JP/18/BUKU

Rare books highly prized by collectors

Bambang Parlupi Contributor/Jakarta

Many people are fond of collecting rare books, which are generally very old or limited editions.

Inevitably, collectors rummage around in book kiosks to find what they need, either for personal use or for use by research agencies.

Dolly Hirawansyah, the owner of Indonesia Indah, an old book kiosk at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), East Jakarta, said that books became rare because of their limited numbers and also their old age. "Some rare books are over 50 or even 100 years old. The older and rarer they are, the higher their price will be," he added.

With his shop located in the scarce books market of TMII, Dolly revealed that quite a number of foreign collectors were searching for similar items in Indonesia.

"They usually don't mind spending a lot of money on books that are 100 to 200 years old. Besides, some overseas libraries are looking for ancient texts or manuscripts," he pointed out. Dolly claimed he had received orders from Dutch, U.S. and Japanese libraries and universities.

Foreign orders are made by direct visits to TMII, and by telephone, e-mail and fax. According to Dolly, who opened his kiosk in 1986, the price poses no problem to overseas institutions.

"They pay whatever price we charge, as long as the books are there," said Dolly, whose collection consists of over 20,000 old books. His shop specializes in the history of Indonesia and Batavia (the former name of Jakarta), in Indonesian, regional and foreign languages like Dutch.

Classic books published in the 19th century are also sought by local and foreign collectors, such as those printed during the heyday of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, before 1966 and much earlier.

Buyers of old books also eye the works of Sukarno and Indonesian history texts, as well as books on the Indonesian Communist Party. These publications range in price from hundreds of thousands to millions of rupiah per volume.

On the antique book market, a book written or printed in the 1700s costs over Rp 50 million and one issued in the 1800s can reach Rp 20 million, in whatever condition.

Dolly, who follows in the footsteps of his late father, Syamsudin Effendi, claimed his family still kept a number of such pieces of literature, including Oud en Nieuwe Oost Indie by Valentijn (1720) and Amboinsch Kruik-boek by Rumphius G.G. (1747), besides a handwritten Koran from the 1700s.

The man of Tapanuli (North Sumatra) descent said that his rare books came from suppliers in several parts of Indonesia. "If foreign collectors or institutions place orders, I don't hesitate to search for the books needed in remote regions of Java," he remarked.

As a rule, his suppliers are also old book collectors or traders in regions. Some sell rare books inherited from their parents.

Second-hand books

Apart from the old book kiosks in TMII, which are located next to the Children's Palace or near the Papuan Pavilion, classic book-lovers can also find used-book shops in Kwitang, Senen, Central Jakarta.

Generally, book sellers in Kwitang also offer other reading material like old magazines, novels and student textbooks.

Doni, 24, another old book seller beside the Garuda police station in Pinang Ranti, East Jakarta, makes available classic books published before 1960, such as Sukarno's Di Bawah Bendera Revolusi (Under the Flag of Revolution). He acknowledged that all his second-hand books had been bought wholesale from the Senen book market. "People mostly buy used scientific books, magazines and novels from my kiosk," he said.

Meanwhile, the Bengkel Deklamasi Book Gallery in Taman Ismail Mazuki, Cikini, Central Jakarta, sells new books as well as hundreds of rare texts. A variety of old literary works, science books and novels are displayed separately from new publications. The prices are reasonable, reaching on average Rp 20,000.

Bengkel Deklamasi's foreign books come from Holland, Britain and the U.S. They include Sir Charles Sherrington's Man on His Nature (Penguin Books, 1937), Geschiedenis van het Moderne by Dutch author J.S. Barstra (1925) and a collection of children's stories, The Forest is My Kingdom, by Janet Carruthers (Oxford University Press, 1968). These books are only Rp 25,000 apiece.