[T]he interesting catalogue sits somewhere in the intersection of curious material pointed up by obvious learning and a certain restrained enthusiasm. (Is an interesting title in a catalogue still interesting if you are not shown why it is of interest?) A brief explanation of the merits of a late 18th c. chapbook edition of Tom Jones is a tonic to the implicit rhodomontade of glossy auction or high-spot catalogues. […] One pefers to see previously unknown swaths of ingnorance seeded with judicious descriptions of obscure items.

That’s colleague Garrett Scott perfectly capturing my own thoughts on what makes a great bookseller catalogue. Too spot-on to not mention here, and a reminder to myself for what I’m striving for in my own catalogues, even if I do tend a bit too much toward this. (I know, I had to look it up too).