Rating: 
Summary: Don't judge a book only by its cover!
Review: I was hooked by the bottom of the first page. Certainly I enjoyed learning a bit about rare books, but the sub-plot was just as interesting to me. I envy the authors:(1) the number and proximity of stores (2) the closeness that this brought to them as a couple - a sharing of a passion and (3) their income to buy books. My question is: Did they EVER get the Fitzgerald?
Rating:
Summary: Pure enjoyment
Review: I've only had this book about a month, but I've already read it twice (and dipped in and reread favorite parts more than twice). And I'm not a "re-reader". The Goldstones paint an engaging portrait of the world of booksellers. From the seemingly-inauspicious beginnings (a not-very-expensive but nice copy of _War and Peace_) up into the heady realm of "modern firsts", and back (yay!) to the realization that a good, cheap, readable used book is as much fun as an expensive modern first, the Goldstones thoroughly charmed me. I must admit I envy their lifestyle - enough money and enough free time to indulge such a passion. But I did enjoy living vicariously through them, and I think what they say about hunting for old books has deepened my enjoyment of my forays to the local used-book emporium. This book would be a really good gift for a book collector or just plain book *lover* (and yeah, it's OK to buy yourself a gift once in a while). While it's not "War and Peace" or "The Great Gatsby", or anything like that, _Used and Rare_ is deeply enjoyable and satisfying to read. I wonder if maybe the Goldstones have more book-collecting adventures....enough for a second volume, perhaps?
Rating:
Summary: Not your ordinary guide
Review: If you love your library and savor your books, this is a must read. Anyone interested in the basics of book collecting will learn something on every page. This is definitely for the novice (and will bring smiles to the antiquarian.) A wonderfully written, witty journey through the begining book collectors world. A quick and enjoyable read you won't put down until your finished--and then you will run to the local book store. You will never pickup a book again without looking at the copywright page
Rating: 
Summary: A Book for Book Lovers
Review: Nancy and Lawrence Goldstone loved reading and they loved books, cheap paperbacks led to hard covers, which led to 1st editions. Before they knew it, the Goldstones, were not only book collectors they were beginning to seriously consider spending the "big bucks" real book collecting requires. Where once an ancient leather bound edition of Dickens had them running for the bookstore exit, by the middle of their story the Goldstones become captivated if not obsessed with such books.
In terms of learning the ins and outs of book collecting, there isn't a ton of information much here. The joy of this book is following a couple that love books. From basement stores in New England to first class offices in New York, the travel from book nook to book store looking for the best deals. Like any hobby, they flirt with obsession and the real drama comes not from the books, but from the people, the other "book freaks", they meet along the way.
"Used & Rare" is an eye-opening look into a world of musty paper, bookworms, and great literature.
Rating: 
Summary: Gentle Madness, light, very light
Review: The book I refer to in the title is, "A Gentle Madness" by Nicholas A. Basbanes. If you are not yet prepared to spend the time the 638-page Basbanes book requires, this short story may be amusing.The book is generally well written, and at times quite funny. Unfortunately there is an arrogance that pervades the book that is as misplaced as it is mean spirited. Perhaps the Authors felt the need to compensate for their neophyte status as book collectors, by making sport of those who truly know books. Book collecting is complex, and can be extremely expensive for the newcomer. There are several useful pieces of information the Authors learn and share, but it is too often accompanied by their observations about the people and the bookstores they patronize. The learning curve on collecting is a long one, and the dealers who take their time to instruct the novice are more prevalent than you might imagine, and it's been my experience that they ask for nothing in return. Many booksellers just love books, the fact they part with them on occasion through a sale is often almost painful for them. So do note from this book how not to deal with people, how not to take advantage of their time and their willingness to share it, and then exploit the experience for your own profit. A book collector would never have written in the manner they chose. This is the result of research done for a book that was written over a cup of coffee, maybe two.
Rating:
Summary: Nifty Adventure in Rare Book Boying and Collecting
Review: The Goldstones are a nice couple. There is a chemistry between them that you can feel in this book, as they go about learning the rare-book trade. Told with understated wit and insight. It deserves every award.
Rating:
Summary: Delicious!
Review: The word "delightful" is much over-used but I can't think of a better word to describe "Used and Rare" by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone. Wait a minute, I can - "moving", "witty", "informative", "affectionate" and "a pleasure" are some other words I could use to describe this marvellous (there's another one!) book. It's comforting to discover that the eccentricities and foibles of book dealers, book collectors and assorted other bibliomaniacs aren't an exclusively Australian phenomenon, and the authors' dead-on phonetic rendering of a Trans-Tasman/New Zealand accent frequently brought a smile to this Aussie reader's face.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful and entertaining read!
Review: This book was an adorable memoir!! Well written, humorous, and even dropped facts about antiquarian book collecting.
Rating: 
Summary: Books are just another "hot" collectible, I guess
Review: This is a fun and charming narrative for those new to collecting books on the ways of the antiquarian trade -- from how books are found to how a book jacket or a quirk of printing can make an ordinary book quite rare and valuable. If you love the printed word, though, find a copy of Noel Perrin's "A Reader's Delight." It won't tell you how to collect books, but Perrin's enthusiasm for his cherished favorites might very well make a collector out of you. THEN read this book to find out where to start. Otherwise, you'll be disappointed; the Goldstones' story is not about books but about collecting as a pursuit that lends cachet to the collectors. Here, used and rare editions are merely the items being collected; the Goldstones in fact could have chosen any upscale item (I can just hear them going on and on about botanical illustrations, for instance, talking about Redoute, adding a few wry anecdotes about being fooled by reproductions, and throwing in a timeline of the cultivation of the rose). In this case, their self-deprecating wit masks not their newness to the used book trade but their actual ignorance of reading itself -- that compulsive consuming and cherishing of books. Consider the choice of books they want(the hoary usual suspects mingled with a few eccentricities to add flavor, and their many gaffes ("something called the Kelmscott Press" --a bit of self-deprecation more deprecating than they actually appreciated). Nonetheless, the book is delightfully written and a quite informative story of one couple's introduction to this fascinating world.
Rating:
Summary: Already a classic - A delight for lovers and booklovers
Review: This is a fun read by the Nick and Nora Charles of book collecting. This was their initial book on the subject, a labor of love, and their enthusiasm is contagious. Their books that follow are good, but not as good, because they are becoming pillars of the establishment rather than treasure hunters. There is less spark to their work now, less sense of discovery, more serious, less fun. Fortunately, for fun I can always come back and read this one again, and John Baxter's marvelously bookish A POUND OF PAPER, and of course, Dashiell Hammett's original Nick and Nora Charles.
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