Finding Fancy Books to Fill Your Shelves
Or, where do I find all my books?
Questions I am often asked include ‘How do you afford these bookshelves full of pretty sprayed edges and beautiful rare editions?’ and ‘How can I get the cool book-related paraphernalia that publishers release to promote their books?’. Well, read on, dear friend, for all my book-buying secrets are about to be revealed…
Are you new to collecting? Want to understand the jargon you keep hearing people use, or navigate online sellers?
I have a few articles specifically to help you get started – check out my Book Collector’s Glossary for explanations of common terms and acronyms, or learn some Top Tips for Buying Books, which has hints ranging from from how to save money to the difference between collecting and hoarding.
Found a beautiful book but it’s no longer in print? Bought something online only to be burnt when the wrong edition arrives? Can’t afford to buy all those beautiful new releases?
I buy many of my books second-hand through AbeBooks. This is an online marketplace where independent sellers from around the world offer for sale millions of new, used and rare books, as well as art and collectibles. I have found AbeBooks support to be fantastic in the few instances where I have been sent the wrong edition, books never turned up, or faults were not disclosed by the seller, and they have helped me to recoup my funds every time.
Search on AbeBooks
Disclosure: I am an affiliate seller for Abes, but I was a loyal customer for 10 years before becoming one, and I still buy a large percentage of my books through the site, so my recommendation is genuine. I recommend buying from sellers who have a good rating and take the time to put photos of the actual edition you are purchasing (although I have also had some lucky wins with random cheapo editions).
Seen some beautiful page edge treatments and wondering what book it was? Looking for a special edition of a favorite book?
Check out my huge catalog of decorative page edges, which identifies the prettiest special stencilled page edges. Click through to view…
How do you find all those bookish pre-order treats, like bookmarks, enamel pins, postcards, signed bookplates, preorder incentives and competition prizes? Well, the best way to learn about them is to sign up to the social media accounts of all your fave authors and publishers. Not only can you get discounts for pre-ordering, but it helps the authors out too!
However, if you don’t have time or interest in reading through hundreds of tweets, grams and FB posts a day, I am here to help you! I maintain a list of cool bookish swag and other preorder incentives that I update every week or so. Click through to read all about how to get bookish swag, or jump straight to the current preorder campaigns…
It’s such a joy to fill your shelves with long-lost titles, beautiful sets of classics, or gorgeously decorated books in your favourite genre. If you want some help in tracking down some of the most beautiful books that have ever been published, I suggest starting with my collector’s guides and the illustrated bibliographies page – this is where I have listed some of the prettiest book collections you will ever see, along with images, isbns and links so you can track down the ones you like for your own collections – or you might also enjoy browsing through the life’s work of some of my favorite collectible authors and illustrators.