Books to treasure: Kerrie Cotton Williams celebrates a literary history.What inspired African American African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race. authors to write in the 20th century is the one question Kerrie Cotton Williams intends her budding collection of children's books, novels, and fiction to answer decades from now. An archivist ARCHIVIST. One to whose care the archives have been confided. at the Auburn Avenue Research Library in Atlanta, Williams, 33, places a premium on historical value of our writings and often encourages others to build a library of record. Categorize your collection by subjects, genres, or themes that excite you then focus on acquiring first editions. First editions by young authors can make a good investment. "[As writers] become acclaimed, [their] books become valuable." An autographed first edition adds value. Inscribed in·scribe tr.v. in·scribed, in·scrib·ing, in·scribes 1. a. To write, print, carve, or engrave (words or letters) on or in a surface. b. To mark or engrave (a surface) with words or letters. copies are worth more. "Plating that person and that particular object in the moment is of historical value as well as monetary value," explains Williams. Preserve your books by always washing your hands before handling them. Also, appoint a display copy that can withstand changes in environment ans a preservation copy that should be housed at a stable 70 degrees Fahrenheit away from fluorescent light and sunlight, Williams suggests storing papers "in alkaline folders or boxes, which create barriers between your materials and outside conditions." Acquaint yourself with the collecting community by attending book fairs. Most are sponsored by the Antiquarian an·ti·quar·i·an n. One who studies, collects, or deals in antiquities. adj. 1. Of or relating to antiquarians or to the study or collecting of antiquities. 2. Dealing in or having to do with old or rare books. Booksellers Association of America (www.abaa.org). While there is no single price guide, the American Society of Appraisers (www.appraisers.org) can recommend certified appraisers, whose criteria include "physical condition, edition, manuscripts, or items related to [the author] or books in a repository or someone's possession, and how your books relate to other books within a collection." A hand-corrected Ralph Ellison manuscript on onionskin paper or a Phyllis Wheatley first edition, both acquisitions of AARL AARL Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History AARL Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (wwmaf.publie.lib.ga.us/aarl), currently command five figures each. Determine a legacy for your collection whether you bequeath To dispose of Personal Property owned by a decedent at the time of death as a gift under the provisions of the decedent's will. The term bequeath applies only to personal property. it to relatives, donate it, or sell it to a repository. Civil rights activist and former mayor of Atlanta Andrew Young recently donated his books, handwritten hand·write tr.v. hand·wrote , hand·writ·ten , hand·writ·ing, hand·writes To write by hand. [Back-formation from handwritten.] Adj. 1. correspondence, diaries, audio tapes, and photographs spanning 50 years of his life to AARL. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion