Do You Collect Anything ?

[Dr. Rat]

Do you guys ever smell your books? I mean holding some old paperback before you and flipping the pages before your nose? Am I alone with my "perversion" ?

Hi, my name is Chrome, and I'm a book-sniffer ... my wife claims I'm just inhaling mold, but I can't help myself!

I'm one of those people who considers himself more of a reader than a book collector, but, on the other hand, I've still managed to end up with 2,000+ books (and still buying) in my "library."

I don't search out early editions/printings, but if I stumble across one at a used book sale, I'll generally pick it up even if I have other editions ... I just found a first trade edition hardcover of one of Stephen King's Dark Tower books (I think vol. VI?) in fantastic condition for $5. And I got an early printing of Feather's first jazz encyclopedia, in okay condition, for $3.

You ever read anything from the "Bookman" mystery series?

--eric

[Stefan Wood]

bertrand, I had no idea that Shorter liked Dunsany. Now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense. As with his fascination with the Green Lantern.

Dunsany was a darn good writer who spun wild tales and created a mythology that was unique and in keeping with Homeric tales and legend of ancient times. H.P. Lovecraft fell under his influence and used it heavily in his stories.

Edited October 14, 2004 by Stefan Wood

[Chrome]

You ever read anything from the "Bookman" mystery series?

--eric

I'm not familiar with that ... but I'm always looking for a good read.

[Dr. Rat]

You ever read anything from the "Bookman" mystery series?

--eric

I'm not familiar with that ... but I'm always looking for a good read.

Sorta Hammett with book collectors, with a bit of egregious Mike Hammer thrown in, but all in all OK--good for when you want a book, you want a little mental stimulation, but don't want to think very much. Some insight into the booktrade in the eighties. Two sequels bring things more up to date.

First book is Bookman's Wake. John Dunning's the author.

--eric

[AfricaBrass]

I used to collect books. I probably had a couple thousand of them. I just got tired of lugging them around in all my moves and sold them off.

I've come to a place where I'm ready to sell off a lot of my music.

There is one thing that I still collect.

Guitars

Guitars

Guitars

I'm like a dope fiend for guitars.

I know I can't play them all at the same time, but they bring me so much joy. I've come to a place where I'm getting rid of the cheaper ones and consolidating them into guitars that were once just "dream guitars".

I had around 35 guitars earlier this year and I'm down to around 25 really nice ones.

[Dr. Rat]

bertrand, I had no idea that Shorter liked Dunsany. Now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense. As with his fascination with the Green Lantern.

Dunsany was a darn good writer who spun wild tales and created a mythology that was unique and in keeping with Homeric tales and legend of ancient times. H.P. Lovecraft fell under his influence and used it heavily in his stories.

I read a lot of Dunsany (and other vintage fantasy & horror) when I was young. I remember thinking Dunsany was a far far better writer than Lovecraft, but I didn't think he took the fantasy end seriously enough--he always seemed like he was just foolin'. Nothinkg like Charles Dexter Ward, which scared me pretty good when I was 9 or 10.

--eric

[ralphie_boy]

I used to collect books. I probably had a couple thousand of them. I just got tired of lugging them around in all my moves and sold them off.

I've come to a place where I'm ready to sell off a lot of my music.

There is one thing that I still collect.

Guitars

Guitars

Guitars

I'm like a dope fiend for guitars.

I know I can't play them all at the same time, but they bring me so much joy. I've come to a place where I'm getting rid of the cheaper ones and consolidating them into guitars that were once just "dream guitars".

I had around 35 guitars earlier this year and I'm down to around 25 really nice ones.

That's another expensive hobby! I have two nice axes, a c70's Fender Tele Deluxe and early Gretsch Double Anniversary. I'd love to pick-up an old Danelectro, but the prices are getting crazy.

[AfricaBrass]

That's another expensive hobby! I have two nice axes, a c70's Fender Tele Deluxe and early Gretsch Double Anniversary. I'd love to pick-up an old Danelectro, but the prices are getting crazy.

Those are NICE guitars!

I used to have an early 70's Gretsch Roc Jet, but it had binding that was rotting. I realized I couldn't afford to have the binding done and the guitar refinished, so I sold it. My newest guitar is a '04 Gretsch Firebird with Filtertrons. It's one of the new ones that have come out since Fender took over Gretsch's distribution, and it is an AMAZING guitar.

I also bought a Gretsch 6118 Double Anniversary (with Bigsby) last year. I LOVE that guitar.

[Brownian Motion]

I used to collect books. I probably had a couple thousand of them. I just got tired of lugging them around in all my moves and sold them off.

I've come to a place where I'm ready to sell off a lot of my music.

There is one thing that I still collect.

Guitars

Guitars

Guitars

I'm like a dope fiend for guitars. 

I know I can't play them all at the same time, but they bring me so much joy. I've come to a place where I'm getting rid of the cheaper ones and consolidating them into guitars that were once just "dream guitars".

I had around 35 guitars earlier this year and I'm down to around 25 really nice ones.

Yes, musical instruments can be a trap. I almost began collecting trumpets (I had 3 of them and was considering a fourth purchase) until my wife put her foot down. She was right of course. I haven't played for years, and was never much good to begin with.

And they take up so much space.

Edited October 14, 2004 by Brownian Motion

[AfricaBrass]

Yes, musical instruments can be a trap. I almost began collecting trumpets (I had 3 of them and was considering a fourth purchase) until my wife put her foot down. She was right of course. I haven't played for years, and was never much good to begin with.

Yeah... it really is a trap. But... they're so beautiful. They are art to me.

I know all about the wife's foot being put down. LOL

I'm basically in trade mode at this point. I can't put any money into instruments anymore.

[Brownian Motion]

Brownian,

I like that Richard Day image. Reminds me a bit of an artist I like- Charles Sheeler.

I've been an off & on, part-time decorative arts dealer since the early 80's. My wife and I used to collect much of what we also sold (primarily "art deco", hawaiiana, and mid-century modern furnishings). We made many many great buys on all kinds of items, from furniture to clocks to radios to lamps to... you name it. One of our greatest finds was back in the 80's, early one summer morning at an outdoor antiques fair in Folsom, CA. We bought a very interesting table lamp (for $40), not really knowing what it was (but we knew it was good). It was actually lying (not standing) on the ground... I'll never forget the moment I saw it. A few months later, while out Christmas shopping, I was looking through a new coffee table book called "American Art Deco", and lo and behold, there's a full-page color photo of our lamp. Designed by Walter Von Nessen in 1935. Let's just say we can add a couple of zeros to our purchase price. It's also illustrated in "The Machine Age In America: 1918-1941". A few years ago somebody started making reproductions of it.

Here's the example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art:

http://www.metmuseum.org/special/americanm...98.537.42.L.htm

Here's another nice buy we made- 1920's Paul Frankl-designed clock that we bought at a local flea market for $35 (sold it years later for $750):

We also had a couple of Sparton blue glass (mirrored) radios from the 30's that we sold when we started decorating in mid-century modern (I posted photos in a thread here about the "Sparton" record label that was affiliated with Impulse).

I don't really "collect" anything these days (the decorative arts thing has gotten very competetive, and the buys that used to be out there are fewer and farther between)... although I still have that addiction to Gibson jazz guitars...

I feel that American design reached its zenith in the 1930s . Great images! Thanks for posting them. Here's a wood engraving print by Paul Landacre from the 1930s that I long for but can't afford.

[Jazzmoose]

Do you guys ever smell your books? I mean holding some old paperback before you and flipping the pages before your nose? Am I alone with my "perversion" ?

Heck no; there's nothing like that old pulp smell!

[Swinger]

Jazzmoose:

Maybe I should create a website called "The International Booksniffers' Club" ?

"Ok folks,contribute your favorite smelling books,let me know what they smell like,describe the smell with at least 3-4 words"

Edited October 15, 2004 by Swinger

[BFrank]

Not me, exactly, but my father collected vintage cameras. When he passed about 10 years ago, I inherited the whole thing. At the time, what I thought was about 100 items turned out to be over 300!

So, aside from a select number of choice pieces (several Leicas, some interesting miniatures, unique odds and ends) which I keep at home, they are all catalogued and boxed up in storage.

One of these days I'm going to have a mammoth eBay sale. WOO HOO!

[You may have guessed this already by my avatar. It's a "Korelle P", which I have one of.]

[Jim R]

Brownian,

Thanks for posting that Landacre image. Spectacular! I've never seen that before.

[vajerzy]

Old telephones, preferably Western Electric, with some Kellogg, Automatic Electric and Stromberg Carlsons.

From wooden wall phones to candlesticks, to desk sets. I find them at auctions and flea markets, clean and rewire them, and there they sit in my home. Most work- I installed a modular plug on them. A few I have plugged in around the house and I switch them out every now and then to get a different look. Some I've given away to family and friends.

I have a few old radios: A Truetone and a Zenith Tombstone with the Black Dial are among the collection.

[Jim Alfredson]

Hammond organs!!!!

[BeBop]

I collect saxophone reeds that play well. So far, I don't have any.

[maren]

I collect saxophone reeds that play well. So far, I don't have any.

[connoisseur series500]

I collect saxophone reeds that play well. So far, I don't have any.

I hear Pharaoh Sanders has a bunch of them...

B-)

[GA Russell]

I'm a consumer rather than a collector, and I enjoy listening to tapes and CDs of old radio shows from the 50s. Nowadays you can buy complete series on CDs recorded in mp3. I have quite a number, though nothing compared to the people who are serious collectors.

When I've listened to them, I give them away to friends who would enjoy them.

[kinuta]

Classic Hollywood films on dvd or dvdr.

[Brad]

My son and I collect King and Country lead toy soldiers. They're pretty neat with incredible detail but rather expensive.

When it comes to collecting in general, as I'm getting older and surrounded by a lot of stuff, I realize the time has come to get rid of things. I mean, how much can you keep. Especially, the next time I move, I will have to offload a lot of things.