eBay Wish List for the Book Collector

(Inspired by Lee Andrew's article 'The Most Expensive Collectibles Money can Buy').

The love for books is a centuries old predilection, impossible to describe the heathen who distances himself from the written word. Bibliophiles, each with his or her own particular taste, have existed since the first book was printed, and probably centuries before when only scrolls were available. In this age of affordable literature, everybody is a bibliophile in one sense or another. Literary snobs and airport mystery readers all come together on the greatest invention of our century: eBay.

Old books, usually classified as antiques or collectibles, are like gourmet food for connoisseurs and amateurs alike. There is nothing like opening a book, smelling it, feeling the pages, viewing the date ‘1870’, and thinking of the library it might have been sitting in for quite some time. Of course, 1870 is very recent in the world of collectibles, but some of us are doomed to think small until the mega lottery win. For someone born in the early 1980’s, 1870 was a long, long time ago…

Some items to look out for, colored by my own literary preferences:

eBay: History of Theodosius the Great - Flechier
This book was printed in 1692, and if the seller is to be believed, it is in fairly good and readable condition. Theodosius was the last emperor to rule over the Eastern and Western Roman Empire before they split. He also turned Christianity into the official religion of the Empire.

eBay: Seneca: His Tenne Tragedies: a 1581 edition, this is a translation of Seneca’s plays. It is believed that the Roman philosopher and dramatist only wrote eight tragedies, and one or two more have been wrongfully attributed to him.