[78-L] 78rpm record collecting - a new Guide for Beginners - why not?

[Mike Daley]

I would love to see such a book - I, for one, could really use a
definitive, reliable, encyclopedic guide to the hobby. I'm not sure
what the demand would be like, though. I don't see a lot of new people
getting into 78 collecting. Maybe a guide like this would encourage
more people to take it up. I'm a new collector myself, and though
there are a lot of (often very expensive) reference books available as
well as fragmentary, sometimes contradictory information on the net
and on this list, it's hard to find concise explanations with examples
of some of the aspects that you detail in the proposed table of
contents.
I'm sure that it would be possible to enlist different experts to
write each chapter, with some sort of editorial overview to keep the
different offerings somewhat compatible. And if not a book, why not a
website?

Mike

On Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 6:35 PM, Adam Miller <adam78 at clear.net.nz> wrote:
>
> I was wondering....
>
> Why isn't there a new one of these?  It can't be that hard
> to put together - can it?
>
> Think for a moment.  A quick search on Amazon for
> "Introduction Stamp Collecting" finds a long list of titles
> - even a "Stamp Collecting for Dummies".  Now I admit there
> are a lot more philatelists than 78rpm collectors (myself
> included in both groups), but there are many similarities,
> especially in the amount of published research representing
> the scope for specialist study.
>
> I re-read Semeonoff's Record Collecting - A Guide for
> Beginners (1951) last night, which gave rise to the question
> above.  I felt it struck the right level for the intended
> reader, but was now terribly dated, especially in its
> listing of artists and genres to collect.
>
> I've a couple of other recent books on Record Collecting,
> including one that noted '78s' on the cover, but they tend
> to cover them in a page or two and then focus on 45s and
> LPs.
>
> What I think is needed is a volume just on 78s that would be
> useful for answering all those questions that beginners have
> (many of which end up on this forum, often repeatedly).
> Care of 78s, stylii, recording to CD, packing and shipping,
> buying & selling online, rough value guide, collecting areas
> or themes, dating records, useful books & societies etc etc.
>  The book would need to be cheap enough to encourage local
> libraries to hold, or beginners to buy online.
>
> [You have to imagine a 20 minutes pause here while I thought
> up the following contents list]
>
> 1. The pleasures of collecting 78rpm records
> 2. A brief history of the 78rpm record
> 3. The range of record types
>  'Standard'
>  Speeds
>  Laminated etc
>  Oversize Holes
>  Early items
>  Super-size
>  Miniatures
>  Postcards, cigarette cards, other gimmickry
>  Flexible, both card and transparent
>  Vertical cut
>  Acetates
>  etc
> 4. Common collecting themes
>  The Music style
>  Jazz/Swing
>  Classical Vocal
>  Blues
>  Country & Western
>  Orchestral
>  Rock & Roll
>  Music-hall
>  etc
>  The Artist
>  Caruso
>  Vernon Dalhart
>  Billy Williams
>  etc
>  The issuing Company
>  Victor
>  Berliner
>  Vogue
>  Fonotipia
>  etc
>  The record itself
>  Picture Discs
>  Unusual labels
>  Kiddie Records
>  6" and below
>  etc
>  Record sleeves
> 5. Obtaining records
>  Dealers
>  Garage sales
>  The Sallies
>  Second-hand shops
>  Local household lot auctions
>  Ebay &c
> 6. Handling & Cleaning
> 7. Packaging & Storage
>  Mailing safely
>  Storage Conditions
>  Sleeves
>  Cabinetry
> 8. Cataloguing
>  Spreadsheet vs database
> 9. Equipment for playing your records
>  Gramophones
>  Steel, trailer & fibre needles
>  Earlier 3-speeds
>  Modern turntables
>  Cartridges & stylii
>  Recording your shellac
> 10. Disposal
> 11. Some famous collectors
> 12. Clubs & Societies
> 13. A valuation 'ready reckoner'
> 14. A basic bibliography
> 15. Glossary
> Index
>
> What does the list think - both about why there isn't an up
> to date version of Semeonoff, and about what could be in
> such a book?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Adam Miller
> Wellington
> New Zealand
> www.78rpm.net.nz
>
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