Q & A

K.N. of Haida Gwaii writes:

What would the value of this book be and how should I store it? It was given to me at my wedding as a gift from a relative in Germany. I know it was handed down to them as well and there is a German inscription on the first blank page dated 1961.

The book is titled 'Albrecht Durers Samtliche Kupferstiche.' (old calligraphy) It is a book of 107 plates. The book has a copyright date of 1912 by U. Schumann's Verlag, Leipzig. On the title page at the bottom it says: Sechste Auflage. Verlag Anders & Bufelb, Berlin, W.S.

It is a hard cover book with leather on binding and corners. It has some worn patches.

Inside - each plate is protected/separated by a piece of frosted tissue which also has the plate # and title printed on it. All the pages are light manila in colour. All the pages are intact in the binding. In general the book, its binding and pages are in great shape with a few of the tissue pages with creases or small rips in them.

I've just kept it wrapped in sheet in a tote in a dry, dark room.

We asked Dirk Heinze to respond:

This book, although very beautiful, enjoyed a very high print run and as such many fine copies exist today. They are also quite common at auction where they garner around 100-150 dollars. The best way to store a book is in a temperature- controlled, dark and dry environment.