- Hardcover: 417 pages
- Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (December 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312317255
- ISBN-13: 978-0312317256
- Product Dimensions: 18.8 x 14.4 x 3.4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 494 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#1,369,797 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #75 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Books & Reading > Book Collecting
- #95 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > Australian
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
As he stooped over a basket full of stuffed animals at a London flea market, Baxter (Robert de Niro; George Lucas) made a discovery that would change his life forever. It was there, in 1978, that he unearthed a children's book by Graham Greene, called The Little Horse Bus, selling for five pence. He snatched it up, then impulsively purchased another Greene novel and one of Greene's African journals as well. Just like that, a book collector was born. Baxter chronicles his growing obsession with books in a way that's utterly infectious, with sharp wit and self-deprecating humor. He flits across Australia, England, the United States and France in pursuit of the perfect collection, always spurred on by the knowledge that book collectors find treasures in the most unlikely places. In his words, "acquiring [books] meant midnight assignations in seedy corners of London, white-knuckle bidding at auctions, speculative drives across England to cities you'd never seen, and nervous knocking on the doors of strangers that, in all probability, would leave you, a minute later, humiliated and empty-handed on the doorstep a hundred miles from home." He takes gleeful pleasure in underpaying those who are ignorant about the worth of their rare books, but he also holds certain texts sacred (like the uncorrected proofs of two James Bond novels given to him by Kingsley Amis). Baxter's memoir will be of great interest to serious book collectors because so much of the book conveys the insider's perspective, but his narrative is truly amusing and rollicking enough to entice book lovers of all kinds.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
There is no small charm to a tale that begins where Baxter grew up, in Middle-of-Nowhere, Australia, and ends in the Paris penthouse above where Sylvia Beach once lived. Bibliographer, biographer, broadcaster, and obsessive book collector, Baxter has lived in London and Los Angeles, married three times, and can't resist a story or a list (the book ends with, among other things, what various folk would take with them if their book collections were afire). Baxter collected Graham Greene (he's quite vibrant on this obsession and its resolution) and reveals that Sarah Michelle Gellar of Buffy fame is one of the new breed of celebrity book collectors. A passion for film (he's written about Spielberg and Kubrick and DeNiro) and a working knowledge of collectible pornography are further nuggets in this sprawling, unedited, but quite engaging memoir. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
`Books are forever, but book people change and none more so than the London runners and dealers who became my friends.',
By J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected" (ACT, Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict (Paperback)
John Baxter grew up in rural Australia during the 1950s, and found that reading books was not highly regarded. Owning and collecting books was by no means a common pursuit then either, but this didn't stop John from developing a passion for books, and their ownership, which has grown through obsession into a major collection.I don't completely share the obsession, but I love reading books about books. I enjoy finding out what books other bibliophiles value, and why. The connections between books, their authors and readers are interesting to read about as well. In John Baxter's case, while his book hunting has taken him around the world, his first significant find was in London, in 1978, when he saw a copy of a rare children's book by Graham Greene (`The Little Horse Bus') with an asking price of 5pence. On the same day John met Martin Stone, one of the legends of the book-selling world, who became his mentor and friend. What makes this book memorable is the inside look into the various worlds of book collecting: the sometimes fascinating people involved in the trade (such as Martin Stone); distinguishing some of the many variables that make books collectible or not; and (of course) his contact with literary figures such as Graham Greene, Kingsley Amis and Ray Bradbury. Along the way, John Baxter became a biographer (he has written biographies of George Lucas, Woody Allen, and Stanley Kubrick) and has written a number of other books about films and those who make them. It's interesting to read about how the boy from rural Australia ended up living in a Paris penthouse with a library worth millions. But the real fun, for me, was in the appendices: from the various lists that some collectors would like to fill (such as all of the winners of particular prizes); to which published book an individual would choose to grab from their shelves if their house was on fire; and finishing with some book collecting gems culled from eBay. My current favourite from the final category is: `ALEX HALEY SINGED 1st ED. - `ROOTS' - HB w/DJ' `Rarity can be created, but not value. That has to be achieved. It gathers on a book like the patina of a bronze, over decades of diligence and care.' Jennifer Cameron-Smith
2.0 out of 5 stars
disappointing,
By A Customer
This review is from: A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict (Hardcover)
I was terribly disappointed in this book. It's more of an autobiography of the author's life than it is about books and book collecting. Also, while I read more than the average person and I don't only read mainstream books, I felt like "Pound of Paper" was full of references to obscure authors.I would recommend "Used and Rare" and other books by Larry and Nancy Goldstone if you really want to read about books and collecting.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Pound of Pleasure,
By Bill Marsano (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict (Hardcover)
By Bill Marsano. The very first thing you should know is that this is a book about collecting, not just book collecting. Collecting--the determined search for specific objects on a given theme--is pretty much the same kind of mania for all collectors, whether they're after vintage cars, rare stamps and coins or--as in this case--books, and whether the treasure they seeks are top dollar or bottom. Every kind of collecting develops its own little cultures and subcultures, its side streets and back alleys, its characters loved or hated or legendary. And, of course, its litany of heart-lifting successes and heart-breaking failures. So if you collect (as distinct from accumulate) or if you know a collector, this book is a definite buy.John Baxter's collecting, which began with science fiction, made him into a short-story writer then a scriptwriter then a novelist and a teacher. He begins his trek in a desolate tank town in Australia, where things start slowly, but he soon moves on--and ups the pace and tension--to London, the U.S. (East Coast and West) and finally Paris. The whole journey runs along like a thrill ride as you join Baxter in a series of adventures and misadventures with his assortment of bookstruck ne-er-do-wells and genial lowlifes. There are only pluses to this book. Plenty of amusing incidents and anecdotes, lots of inside information about book collecting (appplicable to collecting in general) and to top it all off, superb writing. Baxter writes vivid, imaginative, entertaining prose. He is a delight to read.--Bill Marsano is an award-winning travel writer, an editor and a desultory book collector.
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