The Pleasures of the Used Text: Buying, Selling and Savouring Collectible Books
The popular value of used books reveals insights into the material pleasures of consumption. Focusing on a collectible book genre, we explore how material practices, such as collecting, gift giving, and inscribing, create meaning for consumers. We analyze the materiality of these used texts, including ‘inscriptions’ and previous owner’s marginalia – written annotations, marks, and notes left in the pages – and discuss responses from eBay vendors selling Peter Pauper Press books. We explore the aesthetic and temporal dimensions of books via three key aspects of their appeal: 1) marginalia; 2) collectibility; and 3) material pleasures.
Citation:
Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder (2007) ,"The Pleasures of the Used Text: Buying, Selling and Savouring Collectible Books", in E - European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 8, eds. Stefania Borghini, Mary Ann McGrath, and Cele Otnes, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 111-112.
Authors
Janet Borgerson, University of Exeter, UK
Jonathan Schroeder, University of Exeter, UK
Volume
E - European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 8 | 2007
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