Sender: Rare book and manuscripts <EXLIBRIS-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Marguerite,
The new face of the market has made partial sets and the breaking of set much less of an
issue than previously was the case.
One of my special interest sets is a historical work of 14 volumes consisting of the letters of
Sir William Johnson of New York. The first six volumes are hard to find but one can easily
see on ABE that the last eight volumes are readily available. I make up sets and try to buy up
the odd volumes that are in the condition I need. Would I break a set? Yes, any of the last
eight volumes I would sell readily since I can replace them. Even duplicates of the first six I
would sell, albeit at a stiffer price.
I also work with the collected works of Erasmus, 40 volumes. After the scholarly repositories
have furnished themselves with the requisite complete sets (but one by one as they are
published) the individual scholars who are buying for private research purposes are only
interested in the specific volumes that address their particular area of expertise. The market
for Erasmus is by now decidedly for single volumes so the completeness of the set is
academic (pardon the pun.)
The answer is break a set if you can do so without crippling the remnant. The market will tell
you what to do.
David A.
--
David G Anderson Books
19730 John Street
Williamstown, ON K0C 2J0
613 347-7192