Booksellers Specialising in Folk .......

Subject: Booksellers Specialising in Folk .......
From: GUEST,Harry
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 05:44 AM

Church Green Books of Witney, Oxfordshire, has ceased trading.

Does anyone know of any rare/secondhand bookdealers who specialise (or at least carry a stock) of books on Folk music, song and dance?

I am well aware of all the online search engines and listing sites for books.

What I'm looking for is a human being who knows his or her stock, can describe a book's condition accurately, and charges reasonable prices based on experience not "what the internet says".

Harry

Subject: RE: Booksellers Specialising in Folk .......
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 11:19 AM

Fossgate Books in Fossgate, York, always has at least a shelfful. About 5 years ago I sold him a load of my surplus volumes. Prices seem reasonable to me.

Subject: RE: Booksellers Specialising in Folk .......
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 11:20 AM

If you're looking for something specific why not list them here? Many of us hold duplicates or stuff we no longer require.

Subject: RE: Booksellers Specialising in Folk .......
From: GUEST,Harry
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 12:12 PM

Steve,

I was hoping for contact with a dealer who genuinely specialises.

I used to get lists from Church Green and meet them at book fairs; a lovely couple who realised to make a living they needed to sell books, not just have them on their shelves.

Finding the 'specific' is relatively easy with the internet if one is willing, or can afford, to pay outrageous prices.

£183 for Bayard's Dance to the Fiddle, March to the Fife? Who can afford to pay that? It can't be that scarce as bookfinder.com lists six different dealers who claim to have it for sale - none of whom seem to have found a buyer.

The beauty of booksellers' catalogues is discovering books you don't know exist.

I guess I yearn for former times.

Harry

Subject: RE: Booksellers Specialising in Folk .......
From: GUEST,Robert B. Waltz
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 12:49 PM

If anyone is looking for an American rather than a British bookseller who specializes in folk music, Suzanne and Truman Price count folk music among their specialties (as I understand it, her specialty is old children's books and his is folk music).

Their general-purpose web site is www.oldchildrensbooks.com/

I can't figure out how to find their folk music catalog from there, but you can find their Biblio catalog of Folk Music books.

You can contact Truman Price at [e-mail].

If you can order directly, it pays to do so; they sometimes give free shipping (in the United States) for those who don't make them pay the Biblio/ABE Books fee.

Subject: RE: Booksellers Specialising in Folk .......
From: GUEST,Rigby
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 01:33 PM

I agree, it's very frustrating. It seems as though all the online booksellers look up what everyone else is asking and then tack on a bit more, even though nothing is actually selling at those prices. I've been looking for the remaining volumes of the Greig-Duncan collection for years but I'm not going to pay £500 for the bloody things.

Subject: RE: Booksellers Specialising in Folk .......
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 05:36 PM

Know what you mean, Harry.

There used to be a chap called Tom at Midsomer Norton who I traded with many years ago. He bought most of my folklore books, but I'm sure he retired some time back. I used to buy a lot from his catalogues. I also found general music sellers' catalogues useful for finding things I didn't know existed.

Subject: RE: Booksellers Specialising in Folk .......
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 06:04 PM

Someone from Midsomer Norton? He was probably murdered.







I'll get my hat. . .

Subject: RE: Booksellers Specialising in Folk .......
From: GUEST,Derek Schofield
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 06:06 PM

Harry... the reason that Church Green Books in Witney have shut is because of the sad and recent death of owner Roger Barnes.... Derek

Subject: RE: Booksellers Specialising in Folk .......
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Sep 22 - 02:30 AM

Moe's Books in Berkeley, California, has a huge music section with lots of folk. I got there just after Barry Olivier had sold a few boxes of folk music books. I had a field day. Too bad there was another guy who discovered Barry's books at the same time. I had to miss a few.