Collecting American First Editions - Its Pitfalls and Its Pleasures
Cód:
491_9781443729321
Collecting American first Editions- ITS PITFALLS AND ITS PLEASURES by RICHARD CURLE. This book was originally published in the United States in 1930 and is extensively illustrated with fifty-one illustrations. PREFACE: THIS work is concerned primarily with, first principles. Its aim is not to deal with every book of the authors mentioned, but to clear up moot points, to demolish false theories, to present new discoveries, and in general to suggest sound rules for the collecting of American first editions of the classic period. Tentative and imperfect though it be, I trust it will supply a real need, for the subject is full of obscurities and up to now comparatively little effort has been made to light it up from within. And yet it is only by so doing that the chaos can be dis solved and the collector enabled to steer a path through the maze. By describing methods of publication and by bringing ordinary logic to bear, I have at least tried to simplify the problem and to evolve some sort of synthesis. I do not for a moment suppose that the val idity of all my ideas will be admitted by everyone. That would be too much to expect. But I hope that my facts, which have been care fully checked by several experts, are correct, though as all knowledge is relative and as there is no such thing as finality in bibliography it would be foolish to be over-optimistic. I am well aware that the fable of Sisyphus is painfully applicable to the man who writes about Ameri can first editions. No sooner does he solve a diffi culty, as he supposes, than along comes fresh evidence, down rolls the stone, and he has to start all over again. Yet it is only by experi menting that we advance, and only by arousing opposition that we bring about argument. And bibliographical discussions, unlike political ones, do occasionally end in agreement. It comes to this: that if somebody has always to be standing up to be kicked, I am willing, in a good cause, to be the next victim. The real purpose of the
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