Page 44 - May-JOA-22

New Letters

never know what will be in either the electronic mailbag or the actual Dear T.P.,
mailbag. Some of the letters I can’t answer, but hopefully, they can still No argument about Amazon being reprehensible even if they are
Ibe instructive when you know why it is that I can’t answer them. More trying to take over the world. Or rather because of it.
often than not, it’s for lack of information. The internet is full of absurdly priced things that will never sell.
Patience has its rewards!
Dear Ms. S, All the best, Jim D.
Thanks for your inquiry on the edition of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in
Wonderland illustrated by Lucie Attwell and published by Raphael Tuck In this next exchange, there was some confusion as to what was
& Sons Ltd. in London of which you sent a xerox of the title page. meant by “new” books. As it turned out, she meant new old books
This edition first came out about 1910 and was in print through the rather than new new books.
1920s or ‘30s, and apparently, none of the editions were dated, as
sometimes is the case with other English children’s books, so of course, Good evening,
this makes identification difficult. I am helping a client of mine go through her books in her library, are you
There are copies for sale online but as best as I can tell, none of them looking for new books? So far, we have 10 file boxes full.
can be positively identified as a first edition. One seller wrote that the Thanks, C.F.
first had decorated endpapers but did not say what the decorations
were. In some cases, like these, the number of ads in the book, if any, Dear C.F.,
might also be an aid in identification. I’ve got so many books coming in right now I’m running out of room.
Unfortunately, I do not have a copy of the Alice in Wonderland Not sure what you mean by new books. What the book is is usually more
bibliography which hopefully might answer your question. So other important than whether it’s old or new. But that said if you mean new or
than saying that you have an early copy, with the Tuck illustrations, I recent bestsellers, I am not looking for them, nor do I need quantity. I’m
am not able to tell you whether or not your copy is a first edition. looking for interesting and unusual books, not the everyday stuff.
The true first edition was illustrated by John Tenniel in London in What kind of books are they?
1865. Only 22 copies are known, so it is a super rare and expensive Thanks - Jim D.
book. The 1866 second edition can be worth ten or twenty thousand.
No telling what the first is worth – probably millions. Dear Mr. Dawson,
Thank you, I was meaning “new” books as in something we have, new to you. Sorry
James Dawson for the confusion. I’m not exactly sure what all she has. When we start going
thru them more I could let you know. She has a whole library she is looking
Good evening, to downsize.
Almost 3 years ago, on our way back from the beach, we found and I guess my question should have been are you accepting books at this time?
visited your bookstore. And fell in love. I’m pretty sure I left with 10 books. Thanks - C.F.
Now, I am looking for a specific book that I am unable to find online:
Colman by Monica Furlong. Dear C.F.,
Do you have this book in stock? Yes, if they are titles I can use. I know that’s not a proper answer,
Thank you, T.P. but it depends on the books.
Thanks, Jim D.
Dear T.P.,
I am delighted that you had such a nice experience. Dear Mr. Dawson,
Sorry, but I don’t have a copy of Colman by Furlong. I see that there Ok.. yea I have no idea what all she has. She has a whole big library.
are a few copies for sale on Amazon and Bookfinder.com for absurd Can you give me an idea of what you take? I’ll look next week and see what
prices- hundreds of dollars. all she has.
Hopefully, if you are patient, cheaper copies can be found. Thanks - C.F.
Thanks again, Jim Dawson
Hi,
Hi Mr. Dawson, Perhaps it would be easier if you could send me some photos of the
Thank you for getting back to me. I don’t use Amazon at all because of their books on the shelves so I could see the spines.
reprehensible company practices and how they treat employees. Yes, I did see the Thanks
copies for sale for over $100 but thought that was laughable. Thank you for
checking your stock. If I think of any other books I want, I’ll definitely keep you A picture can be worth a thousand words, as the saying goes to at least
in mind. give me a quick overview as to whether or not the books in question might
Sincerely, T.P. interest me.

James Dawson has owned and operated the Unicorn Bookshop in Trappe, MD since 1975, when he decided that it would be more fun to buy and sell old books and maps than to get
a “real” job. For a born collector like Jim, having a shop just might be another excuse to buy more books. He has about 30,000 second hand and rare books on the shelves, and just
about all subjects are represented. He can be contacted at P.O. Box 154; Trappe, MD 21673; 410-476-3838; unicornbookshopMD@gmail.com; www.unicornbookshop.com

42 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles