Multiple Collecting Specialties?

I have personally found it very difficult to concentrate on more than one
specialty (broadly defined as encompassing no more than 2 or 3 fairly
closely related areas). I certainly pick up the occasional book in many
different fields--particularly references books--but I can really only
collect in one. I know this is so for reasons of time and money, but there
is also a psychological element: I find it very difficult to be a collecting
multi-tasker.

My dilemma arises from a rise in my interest in another, largely unrelated
field. For the time being I am going to pursue both, but that strikes me as
unsustainable over the longer term. The time may come to shelve one
collection, so to speak, in favor of the other.

Anyone else have this dilemma? I know there are other obsessives out there.
Let's hear from you.

William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com

Well, I guess I have three primary areas, all somewhat related:
sf/fantasy paperbacks and digests, sf/fantasy references, and pre-1965
UFO books and magazines.

Within the first area, I also specialize in anthologies, both reprint
and original, and even more specifically in Groff Conklin titles.
Paperbacks are my choice for two basic reasons - they're cheaper, by
and large, and take up a LOT less space.

With the references, it MUST be one that I will refer to frequently,
or I don't bother with it. References tend to be too damn expensive
to take a flyer on. I do have the two-volume _Supernatural Fiction
Writers_ from Gale, but that's due to my having written for it; I'd
never have been able to afford the $330 it costs otherwise. I have 35
or so reference works at hand; most I use daily, the rest I use at
least weekly, and a few I compiled myself.

The UFO stuff...well, it's just so damn cool, you know? I love the
images, the blatant fakes and hoaxes, all that stuff. When I was a
kid, I believed it all without reservation, and re-reading it now is
nostalgic for more than one reason.

Bubba's Back! Well, sort of. "Triumph in the
Desert," in the July/August Analog.

While I stick very closely to collecting a few juvenile series (mostly Hardy
Boys of course), I find the time to indulge in my other mania: beer coaster
collecting. I have 1000s of different ones from all over the world.
--
Bob Finnan
The Hardy Boys Unofficial Home Page
http://www.Hardy-Boys.net
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http://users.arczip.com/fwdixon/hbsale.htm
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For my SF collection , I just bought a hardback copy of the first Galaxy
anthology "Galaxy Reader of Science Fiction" (Crown 1952) described as
follows:

"Groff Conklin's copy inscribed to him by the editor [H.L. Gold] - "To Groff
without whose invaluable help this was largely collected" - the inscription
is longer and more humorous from here! And signed "With Love and Honor -
Horace". The editor has pencilled notes in the contents page and
checkmarks."

The description states "The editor has pencilled notes" which apparently
refers to Gold, but it seems more likely if this was Conklin's copy that the
notes were written by Conklin. Unless this was Gold's copy, which he
sometime later presented to Conklin. Perhaps comparisons of the notes with
samples of Gold's and Conklin's handwriting will make it clear.

I haven't received delivery yet, but when I do I'd be happy to provide
anyone interested with some scans.

I was a kid during the Sixties, and every once in a while the gang of us
would get a hold of a mom's copy of the Enquirer, with these scarily amazing
stories and pictures of aliens and UFOs and cattle mutilations. I can
remember playing "aliens" with my friends at dusk and early night, when
every plane in the sky was a UFO and car headlights coming down the street
were an alien lander come to abduct us. We scared ourselves silly, and had
a great time doing it.

Regards, Tim

Tim Doyle
Bayside Books of Pasadena

Absolutely I'm interested! And if you ever want to turn that copy
loose, *please* keep me in mind.

I collect way too many specialties, and way too many authors. Perhaps I
should concentrate on only one or two of them, but I know that will
never happen,because I will nevert let it happen. I concentrate on
whatever my current whims are, which are only controlled by the size of
my billfold, and by my luck in acquiring books at great prices.

I may not ever have one great collection, but I'm going to enjoy
building the collections that I do have.

Jerry Morris

Welcome to My Library:
http://community-2.webtv.net/MoiBibliomaniac/MOISBOOKSABOUTBOOKS/ or
www.moislibrary.com (very slow to link) and My Sentimental Library
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view

> >Anyone else have this dilemma? I know there are other obsessives out

To focus my question a bit: has your collecting in any of these areas ever
impinge on the others--i.e., has your money, time, or mental energy spent in
one area ever prevented you from acquiring in one of the other areas?

I think the problem is, if you collect in a single area, you reach a
point where you have MOST of the stuff you want, and find the "harder"
items either impossible to locate or financially out of reach (or
both), and then start to "lose focus".

If you're in the business, especially, there is an awful temptation to
start offshoot collections. Only space, spouse or specie can stop you,
if you're not careful. Just my opinion.

Not really. What impinges on my collecting is the necessity of paying
bills and keeping food on the table.

At least, I can't recall ever having to turn down a stack of
paperbacks because there was a nice copy of _From Outer Space to You_.
Or, if I ever did, it wasn't sufficiently traumatic to make me cringe
at the memory.

See what I mean? Most of my collection is in part due to my interests in
other things...
Bill

....and that's only the nonfiction. Let's not even go into the fiction....

<kram...@oaxaca.com> wrote in message
news:3ef7dd54....@news.verizon.net...

Of course it does! I'm surprised that others can say otherwise. There's only
one of me, only 24 hours in a day, and only one budget to play around with.
If I were giving my undivided attention to one area only I would doubtless
have made more headway in that area. However, by dividing my attention I am
able - or at least I somehow convince myself that I am able - to pick up the
best deals in each field.

If I were trawling *only* for works by Victorian women I would doubtless
have a lot more material, but I would also, I think, have bought more
high-end stuff. Instead, I trawl for books in that area and at the same time
for books relating to the post-Reformation period (my other main field of
collecting interest) as well as books with a Japanese focus and books that I
generally think are significantly underpriced (both of which I buy with a
view to reselling).

That way, if there are no good deals turning up in one field, I can spend my
time and money developing another field, and pass over deals I might
otherwise be tempted (if I didn't have other pastures to turn to) to splash
out on.

--
John
http://rarebooksinjapan.com

Absolutely. I thought I had two cut-and-dried different topics (people who
suffered for their beliefs in the post-Reformation period and Victorian
women). The martyrs topic legitimately encompasses Charles I (after all, he
might have kept his head if not for his obstinate belief in the divine right
of kings), but once one gets into the parliamentary squabbles and the
Puritan Revolution - all, in turn, legitimately related to Charles - one
finds a whole mass of material that would make the subject of a collection
in itself.

Similarly with the Victorian women. An autobiographical account by a woman
of a traveller's experience or a medically unusual case is naturally within
my province, but it seems a bity arbitrary to draw the line when an account
of a woman with such experiences is written by a man, which makes the
borderline fuzzy, and when an interesting travel or medical book turns up
written both by and about a man (or men) I start finding myself wanting to
buy it.

My confusions reached crisis point with the case of Ann Lee, "Mother of the
Shakers", who suffered for her beliefs but postdates the post-Reformation
period and was a woman but predates the Victorian period. How can I possibly
leave her out, just because she lived in the wrong century?!

So far, I've withstood the potential distractions of medical accounts and
travel books, but Ann Lee's different. I might, in the end, build up a third
collection that bridges the two existing ones - women who, through the
ages, stuck their necks out for their (religious) beliefs .

--
John
http://rarebooksinjapan.com

Would and has made such a collection--like the Thomason Collection in
the British Library:

http://www.bl.uk/collections/thomason.html

(1) My favorite collector of the odd and esoteric recently did his
radio commentary on the cases of 2 Victorian women who originated the
modern version of the phenomenon known as "eyeless sight":

http://kcrw.com/cgi-bin/ram_wrap.cgi?/jj/jj030612Blind_Faith

(2) In their current catalog, H.P. Kraus is offering a rare pamphlet
on a 17/c female case of inedia:

http://www.hpkraus.com/bookstore/index.cgi?pid=33275

Everywhere I look now, I find inediacs and Breatharians!

Let me grant the premise--that one collection leads inevitably to
another--o felix culpa--my question is how ought one to deal with
that.

I see four practical problems with simultaneously pursuing multiple
collections: space, time, money, and mental energy--all finite
resources, so to speak. Any thoughts about how to parcel them out
among more than one collection at one time?

> Absolutely. I thought I had two cut-and-dried different topics (people who

Would and has made such a collection--like the Thomason Collection in
the British Library:

http://www.bl.uk/collections/thomason.html

(1) My favorite collector of the odd and esoteric recently did his

http://kcrw.com/cgi-bin/ram_wrap.cgi?/jj/jj030612Blind_Faith

http://www.hpkraus.com/bookstore/index.cgi?pid=33275

> My confusions reached crisis point with the case of Ann Lee, "Mother of the

Let me grant the premise--that one collection leads inevitably to

Thank you. I'm just working on my laptop right now, but I look forward to
listening to this when I get home tonight.

Interesting item, and a good example of what I mean. As you know, Bill, I
have a rather rare book on a 19th century case of female inedia, and I could
be busting my budget right now to add this one to my collection. But then
I'd be starting a *different* collection.

Well, I suppose it's going to depend on how single-mindedly one has been
pursuing a set goal. As you say, time, space and money are all limited, so
either I stick to my guns and carry on building up collections within the
present parameters or I change direction. But if I changed direction I
couldn't really keep up the existing collections, most of which would no
longer fit into the new parameters. This means I'd have to sell a lot of
material.

Now, from a practical point of view, I feel selling off material before it
has reached the point of being a collection truly worthy of the name is
likely a mistake. Once a collection reaches a certain critical mass, its
going to attract the attention of anyone interested in the field, which
means the items in it are going to get the best possible exposure and should
fetch a decent price. Selling them off before one has reached that point
means that they are going to be overlooked by a lot of people who might
potentially be interested.

If someone came along and said, "I'll offer you $xxxxx [a price you can't
refuse] for the material you've accumulated so far" that's a different
matter; I could empty my shelves and fill my coffers in one fell swoop and
embark on a new quest. But (for me, at least) any other course runs the risk
of spreading myself too thinly, following will-o'-the-wisps, being a Jack of
all trades, or whatever.

--
John
http://rarebooksinjapan.com>

Yes, exactly! I've doing this without having thought it through--and it
makes a tremendous amount of sense for someone who does have collecting
interests that exceed his budget.

Thanks.

WIlliam M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com

Excellent point. I plan to donate my convertiana and early Catholic
Americana collections to a (carefully chosen) university
library--after the point where critical mass has been reached but well
before the adding-only-one-book-every-few-months stage.

At present, I collect every book I can find in the area of general/popular
general physics science, physics, quantum physics, relativity, science of
time, astronomy, cosmology esp TOEs, math puzzling and recreations, logic,
paradoxes, black holes, skeptic topics too many to itemize (I am a CSICOP
member), math of infinities, pi, number theory, statistics, mazes,
probability theory, cryptography and steganography, world and US history,
criminology (especially on frauds, con games, etc), espionage, spying, the
CIA, political/social commentaries such as the Steve Allen series of essays,
philosophy, history of science, every book ever written by Martin Gardner
(almost), about 150 of the non-SF science essay collections written by Isaac
Asimov as well as all of his mystery novels, computer programming, and a few
other areas. In fiction, I collect legal mysteries/thrillers, courtroom
mysteries/thrillers, Ludlum's books, a few of Crichton's SF books such as
Timeline, all the McBain 87th Precinct series, etc., etc.

I figure if I just keep reading until I die, I'll finish maybe 20% of them,
but they sure do give me a wide selection when I am looking for something to
read.

Pete B

"William M. Klimon" <william.m....@alumni.upenn.edu> wrote in message
news:dk9Ja.8982$ZE.1635@lakeread05...

Would your convertiana collecting extend to fiction were conversion is
an integral plot element? I'm prompted to ask because today I saw a
copy of William X Kienzle's "The Sacrifice" (HB, Andrews McMeel,
Kansas City), a Father Koesler mystery in which a married Anglican
priest converts to Catholicism.

Regards, Tim

Thanks for the lead, Tim.

My collecting has included convert novels, if only on an ad hoc basis.
The bibliographer A.J. Menendez, who did the main convert account
bibliography, *The Road to Rome* (NY: Garland, 1986) (which includes a
whole chapter on "Convert Novels," though a somewhat incomplete list),
also did an entire bibliography on *The Catholic Novel*. I am more
interested in the 19/c novels than the 20/c--having found a couple of
interesting 19/c pieces. I've used both those resources in gathering
a couple dozen convert novels. But, as I say, I have not pursued it
serously. But I am kind of keeping the convert novel collection idea
on the shelf until my other collections come to an end.

(We still have to get that beer sometime.)

> At present, I collect every book I can find in the area of [. . .]

That's the way I gathered books for 15 years--theology, philosophy,
history, biography, literature. If I had to give that gathering a
name or a theme, I would call it the "cultural history of the people
of God" (thus cribbing Dom David Knowles' memorial description of the
work of the Catholic historian Christopher Dawson). It was more a
working library (for a history grad student--as I was for a few years)
than a collection.

When I realized (1) that I wasn't going back to grad school, and (2)
that I had the nucleus of a collection or two that were valuable
beyond my own use of them, my thinking began to change. Whereas
previously I could range freely in my book buying, now I had
responsibilities to the collection(s)--with all that that entails.

So that's where my current thinking is at--and why I posed these
questions in the first place.

Yes, I've taken to frequenting the antique and flea markets here in Japan. I
limit myself to items of Japanese origin, and have a special interest in
shrine and temple statuary and everyday objects of yesteryear. There are a
few things I'd like to have that I haven't yet got because they are fairly
easily obtainable, and I can get them anytime when I'm feeling flush, but
not infrequently a one-off item crops up that I really want to have, and it
often comes down to a question of choosing between that and books.

A lot of my bookbuying, though, is financed from my PayPal account, and of
course I can't pay for something in a flea market with that, so to an extent
the two are budgeted separately. Insofar as I'm torn, then, it's basically
between antique/flea markets and bricks-and-mortar bookshops here in Japan.
As I said in relation to different book-collecting interests, when there
doesn't seem to be much of interest in one area I change my focus. If things
seem very dry in the Waseda Doori bookshops I make doubly sure to check out
the monthly antique market in the grounds of a local shrine, and if there's
nothing that grabs me there I take a trip to the bookshops in Kanda, or the
covered antique mall in Ikebukuro...

One interesting thing I've noticed is the sense of something like relief
when there *isn't* anything I really want at the antique market; I come away
thinking, "Oh, good! I've still got the money I would have blown on a statue
or whatever and I can go out and get some more books!" It's not that I don't
love the statues and things, but somehow books seem to be where I come home
to roost.

--
John
http://rarebooksinjapan.com

Using only Paypal is a great way to limit expenses! I try not to buy
anything online except with what I earn from Paypal otherwise I would be
completely broke (as opposed to almost broke)! But how many of us have had
to make a choice - lunch at McDonald's or book at Barnes and Noble and chose
the book?

Bill

"John Yamamoto-Wilson" <jo...@rarebooksinjapan.com> wrote in message
news:bdqmi9$vq9t0$1...@ID-169501.news.dfncis.de...

> Bill

...

This has nothng to do with a love of books.

Given the choice, the more discerning would probably buy a slim volume
anyway. If only to support the uneven leg of a table.

michael adams

...

Well, it's not as simple as that for me, since a lot of online sellers
(especially on ABE) don't take PayPal. If I limited myself to those sellers
who take PayPal I would miss out on a lot of good stuff. Still, I buy with
PayPal wherever possible, one reason being because I am an overseas trader,
and downloading money I make from sales from my PayPal account into my
Japanese bank would incur yet further charges.

I should say my book-collecting is (or is supposed to be) self-financing at
this stage. I put a fair bit of money into it early on, but now the money I
have available to buy stuff is pretty much directly related to the money I
raise by selling stuff. Roughly half of what I buy these days is material
towards my own book collections, and the other half is books I buy with a
view to reselling.

The stuff I pick up in antique markets is also not to resell, and is
financed out of my everyday expenses, with a bit of blurring at the edges
(some of it may come from money I could otherwise have spent on books and
vice versa).

--
John
http://rarebooksinjapan.com

I wonder if you noticed my moniker (Scrooge). Also my Ebay handle is
Scrooge178, from the Four Color comic number 178. That being Donald Duck's
'Christmas on Bear Mountian' the first appearance of Uncle Scrooge. I've
read the ducks since childhood.

As for other collections, I've been picking up painting and drawing
originals at yard sales when I can. Most are nothing special, but they are
interesting.

Rich

The books that I sell via eBay are currently paid for in the ratio of 3:1
Paypal: Personal Cheque. Living in the UK, the charges also grate with me -
so I tend to leave the balance for other purchases.

I have found that Abe sellers are increasingly willing to accept Paypal -
which is very useful. I just purchased, for example, a very nicely described
first of Waugh's 'Unconditional Surrender' - I think I will have to work
backwards on the trilogy due to cost!

I have just returned from a short break in the Cotswolds and bought some
books for myself, and some to sell to cover the costs - hopefully.
I was very surprised to find some mint copies of the 'notable trials
library' at ￡3-5 each - most of which can be sold.

Cheers,

Tom L-M

"John R. Yamamoto- Wilson" <jo...@rarebooksinjapan.com> wrote in message
news:bdrl2k$v3p56$1...@ID-169501.news.dfncis.de...