Please dont cut yourself off with editing, we love you organically

“Unfortunately, for €500 the only place you’ll find one [a first edition] is in the past” 😂😂😂 That made me laugh out loud.

Love this channel! I am an artist who runs a small press here NYC. There is a thriving community of independent artist and small publishers working today all over the world. It's cool to learn about the rare book world as someone so invested in the artist run publishing world now. My dream is to have someone like you talking about one of my books in a hundred years lol

Absolutely amazing news! Congrats Tom on the milestone and please please do block out/protect your time for family and friends👌

That was 40 minutes well spent on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

@31:41 "Do you think physical books are becoming obsolete?" This was a great reflection to me, in particular. I enjoyed your observation about how electronic media like your video may one day simply evaporate, be undecipherable with the technology of the day, or stored/lost in the cloud. In the years, decades, centuries to come your point is well taken: your voice, your face and presence will disappear and as electronic media will be lost forever. But the book as a tangible object, as you said "it has seen the four of the last centuries, and will outlast (us)... and KZfaq and whatever KZfaq will become...." Wow...thought-provoking and sobering! The march of time as you said, and that book will be a witness in another 500 years to whole generations of folk who will touch it, thumb through it, learn from it, and enjoy it!

I love your channel Tom! I love seeing someone around my age being a rare book dealer and keeping the tradition alive!

Congratulations! I found a home in your channel. Much love

We who've followed you for some time are not at all surprised that you've reached 100k followers, since you combine a deep passion and love for your subject with knowledge, and an ability to convey that knowledge.

To watch the purity in your passion and the happiness you exude when talking about your books restores my faith that the whole world hasn’t gone to shite.

*Thank you Re: Burton's "The Anatomy of Melancholy." I'd never heard of it but am tracking down a copy as we speak. (Collecting's a rare, life-long, **_adventure_** that delights from our earliest finds to the very latest. Few pursuits give such immense and compelling pleasures.)*

My favourite film as a child was "The Dark Crystal". In one scene, a character doesn't understand writing. They are told that writing is "words that stay". I didn't understand the gravity of that statement until recently. Digital books are open to instant revisions that creep onto users' devices. Printed books are not so easily changed, but are truly words that stay. When one tires of trying to find the correct information, one can trust a book far more than a screen.

Congrats Tom!!! Your channel inspired me to start collecting even though I'm on a budget. My first purchase was the Illustrated Earthsea Saga by Ursula K. Leguin.

It's always a joy watching your videos, Tom. Your voice is always so calming. Congrats on the 100k!

Only eight days later, and at 125k. Well done. Excellent questions.

Really enjoy your channel, particularly the JRRT content - that’s how I discovered your channel. Re Mauchline Ware, hadn’t heard of it but in a hunch looked it up and discovered it historically from the town of Mauchline in East Ayrshire. I live 12 miles away - for info, the ‘ch’ is pronounced like it is in the Scots word ‘Loch’ so not pronounced ‘Maushline’. Apparently, the last factory in z east Ayrshire burned down in the 1930s! Long before my time. Best wishes for the business.

I can't believe I missed this fabulous podcast. Love your content. I am incredibly grateful for the drops of exquisite wisdom. Unfortunately, I am slowly building a dysfunctional collection. So far the journey has been a very anarchic process. But, your videos help give me focus I would love to chat about possible purchases and a sensible stucture to my collection.

Congrats on hitting 100k and greetings from Arkansas. I’ve always been a history nerd and a book lover, so this channel is perfect for me. I’d love to start a collection of rarities one of these days.

Congratulations. So well deserved.

Great video! I would like to push back a little about the answer around audiobooks; as someone with a disability I find physical/ebooks books inaccessible, so audiobooks are a lifeline for me and many others and the explosion of audiobooks in the past decade has been invaluable (in the 90s you were stuck with your local library's select of books on cassette tape!). It's also becoming more common now to include a PDF with audiobooks of illustrations, tables etc to supplement the text.

I just finally sat down to watch and was so excited you answered my question. I love how much goes into collating the books. I also appreciate how you explain things. It's easy to understand but still feels technical.

Have you ever considered narrating audio books?

Tom you make this subject come alive! I love your channel. I’ve watched other channels are old books but find them dry after a while and I don’t follow them. Thanks for the great job you do. I’ll be watching from the USA!

I almost never comment on videos or channels. I am so impressed by what you do and how you do it, Tom. Thank you for taking to time to make these videos. They are wonderful.

28:07 Good answer. A friend, scholar & musician, recently had a few days left and was planning the best memories/legacy to leave family and friends who were important to him. 💐

The Anatomy of Melancholy! My favourite book ever. I'm delighted to see it praised here.

I’m 77 years old and find your tweets absolutely fascinating I love to read old books

Absolutely!..... Books Are So Much More than many realise! I have huge difficulty trying to explain this to some people, they just Don't Get It!! ..I love listening to you discussing your finds as I love books too.....Thankyou Tom ❤

Ahh congrats on 100k!

Love the Q and A. Let’s get to 200k and do this thing again. As far as balance. From someone who has been married 26 years. Find time, because time has no motivation to find you.

Thank you oh so much for sharing your love of books, I have learnt a lot of valuable information about books from your expertise and also about the human spirit's need to share knowledge through the written word. Your channel is rather wonderful and valuable and peaceful and wise. P.S. I guessed your age correctly.

What a delightful, interesting and instructive chat! Thank you for gifting us with your knowledge!

You are over 110k now!! Congrats on the success. I love your videos.

You're such a joy to listen to. Enjoy your videos 💪🏻✨

I love this so much! I've worked for many years in used bookstores but have less experience with antiquarian books, so this is informative and fun. It's so encouraging seeing a younger man who truly enjoys the world of physical books. And I appreciate your comments about making "deliberate decisions" when collecting books. You are very wise.

The Gutenberg Bible is a very tempting book! As an object of pursuit for sure, but when you said that I almost laughed out loud. Almost inappropriate, but I get it. Love your channel, and I look forward to being a part of your little community! Congrats on your milestone! Robert Burton was deep.

Congratulations on the well-deserved 100k, 111k in fact! My oldest book is a rebound copy of Marlowe's Edward II, which cost me £5 at auction because no-one had bothered to open the rather ugly cover. Not bad for an early C17th item of any kind, and I can still open it and read it whenever I like, unlike half my digital books which keep vanishing or being unreadable or whatever.

You are a great guy and inspiring professional! Good luck with all these new challenging business development

Living in the southern part of the US humidity plays a huge part with the books as during the spring and summer many days our humidity is 99% or above. I lost a few special books to me to leather rot cause I didn’t know about humidity and its effect. I am glad that you shared the Information

I was an instant subscriber today!! the algorithm directed you to me. Well done, love your vids and genuine enthusiasm

Thanks so much for responding to my question. I also run a business that stemmed from a hobby so I can 100% relate. It is always hard when you have little ones as well. Our son is now 23 and for what it’s worth, he said the upsides of us owning our own business (I work with my husband) have been better than the downsides. I’m sure you will find the balance - it can just take a while to get there. ❤

Interesting fact. The book that was printed in Hull my friend now owns the premises that the business was based in. It later became browns book shop before being empty for years and sold last year. I was offered it as a retail space but it was too big for me.

more than 100.000 congrats! dont be surprised if that number doubles soon

I enjoy your channel and you in particular. You are knowledgeable, charming, and you talk as though you and I are sitting across the table, enjoying cups of coffee together . Your voice has a gentle "burr" to it and I enjoy your precise diction. You are genuine in your love of books and it shows . Good luck and much love in all you do. Exalt your family, you are young, so are they.

Thank you for answering these - sometimes very personal - questions, Tom. I sincerely hope your business will be a success and will provide you and your family with a good living.

Absolutely love your videos- this is a well-deserved feat. Congratulations!

Congratulations on 100K subscribers!

A wonderful insight into the inner world of Tom Ayling, you are a joy to watch 'Young Man', looking forward to plenty more content. I too have chosen my hobby as my full time profession and can relate very much to you. I have a feeling that just like me, you could - if possible - work every waking hour of the day without sticking your head above the parapet. Wishing you every success -

5:50 It indeed is more about the... chase if you will than the prize.

An amazing, interesting, and sometimes moving video!

Many congratulations on 100 000 subscribers. ps your watch is beautiful

At 20:05 you say MAGAZINE-Y haha is that professional jargon? Haha ;-)

Fellow SOAS alumni here! Keep up the great work, really love the videos 😊

Lovely to hear of your interest in the Middle East. I lived in the Middle East for a decade and now collect books about Lawrence of Arabia (T.E.Lawrence)

I mainly ‘read’ by listening to audiobooks because I have trouble holding books due to arthritis. However if I really love an audiobook I often buy a physical copy to add to my library. I usually don’t read the book but I do tend to look through it., sometimes annotating my favourite passages. These books go onto my favourites shelves. I have the audio version of ‘The Book-Makers’ which I haven’t listen to yet but maybe that will be the next book I will be compelled to buy a physical copy of.

Your videos are lovely ❤️❤️❤️

Oh that bear figurine is adorable!

Love the channel. 😎

What a wonderful introduction to you and your work. The KZfaq algorithm wins again. Godbless our technofeudal lords!

When Richard Burton was growing up in Wales, Everyman books were his introduction to world literature. When he could afford to, he collected them - presumably aiming for the first thousand titles. Like all collectors, he took great pleasure in tracking the books down. For his birthday, Elizabeth Taylor simply bought him a completed set, and was surprised at his lack of enthusiasm. ps Where did you get the shirt?

You deserve the 100K sir!

38:20 When I first saw your video (about Tolkien’s mistake) I got interested in your content and began watching your short videos and I thought you were a university student and was bewildered when I found out that all this time you were married and had a child (you were much older than university student) 😵

An old book, tells two stories

Whenever I visit Ely i go into Toppings. There is just this something about it that makes it the perfect bookshop.

Perhaps this milestone on YT signifies the beginning of a time when you will have more than one significant income stream, and this will in some ways help you with your work-life integration! I hope that for you. Congratulations on your well-earned success!

It's important to remember that audiobooks aren't just a means of taking in a story when attempting to multitask. They, themselves, are an art form that allow people to appreciate an author's work when printed media would otherwise be inaccessible to them (i.e. Blind or visually impaired people, people who are unable to hold and manage books with their hands, and those with learning disabilities that make reading print impossible). I do agree that reading a book with your eyes and with your ears are not the same thing and the experiences differ but in the end, the same basic purpose has been served which is that the story has been shared and experienced by a person. I don't think I'd ever tell a blind person they didn't read a book just because they didn't read it with their eyes. (Also, before anybody comments about Braille, that is also a medium that isn't accessible to all blind people. You have to have specialized training to learn how to read Braille and many blind people are not given access to this specialized training. Plus, Braille books are insanely expensive and massive.)

My dad owns a comic book shop and also has terrible work/life balance. And he just got another sales job outside of his business 😭 you're not alone!

If I had to collect books it would be focused on japanese poetry in general.

Do you ever find interesting or unusual objects in your books?

I like books

Tom, Red Rot will kill me. Highly allergic. N95 and gloves but best to avoid period. Leather can be sealed but situation permeates the text block. Deserves a short.

Tom, have you ever heard of the Voynich Manuscript?

Give me a physical book over a digital copy any day.

How can this 13yo have a wife, child and a business? Greetings from Norway!

And here I am, reading from a Kindle! I might feel a bit uncultured, but hey, I'm a 'content over form' kind of guy.

I am a writer who writes under the pseudonym Antonio Madrugada. My books are published on Amazon under this same name. Do you collect books from new authors. And yes, I only write in English.

I have a book gifted to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher from President Jimmy Carter. (Why Not the Best?) How did I get it. Honestly, I can say.

I was wondering why you weren't on Jonkers anymore. What's the name of your shop?

What books should I read to understand Middle East?

I bought a small book in German at a flea market in Norway. It was Die Nibelungen (1908-ish). I spent the equivalent of about £1. It turned out to be a bit more valuable. 😮

Do you earn commission at all on any of the book sales that you have organised outside the book shop?

Can I ask how many copies of Heaven's book were published, if only one library has a copy of it ? I tried to do some research on it but all I found was the original listing from where you bought it 😂

I always have difficulty with the sound on this KZfaq channel. I have to push-up the volume and the clarity is never good.

Now every man and his dog has the ability to look up how much a book is "worth" how on earth do you ever manager to buy books cheap enough and/or sell them at a profit anymore? I found this hard enough once the internet arrived but now everyone has a smart phone it must be a challlenge. No more first editions from a junk shop for £1

I look at you and wonder's that if you're chill twin of Tom Nicholas

Unlimited money? And I could find it without issue? The very first conglomeration of what is known as the Bible today. The scrolls and texts that were written by the prophets in their full form.

Tom, re ME: do you have vol. 2 of Gertrude's letters? If you do, do you want vol. 1? Bought originally in Baghdad, 1st. Has gift letter from A to B, though neiher associated with her. One party was perhaps at Brit consulate? Reply here. I sold online for 6 years. Tough. Every one i knew thru eBaby group is gone.

Squashed face 😢