It's one for the books as library hosts appraisal event

SHARON— Antique books of all shapes, years and sizes were brought to the Collectible Books Road Show event at the Hotchkiss Library on Sunday, May 23.

Dan Dwyer, the proprietor of Johnnycake Books in Salisbury, and Darren Winston, owner of the eponymous bookstore in Sharon, looked over and assessed books for 35 people.

Tom Trowbridge hoped he struck gold when he brought in the first volume of “The Official Works of Longfellow Illustrated,� published in 1879.

“My cousin gave it to me when she died,� Trowbridge said. “Maybe a museum wants it?�

Alas, both Winston and Dwyer valued the book at around $300 to $500, if it was in good condition — which it was not.

“It was popular in the 1870s to take authors and make deluxe editions out of them with a lesser grade of leather that looked impressive, but was affordable,� Winston said.

“This is basically a modern-day version of a coffee table book,� Dwyer said. “It was before television. But there’s a limited market for them.�

“That was going to be the cornerstone of my retirement plan,� Trowbridge said as he took the book and walked away.

Emily Soell brought in a book entitled, “Pierre Bonnard: Correspondences.�

The book includes artwork from the French painter throughout its pages.

“I can’t tell if it was he who painted the pictures in the book,� Soell said. “It was my mother’s book and she collected art books in French.�

According to Dwyer, Bonnard did indeed paint the pictures — but not directly on the pages. The paintings were reproduced prints.

“But, this book is from your mother, which means this is something you should keep,� Dwyer said.

The more Dwyer and Winston appraised books in front of the audience, the more books were brought up to them to be appraised.

There were a few truly rare books, including a first edition of “The House at Pooh Corner� in good condition with a dust jacket, and an 18th-century Koran that was so rare neither of the two could give a price for it.

Before the event, the two book dealers said that good book appraising is like detective work.

“When you see a bunch of old books, you never look for the good ones first,� Winston said. “You get rid of the stuff that isn’t good. Then you are left with the good books.�

“There are no absolutes in valuing a book,� Dwyer said. “It all depends on the market for the book, its historical relevance, its condition and content. There is no true absolute measure.�