An interview with RareNonFiction.com
Biblio checks in with RareNonFiction.com to learn more about their book business, collecting interests and more! To view and shop their inventory, click here.
When did you get started in bookselling?
We've always been avid readers. In March 2000 we fortuitously discovered the emerging world of online book sales and instantly knew we wanted to do it for the rest of our lives. Our online shop opened in 2001 and we have never looked back.
What drew you to bookselling?
Online bookselling offered us the opportunity to work at home while raising our young family here in the beautiful countryside of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The fact that we already loved books was icing on the cake.
Did you have any mentors in becoming a bookseller?
We are mostly self-taught, although we have benefited greatly from online bookseller discussion boards over the years. The one profound exception was a week spent at the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar in 2015 where experienced and successful dealers generously shared their considerable expertise with a class of booksellers from as far away as Australia. We encourage any serious book collector or dealer to attend this superlative annual course.
What are your specialties as a dealer?
We enjoy inhabiting what is known as the long tail of the trade. If you picture a statistical bell curve of the books most frequently purchased, we generally look for non-fiction items several standard deviations from the mean. Search engines allows buyers from around the planet to easily discover, explore, and purchase our unique inventory. Over the years we have also developed a great affection for vintage magazines and their fascinating content.
What's the most amazing book you've ever sold?
A 1913 book entitled "British Columbia - Sixty Years of Progress". This was a massive fourteen pound tome bound in brown suede. What was most remarkable about this copy was its pristine condition. We purchased it, still in its original cardboard box and unread. Spectacular! We presently have an identical copy available if you are interested.
What is your favorite part of being a bookseller?
We take great pride in identifying obscure items for which we believe a buyer can be found. Our customers are reciprocally appreciative when we provide them with an item they thought they would never find. We earnestly strive to keep our online records as accurate as possible so the item you order will indeed be available. We also take much pride in how securely and professionally we pack our books. We only ship in sturdy new cardboard cartons so your book will reach you safely.
Do you have an open storefront or have you in the past?
No. We are the spawn of the emerging online bookselling trade.
If so, do/did you have any bookstore pets?
As our children gradually mature and leave home we can see a day coming when we will bring on a bookshop pet. For now, we amuse ourselves with an ever growing assortment of ceramic figures - each holding or reading a book - which we acquire during our book buying travels and place wherever a spot can be found in our hundreds of shelves.
What is the funniest / strangest / scariest thing that ever happened in your store?
This didn't exactly happen in our store but meets all the other criteria. Early one summer evening a few years ago a local fellow went off his meds and meandered through several miles of forest until he emerged at a home at the end of our road - carrying a machete. Police were called, the SWAT team arrived, our street was locked down, and a bustling command center was established in front of our home. When our kids returned from their karate class they were greeted by a police barricade in front of their house! Fortunately, the incident ended peacefully. When the dust settled we ventured outside, only to hear a timid voice from a car asking if it was safe to come out. Hours earlier police had instructed a lady to remain in her car while they did their business. Unfortunately, they had forgotten to give her the all clear before they left!
What is your favorite bookshop (other than your own)?
Guilty pleasure: We enjoy spelunking dark, messy, dusty, and cramped bookshops. The thrill of the chase is greatly enhanced by the prospect of finding a nugget in such places - where other dealers may fear to tread! In terms of more respectable shops, we enjoy Powell's massive bookstore in Portland, Oregon and hope to visit the mighty Strand Books in New York City one day.
What do you personally like to read? Collect?
We collect anything which will enhance our offerings of uncommon nonfiction books and magazines. For reading, biographies of accomplished individuals are highly regarded.
What's your favorite book you personally own? Would you sell it, if the price were right?
We are presently offering a signed second edition copy of Joseph Schumpeter's 'Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy.' This is the book in which he introduced the economic concept of creative construction. It is pleasure to handle such a special book.
What one book would you buy if price were no object?
Sorry but we are too pragmatic to entertain such a question! We are quite content with our daily routine of purchasing obscure nonfiction books and magazines of merit. If these items happen to be signed by the author, that's a bonus! :-)
If you were stranded on a desert island and could bring three books, what would they be?
Any three biographies of people who have succeeded in this life while making the world a better place. One doesn't need to be famous to be important.
