Empty Mirror

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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...]

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...]

Bookplates – Various Types, Desirability & How They Affect Book Values

Empty Mirror

A bookplate is a small printed label which is adhered to a book, most often inside the front cover. They are also sometimes known as "ex libris," meaning "from the library of.") They're most commonly … [Read more...]

Is My Dr. Seuss Book a First Edition?

Denise Enck

identify dr seuss first editions

Many people collect Dr. Seuss books, which have been hugely popular over the years and the center of lots of happy childhood memories. They're avidly collected, but, unfortunately, have a reputation … [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

  • My Father’s Map
  • On Waiting
  • Seeing Las Meninas in Madrid, 1994
  • Visual poems from 23 Bodhisattvas by Chris Stephenson
  • Historical Punctum: Reading Natasha Trethewey’s Bellocq’s Ophelia and Native Guard Through the Lens of Roland Barthes’s Camera Lucida
  • 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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