rare books c/d?

Did they buy them when they were new (and thus reasonably priced)?

I have no idea, I doubt that they've purchased them recently, they may even have had them donated. It's a moral quaqmire, esp. if someone's donated them, but when push comes to shove, do they really need 20 copies? From an archive perspective, most of archival material is unique anyway, but we keep copies of reports, publications etc. however we only keep 1 copy, maybe with a spare for exhibition purposes, but we definitely wouldn't keep 20. I find it hard to comprehend why this wouldn't be the case with rare books too.

Off the top of my head, I can think of a few reasons why I would want multiple copies of a rare edition book if I had a university library:

1) I might need to give a present to someone who gave the university a million dollars. Like Michael Flateley or someone. He collects rare books and might be a kind of a donatin' guy.

2) I might want to loan one or more copy out for an exhibition at another university or at a museum. Then I would still have copies back at the ranch in case anyone wanted them, and my institution's name would be out there as a respected book collector.

3) Insurance against something happening to one of the other copies. If you're going to let anyone near them at all, it's impossible to be sure that they won't get damaged eventually.

The National Library of Ireland has bought pricey (by my standards) books from me in the past, but usually single copies of things, and they always have a good reason for them. The particular translation, or alterations in the text from one edition to the next.

It comes down to a books-as-mere-binding-for-their-contents and books-as-objects argument again. Are they collecting the books because of what's in them, or specifically for their collectable value? After all, universities are in quite a good position to collect rare books. They've got reasonably secure and paper-friendly storage capabilities and can afford to hang on to the books as they increase in value, something it's difficult for private collectors to do.

My boss is a rare book dealer in her spare time. I have always found the idea of rare books (and records) kind of underwhelming. To me they ARE just binding for the contents. I can understand people who collect certain editions or whatever because of how they LOOK, maybe, but am troubled by something accruing financial value just because only 3 of them exist in that form or whatever. But then I'm not good with objects, generally.

ts: rare bks vs rare comics vs rare records etc etc.

I am holdin on to a first of edition of 'London Fields' with a little free sample chapter thingy from WHSmith's. I got this because at the time I thought it would one day be valuable, but I think I'm going to be disappointed. Give it another fifty years or so...

I used to have a *second* edition of 'In The Cage' by Henry James. I don't know what happened to it. If I still have it, I will keep it for my niece, when she's old enough. Which suggests it is something about the transmission of things, both material and otherwise, through the ages, rather than monetary value. Although I suppose I could charge her for it.

I have a lovely Christina Rossetti booklet of Goblin Market. Victorian. It is stained and tatty but beautiful too. Found it in West End Books in West Hampstead. Tucked away at the back of a shelf.

I also have a beautiful travel guide to Cerne Abbas in Dorset. 1930's. Giant. Big penis. Nice book.