Francesca Galligan
Bodleian Library
14 November 2025
192
eBook - PDF
Non-Fiction
ARC via Edelweiss
Have you ever wondered whether the assortment of books you have at home is a “collection”? Do you want to reorganize it? Expand it? Repair some of your treasured volumes?
This quirky but practical guide covers questions book lovers might have about caring for their books at home. Written by an expert rare book librarian at the Bodleian Library and covering a range of subjects including collecting, arranging, and keeping books in good condition, Looking After Your Books offers friendly advice that will guide readers through all aspects of book ownership. Within these pages, readers will find useful tips on buying from book fairs, bookshops, and dealers, as well as how to identify first editions. Help is on hand with treating accidental mishaps and a range of common problems such as an attack of red rot or a broken spine. There are also chapters on shelving, how to keep track of your books, how to commission a special box for a special book, and how to pass books on usefully.
Looking After Your Books was a quick and interesting read. While there are certainly some tips for beginner collectors wondering where to start, I think this book would be of most benefit to those who have already started out and are wishing to protect their investment or gain information on how to assess older books for purchase and/or repair. Recommended for book lovers looking to take a collection of whatever size to the next level, but with the proviso that some information could be unnecessary for those at the lower end of the collector spectrum and already known to those collecting for a while, so if you are somewhere in the middle you will likely get the most out of it. I am giving this book 3.5 stars.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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