Books in his Blood

If books are in your blood, tonight (Wednesday) is your lucky night. Internationally known rare book specialist and appraiser Kenneth Gloss will give an in-person and virtual presentation at Scoville Memorial Library at 6PM.

Gloss runs the Brattle Book Shop in Boston and makes frequent appearances on the Antiques Road Show. He will talk about the “improbable finds” of his decades-long career and discuss the value of old and rare books. The event is free and open to the public.

Gloss will talk about his long career in the book industry and the history of his bookshop which dates back to about 1825. His late father, George, purchased the bookshop in 1949 and Kenneth Gloss literally grew up in the business. He became sole proprietor after his father’s death in 1985.

“I was destined to work with books,” he said. “I worked in my father’s store since childhood and ultimately chose to go into the book business. I would never be really happy if I abandoned the business. I will do this literally until I can’t do it anymore.”

His wife quips that he works half days: 5AM to 5PM. But sometimes he works more than that when he travels to a local library to present a program such as tonight’s appearance in Salisbury. “I try to do a couple of talks and lectures every month,” he reported.

The talks run about an hour and are filled with anecdotes about the antiquarian book world. “I don’t try to teach the specifics about books—that would be boring,” he said. “I try to tell good stories, talk about how The Road Show works and to make it entertaining so even if the people listening do not care about books, they come away thinking old books are fun.”

“I would love to think they come because I tell a great story or that they come to see me but most people really come to find out how much a book is worth,” he continued. “After the talk, I stay informally for another half-hour to do quick verbal appraisals.”

Determining the value of a book includes many factors: author, subject, condition, rarity—even whether it still has its original dustjacket. For instance, one of the most sought-after books is the first edition of The Great Gatsby. “The book without a dustjacket might go for a few thousand dollars,” he said, “but if you have one with an original dustjacket, it could go for quarter-of-a-million.”

When spending large amounts for acquisitions, collectors are very picky. “When you hear these prices, that is for an absolutely perfect volume,” he said. “The same book in so-so condition, you might struggle to get $100. When they put a book on their shelf, collectors don’t want a friend to say they have seen a better one somewhere else. The difference between good and perfect can be five, 10, 20 times more.”

As with all antiques, books can rise and fall in value as demographics change. “Things go in and out of phase,” he said. “Before the pandemic, a large part of our customers were older white men. Since the pandemic the average age is 30 to 40 years younger and what they are looking for has changed.”

He remembers one night when his father, appearing on a radio show, mentioned a collection of books he had about Horatio Alger. When George Gloss arrived home around 1AM, a man who had heard the broadcast was sitting in front of his home, so excited that Gloss had a book he wanted about Alger that he could not wait until morning. “Now, you couldn’t sell a book about Horatio Alger because no one knows who he was.”

“People will come in with a book signed by someone who was fairly well known. When I say it’s not that valuable, they will protest the signature is by one of key people of that time. If it is signed by some very prominent person—Albert Einstein or an important president—it might be worth something, but I bet you would have trouble selling a signature by John Wayne these days because younger people would say, ‘Who?’”

Many people are relieved when he delivers the news that their books are not as valuable as they had believed. “Everybody wants to have things that are very valuable but 90 percent of people, when I tell them their book is not valuable, say, ‘Great, I don’t have to worry about it anymore. I can let the kids touch it or maybe even read it.’”

Many antiquarian books are sold online now and Gloss has battled the trend with his brick-and-mortar store. “The big difference with our business is most of the stock is not online,” he said. “We put books outside all year long when it isn’t raining or snowing. People are out there taking pictures with their phones and posting them on Instagram. It’s change, a different way of selling, but change is good. And the talks and lectures are a way I can keep the store out there.”

Gloss is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers, the New England Antiquarian Booksellers of America, Southern New England Antiquarian Booksellers, the Committee for the Boston International Antiquarian Book Fair, and the Boston Society. He also is a Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society as well as serving on the Board of Overseers of the USS Constitution Museum.

For more information on this event, visit the link below.