Rare and Valuable Books
Keep an eye out for these at yard sales - Updated May, 2010
While trying to figure out if some old books I had were
worth any money, I found some not-very-old books
that are worth a suprizing amount of cash. Below
I have listed a few that caught my eye, either because I have seen/owned/remember
them from my childhood, or think it's spiffy that they are worth
so much.
Now I keep an eye out at garage
sales and second hand stores for such books, perhaps you should too.
Hope you get lucky and own (or find) one of the following:
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
Author: Douglas Adams
American First Edition: Harmony Books, 1979/1980. Hard Cover with dust jacket. In new condition is $300-600+.
UK First Edition: Pan Books, 1979. The original paperback and hardcover editions can fetch $2000+.
Many editions of H2G2 are worth are worth a fair sum of money. Good to look out for at book swaps and garage sales.
The Catcher in the Rye
Book: The Catcher in the Rye
Author: JD Salinger
Description: 1st edition, 1st printing 1951. Published
by Boston: Little, Brown.
Estimated Value: $5000+ for excellent condition!
Description: Value is muchly determined by condition.
One with the dust jacket in good condition will fetch a great price.
Similar Valuable Books:
Same as above but 1st edition, 2nd and 3rd printings valued between
$100 - $300.
The Hobbit
Book: The Hobbit
Author: JRR Tolkien
Description: 1937 (UK) 1st edition, first printing
Estimated Value: $3500+
Similar Valuable Books:
A Northern Venture - 1923. 1st edition. - $3000+
(Almost all 1st edtion books by Tolkien are fetching a good price in
auctions).
Harry Potter
Book: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (U.K.)
Author: JR Rowling
Description: 1st Edition, 1st Printing. Published
by Bloomsbury,
July 1997.
ISBN: 0-7475-3269-9
Estimated Value: $3500+
Signed = $10,000+
(An unsigned copy is listed
on eBay for
$25,000, at the time this article is published. Yikes!)
Notes: Numbers: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright
page. Issued without a dustwrapper. Laminated pictorial boards (not
bound in cloth )- shiny-ish illustrated covers by Thomas Taylor.
Only 500 of these books were published, and mostly shipped to the U.K.
Library system. Very rare find.
The Cat in the Hat
Book: The Cat In The Hat
Author: Dr. Suess
Description: 1957, published by Random House. 1st
Edition, 1st Printing (2nd and 3rd printings are valauble too).
Estimated Value: $1900 - $6000+
Similar Valuable Books: Green Eggs And Ham by Dr
Suess. 1960. First edition, first printing. Value: $300.
Same, but with the rare 50 Word vocabulary
sticker on the front of dust jacket, and not price clipped... up to
$4000.
East of Eden
Book: East of Eden
Author: John Steinbeck
Description: 1st. Edition, 1st Printing. Published
by New York: Viking, 1952.
Estimated Value: $1500 - $2000
Similar Valuable Books: Cannery Row - John Steinbeck,
1st Edition, 1st Printing - $100-200
The Hunt for Red October
Book: The Hunt for Red October
Author: Tom Clancy
Description: 1st Edition, 1st Printing. 1984. Hardcover
with jacket. Back cover has 6 review blurbs. No price on jacket.
Estimated Value: $300 - $1000
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I have some more rare books to write about when I have time, stay tuned.
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