40 Years - of Vintage Paperback - Collecting Knowledge - In 25 minutes

40 Years - of Vintage Paperback - Collecting Knowledge - In 25 minutes
In today's video I share with you my vintage paperback collecting journey as well as some top tips and pitfalls along the way. It's amazing to think I have been collecting for 40 years now and I hope my experiences can help you become a better collector yourself.
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[@Christian-qu9ml]

You can't beat the artwork of the early Dr Who books. 😊

[@JulesBurt]

It was the best, a lot of it done by Chris Achillos of course, RIP.

[@trahnettilhcs]

Not a collector, but I still vividly remember my grade school library’s versions of the Hardy Boys novels. Read every one of them and will never forget the artwork.

[@JulesBurt]

Great memories, worth tracking those back down!

[@TheBookGraveyard]

I love that "collect what you love" was the first thing you mention. I also recently started bagging my books and when I got to the Men's Adventure section where lots of them were bought for a dollar, I stopped for a second and was like, does this even need a bag and then immediately I was like, hell yes it does, I love these books. Value is in the eye of the beholder.

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks my friend! If you don't love the books you're collecting, well, what's the point eh? I do think it's worth bagging books these days. Some recent sale prices have me raising eyebrows🙂

[@SubtropicBob]

Interesting indeed! And we're all glad you got both into collecting and into doing videos!

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks my friend 🙂 Appreciate that Bob!

[@mikeehinger6566]

Neat. I was buying new and used at the same time. I lived in the US near a military base which allowed me to get overseas editions at several used book shops. Same for records and CDs. Good times.

[@JulesBurt]

That was pretty lucky. I would occasionally see USA editions over here but didn't really recognise them for what they were. Thanks for the memory🙂

[@paulmagrs2474]

I found this rather a moving, actually. Such a valorisation of sticking to the thing you love to do - and very generous of you to pass on what you’ve learned.

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks so much Paul. Collecting paperbacks is such a fun hobby and very accessible, even on a tight budget. I love sharing my passion for paperbacks, it's infectious 🙂

[@paulmagrs2474]

@@JulesBurt I love that your shelves are so orderly and precise! Mine really aren’t at all!

[@JulesBurt]

@paulmagrs2474 Ah, that's really out of nessisty as I have to keep the various collections in strict order so I can access books when needed. Plus my years as a bookseller in the 90's and early 2000's taught me the best shelving habits. I remember all the staff in the Plymouth Waterstones (where I worked for a few years) reading Never the Bride in proof. We really pushed that series. I also sold all your 90's Dr Who output in my own store, Purple Haze 🙂

[@paulmagrs2474]

@@JulesBurt that’s really lovely to hear - thank you, Jules! It’s wonderful to get little glimpses like that of people reading and sharing your work

[@JulesBurt]

@paulmagrs2474 No problem! I think we even got as far as trying to ask our rep to see if we could organise a signing but alas it never happened. If you need any help with KZbin, as in advise or process, do drop me a line, we're friends on Facebook. I'll be happy to help🙂

[@michael5089]

Thanks Jules. Loved this insight into your collecting history.❤

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed this one, next a full collection tour!

[@AnthonyP73]

Your channel has been a huge boost of inspiration Jules. With only 4 left of the classic Who's after just 6 months of collecting. Huge thanks

[@JulesBurt]

That's good going! Interested to know which ones you have left to get. Glad you find the channel inspirational 🙂

[@AnthonyP73]

@JulesBurt Attack of the Cybermen, Mindwarp and the two MasterPlans. Plus I'm on the lookout for the block font Daleks Crusaders and Zarbi in good condition with the BBC blurb (ISBNs not a must)

[@duncanskinner5008]

Epic saga.

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks mate!

[@alvinmarcus5780]

I miss the days before the Internet when even in Kentucky every small town had a used book store, sometimes more. Now you don't see any. I have my son look at yard sales and flea markets because he goes a lot and you just don't see very many books at all. Right depressing. 😂 Great tips Sir. I'll just enjoy your collection. 🥰

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks Alvin. It's all true, bookshops are in decline the world over but books as objects are still very much enjoyed. I'll support them when I can that's for sure. Please enjoy my collection in the meantime my friend 🙂

[@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk]

Heck of a collection there!

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks my friend. Really not shown that much of it on the video, maybe about half🙂

[@robertfrontuto7362]

I started collecting paperbacks because of Star Trek. Quite a lot to see there with over 700 books so there's always something new to find. For me, I would find them at local thrift stores on occasion or at the local library for sale for (usually) under $1 apiece. There came a point where I was running into the hardcovers as well and picked them up but after a time, I realized space to store/display those was too much to figure out with living in an apartment. In the past few years, I started looking at the pre-Pocket Books Star Trek and found a couple decent online resources to look up information for those.

[@JulesBurt]

Excellent, I still enjoy collecting the Star Trek books. TOS are my favourite ones but I'm collecting later. I too have tried to avoid the hardbacks. At one point they were churning out four books a month!

[@robertfrontuto7362]

@@JulesBurt I kinda miss that era of Trek publishing. I remember for a few years after Enterprise, we'd still get so many stories (like Titan and Vanguard) and I was disappointed when they slowed down the publishing for the so called "franchise fatigue"

[@JulesBurt]

@robertfrontuto7362 it's true, I guess it was tough to keep up

[@OmnivorousReader]

O.M.G! They do! They DO have numbers I just checked my old John Wyndham books. All these years and I never noticed. This video came at the perfect time, I have so many old Penguins from my parents and I have never been able to bear the idea of throwing them out, even the ones like "Early Anatolia" which I will probably never read. Also, I just finished Andre Norton's Beast Master and have been puzzling over what a 'Peacock edition' might be. So much fascinating information on this video to follow up on. Thank you so much!

[@JulesBurt]

Excellent stuff! Sounds like you have early vintage John Wyndham's there. He's perhaps my favourite author!

[@OmnivorousReader]

@@JulesBurt Yes, one of my earliest and best favourite of sci-fi authors. My copies are very old - they were my parents copies - but probably of no interest to collectors, since they have been read and re-read until they are very shabby. It was great learning more about the editions though, thank you for this video!

[@JulesBurt]

@OmnivorousReader great stuff, my pleasure 👍🙂

[@karlstriepe8050]

Congratulations on 40 years of collecting! I've collected for 20 years but only recently papers: so far vintage Bonds, Lovecrafts and scattered scifi. Prices have gone up: I'm often paying more for those than hardback 1sts!

[@JulesBurt]

That's a real issue with some rare paperbacks now, they are more expensive than the hardback 1st editions, crazy. I've definitely seen this with some wartime Penguin crime titles. Bond, Lovecraft and SF, all great subjects to collect - enjoy the journey 🙂

[@karlstriepe8050]

Lovecraft paperbacks have amazing cover designs! That art and your channel turned me onto the hobby! Keep spreading the good word!

[@vintagesf]

Really, really, really enjoyed this origin story and hard won tips. Curating and sharing is so rewarding. It is like enjoying a fine wine. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge and passion for the hobby.

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks Richard, glad you enjoyed this one, my origin story as a collector you could say🙂

[@simonprocter5505]

Excellent advice. Buy good bibliographies in your area of interest as there is a lot of information out there that isn’t on the web. To keep you on track it really helps to collect what you love and decide on your acceptable limits on condition. If you choose to be a condition freak you’ll pass up rare books that you may never get another chance to add to a collection.

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks Simon. That's my view on rare books. Even if they are in lower grade at least I have a copy. I might never know when another will turn up. Bibliographies are a must. I'm in the middle of reading a DAW one at the moment, it's pretty decent.

[@Markybug-Keira-Cody]

Interesting video Jules, the wyndham book covers were stunning ! had to pause the video to admire them. When you mentioned people collecting the coloured series of penguins (green) it made me think of that 2 ronnies sketch with the library books sorted by colour or size lol !

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks Mark. Those Wyndham's are from the late 70's, they are great editions. I don't know that Two Ronnie's sketch but I can guess 🙂

[@markwestwriter]

Wonderful!

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks Mark🙂

[@KiwiExpressCream]

What a fabulous and fascinating video Jules, I really enjoyed hearing about your backstory and your view on collecting, especially regarding books in less than perfect condition - they can always be upgraded! Space is definitely the issue though - I've maxed out my home office with Ikea bookcases! Every time I ever bought a new bookcase thinking that'll last me a few years, within a few months it's full. Take care, Jason.

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks Jason. Yes, I gave this video quite a bit of thought before filming, having a good think about the pros and cons of being a collector. Space seemed to be the biggest concern! Glad you enjoyed the backstory!

[@sherrirabinowitz4618]

That was fascinating hearing how you started collecting and gained your knowledge. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks Sherri, my origin story 🙂

[@sherrirabinowitz4618]

It was great 😊

[@outlawbookselleroriginal]

Loved this mate, great overview1

[@JulesBurt]

Your high collecting standards are worth highlighting and emulating my friend 🙂 I was hoping you might like this one. Next, a full collection tour, though that's might take a few days to film!

[@garylovisi357]

Jules, outstanding video and advice to collectors. I think it was Philip K Dick who first mentioned collecting paperbacks in Do Android

[@garylovisi357]

got cut off -Dream or Man in the High Castle, most of Dick’s books were paperbacks. Thanks for your kind mention of Paperback Parade and my Antique Trader pb price guide -/ dir for an update edition. You have a lovely collection from what i can see of it, you must be very proud, deservingly so. So you have taken the plunge bitten by the pb collecting bug and are getting more into paperbacks i see. And bagging everything eventually - good, it is work but it protects the books. It also gives an excuse to take them out and look through them again. Well good, and good luck. It is an always fascinating hobby. Your advice to collectors is spot on. Maybe one day we can view each others collections in person. That would be nice. All best to you.

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks so much Gary. I would dearly love to visit and take an extended tour of your collection and you'd be most welcome over here of course. I think the longer you collect paperback books the more interesting they seem to become. The history of the publishers rather than particular authors fascinates me the most. It's a great hobby🙂

[@HallieHalliday]

lovely video jules! you were my inspiration to getting into vintage paperback collecting and i love it so much. i'm only actively hunting for the first 1000 penguins, 60s science-fiction penguins, signet shakespeares, and target doctor who books at the moment, but every time i see some paperback with gorgeous art i reconsider my options 😅 it's very slow-going at the moment what for lack of both funds and space, but everytime i get the opportunity to pick up some new ones it makes my week! looking forward to a good long life of collecting just like yourself

[@JulesBurt]

Fantastic, thanks Hallie, so pleased you enjoyed this one. Seems we are both collecting similar series. Space and funds are always going to be an issue but it's not a race and something to be enjoyed over several years.

[@garagegeek4863]

Amazing video. Thank you so much plus impressed at your collection.

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks my friend, appreciate that🙂

[@ludmillagee]

Really interesting video Jules, nicely done!

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks Ludmilla, a bit of food for thought 🙂

[@redwawst3258]

Ace paperback- Conan 12 volumes. Ruined me for life. Those silvery covered Elric paperbacks in the eighties didn’t help much. I believe I still have those. Let me look. 🤔😎

[@JulesBurt]

Ha! I know the ones you mean, a great looking series.

[@SFVintageCollector]

Thanks.for sharing your experience Burt from someone who is 6 months into collecting some great tips. Those Fontana covers are incredible! What a series to collect. Can I ask what microphone do you use on your pocket? Great quality

[@JulesBurt]

Thanks, those Fontana Christie's are terrific and cheap! Just a few pounds each in decent shape, I love them! I am using a new mic now which is great. It's here amzn.to/4bLr3YJ

[@ellesse3862]

Do you have any of Roger Hargreaves lesser known books featuring the Roundies and Squaries? I've not seen those in years. Great tip, collect what you like.

[@JulesBurt]

I don't and I really don't remember even seeing them tbh. I always loved the Mr Men and read them to my kids when they were growing up.

[@bunnygirlerika9489]

If u could go back and tell your younger self to do and not do certain things, what would it be? After discovering you a few years ago, I got into collecting Oxford classics.

[@JulesBurt]

I think I would go back and tell myself to buy up all the Ian Fleming first editions I could find, alongside any wartime Penguin crime books and Stephen King books written under his pseudonym Richard Bachman! I'd also tell myself to get ready to buy as many copies of the first Harry Potter book in first edition I could find🙂

[@bunnygirlerika9489]

@@JulesBurt nice! I'd probably do something similar. Tell myself to get into collecting the things I do much sooner and to take better care of them.

[@JulesBurt]

@bunnygirlerika9489 Great advise🙂

[@UraniumMilk]

Would you say that since participating in all these online groups and secondhand sites is so useful its also very beneficial to have a nice comfortable desktop PC and office space in order to most comfortably use them? And yeah, Im bagging mine too as you know 🙂 it used to be very discouraging to me that paperbacks are a collectible that slowly burn and theres nothing we can do to stop it, then I thought, its not necessary to do the imposaible and stop that process, its enough juat to slow it enough that the copies we have will remain in the top 10% of the best condition ones out there. Essentially, just make sure ours are better than everyone elses. 🙂 Now I am looking into acid free craft boxes and dissicant packs as what I believe could be the most economical way to archive things. I am not sure about this, but although bookcases are most aesthetic and add aome practicality if one is reading the books, if the goal is purely archiving/preserving than archival boxes may be the best way but Im just guessing at this. Its quite amazing how little I know about something Ive done my whole life 🤷‍♂️

[@JulesBurt]

Absolutely, the websites contain a lot of information and if you're looking at and admiring cover artwork, it looks best on a desktop pc. If you're there for a long time, definitely get a comfy chair! I think long-term, bagging books is a must. I wouldn't be too fussed about acid free boxes for now though. I am storing some of my collection in comic boxes now which can hold two layers of paperbacks spine on.

[@UraniumMilk]

Yes I noticed you had comic boxes in your video, good idea. Also I was bagging up some modern comics and found the "current" size from Ultra-Pro a bit too tight so Ill be repurposing those for the larger paperbacks as you recommended. I wonder if they just sell polypropylene rolls like they do with saran wrap. I used to dabble in modular origami as a kid, I'm sure there must be a way to wrap a sheet around a book so that it creates its own flap.

[@Christian-qu9ml]

How many books do you currently own, Jules?

[@JulesBurt]

I think about 15,000.

[@UraniumMilk]

​@@JulesBurtOh you're just getting started then. I'm sure you'll eventually get to ten times that, and we're all going to enjoy watching your journey to reach that milestone.

[@RX79818]

How do you read vintage paper backs with out breaking spine?

[@JulesBurt]

It's possible but you do need to be careful. If the book has a black spine, you'll need to be extra careful 👍

[@qrsx66]

Space. Why can't we have more ?

[@JulesBurt]

It's the bane of all collectors!

[@user-zo7mr3op8i]

Jules - have you ever stolen a book?

[@JulesBurt]

Not that I can remember. I do recall picking up a book or two in a Dr's surgery and you had to just leave a donation. I recall it was two paperbacks plus a rare Folk LP record. I put a fiver into the box, all I had on me at the time. I sold the record on for about £80. This was in the 80's! You could call that a steal🙂

[@user-zo7mr3op8i]

@@JulesBurt I pinched Superman 134 from a barbershop. Folded it twice and snuck it into the back pocket of my jeans and cycled home and gloated. Feels so good to confess. 60 years later.