< Greg and Sylvia Ray's DESTINATION NEWCASTLE

We've been online for more than 16 years, firstly on the Penrith City Library website, then on our own dedicated site where we remain. We've all grown older, poorer and - possibly - in some ways, wiser. Those 16 years have seen an exponential change in the field of collecting, archiving and the book trade. It's a well-repeated phrase, but the internet has created a level playing field for both collectors and those looking for information. Prices for once scarce books have fallen dramatically. Values for first editions have risen but this aspect of collecting has lost impetus recently among all but public institutions and the extremely well-heeled. There's never been a better time for people to take up book collecting! Information on almost any author, character, series, publisher and subject is at your fingertips. No longer do you need to join a club or buy expensive guides to collecting. Sadly, this has led to the demise of the once so common and welcoming secondhand bookshop. No longer can one wander through isles of dusty books or chat to long-time purveyors of books and magazines. Magazines indeed have mostly lost their collectability while collecting clubs devoted to authors, those where collectors actually met, talked and swapped books face to face, have mostly faded from the scene. On the plus side, more and more vintage content is finding its way online, much as once rare movies, documentaries and early silent movies are becoming available to everyone. That in itself can't be a bad thing. 

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