Do you have stacks of old books, some by famous authors, or simply piles of your favorites? Have you ever wondered if some of them might be valuable? There are some basic things to look at to determine whether to keep or take to your closest thrift store.
Probably one of the most misunderstood rules for valuing is that if it’s by a famous author, it must be valuable. There are several things you need to consider before you sign up for that trip to Europe you plan on taking with your profits.
- STEP ONE: Condition: What does the book LOOK & SMELL LIKE. Is it clean and in good condition? Yes? Good. Go step 2.
- STEP TWO: Was it originally published with a dust jacket? Do you have it? If not. Stop and go get a cup of coffee. No dust jacket, no big bucks. There are exceptions. The first dust jackets appeared in 1820, so you’ll have to do some internet research to see whether your treasure was issued with one. Great place to start: https://abe.books.com. If it does have a dust jacket, go to step 3.
- STEP THREE: Again, what does the dust jacket look & smell like. Is it in one piece. Even if a DJ is torn, in bad shape and in pieces, if it is to an important book by an famous author, it can mean a much higher value. The better the condition, the higher the value. Go to step 4.
- STEP FOUR: Open the book to the copyright page. Contemporary books with ISBNs (international standard book numbers) have a very clear method of signifying a first edition. This is pretty easy to figure out with contemporary titles, but can get complicated with books published prior to the assigning of ISBNs beginning in 1967.
Contemporary books can be fairly easy to determine with some online research. Is a first edition of Anne Rice’s Vampire Lestat valuable? You bet. A third edition, not so much. Once you’ve determined its condition, simply look and see what a similar book in that condition is selling for on EBay, Amazon, or BookFinder.
Older books, (especially those published prior to ISBNs) are going to be more difficult to evaluate. It takes time and experience to understand how to determine condition, whether it is a true first edition and if it’s even something that is desired by collectors.
Aren’t Sure? Get Advice from an Expert:
If you have an older book that is in good condition by a famous author (Twain, Hemingway, Angelou, Morrison, etc.) the best route is to find your closest antiquarian bookseller and see if they do appraisals. Many will be happy to take a look and tell you if they’re interested for free. Be forewarned: if it’s not in Fine to Near Fine condition, they probably won’t be. In the collector’s world, condition is everything (See condition notes in link above).
They’re worth what?
The following first editions sold at auction for:
Jane Austin, Pride & Prejudice ($100,000)
H.G. Wells, The Time Machine ($20,000)
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (British first edition ($471,000)* – The first US edition (signed) ($6-10,000)
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit ($200,000)
Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ($2-3 million)
*Only 500 copies were originally published of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
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