Rare and antiquarian are words which aren't necessarily synonymous with each other in book collecting circles. A rare book is a category which any book by any author can fall into. The relevance depends on several factors, not least the following which are listed below but in no particular order.
Age of a book
To a collector of rare books age is certainly a distinguishing factor. The older books are the less likely there are to be many volumes of the same title or series available. The older the book or manuscript, the less likely it would have been printed in large numbers. You have to remember that reading and writing was limited to the upper classes until the Education Reform Act of 1870.
After this act was passed, it was further reinforced by the Factories Act of 1876, which restricted the ages at which children were allowed to work. Children from the lower and working classes after this time had to attend state education. This effectively fulled an explosion in demand for reading material, even of classic literature, which has not abated to this day.
Condition of a book
Over time, books are liable to decay, given that they are created from organic material. They are subject to the vagaries of the conditions in which they are stored. Exposure to ultra violet light, excess humidity or lack of humidity can damage the pages and covers beyond repair. Books get discarded, thrown away and (perish the thought) burnt. Once an old edition or volume has been destroyed it can never be replaced, regardless of the reason for its demise.
Author
Some authors attract a premium to their titles and works. Rudyard Kipling was prodigious and remarkable author during the 19th century. His works are highly regarded in literary terms, as well as being highly prized as collector’s items. His and many of his peer group of the 19th century are much sought after, but seldom fetch a price in the realms of the next author we shall mention.
Rarity
Rarity of a book, volume or collection of volumes often trumps age and antiquity. As a for instance a first edition four volume set of Marlborough: the life and times of John Churchill the first Duke of Marlborough and written by Sir Winston Churchill, will set you back somewhere in the region of £15,000 or more depending on the condition.
Only 155 were signed by the author; printed by George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd. circa 1933-8, the rarity value alone well outweighs the antiquity value. The price which such a set will fetch on the open market or at auction is also indicative of the colossus which is the author, and the time (ten years) he spent researching the work.
Book collecting is a fascinating hobby. To some collectors it is more important than life and death itself. But that is a story for another day. In the meantime, if you are an established collector or indeed about to set foot into the fascinating world of antique books, remember that age doesn't always trump rarity, and neither are the two synonymous with each other.
