With all the talk about e-readers, ipads and other electronica for reading books one thing that seems to have passed a lot of people by is the change it will bring about to book collecting. Clearly a first edition of an e-book is something most of us will not be wanting. Another twist to the tale is the fact that signed editions will not be as prevalent. Will we in future have authors doing virtual signings were they send a buyer an email? Will they tweet their signature?
Book collecting has become even more popular in the last decade or so and I suspect that signed first editions from the last century will increase in value well above the levels of inflation. It is already something of a minefield in that there are different ways for books to be signed. Generally the most desirable of all is 'flatsigned'. It's a term coined by the author Stephen King for a book signed by the author on the title page without there being an inscription to someone. Bookplates signed by the author that are stuck into a book lack that special something for the serious collector. There are examples where a signed copy inscribed to someone of significance, especially if they are involved in the book in some way can be particularly collectable.
A friend of mine told me about a book that he has seen was not signed by the writer but instead contained paintings. It was a 1940s copy of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet which with beautiful paintings of costume designs on many of the pages. The paintings were by the artist and renowned stage designer Oliver Messel. They were his ideas for the costumes for a production of the play directed by his friend Peter Glenville. It’s the paintings that make the book both unique and collectable.
