There are few pastimes as fascinating, enjoy able and rewarding for the enthusiast of modest means as col lecting books. A concise history of printing is followed by a list of suggested subjects for the collector with limited funds. It explains painly the often obscure terminology used in describing books, elucidating such perplexing terms as 'foxed', 'unopened', 'unsophisticated' and 'disbound' explaining where to find the 'title-page', the 'fly-leaf' and the 'colophon', as well as showing the collector how to detect a 'first edition', distinguish between 'original boards' and 'contempoary tree-calf' and collage his books to check for completeness.

Table of Contents

Introduction to printing and terminology Practical experience The history of early printing Frox Caxton to Dickens Travel and topographical books Children's books Bindings Press books Illustrated books Popular editions and series Modern first editions Ideas Glossary of terms Bibliography