Over the last 500 years millions of books may have been printed. However, of these some are more sought after than most others and occupy the place of pride in their owners book shelves. Usually these could be second hand books, old books, antique books, or collectibles. But what is most sought after and valuable are what have been defined by experts as “Rare Books“. These books may at times attract millions of dollars in the market.
Bibliophiles specify rare books as those where the demand exceeds supply and which are exceedingly difficult to come by. Normally a rare book would have had an eventful life of its own and would have a history that goes with it. The rarity of a book also gets determined by other factors such as binding, inscription, or association with important previous owners. The book’s intrinsic importance in its field is one of the most important factors that defines its rarity.
For collectors it is significant to realise what will not get accepted as a rare book. For example a copy of the bible from the 18th century will not be evaluated as a rare book. Since there are millions of copies of the Bible available, what this copy gets identified as is a collectible.
While very often the age of the book doesn’t necessarily make it into a rare book, sometimes a book gets the distinction of being a rare book because of the time when it was printed. Books that are printed at a certain period may get considered as rare books. If you consult any rare books collector, he will tell you that books printed in the 15th Century Europe are considered rare and sought-after.
The printing characterstics of a book also determines its rarity for example the paper that it is printed on, or the illustrations being a work of art by a great artist. A book can have physical characteristics that lend importance – a special binding, first use of a new printing process, an innovative design, an autograph or inscription could put a book in the category of rare books.
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