kislak. Sold to Benefit the Kislak Family Foundation. To be announced go to Sotheby’s and sign up. This will be a very expensive auction of some top-quality items. 4. Swann Auction Galleries: Old Master Through Modern Prints & Drawings. Sale #2602 EXHIBITION to be announced soon All the auctions are listed through this link. Swann Auction Galleries 104 East 25th Street New York, NY