Give them the World of Books

RARE BOOK GIFT PACKAGES

Share your love of rare books with your friends and family for the holidays with the Bauman Rare Books Introduction to Book Collecting Gift Package. Included in the package is a signed copy of our guide to book collecting, Rare Finds, a copy of Michael Olmert’s classic Smithsonian Book of Books, a personalized letter from one of our sales associates introducing our company and inviting the recipient to a tour of the gallery and an introduction to collecting on a date and time of his or her choosing, and your gift certificate for the recipient’s purchase with us.

Handsomely packaged and delivered in time for the holidays, the Bauman Rare Books Package is a truly unique gift that will introduce your friend or family member to the world of book collecting.

Order yours Today!

PRICES:	$100 for standard Gift Package (includes $50 gift certificate)
	$200 for deluxe Gift Package (includes $150 gift certificate)
	Other amounts available upon request

Shipping via ground UPS is included; rush shipping is additional. We can customize your Gift Package with a gift certificate in an amount other than those listed above or by adding to the Gift Package an item that you purchase from one of our catalogues, on our website or in our gallery. Call us for details at 1-800-99-BAUMAN.

A NOTE ON BOOKS AS GIFTS FROM DAVID BAUMAN

A rare book is so much more than a mere object. It is the embodiment of revolutionary ideas, of our intellectual and cultural history, and of one’s own connection to the text. Consider the ways in which great books pass through time, and the myriad random ways that they have survived. Their stories can be nothing short of miraculous. 

So many books that we now consider classics were poorly received when they were first published. Moby Dick basically ended Melville’s literary career—he never again wrote for publication. Emily Bronte died believing Wuthering Heights a failure. And even Shakespeare’s plays had a rocky start—it took more than 50 years for four small editions of the Folio to sell. It is extraordinary that some books survived at all. 

And what about how popular books survived, when read so avidly? It is always astonishing to see a fine copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or The Great Gatsby or On the Origin of Species (the first edition of which sold out in one day). Was that pristine copy saved by some thoughtful hand? By a collector who had the foresight to recognize one of the great books of his time? 

With any great book, it is intriguing to consider all of the owners that it may have had, all of its travels, before coming to your shelf. Each rare book claims a rich legacy: treasured throughout the centuries, not discarded as many of its contemporaries were. The very fact that it survived, through so many hazards, caprices, and lifetimes, demonstrates that it was valued and should continue to be so. 

So, as you consider which books to select as gifts this year, consider that you are giving more than just a first edition of a classic work. You are giving a first edition that survived. A copy valued by its previous owners, who shared in the belief that books do matter and that it is our duty to make sure that they continue to survive.