John Kuenzig of Kuenzig Books

“Good choice,” said Mr. Vannah. “That’s a First Edition.” “What’s a first edition?” asked the 13-year-old boy.

Today I recall Mr. Vannah as a grizzled old man though my Mother swears he was only about 40. My parents loved antiques and frequented his antique shop in Bedford, NH. One day I discovered the old books behind the front door of the shop. With Mr. Vannah’s help I walked out that day with a first edition Zane Grey, and for Christmas that year my parents bought me the “Official Guide to Old Books and Autographs” by William Rodger which I still own! Little did I know what had been set in motion that day in 1976. That is my earliest book purchasing memory.

Fast forward—it’s 1989, and I'm a newly minted graduate of MIT and a regular science fiction buyer at Avenue Victor Hugo Bookstore on Boylston Street in Boston, MA. (Hi Vince!) One day the cashier asked if I was going to the convention at the Hynes. “Convention?” I asked. “Yes, the World Science Fiction Convention,” he answered. “What’s a convention?” I asked.

At the Hynes Auditorium I bought a one-day pass and went to the 3rd floor, where there was a huge line of people holding books. “What’s the line for?” I asked. “Isaac Asimov is signing books.” Gulp. A legend. An opportunity. “Where’d you get that book?” They looked at me like I was from another planet and told me the huckster’s room was downstairs. I ran down the escalators, and saw the biggest collection of science fiction books I’d ever seen assembled. I pulled out my wallet. $5 left. I bought the only book I could afford—“Asimov’s Mysteries,” a book club edition, for $4.50—and ran back upstairs. After 40 minutes, I got Isaac’s signature, and floated home. I still own it too. That is my earliest recollection of an author experience.

Fast forward again—now married and a professional software engineer working for a 4 year old voicemail company that’s no longer small. Not as much fun anymore. What to do? What else? A colleague and I started a high technology company out of my house. We built a machine to test voicemail machines. My wife Sonia and I contributed the kitchen table, our home computer, and lots of sweat equity. (Did I mention Sonia is a saint?)

While building the startup company, I helped my Dad start a science fiction book business, Intergalactic Book Works of Merrimack, NH. We were both avid readers of the genre, and had collections we contributed to that business. I had my first exposure to library sales and buying from houses, and was intrigued by the ability to buy something for 25¢ and sell it for $2-$3 (or if it was rare, for $25-$30). Seemed like much better margins than my startup company.

My Dad dealt mostly in paperbacks so I started buying hardcovers. I bought enough science fiction books to eventually line both sides of our living room with boxes. First, I told myself, so I had lots of books to read when I needed them. When the piles got too big to make that explanation feasible, for a retirement business, which I earnestly explained to my wife. My high tech partner was wondering what was up with all the books and asked, more than once.

Fast forward again—with lots of luck and hard work, 4 years later my partner and I were successful building and selling the software company (Hammer Technologies for the record). I had a patent in speech recognition to my name. A bright future in high tech everyone thought. Burned out, I wanted to take some time off and do something fun. What to do? There were some boxes in the living room. Hmm…

In 1996, Kuenzig Books became official when we registered with the State and Federal Governments, and got our Resale Number. Initially I went to book fairs with my parents where they sold paperback science fiction, and I sold hardcovers. Eventually they decided to stop doing tradeshows, and I continued in their place, with my wife helping.

Our business has changed dramatically over the years. Initially focused on science fiction and fantasy, we have steadily migrated towards antiquarian books. Much of our business now is in science and technology (early computing, physics, math, engineering). We deal in books, ephemera, and photography. We also handle archives, letter collections, and photographic documentary histories in science and technology. We carry books and ephemera in other areas that rise to the level of interesting or unusual (maps, Americana, Travel, Literature). We buy and sell non-technical letter archives that illustrate what daily life was like, and diaries as well. Or original art that appeared in a book, especially in science fiction and fantasy. Where I used to spend pennies on books now I spend hundreds or thousands.

One special focus is cradle period technology—the first few years of a new technology. We feel that this area is under-valued at this point. Examples might be the handbill distributed at the first ever public demonstration of Television by Baird at Selfridges in London in 1925! Or the London Photographic Journals from the 1850s. Or Claude Shannon’s mathematical foundation for the internet (or his thesis, perhaps the most important master’s thesis ever). Or Millikan’s Oil-Drop experiment in its first publication form, an experiment many of us reproduced in school that determines the charge of an electron.

We also carry works by authors like Albert Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Marcello Malpighi (microscopist), and Francis Crick (who co-discovered DNA). Or artifacts that touched history, such as a British patent for John Winslow about a new process for blooming iron (Winslow was contracted to provide iron for the Civil War ship the USS Monitor). Many items are not listed on our website (like several archives yet to be catalogued of engineers who worked on the Manhattan Project, or Nobel Prize winner offprint collections). We often take new material to shows, and only then offer directly or through our website. We quote items directly as time permits.

We’re easy to recognize at book shows—you might find a bunch of books next to a group of microscopes! A sample of our stock can be found online at: http://www.kuenzigbooks.com. We are working steadily on improving the site to allow us to sell artifacts as well as books. We currently sell on Amazon.com, Alibris.com and AbeBooks.com. We exhibit at a lot of tradeshows—26 last year. I’m a past Vice President of MARIAB (Massachusetts and Rhode Island Antiquarian Booksellers), current book fair liaison to our show promoter, and occasional volunteer on other MARIAB projects.

We live in an old house (1681, perhaps the second oldest in town) complete with LOTS of character (meaning creaks, odd angles, slanted floors, and history). My wife Sonia helps with shipping, research, and at shows. She’s better looking than I am, and I think secretly that’s why we have so many repeat customers. She smiles a lot too. And no doubt dreams of winning the lottery so we can just travel the world. I do too—then I could just buy and not have to sell!!! (THE dream of all booksellers.)

My Mother once joked that she paid a fortune for my education, only to see me become the best educated junk dealer in the world. She still asks me to this day when I’m going to get a real job. I love the business though—finding the books, artifacts and archives and writing up their stories; and meeting interesting people who care about books and their stories, and view books as friends. I’m frustrated at times by the lack of time, impatient with my own learning curve, and looking forward to many more years doing something I really enjoy!

Thanks to the many people who have encouraged me over the years as I’ve tried to figure out how to grow both as a person and a businessman. Thanks especially to Dan and Barbara Kuenzig, my parents, who have supported me in this non-conventional business, and to my sister Denise for not heckling me too badly. Lastly and most humbly to my wife Sonia who supports me more than I deserve. Thanks Sonia!!! I promise, I’ll eventually sell more than I buy, and you’ll get your sunroom and studio back!

John Kuenzig operates Kuenzig Books out of Topsfield, MA and can be contacted at http://www.kuenzigbooks.com.