Scott fitzgeralds the great gatsby with the original dust jacket is one of those rare books to track down. It wasnt a bestseller when it was released in 1925 with only about 25,000 copies sold by the time of the authors death in 1940. Another way to develop a collection of rare books is to simply keep the books you love, or seek out modern landmark books that shake up the world and wait for their values to increase. I totally need the copy of the the wonderful wizard of oz in my life. Sunday has a masters degree from nyu and was a forbes small business contributor. Buying or selling without checking iguide could be hazardous to your wealth. Founded by harvey kurtzman and william gaines, the american comedy magazine known as mad hit the shelves in 1952. We have thousands of rare and antique treasures brought to you by our network of trusted sellers from all around the world. Search over 3 million price reports spanning art, antiques, coins, collectibles, memorabilia, and other tangible assets of value. For example maybe this book is a first print edition, or a limited print edition. Originally a comic book, mad developed readerships of over 2,000,000 in the 70s, known for. Explore unique, collectible and unusual items from the finest booksellers in the world. Has every book imaginable, including many collectors rare editions abebooks specializes in rare books, great place to research book values mostly specializes in used textbooks if you are a student check them out. Our latest acquisitions of rare books and manuscripts in all fields, including first editions and copies in fine bindings.
Global catalog of library collections antiquarian booksellers association of america. A beatenup old book that is falling apart will have little value. We can pay in pounds, us dollars or euro, and, for higher value items, arrange collection anywhere in the. Rare books for sale, buy antique books from alibris.
A first edition of this bestselling 1996 novel could be worth. Johannes gutenberg, printed 1456, 180 copies known to exist. A pristine first edition of nobel prizewinning author william goldings classic is worth up to. Well known to book collectors and booklovers, our site is an excellent resource for discovering a rough value of an old book. Use our antique book search to find and get the best price on vintage and antique books online. Fill out this form with enough information to get a list of comparable copies. At the age of six he began with sea shells, and soon graduated to coins, the gateway drug. Investing in rare books can make you a tidy profit this is money.
A book that has significant damage is likely not worth much. Dealers usually pay about 1030% of the retail price of the book. A book can be considered rare if it holds some special features that sets it aside from its printed brothers and sisters. How to get ahead or at least stay afloat in the rare. The top 20 most valuable books that could make you a small fortune and. Rare book values are very subjective, and can vary widely depending on what the local market will bear where you are trying to sell your book. We specialize in making it easier for you to get the books you need. Get the best deal by comparing prices from over 100,000 booksellers. Some books become rare not because of the content of the book itself, but because a famous person owned it. There are also printed price guides for specific subjects e. Buying and selling rare books rare book collections. Vintage and antique books can be extremely valuable, providing you get the real deal. Rare and valuable books old and not so old books worth.
Condition is very important and will greatly influence value. Tthe searchable database consists of detailed reports in an evergrowing database of items in this category. The guide to values, mandevilles used book price guide, and zempel and verklers book prices used and rare. Catalog for 2018 we have the latest revisions to usa stamp values since volume 1 was issued early in 2017. This selection ranges from 1917 to 1969, and really is. Links to websites to help you value, sell or find rare books. Rare and valuable books find rare books online at the. Abe books is the largest online bookseller with more than 12,500 independent booksellers listing more than 60,000,000 antique, used, rare and out of print books. The story of rising rare book values reuters video.
The world is full of old books stuffed into boxes in attics, collecting damp in cellars and gathering dust on the shelves. The love of books is bibliophilia, and someone who loves to read, admire, and collect books is called a bibliophile book collecting can be easy and inexpensive. You should also brush up your knowledge on printing methods used in each century as many. Explore thousands of old and rare books, including illuminated manuscripts, fine press editions, illustrated books, incunabula, limited editions and miniature books. A beaten up old book that is falling apart will have little value. Yet just because a used book is as old as time, doesnt mean that is rare or even antique.
If you really need a documented estimate of a books value for probate or insurance purposes then visit your local rare bookshop and pay for a formal appraisal. A vintage or antique book will ignite all of the senses, it will have a certain feel, a certain touch, a. The best way to find the rare book values for books you already own is to do some searching online to see what the going rate is for the book you have. The easiest way to know how much your copy of a book is worth on the open market is to. Each sold at auction for thousands, and in some cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars. Also covers rare book auctions, manuscripts, ephemera, broadsides, maps, prints, posters, bibliography, first editions, incunabula and catalogs. Warren, whose price guide books have been the authority on collectibles values since 1985. Auction values tend to be at about 50% of moderate retail, so it is a book with value. If the book is very special in the dealers specialty area, extremely desirable, and he knows he can sell it right. It pays to try to get a couple of different appraisals before you decide to sell your book just to make sure you know all you can about the book and its potential value beforehand. We scoured our vast selection of vintage books for the most beautiful dust jackets, and soon discovered that selecting just 30 was a nearly impossible task. First editions, autographed and signed books from feminism to the occult, naval history to crime. Here within are found books rare and ancient, starting with the earliest printed works encompassing incunabula, 15th century.
Due to its very limited numbers, in our time is considered one of the rare books for book collectors around the world. Finding a safe investment that offers a good return isnt easy in these days of low interest rates. Addall click on the used books tab at the top and fill out the form. Rare book hub rare books, book auctions, antiquarian. This is why searching for rare books can be similar to seeking out the holy grail or finding the magic lamp in aladdins cave. Her appraisal skills were recently featured on atlas obscura. Whether you want the cheapest reading copy or a specific collectible edition, with bookfinder, youll find just the right book. I had been a hobbyist collector for some 20 years, buying books and letters by 20th century writers, and had learned a certain amount about rare books.
A rare book is not simply an old book, its not a now out of print book and its not a book that has simply been passed down because of its sentimental value. Also of general use for collectors is ahearns collected books. Abebooks has been part of the rare book world since going live in 1996. Use the search box above to find fond treasures from your childhood or that one book that has escaped your collection thus far.
Antique book expert has shared his list of the 20 most valuable titles. Book collecting is the collecting of books, including seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever books are of interest to a given collector. Rare books for sale, buy antique books from alibris uk. Unfollow rare books for sale to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Once you find the book you are trying to value, remember the price listed is the asking retail price, not necessarily the price. Special features regardless of the books age, a rare book can be found on the shelves of modern classics. If the book has personal notations in the margins, the value goes up even more. The dust jacket is both the most decorative part of a book, and the most delicate. Since 1997, bookfinder has made it easy to find any book at the best price. We offer extremely competitive prices and pay promptly. Peter harrington rare books first edition books, signed. Scott fitzgeralds the great gatsby with the original dust jacket is a rare book to track down.
If the book really is rare and valuable, it may be worth contacting a conservation specialist to advise on the cost of restoration. Vintage and antique books best price on antique books online. The 20 most valuable books you might have at home daily mail. If you own one of these rare books, youre sitting on a. Alibris is one of the premier rare and outofprint book sites on the internet. Sunday is the vice chair of midatlantic chapter of the abaa and was a keynote speaker at the york antiquarian book seminar in england.
Has every book imaginable, including many collectors rare editions. Whether youre a budding rare book collector or a bibliophile with an evniable collection, discover an amazing selection of rare and collectable books from booksellers around the. Top 50 rare and valuable books the following books are considered by many collectors to be the most rare and valuable. A first edition of harry potter and the philosophers stone can be worth up to. See more ideas about stamp, stamp values and stamp collecting. You can purchase first editions for reasonable prices. Generally its a good idea to toss out the highest and lowest numbers you find and take an average of the rest to get an idea of how much you can expect to ask for your rare book. A few especially large, chain used bookstores may pay less.
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