As you hold in your hands the first edition of any great book, you hold a part of its history: that moment when it was first presented to the world, new and original, without commentary or judgment. In that book you hold, there is an echo of all of the trials it has survived, from intentional destruction through censorship to the more mundane years of handling and simple neglect.
Many of the most desirable first editions battled great odds to survive. Only 1250 copies of Darwin’s landmark On the Origin of Species were printed, and all were sold on the first day; the publisher had vastly underestimated the demand. Walt Whitman was hard-pressed to find financing for the first edition of his extraordinary Leaves of Grass, which consisted of only 795 copies--part of it typeset by the poet himself. It is believed that the first printing of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights numbered as few as 250 copies, and today it is counted among the great rarities of English literature. Although it is not exactly known how many copies of Shakespeare’s immortal First Folio were printed, there could not have been many: surviving copies are exceptionally rare.
With every great first edition comes a story—the creative effort that propelled it into being, the practical negotiations that brought it into print, the popular reaction that brought it immediate fame or committed it to contemporary obscurity. A rare book collector knows that story and appreciates all of the book’s struggles and successes.
WHAT TO COLLECT?
Whatever your interests – literary classics, landmarks in the history of ideas, monumental accounts of travel and exploration, revolutionary scientific and medical works, exquisite decorative bindings and sets, beloved children’s books, inscribed or association copies – Bauman Rare Books has much to offer.
Our extensive and constantly changing inventory includes everything from the most elusive and desirable rarities (such as an 1814 first edition of the account of the Lewis and Clark expedition, the 1640 first collected edition of Shakespeare’s Poems or a first edition of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations) to very affordable first editions, signed copies and lovely bindings that make perfect gifts. We’ve helped form every type of collection imaginable, from works banned and censored through the centuries to books that inspired classic films.
Many collectors, however, don’t necessarily collect around a specific focus. Some search for the books they’ve loved throughout their lives, those that taught, inspired or moved them. Of all types of collecting, this is perhaps the most personal: what other groups of objects can better reflect one’s passions?
Email us: books@rarelibro.com
