Kenneth Gloss, Proprietor of the Brattle Book Shop, poses with books in the store, which is located at 9 West St., Boston, MA.

By Cathleen Twardzik

Maybe you are an avid book collector, or maybe you simply enjoy reading and perhaps appreciate looking at rare or old books every so often. If either scenario describes you then you have come to the right place.

The event “Is There Value in Your Old and Rare Books” will be hosted by Kenneth Gloss, Proprietor of the Brattle Book Shop in Downtown Crossing, will take place at the main branch of the Somerville Public Library on June 13 at 6:30 p.m.

The free talk, which is open to the public, will be sponsored by the Friends of the Somerville Public Library at 79 Highland Avenue in Somerville.

You may already be familiar with Gloss, due to his frequent appearances, as a book appraiser on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow, as well as to his visits on WBZ Radio and on other New England media.

Interestingly, Gloss came to the Somerville Public Library about six or seven years ago to speak.

At the event, “I talk for about forty-five minutes about what is a valuable book.  I bring some show-and-tell. For instance, a cookbook from the 1700’s, a newspaper from the Revolutionary War, a program from the 1912 World Series that the Red Sox won, and I bring a page from a book from the 1400’s and pass it around, so people can feel paper from 500 years ago,” said Gloss.

“I tell anecdotes. Then, I do a question and answer period for about 15 minutes. I find it very interesting to meet people who are interested in books. It’s fun to look at their “treasures.”  Most of the time, what they bring in is not terribly valuable, but many times, they’re not upset. They want to just know. Of course, every once in a while someone brings something in that’s really valuable,” he said.

In his opinion, individuals attend his talks to receive free book appraisals, which provide a special end to a fun-filled night.  Gloss suspects that, for the most part, people are truly interested in the actual value of their unique volume.

“When I do a talk [like the one] at the Somerville Public Library, usually 99 percent of everything is done then. If there’s any problem, a lot of times we can take a note or two and get everybody’s appraisal done at the time.”

A crucial part of the event for Gloss is, “If they leave saying that collecting books is fun, then, it is a successful lecture.”

For approximately 35 years, Gloss has been giving his enjoyable talks.

If you want to discover the steps which are necessary to tell what a particular book is worth, then you are in for a surprise.

“There isn’t a specific procedure.  You look at the book, you look at the title, the author, what the date on the book is, who the publisher was, and what the condition of book is.  A lot of it is just experience. Literally, I’ve been doing this all my life,” said Gloss.

It must be noted that, “If a book is very rare, there’s all sorts of reference books and research that can be done,” he said.

”Occasionally, you run into a book that might be a first edition, let’s say of Huckleberry Finn, and to really tell the first edition from a slightly later edition, you need to look at certain pages and look at the spelling of certain words.  You can easily tell somebody to call you the next day.”

One tidbit may aid you in trying to figure out how much money that you will rake in were you to sell your book. “At the lecture what I say is, ‘If it’s the first edition, it might be worth $10,000. If it’s not the first edition, it might be worth $25,” said Gloss.

Most recently, the shop got a first edition of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, which is quite recognized. In fact, the first edition would go for $8,000.

The store possesses letters from Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, all of which fall within the range of 5,10 or $20,000.

Conversely, “A lot of our business isn’t that. We also have outside tables that are $1, $3 or $5, which are bargains. At times, those may be one hundred or two hundred years old, whereas others are just several years old.

Countless variables contribute to the amount which an individual will pay for a book.  A book’s age is not the sole factor.

Some extremely popular categories of books include those by copious Boston and New England authors and poets, such as Longfellow, Emerson, and Frost, according to Betty Levin, who has represented the Brattle Book Shop for 25 years.

Further, your search through the shop may also yield books with autographs or fine art prints, old maps and old magazines.

Why did Gloss ultimately choose his occupation?  “It was a family business. I always enjoyed the business and the books. I probably started when I was 5 years old. I used to come in.”

The rare book connoisseur has a degree in chemistry from the University of Massachusetts.  He was planning to pursue a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin.  However, in 1973, he required a year off, due to his father’s health not being very good.

“I haven’t regretted the change in career plans for a moment. I’m very lucky that I get to come in and work at something everyday that is fun,” he said.

As a book appraiser, “You never know who’s next in the door or what books are going to come in. Fortunately, it has been successful.”

In the future, “I hope, as long as I’m healthy, to just keep doing this as long as I can possibly do it. I love going into work. I usually get to work most mornings at 6 in the morning. I work till 5:30 or 6 in the evening,” he said.

The Brattle Book Shop is one of the oldest continuously operated bookshops, and it is one of the largest antiquarian bookstores in the United States.  In the 1820s, another family started the business.  However, Gloss’ parents bought the store in 1949 because it was going out of business.

Additional information about the shop can be found at www.brattlebookshop.com.

The store is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Audience or reader inquiries are welcome and may be directed to: Kenneth Gloss, Brattle Book Shop, 9 West St., Boston, MA 02111. Alternatively, you may contact the store at (617) 542-0210 or (800) 447-9595, as well as via e-mail at info@brattlebookshop.com.

At the upcoming event, maybe you’ll find that you actually possess a really valuable gem, but if your rare or old book is not worth a great deal then you will have received a free book appraisal and have had a great outing.