Used and Rare Travels in the Book World

After years of competitive extravagance at birthday time, Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone decided to limit themselves to $20 each, which is how they came to be in possession of a $10 definitive translation of War and Peace, complete with maps of the major battles and fold-out color illustrations. It is also how they eventually came to be the owners of a $650 edition of Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit. Used and Rare, the Goldstones' tale of the journey from point A to point B, is a joyful celebration of their love of books. Rare-book dealers are a quirky lot; while one might invite you to caress an Adventures of Tom Sawyer worth thousands, another might turn you away altogether for no apparent reason. The Goldstones' enthusiasm is infectious, and, besides offering a lesson in used-book parlance, the pair remind us that for every book there are at least two stories: the one between the covers, and the one beyond the covers.

Lawrence Goldstone and Nancy Goldstone are both successful novelists, Lawrence Goldstone having won a New American Writing Award for his first novel. The Goldstones live in Westport, Connecticut.

"Charming."--The New York Times

"Their enthusiasm is everywhere infectious...delightful...the pages are radiant with a pervasive love of literature."--The Washington Times

"The authors' descriptions are evocative, their storytelling compassionate-- and frequently hilarious. A sort of Year in Provence for book lovers."--Kirkus Reviews

"Most books about books are as stuffy and musty as a 400-year-old binding, but the Goldstones' prose is as sprightly and readable as the 'modern firsts' they began to add to their collections. I read it in one sitting."--Rocky Mountain News

"An entertaining introduction to the world of book collecting."--Publishers Weekly