OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Whether you’re interested in rare old books or are an “Antiques Roadshow” fan, or both, the Libby Memorial Library in Old Orchard Beach has a program for you.

Book expert Kenneth Gloss, who for 20 years has been a frequent guest appraiser of PBS’ popular series “Antiques Roadshow” and is the proprietor of the Brattle Book Shop in Boston, will give a virtual talk on the value of old and rare books, hosted by the OOB library, on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m.

Gloss will talk about and show some of his favorite finds and describe some of the joys of the “hunt,” as well as explain what makes a book increase in value. There will be Q&A session and following that, Gloss will give free verbal appraisals of books participants have on hand, or will do so at his shop in Boston at a later scheduled date.

To participate in the Zoom session that’s free and open to all, go to the link https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/85158769612

Gloss definitely knows what he’s talking about when it comes to old, rare books. His book shop, one of the oldest in the country, opened in circa 1825, specializes in antiquarian volumes. The shop has been in his family for 72 years, first with his father, George, as owner. Gloss has worked at the store since childhood, and became the sole proprietor upon his father’s death in 1985.

To fill the shop’s shelves, Gloss scours the Northeast looking for literary treasures.

He finds most books at estate sales or in old homes when someone is downsizing and can’t take all their possessions with them.

The majority of books he sees aren’t valuable, Gloss said, but that’s not all bad.

When a book isn’t worth much, “it’s freeing” to the owner, he said. They think “we can read it. We don’t have to take special care.”

“The hard ones,” Gloss said, “is when you’re saying it’s worth $50,000.”

Although he can usually tell if a book is valuable in a short amount of time, it’s not so easy for a layman.

However, Gloss said, there are some pointers you can look for.

Of course, one point that adds value is if a book is really, really old. For instance any book printed the 1400s is valuable, as is any book printed in America during the 1600s.

Also, Gloss said, if you think you have a valuable book ask yourself “are they old for what they’re about?” A book about the American Revolution written shortly after it occurred in the 1770s would likely be worth a lot.

Then, he said, “books by famous authors written early in their careers are more valuable.” An early Stephen King book is worth more than a recent one.

Another point, Gloss said, is that a book that is written about something very specific can be worth a lot. A book written about a small Maine town filled with lots of information could be worth money.

But, he said, some old books may not be valuable because no one is interested in purchasing them. While other books may be more recent but are very valuable because of people are looking for them. For instance, he said, the first edition of a Harry Potter book, only about 25 years old, could be worth tens of thousands of dollars or more.

To learn more about old, rare books tune into the virtual talk on Thursday.

Gloss says while he misses traveling the country with “Antiques Roadshow” and doing live talks, he said the virtual talks are the next best thing. During his presentation he may be able to advise people if they have a treasure on their hands, especially if they send him photos beforehand. In addition, he invites people even after the talk to contact him about their books and said he is more than happy to discuss whether they have value.

The library has been holding children’s programs virtually throughout the coronavirus pandemic, library Director Lee Koenigs said. Currently, the library is only open by appointment. A maximum of five people are allowed in at one time and people can stay for up to 30 minutes.

However, their hasn’t been any programming for adults, which is something Koenigs wants to change.

Gloss was originally scheduled to give a live presentation last year, she said, but it was canceled because of the restrictions put in place because of COVID-19.

Koenigs said she thought holding the talk online would be a good test case to see if adults would be interested in virtual programs.

“They’re not wanting to spend a lot of additional time online,” she said, but hopes an interesting and entertaining talk could entice people to tune in.

“I just really hope people will give it a shot,” Koenigs said.

To contact Gloss at Brattle Book Shop, call 1-800-447-9595, Monday through Saturday, between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. or email info@brattlebookshop.com

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