Did you know that the Iliad has a section called “Books on Books”?
In case you’re wondering what would go on those shelves…lots of great things! In that section, you’ll find books on bibliomania, books about how books are designed and made, lists of books, beautiful books on illuminated manuscripts, collecting guides, dictionaries on book terminology, and books on…well, books.
We’ve chosen ten books (below) from the section that are pretty darn cool, but we urge you to come on in and take a look for yourself. You’ll find the Books on Books section in our second room, Aisle 6 (on the same side with Anthologies, Foreign Language, and Poetry).
Bookmaking: Editing / Design / Production Third Edition by Marshall Lee. Hardback in jacket published by W. W. Norton & Co. Inc. in 2004. Very good condition in very good jacket, with minor edge wear to jacket and light soiling to head and fore-edge. Learn everything about how to make a book, from font choice to binding styles. $20
Medieval Illuminators and Their Methods of Work by Jonathan J. G. Alexander. Third printing of the oversized (trade) paperback published by Yale University Press in 1992. Very good condition with light rubbing and scratches to wraps, and corners slightly bent. $25
Literature Lover’s Book of Lists: Serious Trivia for the Bibliophile by Judie L. H. Strouf. First edition hardback in jacket published by Prentice Hall in 1998. Very good in near fine jacket, with just slightly bumped corners and spine ends. $7.50
Writers: Photographs by Nancy Crampton. Second printing of the oversized (trade) paperback published by Quantuck Lane Press in 2005. Condition is very good, with rubbing and light scratches to wraps, minor edge wear, and corners slightly bent. $6.95
Geniuses Together: American Writers in Paris in the 1920s by Humphrey Carpenter. First edition hardback in jacket published by Houghton Mifflin Co. in 1988. Fine condition in fine jacket. $4.95
Scouts in Bondage and Other Violations of Literary Propriety by Michael Bell. Hardback first edition in jacket published by Simon & Schuster in 2006. Very good in very good jacket, with laminate bubbling in stripes on jacket, and binding corners and spine ends slightly bumped. $7.50
A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books by Nicholas A. Basbanes. Second printing hardback in jacket published by Henry Holt & Co. in 1995. Very good in very jacket, with minor edge wear to jacket. minor wear and soiling to binding edges and page edges. $7.50
Ex-Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Reread by Michiko Kakutani, illustrated by Dana Tanamachi. Hardback first edition published without jacket by Clarkson N. Potter in 2020. In fine condition, with “Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition” sticker on front cover . $7.50
ABC for Book Collectors Sixth Edition by John Carter, revised by Nicolas Barker. Published by Oak Knoll Books in 1992. In very good condition with near fine jacket; minor soiling to front pastedown, and corners slightly bumped. $15
Collectible Coloring Books by Dian Zillner. Oversized (trade) paperback published by Schiffer Publishing in 1992. In very good minus condition, with minor rubbing to wraps, corners slightly bent, and rear cover just starting to pull from block of book. $5.95
We also have a large collection of back issues of Firsts Magazine, all sold at cover price. Come on in or drop us a line if you’re looking for a particular issue.