Rare Books and Collectibles » Books and literature

Comic Book Collecting

booksblogger — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 22:43:56 +0000

Comic books are magazines that are made up of narrative artwork that are set out scene by scene to tell a story. They have been enjoyed by children and adults for many years and have now become a collector’s item.

History

Comic books first became popular during the 1930’s with such well known and loved superheroes as Superman, Batman and Captain Marvel. Comic book popularity grew from here (mainly due to the concept of specialty comic book stores opening) and in the 1960’s the concept of comic book conventions began. Comic book conventions provided a place where comic book enthusiasts could come together and discuss their favorite comics with each other. Today comic book conventions have become a worldwide phenomenon.

Reasons

Some of the reasons that people collect comics include:

including appreciation,
financial profit
nostalgia
completion of the collection

Protecting Collectable Comics

Comic books should be stored in a cool, dry place (as sunlight can bleach the pages and can also react with the paper causing it to ‘yellow’, and heat and moisture can also damage them).

As comic book collection became more popular the need to protect and preserve comics became apparent to keep the comics in the best possible condition and stop them from aging and losing value. A range of bags, boxes, and acid-free “backing boards” were designed to keep the comic book flat and protect them from elements that cause aging. Collectors advise that it is best not to store comics in cardboard boxes (or in a manner that uses cardboard backing. This is because that acid in the cardboard can react with the fibers of the paper of the comics that can cause the comics to deteriorate.

Artist’s Books

booksblogger — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:04:05 +0000

An artist book is a book that that is made up of an artist’s work or an artwork which has its origin in the form or concept of the book. One of the best ways of learning about artists is by viewing an artist’s book. Typically artist’s books that are printed today are limited edition handmade books. Traditionally they are published as part of a small edition, however they can be published as ‘uniques’, meaning that they produced as a one-of-a-kind object. The concept of artists producing their artworks in books came about during the 20^th century.

Artist’s books can come in a variety of different forms such as scrolls, fold-outs, concertinas, loose items contained in a box as well or artworks bound in printed sheets. They can come in a assortment of different shapes and sizes and can be made from many different materials such as wood, handmade paper and stone.

Books and Collectables

Books and Collectables offer a wide variety of online bookstores that sell artist’s books and are backed by a database that is constantly updated. Featuring a sophisticated book search engine, Books and collectables source rare, used and out of print books from all over the world. Based in Australia, our service offers you the opportunity to search the stock of book stores worldwide. So no matter what you are looking for, when it comes to artist’s books, Books and Collectables is your one stop information centre.

Children’s Literature

booksblogger — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 22:01:51 +0000

Books form a large part of children’s learning. Introducing your child to read books can be done from when they are just infants and they will continue to read children’s books up to around the age of twelve years old.

The concept of printing books for children was brought about during the 17^th century. Before this time reading books was seen as a concept only for adults.

Most commonly books are written by adult for children. However, books can also be written by children, for children, for example The Young Visiters by Daisy Ashford (aged nine years of age).

Children are very visually stimulated and vision takes up a large portion of their learning process. For this reason, most children’s books are illustrated with colourful images to help to bring the stories to life. Some authors with an artistic, creative flair will create their own artworks for children’s books, however others will work alongside an artist who will create the illustrations for them.

Sourcing Children’s Books

Through the marvel of modern day technology, such as the internet, parents can now purchase rare books and out of print books all with the click of a button through the wonders of online bookstores. Children who are enthusiastic about reading will often read large quantities of books. For this reason some parents find that it is easier to purchase secondhand books or used books for their children as it is a more economical choice as well as being more environmentally sound.