If you’re not familiar with the antique industry, you might wonder why anyone would be interested in antique books. Often the information contained in them is so outdated, it’s completely inaccurate. Science books are almost comical, they are so inaccurate. Just read an ancient book about the universe or an ancient medical text, and you’ll be flabbergasted at how little our ancestors actually knew. They had no idea how the human body really work, how the universe was formed, or how disease spread. Ancient history books almost seem like fairytales. But for the knowing few, ancient books are treasured. Some of them are invaluable to collectors. Ancient Bibles and other holy books, the writing of very famous people in history, ancient public documents; these are all highly valued and bring great prices at auctions.

Some of the reasons that antique books are so coveted by collectors include the fact that they are so inaccurate when held up against today’s modern textbooks. When we understand how inaccurate medical books were from decades ago, we realize how much work doctors and scientists have done to get to where we are today - and how much more work there is to be done. Some appreciate that antique books are seen as almost elementary because this really paints a picture of the progress that people have made when it comes to science or medicine.

But for others, it may be the timelessness of antique books that appeal to them. When you read the writings of ancient poets and philosophers you realize that people really haven’t changed much down through history.

Where do you think history comes from, of course it’s antique books. In antique books, we can find the laws of the past and the development of human freedoms and rights. You can read about the both the accomplishments and sufferings of people in earlier times. This is our history. It all comes from antique books. Little bits and pieces can emerge from the writings of individuals and groups these bits and pieces make very valuable antique treasures.

On top of all of this antique books are connected to real people who lived hundreds of years ago. Reading one can be like getting into a time machine and going back into the past. Knowing that a book is hundreds of years old, allows us to wonder about the person who wrote it, the people who’ve owned it, the meaning they got from it. Who touched it, who read it, what did it mean to them? Knowing the books people read is probably the best connection you’ll ever have with them.

So who might be interested in antique books? It takes someone who enjoys history and connecting with the past. People who like to transport themselves back in time, so that they feel that they are in the shoes of the writer. These people can be fanatical about books. Many auctions have separate showings for books. Antique books and antique toys and antique furniture, probably don’t all appeal to the same buyers. So there is a separate crowd of buyers looking for antique books. Many libraries specialize in historical books, and they’re always buyers. University libraries and large legal libraries are always looking for antique books. Religious organizations are always looking for old Bibles and religious texts. There are also many private collectors looking for something unique that no one else has. While there are some in the antique business, who shy away from books because they feel it’s not as exciting as a piece of 18th century Victorian furniture or a 200 year old piece of jewelry, there is still a huge market for antique books that are prized by collectors.