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Printed Page Bookshop

Named one of the top three best bookstores in Denver

The 150-book-a-day habit

July 13, 2016 By Dan Danbom

And you think YOU buy a lot of books…
For most of us, book collections are small, personal representations of our tastes, interests and budget.  But there was a time when book collections were a public representation of ego, wealth and acquisitiveness.  It was the golden age of book collecting.
The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a time of conspicuous consumption and dazzling displays of wealth.  It wasn’t enough to be rich; one had to burnish one’s wealth with class, taste and refinement – and material possessions, including books.  J.P. Morgan, Henry Edwards Huntington, Eli Lilly and others were engaged in the chase for treasures around the world.  Some of the finest book collections ever sold went up for sale in the first 20 years of the 20th century, and those men bought them.
In the summer of 1914, the New York Times published a boastful headline:  “England’s Rarest Books Being Bought by Americans.”  The New World was maturing, and was stripping England – indeed, all of Europe – of its heritage.  The culture that Europeans believed Americans were incapable of creating, they were buying. One by one the best English private libraries – the fourth Earl of Ashburnham’s, Henry Hut’s and so on – fell to the Americans.
 Henry Huntington collected books on the English Renaissance, medieval manuscripts and incunabula (books printed before 1501) plus American history and literature.  He managed to accumulate 420,000 books and seven million manuscripts. That works out to 150 books per day for each day of his 77-year life. Henry Folger acquired nearly half of the Shakespeare First Folios in the world.   Eli Lilly managed to buy a paltry 20,000 books.  Morgan (whose library is pictured above) bought three Gutenberg bibles, early children’s books, incunabes and first editions of Byron, Dickens, Poe, Twain and other giants of literature.  The Morgan Library says it’s impossible to determine how much he spent on books. One thing the collectors had in common, besides their appetite for books, was that they worked in close partnership with booksellers to find what they wanted.
 You probably aren’t another J.P. Morgan, and we certainly aren’t another A.S.W. Rosenbach (Lilly’s go-to bookseller), but the same principles apply.  Let us know what you collect, and we’ll help you on your way to getting what you want.  Maybe not Gutenbergs, though.  First Folios are tough, too. But 150 books a day?  We could do that.

Filed Under: Book-collecting

Location & Hours

1416 S Broadway
Denver, Colorado 80210

As of May 1, 2021, our hours are:
Monday-Saturday 10:30 am - 5:30 pm
Sunday Noon- 5:00 pm

Custom Directions

Contact

303-777-7653
theshop@printedpagebookshop.com

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Printed Page Bookshop
Reviewed from Google

4.9 out of 5 stars

Lily Chang
Lily Chang

5 out of 5 stars

posted 1 year ago

Printed Page Bookshop is a local, co-op store co-owned by John and Dan. This Denver, South Broadway bookstore has some ten dealers and a variety of used books, including some signed first editions. I’ve met John and some other vendors. These people love books ans love what they do. It’s a great place to go, browse, and shop.

Peyton Deal
Peyton Deal

5 out of 5 stars

posted 5 months ago

Stumbled upon this shop walking down Broadway. Dan is wonderful, kind, and helpful. So many great books to browse through with the company of the shop dog, Izzy. Left with a friend children's book for my friend's son. Such a great experience spending time in here!

Linda Hylle
Linda Hylle

5 out of 5 stars

posted 8 months ago

Printed Page is a well curated and beautifully maintained “pre-owned” book shop. Sections are clearly labeled and if you have questions the owners are happy to answer any questions. The day I stopped in one of the owners, Dan, happily chatted with me and helped me choose a book as a gift for my son from a specific genre. It is obvious these owners are passionate about books and and sharing their inventory with the public.

Read All 207 Reviews
Printed Page Bookshop 5.0 star rating 46 reviews Yelp logo

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