The second book in the ongoing life of Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone as they attend book fairs, book stores, and other literary avenues, in the ongoing hunt for rare first edition books.

I really enjoyed this book. Well written and charming. Really makes you appreciate books not only for the stories the contain, but the actuall books history and collectibility. ( )

After reading the first book by this couple (Used and Rare: Travels in the Book World) I had to pick up this book also. I enjoyed it almost as much. There is a little less glee of discovery now that the couple are a few years into collecting. The description of the Pequot Public Library in Connecticut and the seminar and book sale they attended had me racing to Google Maps to find out how far it was from where I lived. There are still plenty of information for booklovers and new bookstores discovered. I look forward to the next book this couple has written. ( )

How far do we go in pursuit of our obsessions?

In Used and Rare, the Goldstones wrote lovingly about their journey of discovery and adventure in the pursuit of a good used book; the book chronicled their descent from merely used book shopping to used book obsession. I rated that book 5 stars – and it deserves it. I like the Goldstones have become a bookaholic. But, in Slightly Chipped, we see the other side of the Goldstones and those that have followed the same path. Obsession is never a good thing in the end; moderation is a much better goal.

In this book, the Goldstones find themselves behaving a bit badly at times during their quests; especially, when they are with some friends they introduced to the sport (so to speak). And here in lies the problem with this book – it reads like an obsession; not just the pursuit of books, but also in the pursuit of writing about the pursuit (they follow this book with at least three more about this obsession).

Now I admit that I might have become a bit jaded since the first reading of Slightly Chipped more than seven years ago (but, oddly, I wasn’t in my review of Used and Rare which I read around the same time). Recently, I have re-evaluated my own obsession with books; I now question some of the very principles I have operated under for the last 20 years of book collecting. I question the need to own a copy of every book I have ever read – let’s be honest with ourselves, not everything we read is good, some is downright bad; but in the end, even some of the books I have enjoyed and were good books are not necessarily worthy of owning for all time – always needing more bookcases, the ever more challenging task of moving them, the friction caused with a loved one who doesn’t quite share your obsession, only your love of books.

So, my new found liberation from the obsession of book collecting (don’t get me wrong, I can’t get rid of a lot of books and still amaze my friends and irritate my loved ones), has me looking at this book as the glorification of taking a love too far; and thus, I find it flawed. Furthermore, I have lost the desire to read the Goldstones’ later books. ( )

This is an easy going look at the world of book collecting and the process of focusing interest on various aspects of collecting. As a second book (Used and Rare the first) this book follows the logical collecting progression to more specific interests nd specializations.

The book lacks the emotional tie that is established with the reader in their first book; however, it is well worth reading for the glimpse into facets of the book collecting world. ( )

Very good book about antique book collecting that reads with humor and warmth without coming off too stuffy. I gleaned quite a bit of information from the book and found it highly entertaining. The authors visit book fairs, estate sales, antique shops and make friends along the way. Highly recommend it! ( )