3 ms·
He should educate himself on older books. It seems that ISBNs have been out only since the 70s, which means that most truly valuable books won't have them. He
by hristov 16y ago
He should educate himself on older books. It seems that ISBNs have been out only since the 70s, which means that most truly valuable books won't have them.
He is right that it will be rare if he actually sees a valuable old book, but since he is already going through so many books chances are he will see some from time to time. So he might as well learn something, so that he recognizes a truly valuable book when he sees it.
- scott_s 16y agoIt's also rarely worthwhile to investigate anything that looks truly old or anything that doesn't have a barcode (which usually means it's old). It's certain that I've passed by very valuable old books. I do carry a smartphone along with the PDA so I can search online for curious pieces from the pre-ISBN era. But that research hardly ever pays off. My work is crowded by artifacts of thought and expression which the culture hasn't wanted to conserve. It sounds like he has, but his own experience has taught him it's not worth the opportunity cost.
- m0nty 16y agoIt seems that ISBNs have been out only since the 70s, which means that most truly valuable books won't have them. I almost did a web dev job for a bookseller who was closing his bricks-and-mortar store to go online, and he said the really profitable books were not the really old ones. It would be a book someone remembered from their childhood, etc. Mostly modern stuff. It takes a seriously long time for oldness to impart value.