Though I am a rare book dealer today, I entered the world of rare books entirely by accident. Before I saw the open position that led me to become a bookseller at a rare book firm, I didn't even know such a job existed. I certainly thought it wasn't for me, a 23-year-old with a love of reading but no particular expertise. Yet the great truth about book collecting is that you don't need a degree. You learn simply by jumping in and doing it. That's how I learned to be a rare book dealer, in the old-school apprenticeship model of the trade, and how I eventually started book collections of my own.
A collection can be anything you want it to be; you simply need a topic you want to explore, an idea of parameters (only first editions? only signed copies?), and an appreciation for books as historical artifacts. Every book is inescapably material, a product of its particular time and place, and a record of the lives it has lived since. Viewed this way, books become vehicles not just for their texts, but an entire capsule history in themselves - about how these books came to be, how they impacted the world, and whose lives they have influenced.
The books from Amy Winehouse's library are a case in point: they reveal a side of the singer and lyricist rarely appreciated, yet integral to her own art. Winehouse was incredibly bookish. The books from her library show her proclaiming her love of theater in the ink marginalia of teen exuberance (and multiple exclamation points), scribbling a guest list for a party on an endpaper, and brainstorming rhymes for an unfinished song across the poem she was reading. Winehouse's taste in books was gloriously broad, from canonical books like Fitzgerald and Dostoevsky to graphic novels and Jackie Collins books. Together, these books create an intimate narrative of her life and career through her personal reading.
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If you're not sure where to start, consider a topic you love. Lately, I have been collecting books by Jane Austen's favorite women writers. Then start making friends: get to know dealers who have expertise in your area of interest. They can provide guidance. You can find this information with the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA), which has the added bonus of identifying dealers whom you know you can trust for their expertise and professionalism. For instance, if you have questions about how to handle a book or store it long term, simply ask the dealer from whom you're buying it. The more time you spend looking at your favorite dealer's new acquisitions, attending book fairs and shops, and browsing listings online, the more you'll get a sense of what's right for you. Define your project, find people you trust, and above all, enjoy the process.
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