For decades, major auction houses have published plush catalogs to promote upcoming auctions, with pictures and descriptions of the items on offer. These auction catalogs can be quite collectible for a variety of reasons. Some are historically significant or associated with a famous person's estate, while others may document the provenance of certain items or help prove their authenticity. And many others are simply just beautiful, or interesting, or both.
Interviews & Articles
To Catch A Thief: A Rare Book Expert on His Literary Obsessions

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t read books. In grade school, I devoured library books. I also loved comic books, and was whe… [more]
The Last Word on First Editions

Strictly speaking, a book’s edition refers to the setting of the text. So the first time you set the text and print a book with it… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
Google Book Search

Want to do one quick search and pull up the mother lode of vintage books? Try Google Book Search, a database filled… [read review or visit site]
Bookscans.com

Bruce Black's gallery of paperback book covers from the 1940s and 50s. With help from numerous contributors, he's a… [read review or visit site]
If These Shirts Could Talk: The Tantalizing Tales Behind Used Clothes
Jockeying for Position: How Boxers and Briefs Got Into Men's Pants
Gloriously Grotesque 19th-Century Pipes
In the Hot Seat: Is Your Antique Windsor a Fake?
Love at First Kite: How Pizza and Pente Led to One Oklahoman's High-Flying Obsession
Blood, Sweat, and Steel: My Afternoon with the Ace of Swords
Pin-Up Queens: Three Female Artists Who Shaped the American Dream Girl
Say Ahhh: An Oral Surgeon's Quest to Reimagine the Garage-Band Guitar
Forget TV Pickers, Meet the Real Mavericks of the Antiques World
Coveting The Craziest Cat-People Collectibles


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