DO YOU HAVE A BOOK QUESTION?

[manor_house_books]

Hi all, pippy_oak here, posting under my brand new user name. Hopefully, Richard will pin this thread, as it seems a nice tidy place to pose specific questions about a book (Is it a 1st edition, what's it worth, where to find it etc. etc.) Don't just come here with a question. If you think you have the answer, then let's hear it.

Or we could just mooch around and learn a few things.

Cheers

Paul

[jeff-the-book-guy]

A copy without signature recently got £20 on Ebay.

If you look on bookfinder.com there is one seller offering a signed edition, they are asking £53.

Bookfinder gives prices of items which haven't sold yet, so bear that in mind that it may be over priced. But there don't seem to be many signed copies around.

[ringwraithred]

thank you

[0170nigel-2008]

hi after reading up on this board i now no its not the isn number the books ive got are the gate keeper trilogy 1 to 3 buffy the vampire slayer pocket books and the number in it is 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 could you l;et me no if these are first very much appriciated thanxs nigel

[0170nigel-2008]

hi after reading up on this board i now no its not the isn number the books ive got are the gate keeper trilogy 1 to 3 buffy the vampire slayer pocket books and the number in it is 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 could you l;et me no if these are first very much appriciated thanxs nigel

[jeff-the-book-guy]

They are first editions/first impressions for that book in that format from that publisher. The presence of the 1 in the number line indicates this. If the 1 was missing and lowest number was a 2 then they would be first edition/second impressions.

They may not be "true" firsts i.e not the first time the book was published if for example they are paperbacks and the book was published in hardback first or if they were published previously by another publisher.

[sigmapsidelta]

Ringwraithed...

hi i have a signed art book of josh kirby would love to know if worth anything
its the 1993 paper tiger discworld portfolio is signed to paul best wishes josh kirby
thank you'

Note that flatsigned items (only the author's signature) are more desireable to most collectors than those with a named dedication.

Though the most desireable are those with some inscription (by the author) to a friend or colleague.

. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whomever you may murder, there's no police like Holmes.
Σ Ψ Δ
σ ψ δ

[greenunicorngirl]

Though the most desireable are those with some inscription (by the author) to a friend or colleague.

Ooh, I've got quite a few of those, but I can't bring myself to sell them!

[happybunnyshanel]

Hey guys and gals. I just resently obtained 2 books i was wondering about. First is a Copy of Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen its a hard back printed my Richard Edward King who only printed books from 1884-1912 i believe i could be a little off on the dates. Its a bugandy or red cover with gold letters and only says the Title on the front and the side the title again with only Austen on it. Its in fairly good condtion. It also has remnants of gold leafing on the pages.
Then i have a copy of Charles Dickens "the Pickwick Papers" its green and has a slipcover it also looks like the actually book has never been read.It doesnt have a publising date that i can see but it has a paper inside siting that it was gifted in 1927 but i dont know if it was gifted new or as an older book. it was published by Tomas Nelson &sons ltd and that i was made in Britain. If anyone has any ideas on how much the would go for or how old they might be please let me know

[happybunnyshanel]

i was wrong the dickens was gifted in 1953 i dont know where i got 27 from

[carolyroger]

My book question is actually about the audio tapes which accompanied the book, Breakthrough Spanish 2 in fact. I have books 1 and 2 and the audio tapes for the first but cannot find a supplier for tape only. Both books have been updated to a 'euro' edition (whatever that means other than removing pesatas) but I am after the originals. Any advice other than to cut my losses, recycle the book and buy the new version?

Regards all

Roger

[ilovesnow987]

HI ALL, HOW DO YOU FIND THE RARITY AND PRICE OF BOOKS?
for instance i have

in search of my mothers, garden by alice walker



how would i research this and the many other old books i have inherited?thank-you for replies.

[jeff-the-book-guy]

advanced search on ebay, abe books and bookfinder.com are all good places to start.

[sigmapsidelta]

'HI ALL, HOW DO YOU FIND THE RARITY AND PRICE OF BOOKS?'

Well, a bit of research time is needed. I've been at it for a little over 25 years now and I still haven't quite got it down.

. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whomever you may murder, there's no police like Holmes.
Σ Ψ Δ
σ ψ δ

[aspet99]

Hello!
I have book to sell, it looks rare but I don't know enough about books to understand its value (I don't normally sell books, this is my own).

It's Sylvia Plath's Ariel, 1st edition, second impression, 1965, Faber and Faber.
I've done quite a bit of research and found that 1st editions are valuable, but I don't understand if being a second impression would make it almost worthless (obviously it would depend on its condition as well).

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thank you

[jeff-the-book-guy]

Second (and later) impressions can maintain some value if the first impression is particulary hard to find to in a collectable condition or if the cost of a first impression is prohibitive to most collectors.

Also if a later impression has a very good condition dust jacket which matches the DJ issued with the first impression, people will buy a 2nd impression to get a DJ for their jacketless first.

At a rough guess personally I would try an auction starting at about 10% of the value of the 1st.

[aspet99]

Thank you for your reply Jeff, very useful.:-)
Not got news for me unfortunately.

[trustworthygal1988]

Hi there, i believe to have a first edition of puffin Roald Dahl James and the giant peach book, it is paper back and was first published in the USA 1961. and that is the book i have which makes it a first edition. I was just wondering if i was to sell it on ebay what would it go for? i have also searched on ISBN sites and sites which are on this forum and all either say they cant find a result or they bring up the 1972 one. It has black and white illustrations throughout and i need some advice if anyone knows i would appreciate it. Thank you in advance Lucy

[jeff-the-book-guy]

The true first edition was hardback published by Alfred Knopf, you have the first puffin edition.

I had a look on bookfinder.com under the title and using 1961 as a keyword and there are several copies on abebooks for just over £5

[sigmapsidelta]

Looking on 'ISBN sites' will always throw up later copies. There were no ISBN numbers in 1961 - they didn't show up until 1967 or '68, and then they were just SBN numbers.

. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whomever you may murder, there's no police like Holmes.
Σ Ψ Δ
σ ψ δ

[dee3483]

SBN 8 digits 1967-1970
ISBN from 1970 10 digits; [in last two years moves towards 13 digits]

re query about Puffin book this link is quite interesting
http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/27435
Maybe collectors will also look for first editions.