Each book thats published, of course, has a first edition. All of our first edition books are hand signed by the. For hardcover books published from the 20th century onwards, the. For some blockbuster titles, this can be as many as 50,000 copies or more. Its difficult to price first edition books without dust jackets. Books that are in fine condition and signed by the author typically sell for prices on the high end of the range, while unsigned books in fair condition sell. Jan 19, 2006 28 harry potter and the philosophers stone by jk rowling bloomsbury, 1997. When i was young, i spent a week at a relatives house and was excited to see the huge selection of books. Collecting first edition books can be both a science and a gamble, much like playing the stock market. Oct 03, 2019 speaking generally, first editions will hold the most value if they are first editions, first printings. Thanks for the a2a what is the value of readers digest first edition condensed books. Modern firsts first edition of a book published after 1900. For example1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 would denote a first edition, 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 would denote a third impression of the first edition.
Jan 29, 2020 the value of a first edition will fluctuate with demand. As with any books, the value of a first edition is determined by its 1 collectibility characteristics that make it desirable, 2 its scarcity see what makes a book rare, and 3 its condition. Mildew mildew is an alltoocommon affliction that plagues books and erodes their. The dust jacket is both the most decorative part of a book, and the most delicate. A hardcover book published in 1958 by viking isnt the same as a reprint published by penguin in 1963. A first edition signed by the author will have even. General guidelines for identifying a first edition. Books that are in fine condition and signed by the author typically sell for prices on the high end of the range, while unsigned books in fair condition sell for prices on the low end of the range. After you determine that you indeed have a first edition in your possession, then you have to research the potential value.
I was so excited to find a book that had jaws in it. Oct 10, 2019 the main characteristics of a 1997 first edition first issue are a print line that reads 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 and the crediting of joanne rowling, not jk. If you own one of these rare books, youre sitting on a. The main characteristics of a 1997 first edition first issue are a print line that reads 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 and the crediting of joanne rowling, not jk. The first edition of james joyces labyrinthine sophomore novel ulysses sold at auction in 2009 for. Many other factors play a role, including condition, scarcity, provenance, cultural. Most hard cover books published since the early 20th century were sold with a dust jacket. If your copy is a 3rd printing, or a book club edition, it wont have the same value as a first edition. Hubert howe bancroft, book of wealth first edition 1896 2. How to tell if a book is a first edition or valuable book riot. In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. The value is based on current market prices for books that are complete with dust jackets, and that meet all first edition points.
Depending on who has published the book and what formats it has been published in, youll be looking for hardcover books mostly. At the start of 1906, potter planned three books in a panoramic form, with 14 pictures and 14 pages of text. The condition of a first edition book, like all collectible books, is an important factor in determining its value. The estimated values in the table are for first edition. A number line such as 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, or something. Remember when collecting first editions that condition and scarcity are the main contributing factors to the price of a book. Information on old books describes how to determine the value of old books by the smithsonian.
We would love to have a conversation with you about the book you would like to sell. Find first edition copies of any book, searches over 150 million books so you find the exact book you need. The easiest way to know how much your copy of a book is worth on the open market is. Its also true that first edition doesnt always correlate with value or collectibility. If you own one of these rare books, youre sitting on a gold mine. Identifying, and valuing first edition dr seuss books. But for older books, or books originally published by small imprints, the first run may have been as few as 100 copies. The best site on the net for info on rare stephen king books. Cheap items that will be worth a fortune later readers. That bold declaration cant always be taken as authoritative, though.
Buy first edition books for sale at auction invaluable. But dont assume all hardcovers are first printings. Nov 03, 2019 thanks for the a2a what is the value of readers digest first edition condensed books. A beatenup old book that is falling apart will have little value. Sometimes the word first edition will helpfully be printed on that page, often described as first edition stated by booksellers. Just enter a title of speciific book in the top right search box to see results of. To determine the true market value of a book, or any other collectible item, an appraisal may be necessary. Thus, the actual value of first editions can range from just a few dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars for very rare and collectible works. A book that has significant damage is likely not worth much. If you are unfamiliar with the grading scale for book conditions you can find it on our used books page. If the word first edition is on the page with a number. The first edition is interested in buying specific rare books and we offer great prices and secure payment options. However, for a first edition to have value, there must be a demand for it. First edition, english issue simultaneous with the american issue of this beloved childrens classic, one of the first modern picture books, a perfect combination of story and pictures mahony, 234, with seven beautiful color chromolithographs three doublepage by william nicholson, this copy.
That is because a first edition is the very first copy of a book to be published for sale, which often makes first editions rare books, hardtofind copies, or even outof print editions. Harry potter books 17 special edition boxed set by j. Reprints of philosophers stone and even first editions of the later books in the series have much lower. At first this can become somewhat confusing because when a book becomes very popular and is often reprinted many times over a number.
First editions are sought after by collectors of all kinds. The first edition refers to a books first printing run. If the initial print run known as the first printing or first impression sells out and the publisher decides to produce a subsequent printing with the same typeset, books from that second print run can be described as a first edition, second printing. He was a real rabbit at last bianco, margery williams. First editions of wellloved books can become the most prized in literature. A first edition is the first time a book is printed by a publisher. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. There are many ways that publishers identify their books as a first edition. Childrens books rare books and first editions bauman. In addition, it might help to check first edition oz books value by checking current wizard of oz books value slide. First edition is printed on page, and s52 is printed on page 336. Browse through our inventory or contact us to discuss your rare book collection. The key to establishing a books value is to first ensure that it is a first edition. Book think clearly illustrates the importance of condition with its valuation of kurt vonneguts slaughterhousefive.
The estimated values in the table are for first edition books with dust jackets. But to have any real collectable value, it has to be a copy of the first edition, first impression also known as the first printing. The value of a first edition will fluctuate with demand. Every book had a first printing, but not all of them are worth a fortune. If you have one of these rare books sitting on a shelf, get ready to cash in. There is no better way to connect with the story and the author than by owning a book signed by an author. On earlier books, and some current books, the first edition is generally identified by a lack of mention of reprints, later impressions etc. How to tell if a book is a first edition or valuable. Published in 1969 by delacorte press there were only ten thousand first editions printed. The first edition rare books rare books by notable people.
The first edition rare books offers collectors the finest selection of important rare books from around the world. Copies of john grishams first book are worth more than. If not, the fact that its a first edition doesnt matter. In the world of book collecting, a first edition is generally considered to be the first appearance of a work, in its first printing. The vast majority of first editions published before 1900 had the year of publication on the title page this is true for fiction and nonfiction titles. The childrens picturebook price guide includes first edition identification points for twentynine of the books in the list click on the books title to see first edition identification points for a particular book. First printing, first impression, and first published are other ways of publishers stating the first edition.
If you have an old book that you would like us to research, or if you have any other questions regarding old books, email us through our askalibrarian service, or contact your local library. A first editions is the earliest printed copy of a published book. Mar 19, 2018 but to have any real collectable value, it has to be a copy of the first edition, first impression also known as the first printing. Frank baum, the wonderful wizard of oz first edition 1900. Collectors look for first edition books because these tend to have the highest demand and the greatest potential to increase in value over time. For hardcover books published from the 20th century onwards, the presence of a dust jacket and its condition also greatly affect value. Modern first editions and rare books wanted weebly. The book is quarter bound in black cloth with red boards. The story of miss moppet, the story of a fierce bad rabbit, and the sly old cat, but only the first two were published. Firstedition identification by publisher ag in the case of titles published before 1900, the key to firstedition identification is often the date on the title page.