Books, books, books
The Rice Museum, Georgetown, SC
I have many books of photographs. I purchased most of them many years ago. They have a moderate amount of sentimental value, but (if I am to believe my internet inquires) may apparently have a higher value as collectables. My attempts to share my collection with well-heeled collectors have been for naught. Either the market for “collectible” books has been grossly over-rated, or the denizens of eBay possess a less refined taste in exquisite books of photographs than your humble author.
I guess if one looks at them now, books printed 30 or 40 years ago actually look much worse than current reprints. Technology has changed so much in that time that reprints are significantly better than the originals. They are valuable as artifacts but a poor representation of the work. So the question of value and importance raises its ugly head. If you want to look at a finely printed example of the photograph, buy a reprint. If you want the pride of ownership of an “original” then the used book is for you.
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