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Are Antiquarian Books Threatened by The Rise of Technology?
Whispers from booksellers in the antiquarian community have often begged the question, where will rare bookselling and collectors settle in this new age of technology? Simply put, it will be where it has been for over 4,000 years. As time passes, manuscripts become more scare with fewer copies in circulation each year, increasing the value and demand of what is available.
If you ask almost any bookseller, they will admit that the internet was a double-edged sword in the early 2000’s. Many rare bookshops were forced to close with online demand increasing. However today, there are exceedingly more “bookshops” with the lower barrier to entry for sellers that can operate a bookshop from home or in a building with far less overhead costs. International shippers allow you to send virtually any title in circulation from their door to yours in a matter of days. It’s a wild concept when you zoom out realize the big picture.
The internet and AI has ushered in some incredible opportunities for both collectors and booksellers that wish to access scarce titles from around the world. Pictured in my AI generated banner image is a student that can now read over 20 languages just by looking at it through a $150 pair of goggles. I created the image in 5 seconds, literally. Although not perfect, the fact that we are on the brink of overcoming language barriers between reading material from any language is an astonishing thought. The exposure that opens us to is unprecedented and will surely advance our understandings in ways that were never possible in the past.
The question is, why handle or preserve rare books when information is becoming more and more accessible on the internet? I may not be putting a chip in my head anytime, well, ever, but the simple fact remains. Exploring, researching, and handling rare books is a physical experience that provides you with a connection to the rich history of the time it was written.
You can feel the smooth vellum or goatskin Morocco as you unlatch the metal clasps on a 15th century incunable. The pages are stiff and tight within the beautiful binding that you marvel at, studying the bookbinders work. The knock of wood boards satisfying something deep within you. Inscriptions, signatures, and commentaries line the pages, sharing with you notes into the previous student’s mind from 500 years ago. It starts to paint a picture that you can’t quite complete with unless you experience it for yourself. We all can’t help but be enamored by studying the real McCoy.
As rare booksellers, our greatest concern with technology is not the emergence of AI, changing marketplaces, or lacking interest in antiquities. It is the great responsibility that we continue to circulate our earliest sources of literature as working manuscripts for future generations who will question much of what we do today. These rare books, artifacts and maps are working copies that will continue to surface and have a home in museums, institutions and private collections until the end of days. Until then, peace be with you and enjoy!
May you all be blessed,
Kyle Mufti, Bookseller
Vivifica Rare Books Inc.
M: (647) 560-9735 ext. 101