Folios in secondhand shops

Almost all second hand stores I go into have a shelf of battered and unloved Folios.

How do they get so battered? Folio buyers are normally careful book loving folk.

Consider yourself lucky. Here in Austin, Texas you're lucky to find two or three Folios (and invariably they are from at least 25 years ago--The Black Prince anyone? Anyone? I thought not). I'd love to peruse a whole shelf of battered and unloved Folios.

>2 podaniel:
podaniel, if you're in Dallas, try the Half Price Books at 5803 E. Northwest Highway, just east of Hwy 75/Central Expressway. They have a collectibles department with a section for FS and Heritage Club books. There's usually 20 or so FS books, some older some newer, and usually in pretty good shape. Happy hunting.

Os.

I live in small town USA, and would be very happy just to have a bookstore :(

I live in small norwegian town (30,000 inhabitants) and there is 5-6 bookstores around here but no second hand stores anymore. I have seen 1 Folio book here in total, and it was missing its slipcase. I was so surprised that I bought it anyway.

I've found a copy of The Reign of Nero in a second-hand bookstore in Granada. Probably sold or left behind by a British expatriate!

>1 charleseugenebongo2: Folio buyers are normally careful book loving folk.

Folio buyers and Folio owners are not always the same people...

I visited last month an English tea-room in Grenoble, where they have some 2nd-hand books for sale. (I discovered the 3 volumes of Bryant's biography on Pepys which probably had been awaiting me for many months. I couldn't resist.) But they had no Folio. When I asked if they had some occasionally, the guy told me: ‘Folio? What's that?’ Glurp.

>3 Osbaldistone:

Thanks for the tip Os--I'll try that. Although it requires a trip to (shudder) Dallas.

>1 charleseugenebongo2:

Don't forget all the threads on this group about damaged shipments. If these books aren't returned, they're often sold to secondhand stores if not given away. Or if given away, maybe the giftees sold them. I've found several copies of Folio volumes at secondhand stores around here with bumped corners that are otherwise pristine. Those are only the newer ones. The older ones are usually well-damaged, as are Heritage and LEC copies. The pristine copies get placed in the glass cases. One store around here is selling the Folio version of Faust for $100. (The 2005 version with quarter leather, if there's another version).

> 10

I expect you're right in saying that some Folios, battered and wounded in the great white bag, end up in secondhand outlets. Many of the rejected Folios I see (and they are fairly plentiful here in the UK) are definitely of the unloved variety bemoaned by charleseugenebongo2. Now, I'm quite sure that all Folio Society Devotees worthy of the name treat their Folios with every care and due reverence (the occasional drenching in coffee notwithstanding). Indeed, some here have admitted to keeping them in their shrinkwrap for years at a time. Naturally, my own are as new and appear unread. (Actually, a few of them are unread, but I know you can keep a secret.) There are people out there, however, who are apparently incapable of telling the difference between a high quality Folio and a frisbee. Judging by the appearance of many of the secondhand Folios I see, their previous owners have used them as

(a) plates
(b) coasters
(c) doormats
(d) door stops
(e) steps (usually boxed sets)
(f) frisbees.

Here, a non-devotee practises before taking his book to the secondhand store:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MZrl_O-fsM&feature=related

His son, who wants to be a postal worker, engages in some early training:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUyJY_fguTA

>11 boldface: Boldface
The point of the first video totally escapes me. Why would anyone bother to video such a mindless act? A syndrome called cranial vacuosity springs to mind.

Speaking of 2nd hand bookshops, this weekend is the local Lifeline Bookfair, a massive 2nd booksale for a charity - they have a special room for collectables, including a table of FS books. I picked up a pristine Cicero - On the Good Life for $A20 and a very good copy of the Merchant of Venice (1975) for $A12. Very nice! Most of the FS books on sale were in very good condition or better, especially recent volumes. Many are without slipcases though.

>9 podaniel:
I know what you mean about Dallas. I left there 30 years ago, and miss nothing about it. But, I have family there, within walking distance of that Half Price Books store, so I have two reasons to go back once in awhile. I wouldn't recommend the trip just for the store (unless you're not too far away).

Os.

OK gang I'l consider myself lucky. I have two secondhand bookshops within walking distance ( and I never walk far ) plus the largest second hand book shop in the UK ( or at least that is how it bills itself ) a bus ride away in Rochester ( Kent - UK ).

>11 boldface:

That first clip is capitivating, eloquent, playfully sensual yet violent by association - you only see boots, but so much personality - a candidate for the Turner prize.

>11 boldface:
Actually, Ben is not very good at destroying a book. Isn't that the FS edition of The Big Book of Things to Spot? ;-)

Os.

> 12 "Why would anyone bother to video such a mindless act?"

I'm afraid the internet is choked with people who think their mindless trivia will secure their 15 minutes of fame. As leonb intimates, one man's mindless act is another man's Turner Prize.

> 17

Well, he's only a beginner.

>16 leonb:,18
But the Turner Prize is for contemporary art, not videos depicting book torture. As for the 15 minutes of fame, you see nothing of the protagonist above his (her?) knees. As I said - cranial vacuosity syndrome.

What some people call contemporary art is open to interpretation...

> 19

you see nothing of the protagonist above his (her?) knees

I think you mean its knees...

> 19

you see nothing of the protagonist above his (her?) knees

I think you mean antagonist...

I have found second-hand Folio prices to be very inconsistent. Blackwell's in Oxford don't get many second hand Folio's but when they do the price is great (I got the entire Gibbon Decline and Fall for £28, fine cond.).

Conversely...

Just around the corner from Blackwells in Oxford is another place called Scriptum which also sells used Folio Society books. I was in there at lunchtime today and they have the recent 'Dracula' for the strange price of £37 when you can get it brand new off the FS website for £29.95. D'oh!

I live in Canada and I've never seen Folio books for sale anywhere ever (hence why I only discovered FS recently!), though I'm sure there's some obscure second-hand shop in Toronto or other that sells them that I'm unaware of.

Russells Books in Victoria, BC sells huge numbers of Folio Titles secondhand, ViscountChic, but sorry that is no where near Toronto. And they are not the cheap prices that the other members are quoting. I bought English Myths there for over $60 (cannot remember the exact price).

If you're in Toronto and visit secondhand bookshops, I'm surprised at your experience. I've never been in one that didn't have at least a few Folios knocking about. BMV on Bloor and Spadina has 3-4 bookcases with Folios, Eastons, Franklins, Heritage Press etc. on the third floor.

Incidentally, Torontonians, if anyone's interested, when I was there a few days ago they had the 2003 Arabian Nights set in store, priced at $125. I've never seen it before so I looked at a few volumes. Huge tomes, two boxes.

Eliot's on Yonge and Wellesley has at least 20-30 Folios, possibly more, I haven't been upstairs in a long time.

ABC Books on Yonge (north from Eliot's) had a shelf of Folios, some shrinkwrapped (last time I've been).

BMV on on Edward off Yonge has Folios. Ten Editions has them. She Said Boom has them. Seekers Books has them. As I said, I've yet to run across a secondhand without Folios.

Note to self; emigrate to Canada. I've peroused many a secondhand book shop in my part of Australia and I've never once seen a Folio. Blessed be the internet.

Canada--well, Toronto at least--is great for all things British.

>27 letterpress:

http://berkelouw.com.au/stores/berrima

I've got a couple of FS titles from here. Worth a day trip.

>27 letterpress:
I also have never seen any in the ones I've been to, though I expect there might be a few in bookshops in some of the richer areas of Sydney that I've never been to.

>30 SimB:

Thanks for the tip! I almost took up permanent residency at Berkelouw on Norton Street when I lived at Leichhardt, but it's been years since I took a trip to the the Southern Highlands. Berrima in autumn, I think I need a weekend away. And, johni92, it certainly fits the financial demographic ;)

>30 SimB:
Thanks. I have plenty of friends living out Campbelltown/Appin way. I might have to go for a road trip with them out there one day.

>32 letterpress:
and if you continue down the highway to Canberra there are several bookshops here with large numbers of FS books - unfortunately none of the ones I am looking for!

>34 rdurie:
What 2nd hand bookshops would you recommend in Canberra? I'll be up there the week after next for a conference, and could take a few hours off for some "personal research"

>32 letterpress:

I moved from Sydney 20 years ago, lived for a while in Annandale, loved Norton St for the food.....memories...

>27 letterpress:
There's a second hand book store in Crows Nest on the Pacific Highway, just north of Shirley Road, which has quite a few Folio books. I picked up a copy of Mission to Tashkent from there on a recent holiday to Sydney.

> 36

I hear you. I moved out of the city about 6 years ago now after a few years in Leichhardt and Marrickville. I love the peace and quiet down here but I really miss all the amazing food just minutes away. But the budget's healthier. I used to study at a college down at Circular Quay, and rather than risk the cattle crush that is Wynyard station at peak hour, I'd walk up to Central. Past two Dymocks, Angus & Robertson, then onto Pitt St to Elizabeths. Lethal.

Beyond Q at Curtin shops and Alexander Fax, Mawson shops. I've been to both recently and they have good FS stock.

Enlarging on the second-hand book found in Granada (see post # 6 above), the copy displays a stamp proclaiming its previous owner as a Dr Michael Broomhall. This gentleman was apparently involved in some center for academic studies in Benalmádena, Málaga. The book displays the legend 'Printed for members only' as it was customary for presentation volumes. This was for 1952. By the way, I thought I was going to see some sordid illustrations (!), but Eric Fraser's work is pretty tame in subject matter although beautifully executed. Thus, slowly, I'm expanding my collection of old Folios.

> 41 I thought I was going to see some sordid illustrations (!)

Sorry, Antonio, I think it was I who raised your hopes (in the Folio Best Sellers thread), tho' my description was "lurid" rather than "sordid"! Tame they may be by 21stC standards, but in early 1950s' Britain some of the illustrations, such as this one:


would have made some FS subscribers store the book on a high shelf out of reach of their "young sons, young daughters, even their wives and servants" (to paraphrase prosecuting counsel's list of corruptible innocents at the Lady Chatterley trial).

Fraser's work was powerful and as you say, beautifully executed. The gold and black binding is attractive, too. For those who haven't seen it, there is a picture at http://www.flickr.com/photos/62235807@N02/6869138432/

I just discovered Bart's Books in Ojai, California. It's a wonderfully quirky little bookstore (most of it is outdoors in an open courtyard) with an interesting selection of books. I found quite a few FS books at very reasonable prices. Picked up John Fothergill's An Innkeeper's Diary in fine condition for $10.

> 42

Yes, featherwate, you are the 'guilty' party behind my search for the lurid (as you said, indeed) and the sordid (as I mentally transformed) details behind Nero's reign. I don't believe there's any lack of either (moral degradation and shock) in the account. The illustrations are fantastic, perhaps a larger size would have been indicated to really disturb readers at the time of FS publication. I'm fascinated by this interest in Roman life and history. Pliny (Plinio in Spanish), Tacitus and the never-ending controversy on Gibbon's footnotes... Thank you for steering me in the right direction.

Bump! I was recently in the Greater Toronto Area, so naturally I had to visit as many secondhand shops that I could. (Thank you >26 LolaWalser: for info on where to look).

Unfortunately, I was only able to visit BMV, AND left empty handed, but I wanted to share a photo I took of their Folio shelf. Apparently, someone sold their collection recently, but those were quickly snatched up. I was tempted for the Jane Austen sent $125 CDN and Barchester Towers for $20 CDN, the latter being more affordable for my small budget, but wasn't happy with a defect in the slipcase nor a scuff in the spine.



If anyone is interested in a larger quality version where you may be able to read spines, please pm me with your address. LT downgrades too much.

I live in NYC and the only bookstore I know that sells second-hand Folios is called Strand. Unfortunately, you can almost always find the books they are selling for much less on Amazon. If anyone lives in NYC and knows where I can satiate my need for Folio, Easton, Franklin etc. at a lower/ reasonable price I would be very grateful

Half-Price Books in Dallas, TX, on Northwest Highway (near Hwy 75) has a section with FS as well as Heritage Press and other slipcased publications. When I first discovered this about 3 years ago, they had at least 100 FS editions, but the last two times I was there (January of this year was the last time), there were perhaps 20-30. Perhaps they had received a large collection before I first discovered them, and have not received enough since to keep the selection up. But, it's still worth stopping in if you're in the area.

Os.

>45 eatanygoodbooks:

Thanks for the mention and glad to have been of service, even if, sadly, you didn't find anything to suit you! That's a very well filled Folio section--I haven't been there in a while and don't recall seeing anything like that recently.

I've donated about a dozen Folios to the public library but I suppose those will appear in the big fall sale later this year. They are usually priced under ten dollars a volume (in some cases well below).

With bookshops melting out of business at the speed of Frosty the Snowman in June, it's really difficult to guarantee a haul on a single trip to any one given destination. But if you lived in the city, a regular tour of what little remains of the secondhand business would likely result in quite a few finds on a weekly/monthly basis.

>49 EclecticIndulgence:

I think I might have said this before (yawn!), but I once had to buy a suitcase in order to get a very large heavy book home.

>1 charleseugenebongo2: I've seen a few coffee-spattered folios, one or two smoke-smelling books, sometimes ones with bent page corners (some where the book was clearly dropped when open), the odd one with deformed spines (from stacking spine up with other books on top) and some with slipcases broken but very few of the secondhand folios I've looked at (and that's a LOT) have shown much more damage than the usual processes of time. In many cases I've been astonished at just how undamaged they are; I've bought plenty of secondhand folios that, other than some light shelf marks on the slipcases, you could pass off as new.

Sadly, I wonder how many are actually being read.

I found a great stash of FS books in a lovely shop called Scriptum, on the Turl in Oxford; they are upstairs and a mixture of new and second-hand. The cheapest one I could find was £12.50, In the Beginning, by Norman Douglas. I would have bought it had the dust jacket not been badly torn.

>53 Forthwith: I imagine quite a number of second-hand folios are unread; you certainly find a reasonable number still sealed in plastic (I've bought at least four that were still sealed, and a copy of The Leopard that I bought for £2 still had uncracked bindings!). The majority of the secondhand folios I've seen show signs that they have been read though, mostly just the slight deformation of the spine or little creases from turning the pages.

I am hesitant to comment too much on that though given that I've yet to read at least 75% of the folios I own... although that ratio is better than for my New Naturalists!

"At normal atmospheric pressure (sea level to 1000ft above sea level) it can be shown that the rate of acquisition is greater than the rate of reading, such that:

Δa≥Δr

where a=books acquired and r=books read

however this formula breaks down where proximity to 44 Eagle St occurs, such that I believe we can instead propose (if my hazy maths is correct):

Δa≥Δr.f^-1

where f is proximity to 44 Eagle St."

Reviving this thread because there is gold in it. The discussion really takes off when the rubber boots are introduced in post 11. Enjoy!

I wanted to share a recent experience at a secondhand shop, which is what led me here in the first place. Here’s the story:

Here in the States there is a national chain store called Half Price Books. They have a mix of merchandise, but their primary business model is the standard “we buy your books” and then they resell them, normally for half the cover price. At various times I’ve seen a Folio Society book here or there and can often get it for a reasonable price.
Recently, a friend visited the Half Price Books nearby and reported that there was a copy of Dune (SE) for sale here priced at $200. He was seriously considering it when I informed him it was currently for sale directly from FS for $140. I encouraged him to bring this evidence with him to see if he could acquire it for “half price,” as the store’s name implied.
After several baffled employees couldn’t make the decision, he left his number and was later called directly by the manager. The manager told him she had no idea The Folio Society was still printing the book so had priced it based on eBay listings. Worse, she had purchased it from the seller based on those prices, so would not sell it for less than $160.
Foiled by eBay speculators! At least we tried.

I do have volumes on my shelves that my parents purchased from the FS back in the mid Seventies. They look like sh*t - possibly because their 5 offspring used to pile them up to use as goal posts when it was too wet to play outside.

Back when I first joined the FS, many decades ago, rather than pay the postage for the return of a damaged book they just requested that I remove a page and mail it back letter rate. I must confess that I then donated the book to a charity used book sale. No doubt someone purchased it without noticing the missing page. When I buy an older used FS book I always flip through it first.

>58 booksaplenty1949: That, sir, is an important lesson that you've just shared

Another bookstore in Toronto that stocks a large number of Folio Society books is Contact Editions. It’s near Casa Loma