Most avid readers know the bittersweetness of buying more books than you can read at a given time (Thrftbooks is why I still drive my car with a rattling sound).On the other end of this spectrum is the careful, considerate collecting of finely made or otherwise rare editions of books. And it might surprise you to know, that Chattanooga actually hosts several rare book collections.
Book-collecting (or at least, the collection of valuable manuscripts) goes back to ancient times, but modern book-collecting can be traced to the time of the printing press, when literacy rates rose and books became more affordable and more diverse. Like anything that people collect—baseball cards, stamps, art—the value of rare books is driven up by notoriety, demand, and rarity. Examples include a first printing of the U.S. Constitution (*bought for $48 million in 2021), the first book printed in the U.S., The Bay Psalm Book ($18.6 million), and a First Folio Edition of Shakespeare’s plays ($11.9 million).
*All prices adjusted for inflation
Obviously, ‘firsts’ are a big deal in rare books; first printings, first editions, etc. Charles Hubbard was a history professor at Lincoln Memorial University who began donating his private rare book collection to UTC in 2009. Some of the firsts included therein are editions of Charles Dickens, William Faulkner, and Mark Twain, some of which have been signed by the author.
That personal touch also makes a book valuable, knowing that historical figures have handled and interacted with a book: the more famous–and just as often, infamous–the figure, the more valuable the book becomes. From the Charles R. and Anne Bachman Hyde Collection, a copy of Memoirs of the War in the Southern Department of the United States can be found, written by Henry “Lighthorse” Lee, and formerly owned by his son, Robert E. Lee.
Finally, art always enriches a manuscript, and the value of many rare books is defined by the illustrations and fore-edge paintings they host. The Barry Moser collection houses the illustrated books and artwork of UTC alumni Barry Moser, who over the course of his decades-long career, has illustrated over three hundred books, including Alice in Wonderland, Moby Dick, Dante’s Inferno and the Bible.
As a public library, UTC Special Collections can make many of the books I’ve mentioned available upon request. So next time you’re on campus, take a minute to see Faulkner’s signature for yourself, take in Moser’s art, or have any number of other rare experiences with rare books.
Sources:
Holzenberg, E.. “book collecting.” Encyclopedia Britannica, December 12, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/topic/book-collecting.
UTC Special Collections – Rare Books
