1Joshbooks1
Does anyone have any advice on how or where they store some of their Shiff Era books or if this was already a topic where I could find it. Most fit in my shelves (Cavafy, Arabian Nights, Tree of Man, etc.,) but I recently bought The Revelation of St John and Sight and Touch and both of these books are far too big and don't fit - Sight and Touch is massive! Does anyone have a bookcase they store them in and, if so, where did you get it?
Also how is The Revelation of St John the Divine so cheap on the secondary market? The book is a masterpiece and can be purchased for what most fine press publishers charge for a new book - and there is nothing that can compare to it at the current price point where there is still one sitting for months at $1,000! Why is St John so cheap in comparison to Genesis? They are both biblical stories, massive in size, beautifully produced but Genesis is 8-10 times more money! Is it just the artwork? I find the engravings in St John to be magnificent and one of its strengths. When I opened the box for St John I was expecting a subpar product but it has become one of my Shiff Era favorites.
Also how is The Revelation of St John the Divine so cheap on the secondary market? The book is a masterpiece and can be purchased for what most fine press publishers charge for a new book - and there is nothing that can compare to it at the current price point where there is still one sitting for months at $1,000! Why is St John so cheap in comparison to Genesis? They are both biblical stories, massive in size, beautifully produced but Genesis is 8-10 times more money! Is it just the artwork? I find the engravings in St John to be magnificent and one of its strengths. When I opened the box for St John I was expecting a subpar product but it has become one of my Shiff Era favorites.
2mr.philistine
>1 Joshbooks1: Scroll down this post while eyeing the top of the bookcases :)
https://www.librarything.com/topic/247445#5914931
https://www.librarything.com/topic/247445#5914931
3Joshbooks1
>2 mr.philistine: Thanks so much! Im not sure if my ceilings are tall enough but I'll try that out, and, also, goddamn - busywine has a library to be envied!!!
4mr.philistine
>3 Joshbooks1: Some insight into his collection: https://www.librarything.com/topic/334635#7585648
And why he discontinued(?) his website: https://www.librarything.com/topic/330655#7509146
And why he discontinued(?) his website: https://www.librarything.com/topic/330655#7509146
5laotzu225
>1 Joshbooks1: It's not just this book but many older LECs and, for example, some Folio Society books among others which are very tall adn sometimes qite heavy. I had a cople of slelves set aside for very tall books. But because text blocks can eventually start to sag, some heavier volumes are better stored on their sides.
6dlphcoracl
>3 Joshbooks1:
Busywine = Chris Adamson, who started and maintained the Books and Vines website for nearly a decade. He owns the entire LEC bibliography, including both the George Macy and Sidney Shiff LEC books.
Another suggestion regarding storage of massive books: Place them on the floor in an inconspicuous, non-traffic area, supported by large industrial steel 10" bookends by Steelmaster of BankSupplies (see link). I have a row of ultra-tall books stored under a wide U-shaped decorative lacquer table and another row of tall books behind a sofa where they are hidden and are not in an area with foot traffic.
https://banksupplies.com/526-00004
Finally, the wide discrepancy between the Sidney Shiff LEC editions of Genesis vs. The Revelation of Saint John the Divine is because Jacob Lawrence is much more highly regarded than Allan Rohan Crite by collectors of African-American art. Personally, I find the illustrations by Jacob Lawrence far superior to Crite's work. However, $1,000. for the LEC Revelation of Saint John the Divine is an excellent price.
Busywine = Chris Adamson, who started and maintained the Books and Vines website for nearly a decade. He owns the entire LEC bibliography, including both the George Macy and Sidney Shiff LEC books.
Another suggestion regarding storage of massive books: Place them on the floor in an inconspicuous, non-traffic area, supported by large industrial steel 10" bookends by Steelmaster of BankSupplies (see link). I have a row of ultra-tall books stored under a wide U-shaped decorative lacquer table and another row of tall books behind a sofa where they are hidden and are not in an area with foot traffic.
https://banksupplies.com/526-00004
Finally, the wide discrepancy between the Sidney Shiff LEC editions of Genesis vs. The Revelation of Saint John the Divine is because Jacob Lawrence is much more highly regarded than Allan Rohan Crite by collectors of African-American art. Personally, I find the illustrations by Jacob Lawrence far superior to Crite's work. However, $1,000. for the LEC Revelation of Saint John the Divine is an excellent price.
7Sport1963
>1 Joshbooks1: Reposting a link from the Fine Press Forum:
If you have some space, this is a decent stand along with storage for "atlas" sized books. My largest Shiff era LECs fit nicely into the sliding shelves. The drawback, is that there is only room for 5 or 6 books on the sliding shelves.
https://www.schooloutfitters.com/catalog/product_info/pfam_id/PFAM39318/products...
I will post some pics of the stand as it sits in my library when I return home next week.
To paraphrase @mr.philistine: "Gravity is not your friend." Be careful with books taller than 17" with a heavy textblock. Depending upon the binding, that text block will start to sag and pull away from the binding if the book is shelved upright. I store my large folio books with heavy text-blocks flat, and as a rule no more than 3 books in a stack. This brings a few logistical issues into play regarding the depth of your bookshelves and available space (never enough). I've had discussions with several of the librarians and conservators at the J. P. Morgan library and that's where the 17" tall and 3-volume high rules of thumb come from. Of course there are exceptions based upon weight, binding and condition. Also, as with most Shiff era LECs, most books at the Morgan have museum-quality archival solanders/clamshells. I would never recommend stacking "naked" volumes atop one another due to potential rubbing issues.
One Macy era LEC very prone to sagging is W. H. Hudson's "Long Ago and Far Away". While not a tall book, the heavy text block often pulls away from the distinctive binding of rough cowhide and hair covered boards. This particular book is best shelved flat. Even better to store this title in this manner if you have the original, somewhat fragile box.
If you have some space, this is a decent stand along with storage for "atlas" sized books. My largest Shiff era LECs fit nicely into the sliding shelves. The drawback, is that there is only room for 5 or 6 books on the sliding shelves.
https://www.schooloutfitters.com/catalog/product_info/pfam_id/PFAM39318/products...
I will post some pics of the stand as it sits in my library when I return home next week.
To paraphrase @mr.philistine: "Gravity is not your friend." Be careful with books taller than 17" with a heavy textblock. Depending upon the binding, that text block will start to sag and pull away from the binding if the book is shelved upright. I store my large folio books with heavy text-blocks flat, and as a rule no more than 3 books in a stack. This brings a few logistical issues into play regarding the depth of your bookshelves and available space (never enough). I've had discussions with several of the librarians and conservators at the J. P. Morgan library and that's where the 17" tall and 3-volume high rules of thumb come from. Of course there are exceptions based upon weight, binding and condition. Also, as with most Shiff era LECs, most books at the Morgan have museum-quality archival solanders/clamshells. I would never recommend stacking "naked" volumes atop one another due to potential rubbing issues.
One Macy era LEC very prone to sagging is W. H. Hudson's "Long Ago and Far Away". While not a tall book, the heavy text block often pulls away from the distinctive binding of rough cowhide and hair covered boards. This particular book is best shelved flat. Even better to store this title in this manner if you have the original, somewhat fragile box.
8Glacierman
>7 Sport1963: I got a "404 not found" error from that link, but you can also find it here: https://www.schooloutfitters.com/catalog/product_info/pfam_id/PFAM39318/products...
Join to post
