Sergei Burmistrov, editor of" About Books "and produced by the same name auction - auction magazine" About the book »

Books likes silence. Sometimes too much. In contrast to the painting, auction records books rarely make it to the editorials of them do not sensationalism. bibliofilstvo A, collecting rare books, manuscripts and autographs in the former country of bibliophiles turned into a "sport" for the elite. This is a special path for those who are willing to give up the pathos of the demonstration in favor of buying only its exquisite intellectual pleasure. Pleasure, however, also not cheap. Book rarities can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and bibliophiles in our country, serving more than one regular auctions . On the specifics of the Russian market of rare books ARTinvestment.ru to Sergei Burmistrov, chief editor of "About the book» ( www.aboutbooks.ru ) and produced by the same name auction - auction magazine" about the book. "We talked about the motivations of book people, but also about what is ready to potential collectors.

ARTinvestment.ru: Why buy the painting - all clear. Here and investments, and some demonstration of success - a lot of things. With books, too, more or less clear. But the letters? This is from the side, absolutely already applied a theme to historians. Why do collectors buy the letter?

Sergei Burmistrov: Letters sometimes very highly regarded. At the previous auction, we offered a book with Thaddeus Bulgarin embedded in it a letter to Peter Bulgarin Keppen 1835. The book "Memoranda of titular counselor Chukhina, or simple story of ordinary life" is not a rarity. In good condition, its price - a half or two thousands of dollars from power. But the letter - is another matter. It went for 17 thousand dollars. Bulgarin Thaddeus letter describing the historical and literary reality, creative alliances and relationships in the literary environment of Pushkin's time - a historical artifact, the museum thing.

at auction was set last book "History of Russian schools of icon painting up to the end of XVII century" by Dmitry Rovinsky. And it was attached letter to Pogodin Rovinsky, in which he describes in great detail, that censorship has withdrawn from this book. This is certainly information of lasting value of the museum, its otherwise never get. A copy was a "thoroughbred," the remarkable preservation, uncut, while maintaining the cover from the library of the famous Russian collector NK Siniagin. Bidding started at her with a 60 thousand rubles, and culminated in the sum of 460 thousand rubles.

AI: It turns out that buying the letter is not a museum. As a private owner may dispose of such historical artifacts?

SB: First of all, buyers make such "delicious" purchase to enjoy the proximity to the beloved poet or a writer, because the original autograph has tremendous energy and attraction and brings to the collector of a bygone era, making it possible to understand how he lived his favorite writer, is talking to whom and what I was thinking when creating a particular product. Some collectors, the researchers plan to include information from the letters in books and literary studies, do on this basis, the exhibition, provide material for display - to make things "work." For example, before the Day of Astronautics at the auction, we sold a rare autograph - Konstantin Tsiolkovsky book with a dedication to Sergei Korolev. The two pillars of space - a thing absolutely museum! start it was 110 000 rubles, and it was sold for 550 thousand. A few days later the book was shown on Channel One in a report on the history of our space. I then called the Museum of Aviation in Kaluga - to this copy of the book was very interested, because the material on the relationship Aviation and the Queen remained extremely low.

AI: What are the specifics of the Russian market of antique books in comparison with Western?

SB: Our market is very limited. In the West, much more material - there has not been Mom, do not have such devastating wars. and the preservation of the material in the West above. And then you have to remember that us 100 years later began publishing. In Russia, the illustrated books of the XIX century - its weight in gold, and in the West - is a common thing, which on average costs from 10 to 100 dollars and sold in the ordinary antique-used-book stores on every corner.

AI: When you hold in the hands of the old edition, often strikes the highest quality materials. Book 250 years, and the paper is not yellowed, well preserved leather binding. How important is the safety of technical publications?

SB: Now collectors tend to select the best instance of a virgin, while maintaining the cover, unbound, and if there is binding, then since the publication of the book. People appreciate the opportunity to put the book on a shelf in the form in which it was published. The price of "virgin", uncut copy of the publications cover (if it is a rare book) can be several times higher than at the same instance, but in a modern binding. Instance now becomes very important. After taking into account our historical upheavals such books there are very few.

AI: Is there a book collecting some a particularly prestigious areas? For example, as the Russian avant-garde in painting?

SB: A special demand "Pushkiniana" (lifetime editions Pushkin) and other lifetime editions of Russian classics - they cost a lot of money. The acquisition of these publications can be viewed as an investment, because these books will not be cheaper. In addition, there are some long-developed areas characterized by very high prices: the illustrated edition of the first half of XIX century, early printed editions of the XVI century (from Ivan Fedorov), signing autographs on the books, Russian bindings (known work binders Schnell, PO, Peterson). Editions Silver Age - works of Anna Akhmatova, Mandelstam, and others

You can mention such direction as the first editions of the classics of the future. The well-known collector Igor Okhlopkov a few years ago published a catalog of his collection -" The debut book of Russian writers of XIX and XX centuries ", including the first attempts the pen, which are considered rare. While when writers were young, little-known, their books are not guarded, they read themselves, and allowed to read the others. As an example of such publications can give the first book of Akhmatova's "Evening" and the first book of Tsvetaeva's "Evening album." In good condition, in publishing the cover price in such books can range from 10 to 15 thousand dollars.

AI: It turns out that the man invented his own theme, and then it caught on and "went to the people"

SB: Yes, now in our auctions are sold more and more of the debut titles. I think the honor and praise to such collectors who devising new avenues of collecting. And everything else is not hit on the wallet. So, if you want to collect lifetime editions of Pushkin, you will need tens of millions of dollars. And if you come up with something different, something you can do dozens of times with less . The same Okhlopkov finished collecting debut book and begins to develop a theme, which he called "My Soviet Union" - sign the book for a man who lived during the Soviet era. There are many books and sold them to sane prices.

AI: How long is lifetime edition of Pushkin?

SB: The first edition of "Eugene Onegin" - the complete set of notebooks to the covers - can be worth a million dollars. In general, there is no limit as the number of such instances can be counted on the fingers of one hand. And despite the fact that the lifetime editions of Pushkin was rather big - 1,000 to 2,500 copies. The last lifetime edition "Eugene Onegin" in 1837, a miniature, published in 5000 copies shortly before the poet's death. We expect to sell it for a year or two, but after the duel and the death of the poet's entire print run sold out within a week. This book was at our last auction in very good condition . If you start at 220 rubles a new owner bought it for 340,000 rubles.

Another bibliophilic fetish - the first edition of "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow" ANRadischev 1790. I do not know second-hand booksellers, who were fortunate enough to keep it in your hands. The Lenin Library is, in my opinion, four copies. If such a book appeared on the market, the price for it would depend only on the "appetite" seller and buyer opportunities. < /p>

AI: In Russia, many prominent artists worked as illustrators of children's books. This topic can be classified as a collector's perspective directions?

SB: Yes, definitely. The price of children's books depends primarily on its security. Children's book, usually read out and painted and in perfect condition, it remains only for collectors specifically set aside instances. So children's books in good condition are valued quite highly. And the second factor - the name of illustrator. Everyone knows the names of Konashevych , Vatagin , Mavrina - here they are, of course, appreciated. There is also an increasing demand for rare regional editions of children's books, which produced small quantities and did not reach the center. cultish are also children's books Written by the classics of the silver age, the books of poetry of Mayakovsky, Blok, Mandelstam, Harms, illustrated by famous artists, and sometimes by the writers.

AI: It is obvious that the book market, as the Russian art market, is experiencing a serious shortage of quality supply ...

SB: huge shortage of material. and competition intensifies - and then case, new auctions, and the struggle for material to be amplified. As the fight for customers. It must be confessed - many of the smaller auctions are held three or four serious buyers.'s why our market, I would not call today stable. Our other problem is that that all need the same thing. If a man of means, he wants to collect in vivo Lermontov, Pushkin, illustrated editions with double-triple suites of illustrations, etc. But all is not enough.

AI: By the way, what is the depth of the antiquarian book market? How many collectors on it?

C. B.: can cause Some indirect estimates. Our magazine "About Books" is published under the auspices of the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications. Chairman of the Editorial Board - the agency head Michael V. Seslavinsky. By the way, he is one of the greatest bibliophiles, the owner of a large collection of books (collects lifetime editions Russian classics, edition of the Silver Age, autographs, books for children and much more). And last year he initiated the establishment of the National Union of bibliophiles. Now alliance was created and has about 100 members, including collectors and dealers of antique books. Most of them are long-gatherers who, for 60-70 years. According to the Union, in Russia, the order of 300-500 bibliophiles - collectors of antique books. If you talk about the rich collections of serious, they are probably about 30-40.

AI: Most likely, it would have been more if asked fashion celebrities. That's what we do best-known bibliophiles?

SB: Among the collectors, who are "not encrypted" and known for a wide range of book lovers, can not call Mikhail Seslavinsky (head of the agency "Rospechat"), Konstantin Ernst (head of Channel), Pavel Gusev (Glavred "MK »).

Bibliofilstvo should gradually become fashionable. Your library - it's still a certain measure of intellectual level. I think that without the force majeure in the next five years, the number of serious collectors of antique books should increase substantially. There will be new areas of collecting. Contact with the book in any way ennobling.

AI: And one of the oligarchs collects books?

SB: I have heard that some things are actively buying at Western auctions Deripaska. But safe to say this is true or not, I do not I can not. And you are interested in buying books in his lifetime for a million dollars is made by people who can not be called oligarchs. These are people with means, but not in the hundreds of Forbes. Looking "Forbes", where the rating of our richest men, only in the 150-s seats I saw a man on the list of interests mentioned that he was a bibliophile.

AI: What about the age of collectors, bibliophiles?

SB: Phase define themselves and collecting anything and everything usually starts at the age of 35, 40.

< strong> AI: Our collectors mainly collect Russian books? Hemingway will not buy?

SB: Mostly yes. Hemingway rather take if there will be an autograph, perhaps targeted at a well-known person, or, for example, his first book.

AI: On the high cost of collecting books. How difficult and expensive to provide the conditions Storage?

SB: There are, of course, special library systems, but by and large do not need anything special. Everyone has their own approach. For example, the owner of a very impressive collection of Western books of Alexander Nevzorov (the one leading "600 seconds", is engaged in collecting rare and ippologiey Western things) to ensure the moisture in the library puts a jar of water. It is important that the books away from direct sunlight, not too dry (normal conditions - 50-60%humidity). Some put this humidifier. But in general the book is well tolerated normal room conditions.

AI: I wonder how is pricing? Baz not? So, there is nowhere to look systemically, as are letters of Pushkin and Lermontov?

SB: No, REFERENCE sale of such letters, of course, they were. And even in Russia, this is the case with the information is not easy. In the West, there are plenty of guides, all prices are itemized and commissioners to work mainly on a strict percentage of commission (5-10%). And we have to pore until the time of fat in this business was the language of the old dealers, "two ends", that is 100%. The source of objective price information from us - the auctions. There are, of course, cases where someone from the applicants did not know a thing about the auction and gone suddenly very cheap. But this is an exception. Recall again the example of an autographed Tsiolkovsky. If this book was exhibited in the store, estimated it would be much cheaper.

AI: Well that talked about the auction practice. How to book auction magazine "About Books" there is a man in the room?

SB: By differently, an average of 15-25 people. Another 20-25 people usually do in absentia rates and two or three - on the phone. We did the pen test in April last year, has since spent nine auctions, and even last year took 17 %of the market.

AI: What are Russia's major auctions are now on the books and autographs?

SB: On this account, there are expert data. Last year, the share of auction houses, according to an expert in antique antiquarian trade-KV Safronova, were as follows: "The Empire" - 42%, "Gelos "- 31%," About Books "- 17%, Auctions M.Ya. Chapkinoy - 6%," Action "- 4%. Yakovlevna Chapkina Maria - one of the oldest and most respected book dealers. Her shop on the Arbat, and again in season it conducts an auction. Basically there things start with a 1-2 thousand rubles, there are serious battles for individual lots, but mostly dealers cheap stuff.

AI: Posleauktsionnye sell your practice? discount?

SB: After every auction an additional 2-5%of lots sold. There are people