"Treasure-hunting" in second-hand book stores was once a popular pastime. Up until the 1980s, there were over 100 shops selling second-hand, out-of-print and antique books on Taipei's Kuling Street (牯嶺街) alone. Many of these volumes had been brought over in the 1940s by immigrants from China.
Greater affluence means that most people are less inclined to invest time in searching through the often disorganized shelves of second-hand book stores to save a few dollars. For those involved in collecting, China itself has become a major supplier of antique books. For these reasons, the number of used book stores today has shrunk to around 40 in the greater Taipei and Keelung area and just over 100 around Taiwan, according to the Yuan-Liou (遠流) Publishing Web Site.
Some of these shops are small mom-and-pop operations with stacks of dust covered books stored in dimly-lit rooms, while others have become more organized outfits targeting budget-conscious readers. A few have decided to specialize in serving a new generation of well-educated and well-heeled collectors. This is the path taken by long time book aficionado Wu Ya-huei (吳雅慧), who runs Chiou Hsiang Chu (舊香居), which opened earlier this month near National Normal University.
Wu, the 32-year-old proprietor, set up the store with two warehouses of Taiwanese, Chinese and other foreign-language collectible books. This collection was accrued since 1978, when Wu's father first set up an antique and used book store.
Having spent her most of her life among used and old books, Wu acquired a precocious knowledge of old books. This is combined with a understanding of the modern book market, which has contributed to the new operations success.
"Book collectors are not much different from collectors of other things, be they teddy bears, designer brands or celebrity memorabilia. They are usually ardent. Some are fervent, and some are even a little crazy," Wu said. "There are people who will pay any price for an autographed first-edition of a celebrated book by a favorite author. Just like fans collect autographed records by their favorite singer."
Nevertheless, Wu believes there's is something unique about books and book-collecting. "Of all things from the past, books best document the spirit of past ages. Just as archeologists study unearthed remains from ancient times, book lovers read old books to understand the past, " Wu said.
One section in Wu's shop displays hand-bound books from the Ming and Ching dynasties, brought by early immigrants from southern China. Two cabinets next to them display early Taiwanese publications. These were mostly collected by Wu's father decades ago. When they want to acquire more of these antiques, the Wus visit auction houses in Japan and Europe.
Many of Wu's customers are Westerners. "People worry that we might lose these cultural treasures forever if we sell them abroad. But books are meant to be circulated. When we find a valuable Chinese antique book on auction abroad, we can always go there and `bring them back home.'"
A first-edition of a novel by Lu Xun (魯迅), famous as the father of modern Chinese literature, costs over NT$2,000. Books of Eileen Chang (張愛玲), one of the most celebrated novelists active in the 1940s, are similarly priced. The most expensive are Ming dynasty book sets, which can cost tens of thousands of NT dollars. Placing prices on antique or rare books, according to Wu, is extremely difficult. Some books can be priceless.
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