A chance encounter with a rare book changed the course of Subbiah
Yadalam’s life.
Though Yadalam had been an avid book buyer since he was 10, he stumbled across a book at the Bangalore Club library in 2004, which opened up a world he never knew existed.
Though Yadalam had been an avid book buyer since he was 10, he stumbled across a book at the Bangalore Club library in 2004, which opened up a world he never knew existed.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India, a seven-volume ethnographic
encyclopedia by Edgar Thurston and Kadambi Rangachari captivated the
then-42-year-old so much he immediately wanted to buy the whole set. The
Club declined to sell.
“I was compelled to search for a rare book for the first time in my life,” said Yadalam, a native of Bengaluru, India. At a local book dealer, he bought the entire set for 15,000 rupees ($246).
Now, a decade later, he has become one of India’s most distinguished collectors of rare and antiquarian books. In 2009, he established the Rare Book Society of India, a digital library of rare, out-of-print books on India, with more than 44,000 members worldwide.
His personal collection is impressive, with almost 175 rare literary works valued at 4.2m rupees ($70,000), including an inscribed copy of Fanny Parkes’ 19th century memoirs titled Wanderings of a Pilgrim in Search of the Picturesque that he bought for about $3,500 from a dealer in New York.
“The Wanderings is considered a rare Anglo-Indian classic and the most readable travelogue of India in the early 1820s,” he explained.
The advent of technology has pushed many to electronic devices for the bulk of their reading. For rare book collectors, though, the thrill of holding a piece of literary history remains unparalleled.
Whether sifting through a yard sale or a million-dollar bid at an auction, the pursuit of a rare piece of literary work is half the fun. For seekers, the joy of a serendipitous find is boundless.
What to buy
Rare is really a measure of how easily obtainable a book is, said Matthew Haley, head of books and manuscripts division at the noted British auction house Bonhams.
“What makes a book collectible is another matter,” he said. “It will usually be desirable to collectors because of its subject matter say, chess or ornithology; its author or illustrator, Charles Dickens or E H Shepard; when and where it was printed; or something special about the physical book itself like its binding or its previous ownership.”
First editions aren’t always the most valuable and sought-after, as some would believe, according to R Arvid Nelsen, chair of the Rare Books and Manuscript Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries in Minneapolis in the US.
“Many people have bought into the idea that first editions are inherently more valuable,” he said. “A lot of it has to do with marketing.”
In fact, sometimes later editions of rare books are “more desirable because they have additional information or illustrations,” Haley said. “The 1586 first edition of [William] Camden's Britannia has no maps but fetches £1,000 ($1,633). The larger-format 1607 edition has 57 maps and can fetch five to 10 times the price of the first edition.”
Shakespeare’s Third Folio — the third collected edition of his plays — is a famous example of a later printing of a book that has more value than an earlier one. “That's because many of the unsold editions of the Third Folio, printed in 1663, were destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666,” said Dan Wade, head writer at Bristol, UK-based dealer Paul Fraser Collectibles. “One [of the surviving copies of] the Third Folio sold for $374,500 in 2012, while Second Folio printed in 1632, can achieve as little as $25,000.”
Most die-hard collectors look for intrinsic, not financial, value, asserts Warwick Jordan, founder and manager of Hard to Find Books in New Zealand. He cites Michael King’s biography titled Wrestling with the Angel: A Life of Janet Frame as one example that became collectible merely by accident. “A first edition of it is worth around NZ$25 ($20). Tragically, within months of being published both the author, Michael King, and the subject died,” he said. “A copy signed by Michael King is worth around NZ$125 ($100), a copy signed by both authors around NZ$1,250 ($1,000). We have the copy that Michael King inscribed and presented to Janet Frame. At NZ$6,250 ($5,034) it’s a unique historical item of which only one exists.”
Rarity isn’t always the biggest value proposition, says Wendy Guerin, co-founder of Cookbook Village, an online store that specialises in collectible and vintage cookbooks in Tucson, Arizona, in the US. “Handwritten notes in older cookbooks can actually bring the value up,” she said. “People enjoy reading the handwritten recipes and notes.”
What you’ll pay
The range of a book’s value varies dramatically.
“It's difficult sometimes to call it,” Guerin said. “Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking — a classic cookbook — is a great example.” The book, which normally sells in the $20 to $40 range, hit the $800 mark after the 2007 release of Julie & Julia, a movie based on Child’s memoirs.
Haley says enthusiasts can find books to suit all budgets. A collector can buy “a good condition first edition of a James Bond book by Ian Fleming anywhere between £100 ($160) and £15,000 ($24,500) depending on whether it's one of the first or last stories in the series.” The first stories are considered more valuable because they were published in smaller quantities, before the Bond phenomenon took off.
At the higher end, signed first editions of famously reclusive J D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye goes for around $25,000, but signed later editions can still fetch $5,000.
Proof copies, which are sent to book reviewers prior to first editions, can also be a great find, especially for people interested in owning a piece of the process.
“Proof copies of J K Rowling’s first Potter offering, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, sell for around £4,000 ($6,830). There are 200 of them,” Wade said.
What to look for
Well-preserved volumes command a higher premium and will last longer if you care for them properly.
“One can think of condition as a kind of pyramid,” Haley said. "For a given work, there might be dozens of copies in scrappy condition, several copies in good condition, but only two or three copies in outstanding condition. Those two or three copies will always be the most desirable and will hold their value better than others.”
Soiled covers, missing dust jackets, ripped pages, mildewed edges, less-than-sharp corners and food stains can all detract from the value of a treasured tome.
Moisture, dust and direct sunlight are the enemy of books. A bookcase with a door can protect them.
Apart from physical condition, content contributes meaningfully to a book’s desirability. “The most valuable books are those that changed the course of history or of human understanding,” Haley said.
Among them, the Gutenberg Bible (1455), Isaac Newton's book on gravity Principia Mathematica (1687) and Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859).
Given that rare books are old and have been touched by many hands, proper care is key. Those printed more than a century ago can develop discoloured and brittle leaves if not kept in suitable conditions.
“Books should be kept in a stable environment — preferably in temperatures below 25C,” said Rajiv Jain, director, Southex Books & Prints, a Delhi, India-based dealer that specialises in 18th and 19th century books. They should also be kept free of dust, protected with slip cases and stored with humidity levels below 60%. “Rebound if required to raise the aesthetic appeal and enhance the life of the books,” he said.
The National Park Service, a bureau of the US Department of the Interior, has an exhaustive guide on how to care for rare books.
Where to buy
Bibliophiles typically hunt for rare books at auction houses such as the Bonhams and Christie’s , online auction sites (PFC Auctions, Sydney Rare Book Auctions, PBA Galleries), dealers (AbeBooks, Biblio) and online retailers (eBay and Amazon). Some have found treasure while combing charity shops, antique dealers, car boot sales and flea markets. Specialty stores such as The Strand in New York and Southex Books & Prints in Delhi, India, are also good spots to shop.
The safest bet is to shop in person at a dealer who offers a lifetime money back guarantee of authenticity, says Wade. That way you can visually see any defects for yourself and insure against buying a fake.
Research is also an integral part of the acquisition process. Search engine Bookfinder.com, owned by AbeBooks, offers a rough guideline of what a book is worth.
“The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association has articles on book collecting and occasionally holds talks and seminars,” Haley said. “But a beginner can do a lot worse than visiting antiquarian bookshops and book auctions and reading their catalogues.”
To comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Capital, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.
(The third paragraph has been corrected to show that Subbiah Yadalam was 42, not 24)
sursa: bbc.com
“I was compelled to search for a rare book for the first time in my life,” said Yadalam, a native of Bengaluru, India. At a local book dealer, he bought the entire set for 15,000 rupees ($246).
Now, a decade later, he has become one of India’s most distinguished collectors of rare and antiquarian books. In 2009, he established the Rare Book Society of India, a digital library of rare, out-of-print books on India, with more than 44,000 members worldwide.
His personal collection is impressive, with almost 175 rare literary works valued at 4.2m rupees ($70,000), including an inscribed copy of Fanny Parkes’ 19th century memoirs titled Wanderings of a Pilgrim in Search of the Picturesque that he bought for about $3,500 from a dealer in New York.
“The Wanderings is considered a rare Anglo-Indian classic and the most readable travelogue of India in the early 1820s,” he explained.
The advent of technology has pushed many to electronic devices for the bulk of their reading. For rare book collectors, though, the thrill of holding a piece of literary history remains unparalleled.
Whether sifting through a yard sale or a million-dollar bid at an auction, the pursuit of a rare piece of literary work is half the fun. For seekers, the joy of a serendipitous find is boundless.
What to buy
Rare is really a measure of how easily obtainable a book is, said Matthew Haley, head of books and manuscripts division at the noted British auction house Bonhams.
“What makes a book collectible is another matter,” he said. “It will usually be desirable to collectors because of its subject matter say, chess or ornithology; its author or illustrator, Charles Dickens or E H Shepard; when and where it was printed; or something special about the physical book itself like its binding or its previous ownership.”
First editions aren’t always the most valuable and sought-after, as some would believe, according to R Arvid Nelsen, chair of the Rare Books and Manuscript Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries in Minneapolis in the US.
“Many people have bought into the idea that first editions are inherently more valuable,” he said. “A lot of it has to do with marketing.”
In fact, sometimes later editions of rare books are “more desirable because they have additional information or illustrations,” Haley said. “The 1586 first edition of [William] Camden's Britannia has no maps but fetches £1,000 ($1,633). The larger-format 1607 edition has 57 maps and can fetch five to 10 times the price of the first edition.”
Shakespeare’s Third Folio — the third collected edition of his plays — is a famous example of a later printing of a book that has more value than an earlier one. “That's because many of the unsold editions of the Third Folio, printed in 1663, were destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666,” said Dan Wade, head writer at Bristol, UK-based dealer Paul Fraser Collectibles. “One [of the surviving copies of] the Third Folio sold for $374,500 in 2012, while Second Folio printed in 1632, can achieve as little as $25,000.”
Most die-hard collectors look for intrinsic, not financial, value, asserts Warwick Jordan, founder and manager of Hard to Find Books in New Zealand. He cites Michael King’s biography titled Wrestling with the Angel: A Life of Janet Frame as one example that became collectible merely by accident. “A first edition of it is worth around NZ$25 ($20). Tragically, within months of being published both the author, Michael King, and the subject died,” he said. “A copy signed by Michael King is worth around NZ$125 ($100), a copy signed by both authors around NZ$1,250 ($1,000). We have the copy that Michael King inscribed and presented to Janet Frame. At NZ$6,250 ($5,034) it’s a unique historical item of which only one exists.”
Rarity isn’t always the biggest value proposition, says Wendy Guerin, co-founder of Cookbook Village, an online store that specialises in collectible and vintage cookbooks in Tucson, Arizona, in the US. “Handwritten notes in older cookbooks can actually bring the value up,” she said. “People enjoy reading the handwritten recipes and notes.”
What you’ll pay
The range of a book’s value varies dramatically.
“It's difficult sometimes to call it,” Guerin said. “Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking — a classic cookbook — is a great example.” The book, which normally sells in the $20 to $40 range, hit the $800 mark after the 2007 release of Julie & Julia, a movie based on Child’s memoirs.
Haley says enthusiasts can find books to suit all budgets. A collector can buy “a good condition first edition of a James Bond book by Ian Fleming anywhere between £100 ($160) and £15,000 ($24,500) depending on whether it's one of the first or last stories in the series.” The first stories are considered more valuable because they were published in smaller quantities, before the Bond phenomenon took off.
At the higher end, signed first editions of famously reclusive J D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye goes for around $25,000, but signed later editions can still fetch $5,000.
Proof copies, which are sent to book reviewers prior to first editions, can also be a great find, especially for people interested in owning a piece of the process.
“Proof copies of J K Rowling’s first Potter offering, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, sell for around £4,000 ($6,830). There are 200 of them,” Wade said.
What to look for
Well-preserved volumes command a higher premium and will last longer if you care for them properly.
“One can think of condition as a kind of pyramid,” Haley said. "For a given work, there might be dozens of copies in scrappy condition, several copies in good condition, but only two or three copies in outstanding condition. Those two or three copies will always be the most desirable and will hold their value better than others.”
Soiled covers, missing dust jackets, ripped pages, mildewed edges, less-than-sharp corners and food stains can all detract from the value of a treasured tome.
Moisture, dust and direct sunlight are the enemy of books. A bookcase with a door can protect them.
Apart from physical condition, content contributes meaningfully to a book’s desirability. “The most valuable books are those that changed the course of history or of human understanding,” Haley said.
Among them, the Gutenberg Bible (1455), Isaac Newton's book on gravity Principia Mathematica (1687) and Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (1859).
Given that rare books are old and have been touched by many hands, proper care is key. Those printed more than a century ago can develop discoloured and brittle leaves if not kept in suitable conditions.
“Books should be kept in a stable environment — preferably in temperatures below 25C,” said Rajiv Jain, director, Southex Books & Prints, a Delhi, India-based dealer that specialises in 18th and 19th century books. They should also be kept free of dust, protected with slip cases and stored with humidity levels below 60%. “Rebound if required to raise the aesthetic appeal and enhance the life of the books,” he said.
The National Park Service, a bureau of the US Department of the Interior, has an exhaustive guide on how to care for rare books.
Where to buy
Bibliophiles typically hunt for rare books at auction houses such as the Bonhams and Christie’s , online auction sites (PFC Auctions, Sydney Rare Book Auctions, PBA Galleries), dealers (AbeBooks, Biblio) and online retailers (eBay and Amazon). Some have found treasure while combing charity shops, antique dealers, car boot sales and flea markets. Specialty stores such as The Strand in New York and Southex Books & Prints in Delhi, India, are also good spots to shop.
The safest bet is to shop in person at a dealer who offers a lifetime money back guarantee of authenticity, says Wade. That way you can visually see any defects for yourself and insure against buying a fake.
Research is also an integral part of the acquisition process. Search engine Bookfinder.com, owned by AbeBooks, offers a rough guideline of what a book is worth.
“The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association has articles on book collecting and occasionally holds talks and seminars,” Haley said. “But a beginner can do a lot worse than visiting antiquarian bookshops and book auctions and reading their catalogues.”
To comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Capital, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.
(The third paragraph has been corrected to show that Subbiah Yadalam was 42, not 24)
sursa: bbc.com
Este unul dintre cei
mai prolifici actori ai tinerei generaţii. A ajuns la performanţa de a
juca în trei spectacole în aceeaşi zi şi în peste 30 de reprezentaţii
într-o lună! Regizorii îl distribuie în diverse roluri, pe care le joacă
mereu cu talent şi cu pasiune. La 36 de ani, Marius Manole se află "pe
val" şi vine la Interviurile FNT să povestească despre marea sa iubire:
teatrul.
„M-am ferit să văd spectacolul de la Comedie ca să nu fiu influenţat de
ideile lui Horaţiu Mălăele, spune Marius Manole în deschiderea
dialogului din studioul Adevărul live. Spectacolul face parte dintr-un
experiment pe Gogol”, ambele cu mine...
Textul lui Gogol parcă a fost scris ieri, nici dramaturgia
contemporană nu e aşa de contemporană ca Gogol. Iată, vorbim de alegeri,
minciună, corupţie, în fiecare dimineaţă aflăm cum cineva mai intră la
puşcărie...
„Seamănă mult personajele mele între ele, sunt 21 de texte,
într-adevăr... Am o foarte bună memorie vizuală şi ţin minte textul,
reţin şi unde e o virgulă pe pagină. E ca şi cum ai întreba un
maratonist cunm aleargă. Mă întreabă lumea dacă nu-mi e greu să joc trei
spectacole pe zi. Nu, nu mi-e greu, asta fac, altceva nu fac. E o
meserie de sportiv, în care trebuie să ai o igienă foarte bună mentală.
Când ai terminat un spectacol l-ai pus deoparte şi mergi la următorul”,
spune artistul care în acest moment este probabil unul dintre cei mai
prolifici.
Şi Vlad Zamfirescu joacă la fel de mult ca mine şi am vrut să facem un
fel de maraton, să jucăm de dimineaţa până seara, o zi Marius Manole şi o
zi Vlad Zamfirescu... Mie chiar mi s-a întâmplat că am jucat la un
moment dat sâmbăta şi duminica cinci spectacle pe zi..., îşi explică
Marius Manole ritmul de viaţă.
Personajul asta a venit foarte bine, pot să fac o critică foarte
sensibilă, cu umor şi ironie a lumii noastre. M-am bucurat că am putut
să joc un impostor din ziua de azi, săp le arăt oamenilor cât de naivi
şio de creduli sunt. Aşa pot să-mi spun părerea. Nu poţi să vii şi să
spui că ai şase case pe drept. Eu sunt un om care munceşte şi nu am şase
case. Atunci înseamnă că e imposibil ca altul să le aibă. Despre asta e
vorba, noi, actorii, nu prea ne putem spune părerea...
Consider că e datoria noastră să votăm şi îii îndemn pe toţi tnerii
să meargă. să mergem să votăm, e dreptul nostru. dacă nu mergem n-avem
niciun drept să ne plângem după...
Totul e foarte nostim în societatea noastră, dar din fericire, teatrul
n-are de-a fae cu politica, aşa că vă invit la teatru care este încă o
oglindă a lumii. Să vedeţi o critică a societăţii cu mult umor şi cu
actori talentaţi.
Eu şi Felix Alexa am lucrat împreună peste zece spectacole, ne şi certăm
destul de mult, dar ne cunosştem şi ştim bine ce vrem unul de la altul.
Îl întreb întotdeauna de ce mă distribuie într-un anume rol. Nimeni nu
m-ar fi distribuit în Lopahin, în Revizorul, în personajul din
„Însemnările unui nebun”... El a văzut în mine aceste personaje,
povesteşte Marius Manole.
„Pe mine nu mă interesează cum o să dea în afară ceea ce eu fac pe
scenă, pe mine mă interesează să-mi fac treaba, ceea ce ajunge la dvs.
în public, este altceva, ficare om vede cu alţi ochi...”, măruriseşte
actorul.
Vorbind despre bani, Marius Manole spune că nu se investeşte suficient
în cultură.
„Ei vor ca oamenii să nu aibă cultură, pentru că un popor fără
cultură e uşor de manipulat. Asta vor, de-asta închid teatrele şi
cinematografele. În condiţiile astea noi încercăm să rezistăm. Încă se
fac filme şi spectacole bune, încă se fac filme bune.”
Actorii sunt nişte copii şi nu pot crede că cineva vine să profite pe
nedrept de munca lor. Şi actorul vrea să fie iubit. Iar când e puţin
iubit şi periat şi înfloreşte. Şi atunci uneori se întâmplă să-şi piardă
busola. Actorul nu poate să creadă că politicienii vor doar să profite
de ei.
„Nu zâmbesc la aplauze, pentru că uneori sunt cumplit de obosit şi
uneori n-am chef...”, mărtiriseşte actorul, în studioul Adevărul live
şi, în încheierea discuţiei, îşi invită publicul la FNT.
Marius Manole, actorul care joacă şi cinci spectacole pe zi
Marius Manole a absolvit în 2001 Universitatea de Arte „George Enescu”
din Iaşi, secţia Actorie, la clasa profesor Emil Coşeriu şi Cornelia
Gheorghe. Între 2002 - 2003, a urmat cursurile Secţiei de Coregrafie de
la Universitatea Naţională de Artă Teatrală şi Cinematografică „Ion Luca
Caragiale” din Bucureşti. De asemenea a participat la stagiile din
cadrul Academiei Itinerante Andrei Şerban, la Horezu şi la New York,
atelier realizat de ICR New York cu sprijinul ICR Bucureşti, în 2009.
Este angajat al Teatrului Naţional Bucureşti din 2002, jucând în
numeroase producţii, printre care: Revizorul, Năpasta, Sinucigaşul,
Burghezul gentilom, Inimă de câine, Visul unei nopţi de vară.
Colaborează cu mai multe teatre: Teatrul Bulandra, Teatrul Metropolis,
Teatrul Odeon, Teatrul de Comedie, Teatrul Luni de la Greeh Hours,
ArCuB, Godot Cafe Teatru, Teatrul Maria Filotti din Brăila, Teatrul
Municipal din Târgovişte, Opera Română din Timişoara.
Marius Manole a apărut în serialul „Martor fără voie” (2006), regizat de
Alexandru Lupu. În rolul lui Patrick, a interpretat un tânăr bântuit de
viziuni macabre ce sfârşesc prin a se adeveri.
La cea de-a nouăsprezecea ediţie a Galei UNITER, Marius Manole a fost
nominalizat la categoria Cel mai bun actor în rol principal, pentru
Ermolai Alexeevici Lopahin, din Livada de vişini.
A obţinut în 2009 premiul FestCo, pentru rolul principal din spectacolul
Ioana şi focul de la Teatrul de Comedie. În 2007 i-a fost acordat, în
cadrul aceleiaşi gale Premiul pentru cel mai bun actor în rol secundar -
Paul – Stă să plouă, Teatrul LUNI, Green Hours . A obţinut şi Premiul
pentru Tineri Creatori acordat de Ministerul Culturii şi Cultelor pentru
Puck - Visul unei nopţi de vară de William Shakespeare, 2003, Premiul
special la Festivalul de Teatru Contemporan Braşov pentru rolul Paulie
din Drept ca o linie, 2002 şi Marele Premiu la Festivalul de Teatru
Imagine, pentru acelaşi rol.
În anul 2006, Marius Manole a fost nominalizat la Premiile UNITER pentru
cel mai bun actor în rol principal (Şarikov, Tipograf Tipografovici –
Inimă de câine după Mihail Bulgakov, regia Yuriy Kordonskiy), alături de
Victor Rebengiuc şi Marius Stănescu. De asemenea, în 2003 a fost
nominalizat, tot în cadrul UNITER, pentru debut, cu rolul Paulie în
specatcolul Drept ca o linie, de Luís Alfaro, în regia lui Radu Apostol.
Citeste mai mult: adev.ro/nds7l2
Citeste mai mult: adev.ro/nds7l2
Interviurile FNT Marius Manole: „Un popor fără cultură e un popor uşor de manipulat şi tocmai asta se doreşte”
Citeste mai mult: adev.ro/nds7l2
Citeste mai mult: adev.ro/nds7l2