Winogrand 1964 Help

[sper]

I purchased this book when it came out on the advice of a photography teacher I knew. I

was just becoming interested in photography at that point and did not know much of

anything about Gary Winogrand.

 

Recently I have been told that this book is worth quite a bit. I checked some used book

sites and indeed it seems to be worth a few hundred dollars.

 

I know nothing about collecting photo books. Why is this book worth so much? Is it likely

to increase in value? Also, how should I care for the book? It is in good shape now, and

still has the dust cover. There are normal dents in the bottom cover on the book just from

being set in my book shelf, but these are minimal. There is some wear in the same area

on the dust cover though, in the form of tiny creases. Really though, it is in very good

condition. How do I keep it this way? I am so paranoid all of the sudden!

 

I just want to know some basics of book collecting and what I should do with this

responsibility.

 

Thanks for you help.

[jim_a]

The publisher went out of business and the book was out-of-print shortly after publication.

I'm not sure how many copies were printed. The book originally sold for $60. I was fortunate

to get one for $90 shortly after they came out. I would google "book preservation" and go

from there. LOC, the first return, has good advice.

[lee_shively]

A strange thing happened to me concerning this book. I failed to buy it when it was first published but Amazon showed a second edition was to be printed. I pre-ordered it but the order was cancelled when the publisher went out of business. I contacted PhotoEye books and they located a copy of the first edition, brand-new, in plastic wrapping and sold it to me at the original $60 price. That was at a time when used copies were going for double that.

 

Anyway, I have a large and growing larger collection of photo books that I'm sure would be pretty valuable. I probably should protect them better than just leaving them on the shelves. Still, I can't imagine wrapping them in plastic to preserve them and not being able to thumb through them from time to time.

[alvin_wong]

I remember seeing a stack of new $50 copies at Strand Books two and a half years ago. I'm kicking myself for not buying this "expensive" book back then.

 

If you want to buy this book as an investment, you might think about buying one reading copy, and another copy to be kept in mint condition.

 

Of course, most books are not worthwhile investments. Good stocks and bonds are a better investment for the most part. I'd rather read a book rather than lock it away in a safe.