According to most of the people featured in this new documentary the world of antiquarian bookselling is gently standing by watching its own demise. Everyone involved may have a different opinion on its potential survival, but they are all unanimous in who/what is to blame i.e. the internet.
In New York from the 1890s to the 1960s Book Row consisted of six city blocks which, at its peak, contained over three dozen bookstores, most of which housed used book sellers In its heyday, it spanned the stretch of Park Avenue between Union Square and Astor Place.
Most of them were run old Jewish men who Fran Lebowitz commented seemingly never wanted to sell anyone a book and were just content to sit on the sidewalk and read all day.. Today only one of those bookstores the Strand Bookstore, survived and and they had to move away in 1957 due to major rent increases.
This period may have seen a remarkable shift for the trade but even in their reduced numbers it was still a healthy business run by devoted, and very obsessed bibliophiles. Interesting enough most of the English antiquarian books sellers were third generation. It is also a very chauvinistic trade , although notably most of the optimistic book dealers are women who have patiently beavered away to make their own way in the business .
One great example of this is the Argosy Book Store, founded in 1925 by Louis Cohen and now run by his daughters, Judith, Naomi, and Adina. They are in the rare position of being able to keep their dream alive because they own the six-story building that houses the store on E. 59th St.
All of the book dealers talk lovingly of the good old days hunting for rare finds whether it be at boot sales, estate sales, junk shops, street vendors and then being able to match them up with collectors. It’s a lengthy time process that all book scouts were happy to endure in the hope of book treasure. Now that has mostly disappeared for if anyone wants to track down for example a First Edition of Edith Wharton, then a simple Google search will reveal a whole stream of them available from private sellers in less than a minute.
It’s all very similar to the current state of the fashion business in a way where online shopping has destroyed the whole tactile experience and the sheer joy of handling merchandise with the help of experts. The internet may have encouraged us all to read books through electronic devices, but one would have supposed the effect on collectible antiquarian book is not the same, but many dealers calling ‘foul’ say it is the same.
Filmmaker D.W. Young captures a genteel old-fashioned world where passionate bibliophiles are so happy to revel in their love of vintage books and treat them as important works of art. He gives us a glimpse inside this fascinating ‘private’ club that many of us have never even really thought about before, or even appreciated the fact that it is possible to actually think of book collecting almost like a fetish.
Labels: 2020, documentary
