A Book Collector’s Guide to Determining the Value of the Books in your Collection.

by

Mark Sailor

What makes a book collectable? Is your copy of “Gone with the Wind” worth $5?  Or is it worth $1,000?  Why are some books more valuable than others?  A book is collectable for three reasons: desirability, thriving on the popularity of a given series [Harry Potter], or a first rate writer [Sue Grafton, Clive Cussler]. Books of popular authors and topics are readily available, making your local bookstore a valuable asset for reading and information. Books available from the publisher are ‘In-Print’. Popular demand for a title or author keeps books in print. Out of Print books are books no longer
published. It might be a tattered copy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin on the attic shelf, or dusty copies of a Nancy Drew series book.  Pamphlets and
stacks of printed advertisements (ephemera) from a bygone area rest in a forgotten corner, hiding their tremendous value as keys to the immediate past or a fortune at the auction house. Can you find a copy of Edgar
Allen Poe’s Tamerlane?  It could fetch some half a million dollars if you did – a bookseller, as an apprentice some years ago, found a copy in a stack of magazines!?!

The desirability for used and rare books exists in the continuing demand for an author or a title. The scarcity of used and rare books vary. You might have a copy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in a variety of different forms – it was published many times over. When it first appeared in 1852, it galvanized
a large portion of the American Public against slavery and motivated a movement of emigrants toward Kansas and Nebraska. The effect of the books’ popularity was tremendous in showcasing the need to resolve the issue of slavery, and paved the way for the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The dull grey boards of this 2-volume set and the solemn ‘stereotyped by Hobard and Robbins 1852’ provide “points” – the ‘e-ticket’ to a set of books which can fetch as little as $250.00, or as much as $10,000, depending on condition. A fine copy of these books, and others, in good condition, coupled with demand (desirability) drives the market in used/rare books. In the case of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, it became part of American History, and its
desirability was established for collectors as millions of copies were published.

Often titles are published and become immediately collectible: Gone With The Wind, East of Eden, Wizard of Oz, just to name a few. Because of their popularity, early or first editions become highly collectible when the original copies are no longer available or in print. Try to find a Sue Grafton “A” or “B murder book in first edition- I bet you’ll pay a little bit for a nice copy! More often than not, titles and authors grow from small beginnings. It’s just this fact that makes early titles and editions of authors collectible.
Most importantly then, the condition of any collectible item comes into focus in making a price. Just like a metal Coca Cola sign from 1920 or an Essex 8 automobile from the 30’s, condition is everything.

It’s really pretty easy – you just have to look at your shelves to find a collectible book; get lucky at the local library sale, or a yard sale
on Baldwin Avenue, or an old warehouse on Montecito Avenue.
First, let’s start with BOOKS IN PRINT {Bowker, Ann Arbor, Michigan}. Available at the local library or in CD Rom form, this valuable source will help you determine the status of your book (In Print, Out of Print).
Is it a First Edition? Try A Guide to First Editions by Robert McBride, as well as Points of First Editions. Most used and out of print booksellers carry this handy reference book – and you can, too. Collected Books: The guide to Values, by Allen and Patricia Ahearn, is a readily available pricing guide and reliable source for determining the collectibility of many rare and scarce books. The Ahearns include some 25,000 titles, and this book is an easy guide and a starting point for collectors. It includes the input of several American and worldwide booksellers who specialize in out-of-print
books.

Next, go to Abebooks.com or Addall.com on the net to look up your books. Be careful not to look for just the highest price – that might not be your copy – but then, it just might! Remember, the internet often features sellers who
have unrealistic expectations based on the Uncle Ernie or Auntie Em pricing theory. Just because a seller wants to fetch a high price and finds some other wannabee high pricers, doesn’t establish rarity. Look for consistent price quotes (a spread) from lots of different dealers and look
for patterns from established booksellers. Don’t forget Ebay – lots of discount books are available here; as well as from Bookfinders.com.
Desirability, scarcity, condition.