Antiquing is a fun and engaging hobby. One of the areas of focus is antique books. If you consider how many a course in miracles are there on the planet, there are literally millions, and yet some antique books are in great demand. This article gives you a glimpse into the world of why people buy antiques books.

Well, not many of us can deny that antique books add elegance to your study room, living room or library. Many people are collectors. They collect particular types of books, series or sets from one particular author or group of authors. Some people buy it for investment purpose. They are antique dealers. They keep the books with themselves for sometime then resell it. Few people might even collect it to connect themselves to a time or period in history, or they feel a special connection to some particular authors or they just plain love history.

When considering purchasing an this type of book, these are the crucial factors involved:

•Do your research well. This is one of the most, if not the most crucial factor. Without research, you are getting involved in something you have no knowledge about; this could have an impact later on. One of the things you may encounter is that a dealer may overcharge you for the price.
•Demand for the book. If you are considering buying the book for investment, you would need to check out first if there is a demand for the book to be resold for profit. A beautiful antique book, which is rare that nobody wants, would be of no use for an investment purpose. This would also point to that you have done your research well.
•The conditions the particular book is in. Does the particular book that you are considering purchasing have torn pages, warping, creases? These factors influence the value of the book to a certain level.
•Does the book have a popular title? For example, a classic book of “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens would be more valuable than another lesser known title of the same period.
•History of ownership. To whom did the book belong to in the past also influences the value of the book. For example, a book that used to be in the collection of Napoleon would fetch a high value than the same book with that belongs to an unknown person.

Now where do we find these beautiful antique books? Some people have connections with a steady dealer, who informs them of a rare book when it becomes available in the market. There are other ways to search for antique books too. If you have not done it before, try going antique books hunting at thrift stores, garage sales or estate sale. It could be a lot of fun and, you never know, there is an opportunity to find some hidden treasures and bargains in these places. The internet has also opened up a huge opportunity to search for antique books. What this means is, those rare books that would have taken some effort to search for, physically, can now be easily accessible through the net.