Whether you’re a collector, seller, or someone who just has a passion for antiques and vintage, collecting collector’s books can provide a wealth of information not found on the internet. Before we had search engines, we had the written word with accompanying photos or drawings. While many collector’s books include valuations that may long be out of date, the information within can be invaluable when looking to learn more about antique or vintage items.
There are some powerhouse publishers of vintage and antique reference books, including…
Kovel’s
While some books were published as price guides, others lean toward history and company information. Many are compendiums of information such as Ralph and Terry Kovel’s first published book A Dictionary of Pottery and Porcelain in 1953. The book, with updates, is still in print today. It’s a valuable place to search for makers marks on dishes, vases, and serving pieces.
Warman’s
Warman’s collectors’ books, published by Penguin Books, cover everything from Little Golden Books to specialized coin collections. Their jewelry books are well known by costume jewelry collectors and sellers. You can find collector books on everything from tobacco labels to silver boxes. Many have been written and updated multiple times adding newly found information or pricing.
Schroeder Collector Books
In 1970, William L. Schroeder launched a career when he began writing and publishing books on collectibles. Twenty years later, the company had published over 1250 books on subjects from pottery to furniture as well as flea market guides, price guides and more. With the boom of the internet, the company went out of business in 2010. Their books are still easily found at used book stores, flea markets, thrift stores, and online. In 2021, Worthpoint purchased the licensing rights and is publishing the contents online for their members.
While the Schroeder Collector Books dominated the U.S. market for years there are a plethora of books by other publishers still available as well. There are also groups of books sorted by items, such as the Time Life Encyclopedia of Collectibles set originally published in 1978, containing 16 volumes.
Other Collector’s Books
Many older publishing houses sold books that are now out of print. The information contained within these books in most cases will never be found online. You can still find many of these books by searching used book stores both on and offline. 
I tend to search out old collector’s books at estate sales, and thrift stores. My personal collection contains books dating back to 1930. There are books about collecting on every possible subject. Many were self-published by enthusiasts of the particular subject. Anything worth collecting is worth writing about, and you can be sure someone has done the research to create a book or at minimum an online list.
If you find yourself curious about collecting, here are a few places to start looking for print resources:
Kovels also offers a free weekly newsletter
Worthpoint (requires a subscription)
Abe Books you can search subjects for available books from multiple sellers
Amazon sellers including Amazon itself offer books on many subjects
You can start here to read about collecting many types of antiques and vintage. We have written many posts about collecting over the years, and we each have our own collection of collector’s books.
While the Vintage Unscripted team is made up of sellers and collectors, we cannot offer information on value as we are not trained appraisers. We suggest you do as we do and use books and online information to determine the price when buying or selling. Keep in mind that prices change regularly.
