sauromatian wrote in Anyone here collect books?:
Okay, but what are you trying to say? Is it a myth, or are there acts who benefit from unauthorized distribution of their work?

I'm pointing out the irony that authors and publishers object to their IP being shared illicitly, however, they wish for and benefit of this, and many in the past have built their careers upon it.

These days they try their best to control and create the same effect using 'social influencers', but it does not work to the same extent, or with the same effectiveness, as illicit distribution does. Let's face it, everything gets copied, and the process filters out and draws attention to good products over bad, and does so to a degree that marketing executives, with all their billions of dollars in revenue, are unable to replicate. They object to it because they cannot control the outcome. The market decides quality and value regardless of the money thrown at it, because these products are stripped down and sold at marginal cost. Or traded for free in the case of books, games, films etc. Most of us would have no idea who or what Louis Vuitton was without the cheap eastern knockoffs. Most of world outside of the US wouldn't have given a F about Guns 'n' Roses if it weren't for the bootleg concert albums that flooded our market stalls and record shops, and it would appear that Tolkien may have remained an insignificant niche English author if it were not for bootleg presses in the US.

As with most politics, there is a difference between what is said by people, and what is done. Distribution of illegal copies is no different. They say one thing and do another. So long as they get to reap the benefits and still get to stand on their high horses, everyone is a winner. Everyone gets to feel righteously indignant, and the status quo is maintained, which of course is what the game is all about. Make a noise and have a song and dance about things, but don't rock the boat.

Mister Yuk wrote in Anyone here collect books?:Do not meet one of your favorite bands on their 1st tour and tell them you discovered their music in the Library Stacks.

Lol. I've had a few conversations like that with some big name bands. Some record label execs also. Never an author though. Benefits of a mis-spent youth providing security for the largest record shop outside of London I guess. I had a conversation with Geffen about the bootleg thing, and they acknowledged that GnR's UK tour probably wouldn't have happened if it weren't for bootleg live recordings being manufactured in Russia of all places. They (Geffen) reckoned recordings were being made in the US, and then stamped onto vinyl in the USSR and shipped into Europe via Poland. His opinion was that GnR were a live band, not a studio band, and their money was in selling out concerts and not banging out records and singles, and that was why they didn't have a problem with the bootleg business (which was rife - they were everywhere). Long story short, they very much recognised the benefits, but I bet they'd never have said so on the record. I also imagine Axel Rose wouldn't have been to happy. Losing out on all that nose candy. Funny thing is, roll on a decade and Geffen are the one staunch objector to Apple's whole music subscription model because they saw it as opening the door to piracy.

Had a similar discussion with Mr Polydor (the rep') re Little Angels, at that time he was of the opinion that anything that helps shift records is welcome. They couldn't give tickets away (literally) and were playing really pokey venues and not even able to fill them in big cities like Edinburgh. Little Angels were a little UK rock band in the early 90's. No Idea what happened to them, but they seemed like a nice bunch of guys and had a few good songs. I guess there's a difference between the needs of a big band, and the needs of a small one, and between what the artist themselves think, and what the managers and promoters they are paying know about promoting bands in their industry, and while the guy from Polydor was maybe a bit young and a bit green, the guy from Geffen was very articulate and came across like he ran the European side of the Geffen label.

stratochamp wrote in Anyone here collect books?:The Waning of the Middle Ages by Huizinga? I have that around here somewhere. I haven't read that in 35 years...Perhaps I will give it a look.

I would give it a conditional recommendation - I think it was influential in how people in the 20th Century saw the Middle Ages, but it's pretty dry reading. It has a ghostly sense of uncovering a forgotten world where everybody saw things differently than they do today, so there's that.

The best book I've found on the Middle Ages is A Distant Mirror by Barbara W. Tuchman.  It's not a thorough description of the Middle Ages, but it is an enjoyable and entertaining read.  

I do that with paperbacks. I figure if it looks like its been read in monsoon season, or came back from Nam, then its probably been read enough.
Hardbacks I don't buy anymore.

red_bus wrote in Anyone here collect books?:Thanks everyone - this is really interesting! I was really thinking about some of the books that have meaning for me outside of gaming. So for example, I have done a lot of work in the environmental field and there are interesting books there that have had an impact upon society. e.g. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson came out in the early 1960s and really changed the way people thought about nature and the impact of humans upon the environment. 1st printings run at about £400-500 (or so, I really don’t know much about this field and don't know how to start valuing such things). Or Edward Abbey’s Monkey Wrench Gang (1975) inspired much of what we now think of as eco-activism (and is also a terrific novel) and it seems to go for £5-600+
Or even just more fun books, like early copies of Joan Didion’s essays are quite pricey (especially if signed). You could easily see how you could spend (waste!) a huge amount of money if you had no idea what you were doing. For example, I know that here, in the UK, rare books shops still sell by catalogue – but is that generally overpriced? Are books fairs (once we get out and about again) worth attending? ... or am I just destined to spend even more time on ebay and abebooks

In the buy sell transaction, the buyer buys because he values the money lower than what he values the book. He values three aspects of the book. It's utility (as a readable item), the pleasure he will get from owning the item and showing it to others, and his evaluation of any investment realisation it may possess if it is sold later on. The book seller has a similar set of values which he uses to set the price of the book.

So with both the book seller in a shop, and the book seller in a book fair, you really have to ask yourself if you know more than the book seller. Do you have knowledge that the book seller and other customers do not have? And is your assessment of value accurate?

I stopped buying, even though I used to consume novels with a passion, and had direct access to authors to sign and date the books, and was able to provide corroborative authenticating information that others could not (having staff access to authors), because I was spending money following a passion and needed to spend money more wisely. I did not have any greater market knowledge that people who ran businesses and traded these books for their livelihood, nor were my assessments of value any more accurate than your average graduate or parent. So when I ceased having privileged access, I ceased buying 1st day covers.

That said I still wouldn't drop $6K on a woodgrain or $1K on a Palace of the Vampire Queen, despite my experience telling me there would be a high likelihood of a good return.

benjoshua wrote in Anyone here collect books?:The best book I've found on the Middle Ages is A Distant Mirror by Barbara W. Tuchman.  It's not a thorough description of the Middle Ages, but it is an enjoyable and entertaining read.  

I really enjoyed this... A World Lit Only by Fire - by William Manchester

I recently reorganized all of my history hardcovers (1500 books?) and put them in historical order and I came across my copy of A World Lit only by Fire which I have not yet read (I have read another of his books and enjoyed it).

benjoshua wrote in Anyone here collect books?:
It has interesting reviews.  Apparently it's really good reading, but not great accuracy.  Those 1 and 2 star reviews probably came from history teachers who prefer their history so detailed, it's boring.     I also did a Google search on great Middle Ages history books, and it made the list!  But even the summary there referred to it's lack of accuracy.  

You can't expect a history teacher to have an imagination. Next you'll be expecting them to have a sense of humour as well. Before long we'll end up with Black Adder and Monty Python, one armed knights, wise women, and foot long codpieces. That level of tom foolery never dug up a king in a supermarket carpark.