Collection Development and Collection Acquisition

I genuinely love what I do. Most of my time is spent working on collection development projects, working with emerging/evolving collectors to assist in the design and growth of their collections. On the other side, I try, as much as possible, to only take in entire collections/libraries. The result, in either case, is that I get to immerse myself in collections that have a theme, a life of their own. An insular book is an island unto itself, a collection give you a the depth and breadth to explore and examine an entire genre. Almost any area becomes engaging and intriguing in volume.

As an example, I have never really been a car guy and books on cars have never had much appeal. However, I recently catalogued 80 or so volumes, mostly on Ferraris and Bugattis. In the course of this I must admit that I have developed a great appreciation for fine automobiles and for some exceptional publishing houses that I never knew existed that cater to the market (FMR is a great example, their book, Divina Bugatti is a truly lovely item). You can not catalog 50-200 volumes in a given area without becoming quite immersed in the nature of the subject…far too much fun.