Before you start to seriously go out and buy a course in miracles, you need to learn some terminology and become familiar with book publishing and production process. For example, while most people think of book collecting only in terms of the final product as it appeared in the bookstore, there are other elements of a book that are more valuable, more elusive, and more heavily collected. Plus, the more you know about the history of books and how books are constructed, the more finely tuned your critical senses will be, and the more you’ll appreciate finding a truly good book. This article is an attempt to educate and provide you with resources to get you started in book collecting.
For the collector, there are three primary things to consider when buying a book: EDITION, CONDITION and SCARCITY in this condition and edition.
Understanding these areas is the different between success and failure, between being able to build a collection of treasures and an assortment of reading copies, between being able to collect and sell for money, or just going out and buying a lot of worthless books.
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Parts of a Book
*Cover- To put something over or upon, as to protect, conceal or enclose. Dustcover.
*Spine-The back part of the book and it faces outward when you shelf the book right.
*Title Page- The page at the beginning of the book, usually containing the title of the book and the names of the author and publisher.
*Copyright Page-Where the copyright date is found.
*Dedication Page-Its the place where the author dedicates the book to someone.
*Table of Contents-A list of the books contents, arranged by chapter, section, subsection, Etc…
*Forward- An introduction by person other than the author, and it is usually a famous person..
*Text (or Body)-The actual words of the book
*Glossary-A list of hard words with their meanings often printed in the back of the book.
*Bibliography- A list of books, articles, etc. Used or referred by the author at the end of the book.
*Index-A list of subjects and names in alphabetical order at the end of the book.
*ISBN-International Standard Book Numbers–is a ten digit number that uniquely identifies books and look-like products published internationally.