Photo people: cheap camera for book pages?

[Gutenberg]

Nah, a cheap camera will do fine. All he needs is a snapshot to prove he once owned the book in case of burglary or fire. I would go with the Canon if I were you. I have a Canon A 540 and love it. I am not sure of the focal length though, you might need to visit a store and ask about that.

Edit: Putting an antique book on a scanner could damage the spine. Not sure what the bright light would do to the cover page either.

Have you thought of talking to your local library? Just about every library in the country has a preservationist on staff.