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Used Books vs. Collectible Books

Eric D. Lehman

WA DC Bookstore 1937

Recently, I had the opportunity to compare the selling practices of two unique used bookstores. They are technically both “book barns” – a popular selling point for bibliophiles like myself. During … [Read more...]

Book Collecting; or Mirth and Marvels

Sean Fraser

book collecting

Books and LPs were gauges of all things when visiting; it was a Rorshach Cabinet of Fortune Telling cards. *** It began with the Andrew Lang Coloured Tales Books which soon became 20 or so Dover … [Read more...]

For collectors: where and how to buy Beat Generation books (and others)

Denise Enck

Where to buy Beat Generation Books

We've gathered together booksellers, publishers, and other services for book collectors of all stripes. Please get in touch if you'd like to suggest a resource for this list. Booksellers - Beat, … [Read more...]

How to Identify a First Edition Book

Denise Enck

This page has lots of information on it! Here are some quick links to the most important topics. General guidelines for identifying a first edition Identifying 1st editions from specific … [Read more...]

The Best Websites to Buy Collectible and First Edition Books

Empty Mirror

So, what's the best way to find books online? There are thousands of large bookselling sites, and individual booksellers, and Google searches don't always work well for turning up the results you … [Read more...]

For booksellers – Where to sell your books online

Empty Mirror

Book Marketplaces - where to find 1st edition and collectible books

Want to sell books online? There are many sites where you can list your books for sale. Here are our top picks (in alphabetical order), with some details about their size, fees, and other … [Read more...]

Recovering water-damaged books and paper – is it possible?

Tia Jordan

Water Damaged Books Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shanegorski/2697590077/ Shane Gorski

Having a flood or water damage in your home can be a disaster. Not only can it ruin your floors and walls, it can also cause damage to anything that happens to be in its path. Unfortunately, this can … [Read more...]

First Edition Book Values – How Much is a Book Worth?

Denise Enck

What's the Current Retail Value of Your Books? determining value via online sources How do you determine the ballpark current value of the one that's on your desk right now? It's actually … [Read more...]

Book Collecting: Illustrated glossary of terms, edition, & condition

Denise Enck

photo by Miss Libertine

Ever how to interpret the condition, edition, and other terms included in the description of a book for sale? Here we'll unravel the mystery. Book Condition Terms Very fine is a flawless copy, … [Read more...]

Are Books with Binding or Printing Errors Collectible?

Denise Enck

Have you ever brought a new book home, only to discover that the cover was on backwards, or there were printing errors (for instance, pages repeated, omitted, out of sequence, or upside down)? If so, … [Read more...]

Steve Sargent of Analecta Books on Limited Edition Remarqued Books

Denise Enck and Steve Sargent

I recently had a conversation with Steve Sargent, proprietor of Analecta Books, where he specializes in selling signed first edition and limited edition books. Analecta also sells "bespoke" remarqued … [Read more...]

How to Date Undated Books

Empty Mirror

A reader asks, "I have some really old books, but there is no copyright date or publishing date. What is the best way to determine the age of the book?" This is a great question! Modern books … [Read more...]

How to Determine a Book’s Initial Press Run

Denise Enck

print run - LisaClarke / Flickr

Recently I've received a couple of emails from visitors to this site, who wanted to know how to determine how large a given published book's initial print run (also known as the first printing, first … [Read more...]

Book Bindings: An Illustrated Guide for Collectors

Denise Enck

book bindings

If you collect books, you've probably encountered several types of bindings. Here's a description of the various types and some things that affect their condition. Primary Types of Book … [Read more...]

About Author Signatures and Signed Books

Denise Enck

inscribed book

There are many kinds of signatures which can be found on books. Below we'll discuss them, and how each affects the value of a book. You can click on any of the images for a larger view. Types of … [Read more...]

Where to Sign a Book

Denise Enck

James Mitchell-Flickr

Over the past month, I've received emails from two newly-published authors who have upcoming book signing events. They both wanted to know, "Where should I sign the book?" By far the most common … [Read more...]

Review – Guide to the Identification of First Editions

Denise Enck

McBride - First Edition Identification

Bill McBride's Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions details the methods over 4,600 different publishers use to identify their first editions. For many years McBride has worked … [Read more...]

Review – Points of Issue: A Compendium of Points of Issue of Books by 19th-20th Century Authors

Denise Enck

Bill McBride's other book, A Guide to the Identification of First Editions, shares the basic methods that individual publishers use for distinguishing first editions from later printings. Points of … [Read more...]

On Collecting Literary Ephemera

Denise Enck

The term ephemera refers to items, usually printed on paper, which are meant to have a very short life span. These may include tickets, bookmarks, advertisements, event posters, programs, menus, news … [Read more...]

First Edition Condition

Denise Enck

Book Condition & Grading Book collectors generally want books that are in as close to their original condition as possible. Books that appear new & unread (or nearly so), are most desirable. … [Read more...]

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Empty Mirror

Established in 2000 and edited by Denise Enck, Empty Mirror is an online literary magazine that publishes new work each Friday.

Each week EM features several poems each by one or two poets; reviews; critical essays; visual art; and personal essays.

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Recent features

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  • Seeing Las Meninas in Madrid, 1994
  • Visual poems from 23 Bodhisattvas by Chris Stephenson
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  • Panic In The Rear-View Mirror: Exploring The Work of Richard Siken and Ann Gale
  • “Art has side effects,” I said.

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