The publishing business in this country has been focused on the blockbuster. Sure, "Principles of Geothermal Building" is valuable knowledge but "The Hunger Games" will make more money. So, concentrate on the books that will make tons of money NOW. Also, movies and related items like fleece pajamas and action figures.
But, as they always do, things are changing. The sales of ebooks, both fiction and nonfiction, has everyone's attention. Ebooks make it possible to keep a larger selection "on hand" and people can download a copy or millions of copies as they wish.
One of the fun things about libraries is looking at books of importance or quality that are not the latest hits. We can't keep too many titles in mind at once so advertisers tend to tell us about the new hardback volume, now available for only $25. But think about the authors of yesteryear. They too tried their best to write well and to craft gripping stories. True, they may have lived in times when language and customs were a bit different so that descriptions that made the blood pound in 1912 don't do so much in 2012. But it is a mistake to let fashion and advertising dictate one's entire mental menu.
I just looked up Bestsellers of 1912 and "The Winning of Barbara Worth" by Harold Bell Wright was number 6 in sales that year. You can get a copy in paper in a few days for $50 or you get have one free in 1 minute. I have never panned for gold but I imagine that much of the time, no nuggets show up. Same with looking through old books: lots of sand before any nugget. Still it can be fun and valuable to give older books a chance.
A current specialist in looking over what was published a while back is Nancy Pearl, a former librarian in the Seattle area, now appearing in national media and celebratory calendars. She tries to find good books that got somewhat passed over and yet are well-written and rewarding.
A good book from earlier years is, for example, "How To Live on 24 Hours a Day" by Arnold Bennett. Like the ecopy of "Winning Barbara...", Bennett's little gem is free for Kindle.
One good way of finding good stuff that is not currently hot is to ask people you know about books that meant lots to them. A title they mention might be sitting on your local library shelf right now. Many libraries have limited space and their collections have to be weeded of books that aren't really being used much. Finding and borrowing that good book might save it for later users. A difference between looking at a table of books in a garage sale and browsing library shelves is that the library books were purchased by a professional with an eye on quality and general appeal.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
