What is an antique book? A bookseller's definition
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You're preparing to move. From the back of the attic, under thick blankets, a few old boxes of books emerge. Yellowed pages, faded covers, the smell of old paper: ancient books.
It's a natural reflex. We apply to books the same distinction we make between a new bookstore and an antiquarian bookseller, the bouquiniste. Everything that isn't new becomes vaguely old. Everyday language works this way.
The language of the trade, however, is more precise. "Ancient book" is a professional term that covers a specific, dated, codified meaning. An old book is not necessarily an ancient book. Why?
"Ancient Book": a professional term, not an adjective
In the book trade, "ancient" is not a vague impression. It is a category codified by SLAM, the Syndicat national de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne (National Union of Ancient and Modern Booksellers): ancient books cover production from the origins of printing up to the 1830s, romantic books from 1830 to 1880, and modern books from 1880 onwards.
On the KOEGUI bookshop website, this logic is directly reflected in the menu: 19th and 20th century literature forms one group; ancient books, a category in their own right. A subdivision of nature, not of era.
The 1830 boundary is not arbitrary. It corresponds to a specific industrial break: the upheaval of old artisanal practices inherited from Gutenberg. This is why, as Anne Lamort writes in La bibliophilie: tout ce que vous avez toujours voulu savoir sans jamais avoir osé le demander (SLAM, 2021), "books from this long period are indiscriminately called ancient."
Just as "rare" is not assessed roughly, "ancient" refers to a technical reality, not a subjective impression of antiquity.
The 1830 boundary: innovation after three and a half centuries of the same technique
Before 1830: the artisanal book
For nearly four centuries, book techniques remained unchanged. Paper was made by hand in mills, sheet by sheet, from linen or hemp rags. This laid paper, recognizable by the parallel marks left by the manufacturing mold, was often watermarked: the manufacturer integrated their mark, visible through transparency.
Printing was done on a hand press, character by character, at a rate of a few hundred sheets a day at best. Febvre and Martin summarize it in one phrase: "the way one always printed in 1787 [...] was such that a resurrected Gutenberg [...] would have immediately recognized himself there, with a few minuscule details" (L'Apparition du livre, Albin Michel, 1958).
After 1830: the industrial book
The continuous paper machine, rotary presses, and then wood-pulp paper radically changed the game. Handcrafted rag paper gradually gave way to paper produced from wood pulp. This change in nature allowed for larger print runs and significantly reduced production costs. The downside: acidic paper, whose degradation accelerates over time. The cause is lignin present in the wood fibers which, once exposed to light, "becomes a powerful oxidizing factor" (Yann Sordet, Histoire du livre et de l'édition).
It is precisely for this reason that the KOEGUI bookshop only acquires romantic and modern works in very good condition, and prioritizes copies printed on large paper: these luxury print runs, reserved for a small number of copies printed on superior quality papers (Holland, Japan, China), largely escape the most deleterious effects of acidity, such as yellowing, and retain their freshness over time.
The phenomenon is serious enough that the BnF (French National Library) has been engaged, since 1988, in a mass deacidification program for its modern collections, which is still ongoing.
KOEGUI bookshop's insight: the purity of a Japan or Holland paper is such that we regularly indicate 19th or 20th century works as being in "near new" condition. Large paper lives up to its promises.
Ancient does not mean precious: what the market truly looks at
No. This is where the received idea resists the most.
Millions of books printed before 1830 have survived in significant quantities. A 17th-century edition of the works of a famous poet like Boileau, printed in five thousand copies, without large paper or notable provenance, will have a market value far removed from that of an original edition of a sought-after author from the 1960s such as Georges Perec. As a reminder, Febvre and Martin indicate that in Venice in 1471, Wendelin de Spire, a pioneer of printing in Venice with his brother Jean, was already printing some works in a thousand copies, "a figure considered enormous for the time."
The value of a book results from an alignment of factors: original print run, survival of copies, quality of the copy, current market desirability. What the market asks is not "is it old?" but "is it rare and sought after?"
Do you think you own a valuable book? KOEGUI bookshop, a member of SLAM, offers a free and non-binding appraisal, remotely or by appointment in Bayonne. Request an appraisal
What makes a book rare: What makes a book rare?
How to read an ancient bookshop's description?
Colophon, full vellum, fleurons, split joint, collation, foxing, elzevir, fanfare binding. At first glance, the lexicon of ancient book descriptions is dizzying. This is intentional: not out of obscurantism, but out of necessity. Before photographs and online listings, a description alone had to allow for the identification of a work. The vocabulary was built over centuries of practice precisely for this reason: to say in two words what an approximate description would say in ten lines.
To help you navigate it, the KOEGUI bookshop provides a bibliophile's dictionary for enthusiasts. Over a hundred terms defined, from the most common to the most technical. Consult the dictionary
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an ancient book called in professional language?
In the book trade, "ancient book" is the technical term for any work produced before 1830. What everyday language calls "old book," "bouquin" (old book), or "second-hand book" covers very different realities: a 1970s novel sold at a garage sale is a second-hand book; a 17th-century legal treatise in full vellum is an ancient book.
What is the difference between an ancient book and a rare book?
An ancient book is defined by its period of manufacture: before 1830. A rare book, by its market desirability: small print run, vanished copies, high demand. A book can be ancient without being rare, and rare without being ancient. What makes a book rare?
How to date an ancient book?
Several material clues help identify it: the title page first and foremost, the colophon if absent, the typography, and the binding.
What are romantic books?
The SLAM category designating works produced between 1830 and 1880, the first phase of industrial publishing.
What are modern books in the bibliophilic sense?
Works produced from 1880 onwards, with the widespread use of wood-pulp paper. It is in this category that you will find limited editions on large paper, Holland or Japan, which are now the most sought-after by bibliophiles.
How to get started with bibliophilia?
Several reference works exist. The Thélème bibliography, produced by the École nationale des chartes (Sorbonne), lists the most solid ones: Febvre and Martin, Martin and Chartier, Gaskell. For a more direct entry into the profession, Anne Lamort's La bibliophilie (SLAM, 2021) remains the most accessible starting point. Our bibliophile's dictionary
Who buys ancient books?
First and foremost: booksellers. Within SLAM, each bookseller has their specialty and buys accordingly. KOEGUI bookshop specializes in 19th and 20th-century literature: original editions, large paper copies, illustrated books. That said, if you offer us an original edition of Les Liaisons dangereuses or Gargantua, we remain open. In any case, contact us.
Do you own ancient books and want to know their value? A member of SLAM and LILA, KOEGUI bookshop offers a free and non-binding appraisal, remotely or by appointment in Bayonne. The expertise is independent of any purchase commitment.
Sources
- Anne Lamort, La bibliophilie, SLAM, 2021 | www.slamlivrerare.org
You can consult our selection of ancient books or contact us for any appraisal by appointment in Bayonne. Find us at the Rare Book Fair in Paris organized by SLAM.