With this list of guidelines in hand, a shelf of antique books won’t seem quite so daunting. Simple beauty in a cover or binding can be worth $40-1,000 depending on the complexity and execution of the design. A beautifully leather bound book or one with a pictorial gold leaf cover can form the basis for a really eye-catching shelf these antique books are usually quite collectible. Sometimes you can judge a book by its coverĭecorative visual appeal can increase a book’s value. This unique copy brought $23,500 in a Books auction. Skinner sold a copy that was signed and presented to the famous poet Archibald MacLeish. With a simple signature, it could bring $8,000. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night without a dust jacket might bring around $300. For example, as stated above, an unsigned copy of F. An author signature (by a significant and recognized writer) can mean an increase in value of ten times or more the ordinary value of the book in most cases. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night, New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1934, Auctioned for $23,500Īlways look for author signed books. With best wishes…Īrchibald MacLeish’s copy of F. An owner inscription or signature from a member of your own family is always interesting to find, and if he or she was a well-known person, could add to value.

With luck, they will not be on the title-page, as this diminishes value they should ideally be located on blank pages before the title page. Look for ownership inscriptions on books. One lost page can be devastating to a rare book’s value. Make certain that there are no loose pages or gatherings of leaves that have come out or are in danger of falling out. Even simple pages that have no printing on them, called blanks, are critical to the value of the book. Leave no page behind!Ĭompleteness in a book is critical. These “issue points” can be found in online references to bibliographical information gathered on each book. Other copies with a few mistakes are usually worth between $500-1,000. If you have all of them (or many of them) in your copy, it can be worth over $10,000. Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has over seven documented (and corrected) mistakes during the printing process. Those first sheets now form an “issue point” that collectors use to determine how early in the printing process the sheet was printed. Thrifty printers will not throw out a batch of sheets simply because there was a mistake on the page. When certain books are evaluated, the number of “mistakes” in the printing process will elevate their value. And it will make your book more valuable!

The New York edition is the “first American edition” and worth $250. The London edition is the “true” first and worth around $1,400. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-four was published in 1949 in both London and New York. Whichever hits the shops first is the “true” first edition while the other becomes the “first American edition” or “first English edition.” The value of a “true” first is typically always greater. Many titles were published virtually simultaneously in two places, for example, London, and New York. The location of publication is an often overlooked but important detail in a list of information about a collection of books. However, his Travels with Charley, first edition with dust jacket, is worth around $100. A first edition of John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath in good condition is worth around $2,500. Additionally, some books by famous authors are better than others. Who wrote that?Ī book is more likely to appeal to collectors, and therefore be worth more, if you have actually heard of the book or its author. If you have one on a good book, treasure it and be sure to protect it with a plastic sleeve. This huge difference in value is largely due to the fact that more than 90% of dust jackets are destroyed, either deliberately or due to their ephemeral and fragile nature. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night with dust jacket is around $6,000. If there is one single thing that is a make or break for book value, it would be the dust jacket. Dust jackets, dust jackets, and more dust jackets! Scott (1896-1940), Tender is the Night, New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1934, first edition with dust jacket, sold for: $8,295 1.

Pictorial family bible 1892