Books

Feature Archives

AbeBooks regularly publishes fascinating features about a huge variety of bookish subjects, including rare books and collecting, authors, publishers, and interesting characters in literature and notable anniversaries. Our lists are second to none in the book world and designed to inspire your next read or collectible purchase. Browse our feature archives below and you will discover unique content that will both entertain and inform.

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Books
Summer reads for every adventure
29 July, 2024
Looking for the book that best fits your holiday? Find your next adventure in our series of four, hand-picked summer reading lists.
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Books
Classic mysteries from the golden age of crime
08 December, 2022
The British Library's Crime Classics series reprints detective novels and stories that were first published during the golden age of crime writing. Discover a selection of titles from the series.
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Books
The best books of 2022
07 November, 2022
The top fiction and non-fiction books of 2022. Our top picks for the best books of the year include Jennifer Egan, Ian McEwan, Kate Atkinson, Celeste Ng, NoViolet Bulawayo, and Brit Pop star Jarvis Cocker.
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Books
The International Booker Prize: award winners
18 May, 2022
A complete list of the International Booker Prize-winning books since 2016. Find signed copies of the best modern novels.
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The most depressing books
Books
Bleak books - the top 10 most depressing books
25 August, 2021
Nuclear fallout, the Holocaust, government oppression, poverty, mental illness and the savage nature of humanity itself - all topics covered in some of the most depressing books.
Collectible Stephen King books
Rare Books
The ultimate prize for Stephen King collectors
By Richard Davies 24 August, 2021
The first edition of Salem's Lot with its original dust jacket is the Holy Grail for collectors of Stephen King books.
Book term abbreviations
Book Collecting Guide
Common abbreviations of book terms
19 August, 2021
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Book Collecting Guide
Glossary of book terms
19 August, 2021
Our glossary was designed to help visitors to our website understand unfamiliar book-related terms.
Peter Harrington in Mayfair
Rare Books
Directory of rare & antiquarian booksellers
29 July, 2021
Our directory offers an A to Z list of booksellers who specialise in rare, collectable and antiquarian books.
Tokyo book alley
Books
A tour of Tokyo's bookstores
By Colin Laird 29 July, 2021
Tokyo - the world's most populous metropolis with 35 million inhabitants - has endless attractions ranging from food to historic temples. To the delight of bibliophiles, Japan's capital also boasts numerous bookstores.
Jane Austen book covers
Books
Jane Austen books: Emma, Pride and Prejudice & beyond
28 July, 2021
It can be safely said that Jane Austen is one of the best-loved English authors of all time. Born December 16, 1775, Austen made a mark on the literary world with her romantic fiction set among the landed gentry in England.
Book Collecting Guide
Collecting books by era
10 July, 2021
A popular way to narrow down a particularly broad area of interest is to focus on a specific time period.
A signed copy of James and the Giant Peach
Book Collecting Guide
Collecting signed books
10 July, 2021
Books are good but signed books are better. An autograph from your favourite author can turn a book into a collectable item and increase its value and desirability. Many collectors based their collections around signed books and they are a staple of the rare book business.
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Book Collecting Guide
A guide to collecting illustrated books
10 July, 2021
There are two main points to consider when looking at an illustration. Who created the illustration, and what artistic method did they use to create it? Learn more with our guide.
Marbled paper
Book Collecting Guide
Guide to paper types in books
10 July, 2021
Just as many materials can be used to bind books, there are also many types of paper used to make book leaves. Without getting into the names for various thicknesses and modern paper types, here is a basic list of paper varieties used in antiquarian and luxury books.
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Book Collecting Guide
Collecting books by an author
10 July, 2021
One popular theme for collections is books by your favourite author. This could be as simple as finding a single copy of every title published by your beloved writer, or the more specific goal of finding each first edition.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Book Collecting Guide
Collecting a single title
10 July, 2021
Some book collectors choose to focus all of their attention on a single title by a particular author. This may sound simple but can become a monumental task depending on the book in question.
Book Collecting Guide
Collecting books by genre or field of study
10 July, 2021
Since the first goal of book collecting should be to collect books that you are interested in, it shouldn't be much of a surprise that collections will often be built around a specific kind of fiction or non-fiction topic.
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Book Collecting Guide
Small, fine & private presses
10 July, 2021
Fine presses, private presses and small presses vary from traditional publishing houses because of their size, scope and intention. Books produced by these publishers are often adored by collectors who desire books that are not run-of-the-mill.