by<\/p>\n
Mark Sailor<\/em><\/p>\n What makes a book collectable? Is your copy of \u201cGone with the Wind\u201d<\/em> worth $5?\u00a0 Or is it worth $1,000?\u00a0 Why are some books more valuable than others?\u00a0 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 \u2018In-Print\u2019. Popular demand for a title or author keeps books in print. Out of Print books are books no longer 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\u2019s Cabin<\/em> in a variety of different forms – it was published many times over. When it first appeared in 1852, it galvanized Often titles are published and become immediately collectible: Gone With The Wind<\/em>,\u00a0East of Eden,<\/em>\u00a0Wizard of Oz<\/em>, 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 \u201cA\u201d or \u201cB murder book in first edition- I bet you\u2019ll pay a little bit for a nice copy! More often than not, titles and authors grow from small beginnings. It\u2019s just this fact that makes early titles and editions of authors collectible. It\u2019s 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 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 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 \u201cGone with the Wind\u201d worth $5?\u00a0 Or is it worth $1,000?\u00a0 Why are some … Continue reading
\npublished. It might be a tattered copy of Uncle Tom\u2019s Cabin<\/em> on the attic shelf, or dusty copies of a Nancy Drew series book.\u00a0 Pamphlets and
\nstacks 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
\nAllen Poe\u2019s Tamerlane<\/em>?\u00a0 It could fetch some half a million dollars if you did – a bookseller, as an apprentice some years ago, found a\u00a0copy in a stack of magazines!?!<\/p>\n
\na large portion of the American Public against slavery and motivated a movement of emigrants toward Kansas and Nebraska. The effect of the books\u2019 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 \u2018stereotyped by Hobard and Robbins 1852\u2019 provide \u201cpoints\u201d – the \u2018e-ticket\u2019 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\u2019s Cabin<\/em>, it became part of American History, and its
\ndesirability was established for collectors as millions of copies were published.<\/p>\n
\nMost 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\u2019s, condition is everything.<\/p>\n
\non Baldwin Avenue, or an old warehouse on Montecito Avenue.
\nFirst, let\u2019s 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).
\nIs it a First Edition? Try A Guide to First Editions<\/em> by Robert McBride, as well as Points of First Editions<\/em>. Most used and out of print booksellers carry this handy reference book – and you can, too. Collected Books: The guide to Values<\/em>, 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
\nbooks.<\/p>\n
\nhave 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\u00a0wannabee high pricers, doesn\u2019t establish rarity. Look for consistent price quotes (a spread) from lots of different dealers and look
\nfor patterns from established booksellers. Don\u2019t forget Ebay – lots of discount books are available here; as well as from Bookfinders.com.
\nDesirability, scarcity, condition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"