Dr. William Taylor holds a first-edition George Bernard Shaw book with a note from the author in the front of the book. Taylor enjoys American histories, and he also owns a collection of leather-bound medical books. (Michelle Pemberton / The Star)

Joan Hamilton Morris' collection includes "The Nuremberg Chronicle" (left), an illustrated book from the 15th century. (Photo/Frank Espich)

Joan Hamilton Morris enjoys a 1696 English cookbook in the cozy library in her home. "There's nothing of extreme value to them -- I just like to sniff them," the bed and breakfast owner says of her old volumes. (Photo/Frank Espich)

There are enough rare books and first editions on these shelves to last a lifetime.

You'll find a signed copy of George Bernard Shaw's "Man and Superman" and a rare military history that a young Dwight David Eisenhower wrote shortly after World War I, among many other special titles.

"I collect what I like," said Dr. William Taylor. "Money becomes a factor because, after a while, things that you like become expensive."

Collecting rare books, first editions and the like is not everyone's ideal pastime. It takes both knowledge and tenacity. A fat wallet doesn't hurt, though it's not strictly required.

Rare book collections rarely get the attention that, say, rare car collections or fine art pieces garner. The world of book collecting is a more intimate experience, you might say. But as appetites are whetted, the collectors must have more -- it almost never fails.

"It starts out with the idea of owning something," said Don Prescott of Circle City Books, 6555 E. Payne Road. "I have a book written by J.D Salinger, 'Catcher in the Rye.' It's a first edition. If it's signed by J.D. Salinger, which is extremely rare, people want to own that because J.D. Salinger actually touched it. I've sold books that go back 500 years. People sometimes want to own a book that old."

Jerry Musich operates Jerry Musich Used and Fine Books, 1319 W. 86th St. He has about 8,000 books on display in his store, including several hundred distinct railroad titles. More books are in storage.

In 2004, he purchased 23 tons of books from a Virginia source.

"I'm still inventorying," he joked.

Musich, like other dealers and collectors, says to collect what you like. That's how most people get started.

"They may like history or art or fiction," he said. "They may also like the bindings. If they start collecting fiction, they realize it's such a broad field. There's a collector in town who only collects Pulitzer Prize winners."

William Taylor likes American history and mostly collects original books on the Civil War and the two World Wars, plus books on the presidents. He also has a collection of leather-bound medical books.

Joan Hamilton Morris, a former rare book dealer and bed and breakfast owner, still savors important titles that she says she'll never sell off.

"I have a small collection of illuminated manuscripts from the 13th through 15th centuries," Morris said. "I like to look at them and respect them for their age. And I have a handful of leather-bound books. There's nothing of extreme value to them -- !I just like to sniff them."

Jack Cummings worked for many years at Allison Engine Co., now Rolls-Royce. His love of reading began with comic books and "pulp" magazines his dad let him buy during the Depression.

What started him on collecting, however, were the leather-bound, collected works of William Thackeray. He was just rummaging through a used-book store for something cheap to read when he came upon the collection.

Today he owns a brilliant collection of 3,500 leather-bound books, most in perfect condition.

"To me, one of the most beautiful sights in the world is the spine ending of the books," he said. That is, if they're leather-covered (kid or Moroccan preferred), complete with embossed gold lettering and decorative bumpers.

Cummings used to spend every weekend traveling through a five-state area looking for his books. When he'd come home with a new clutch, his now-deceased wife would just put her hands on her hips, give him a dour look, and say, "How much?"

One critical issue all collectors face is the threat to !a book's condition and value if they actually read the books, yet all say they read all or most of their titles. One trick is simply to buy cheaper editions of the same titles and read those instead.

A professional archivist wears white gloves to make sure no finger oils get on the pages or binding. Other tricks include never, ever pulling a book off the shelf by the top of its spine. That's the weakest part of the binding.

Dog-ear pages to mark how far you've read? That's not only heretical, but ludicrous.

Ditto for drinking tea or coffee or anything like that while handling the book.

Another issue facing all collectors is determining value. Dealers today say the Internet has helped establish national norms because almost everything is posted for sale online. This has had the effect of bringing down prices, such experts note, because everyone will know if they're paying too much.

But it's very much a "buyer beware" situation online.

"You have a lot of people who've really embraced the Internet as a way to sell things," noted local online bookseller Michael Watson, who owns 20Ants.com. "A great percentage of people selling books out there could be selling beans, books or bowling balls. It doesn't really matter."

The toughest issue of all is how to dispose of an entire collection when it's no longer wanted. It's not like you can call your stock broker and sell all your shares in a company in one fell swoop.

It takes a lifetime to amass a good collection, and a long time for dealers to move large numbers of books.

Morris has sold off many of her books over the years, and recently had a dealer over to look at another cache she had been saving.

But she won't be selling off all her books. The ones she really loves -- such as her vintage herbal recipe collection and some others -- will be staying.

"They become like old friends," Morris said. "You can pick them up again and again and again, and derive pleasure from them. It's like going back to an old recipe. Or, there's a book that might have a phrase that says something exactly the way I'd want to say it."

Advice on getting started

Collecting rare books and first editions is not for novices, but you have to start somewhere.

Here's basic advice from a variety of expert sources:

• Begin by collecting only what you like and intend to read. This way you'll get some value out of your collection even if you don't make money.

• Condition means everything. If you're serious about collecting, buy the best condition you can afford.

• Deal with a seller -- either local or online -- who has been recommended by a friend who's actually done business with that seller.

• Check prices you're willing to pay for a specific title against national selling prices, which can easily be found online.

• On a limited budget, say $500 to start? Buy four or five titles instead of springing for a single book at that price. You'll learn about the different points of collecting faster.

• Nothing has more cache in this field than the words "first edition." But things are not always what they appear to be here -- you'll need to do a little research on your own into what the term "first edition" really means.

• Handle with care. Truly rare books should be handled with gloves. Never pull a book off a shelf by the top of its spine. Store in a dry, temperature-controlled room.

- By Abe Aamidor