Friends of the Oakland Public Library
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"Public libraries receive less than 1% of all tax dollars and are used by more than 50
percent of the population." |
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Friends of the Oakland Public Library
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Bookmark Volunteer Extraordinaire
We shook hands and then Zoschak proceeded to give me his business card. We agreed that we would meet in the near future at his bookstore so that I could interview him for an article in "Off the Shelf." A few weeks later, I arrived at Tavistock Books, and was greeted, with a big smile, by two people – the owner and Mel, his assistant. Sierra, the very relaxed Bookshop dog, was resting at behind a display counter. She did stand up for a moment to check who had come in the door and when Vic reassured Sierra that all was well, she settled back in her comfortable position, remaining in that pose throughout my 30-minute interview with her owner.
Zoschak told me that while his business was started in 1989, he opened his bookstore in Alameda seven years ago. Tavistock Books specializes in first editions, fine rare books and other related bibliophilic material with a strong emphasis on Charles Dickens (a personal preference of Zoschak’s). I asked the obvious. "What is the significance of the name ‘Tavistock’?" to which Vic happily replied, "Oh, the name of the store comes from Tavistock House on Tavistock Square in London where Charles Dickens lived in the 1850’s. The house itself is now gone but I liked the idea of naming my store after the place where Dickens had lived." Makes sense. In response to my question about the relationship between owning Tavistock Books and volunteering at The Bookmark, Vic related that shortly after he had started his own bookstore, he had wandered into The Bookmark store, looking for some good books to purchase. As he was browsing at The Bookmark, he noticed that one of the books ("I think it was one of the old Oz books") was priced at $5.00. He knew that the book was worth much more than that. Vic proposed a mutually beneficial arrangement to the then-manager of the store wherein he would identify and market such books, on a partnership basis.
Vic told me that once he had established the partnership with the manager of The Bookmark, he took the Oz book to his store, researched it, catalogued it, and sold it such that he was able to provide the Bookmark $100 for a book initially priced at $5. So began this win-win tradition and highly-successful relationship which has now lasted for close to seven years. Vic also agreed to volunteer on a weekly basis, donating approximately 1 to 1-1/2 hours at a time, "to help the Oakland Public Library System, and give back something to the Community - sorta like White Elephant volunteers." Vic explained the process to me as follows: Bob, the current bookstore manager, checks out donated books as they are brought in and, as he spots certain items which appear to be of a "good" or "better" value (in a sense, a system of triaging the books), he sets them aside for Vic to appraise their value. Due to Vic’s strong and highly-respected expertise in book appraisals, Bob knows that he can depend on the prices which Vic indicates on the "better" books. Vic did add that he is not the only person upon whom Bob relies for this information. "I believe that there are three other persons who price the books as well," he said.
To better acquaint volunteers at The Bookmark regarding book values, and what determines such, Bob Frey has, two times in the past, arranged for Vic to give a 1-hour seminar on 'Book Values & Pricing'. I asked about his shop and customers. Vic responded, "This is a destination bookstore." I was perplexed by the definition of "destination." He elaborated. "I don't keep set hours per-se, and my book stock is viewed by chance or by appointment." This is not a store that depends on walk-ins. People seek him out, usually after learning about the business through divers means: on-line websites, email exchange, telephone, targeted advertising, etc. Vic is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America (ABAA) and the Independent Online Booksellers Association. Vic told me that he served as the Chair of the local ABAA Chapter for the last two years (in his "spare time" I assume). Vic indicated that at the present time he has 10,000 books for sale and at least 2,000 reference books used in cataloguing his stock. His reference library, one of the larger ones in a local bookseller's hands, is quite varied, ranging from author bibliographies and biographies to histories, to the various Oxford Companion to Literature series, on to various books regarding medicine & science and, of course, children’s books. The oldest book in the store is a 16th century Bible dating from 1583. What the bookstore does not carry are textbooks, paperbacks, Book-of-the-Month Club books, magazines (unless they are of collectible, rare value) nor any books that are in poor condition. All Modern Fiction books displayed have dust jackets; "I usually will not purchase a modern book that does not have the dust jacket."
I asked Vic where he learned about appraising and evaluating books. He replied that while much has been learned through everyday experience, he has also made the effort to take various courses at Rare Book School at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. RBS offers one-week courses that are subject-specific in nature, and taught by acknowledged experts in their given field. For example, Vic told me he plans to take a survey course on books related to the History of American Law. Among the courses which Vic had completed were those on American Cloth bindings and the History of Typography. Vic proudly showed me a mounted pictorial calendar from the cloth-binding course which displayed the history of the 19th C. cloth binding movement in the United States. Acting upon my visible surprise that the Rare Books School is the only place where booksellers can take such courses in the U.S., Vic responded by saying that there is "actually no standardized course of study. Anyone, with or without knowledge, can be a bookseller- no experience required. However, one soon discovers that a living is made based on the knowledge that you have." Interesting fact, totally new to me. After we finished talking, I took a moment to wander around the shop, and look at all the nice books Vic has for sale. I noticed, with much pleasure, that The Bookmark brochures are prominently displayed at the store alongside the brochures for the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America. An intricate partnership based on exchange of knowledge, volunteerism and business acumen.
I end this article about Vic Zoschak with two Charles Dickens quotes which appealed to me. "No one who can read, ever looks at a book, even unopened on a shelf, like one who cannot." Our Mutual Friend. "In this life, we want nothing but Facts, sir, nothing but Facts." Chapter 1, Hard Times. Information on Tavistock Books may be found as follows. URL: http://www.tavbooks.com. Tel. 510/814-0480. Email: vjz@tavbooks.com. The address for Tavistock Books is: 1503 Webster Street, Alameda, CA 94501. Please do make this your destination bookstore – by appointment or by chance. You will not regret your decision. And do say hello to Sierra; she will greet you as a friend. Dogs instinctively know about such matters. Thank you Bob and Vic for giving me the opportunity to conduct this delightful interview. I learned some new facts about the world of booksellers and I am grateful for that.
Written by Sophie Fynland Souroujon Member, FOPL Board of Directors Oakland, California May 22, 2004 |
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