Most people would be hard pressed to fill a library in their home. Not book collector Rolland Comstock. He needs two.
Once the walnut shelves of his old library were near bursting - as well as the third floor of the home where children's bedrooms used to be - Comstock began thinking that maybe he and his wife, Alberta, should add yet another library into their already imposing home on a hill just north of Springfield.
"The Library is 32 by 35 feet, with a gallery at the second level," says Comstock, 63. "It cost $200,000 to build and it probably devalued the house by $300,000. Who in the heck would want a room like this in their house?"
The library, added to the home in 1992, is a sight to behold. Book-laden shelves cover the walls from floor to ceiling. And among the many European-inspired antique tables and chairs, by the light of a chandelier, Comstock can read to his heart's content.
"Sometimes people ask 'how many of these books have you read?' and I tell them that I've read every one and I'm down to the Gs going around the second time," he says with great satisfaction.
In some circles Comstock is a bibliophile. Others would just call him a book fanatic. His collection is a subtle blend of contemporary American and British authors, ranging from older, famous writers to upstarts which Comstock "just has a hunch about."
Serious collectors tend to hedge about how many books are in their collection. Comstock is no exception. "A collection is more than books. In my library there are around 50,000 items, of which 90 percent are books."
The other items Comstock has include broadsides, or short passages from a book, framed photos, autographs and signed magazine articles.
A majority of those pieces are signed first editions of the author's work. And as you look down the shelves of his library, color-coded stickers on the acetate wrappers covering each volume tell of the book's status in Comstock's collection.
"Red stickers are for signed or inscribed books, blue are for unsigned U.S. editions and green are for unsigned English editions. My goal would be to have a sea of red stickers down the walls."
Try as he might, Comstock won't see many red stickers on the second floor of the library. Most of the authors upstairs are dead. The main floor is generally reserved for more active writers.
A tax and probate lawyer in Springfield, Comstock spends a week or two each month zig-zagging the United States to visit major independent book stores for book signings, readings and catching up on the latest literary gossip.
Book shops and collectors in Chicago, San Francisco, New York and Washington, D.C., know of Comstock and his awe-inspiring collection. Sometimes the items he has even amaze the authors themselves.
"I've met Allen Ginsberg many times and I have more than 85 items he's signed," says Comstock. "Ginsberg could never understand how an uncorrected proof copy could get in the hands of a collector. I think sometimes the authors themselves would love to have what collectors bring to have them sign."
Books have always been a major part of Comstock's life. When he was 16 and a high school senior, the young entrepreneur rented the upstairs of a shoe store for $15 a month and opened his own second-hand bookstore. He kept the bookstore open while attending Drury College where he received a bachelor's degree in political science and French.
After teaching French for a year in neighboring Mountain Grove, Comstock was in a hurry to move on. He moved to Kansas City to pursue a master's degree in British history - but his father talked him into attending law school at the same time.
"After graduation, I was at a crossroads thinking 'What am I going to do now? Chase a Ph.D. in history or practice law?'" says Comstock. "I opted to practice law because of the money it would bring."
While money has been helpful in his quest for the written word, Comstock's real love is chasing down the elusive book or stumbling upon a great new author for his collection. On most days, Comstock would be hard pressed to name his favorite author.
"It depends on what day you ask me who my favorite author is," he says.
Of the thousands in his collection, one of the most valuable editions might be "Lucky Jim" by the now-deceased British writer Kingsley Amis, one of Comstock's favorites.
"It's extremely difficult to get ahold of a copy, much less a signed copy. Mine is worth about $2,000," says the collector. "Amis was the first writer I really began trying to get ahold of anything he wrote."
Other books, such as signed first editions of William Golding's "Lord of the Flies," "Catch 22" by Joseph Heller or "Tobacco Road" by Erskine Caldwell, are a tiny glimpse of the valued editions Comstock has in his care. And in many cases, he's got more than one copy.
"I simply think that if one copy is good, two is better," says Comstock. "I've spent many years and had a good time collecting them. But they need to be sold and dispersed throughout the land so others can have fun doing the same thing I've been doing."
Quite often college groups, libraries and clubs ask to see Comstock's collection, which he proudly displays and happily discusses. But if you ask him if he's got anymore room for books, he'll look around and answer in a hushed voice.
"I wouldn't want to say without checking to see if this room is bugged," Comstock says. "If my wife would hear me say that we're running very short on room, I think she'd murder me tonight!"
You may contact Rolland Comstock at 306 W. Court St., Springfield, Mo. 65803-2740 or by calling (417) 862-4471.
- By Heather Berry, Rural Missouri, March, 2000 -