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

[karenruss6]

Hi, I have lots of old books, any help with how much they are worth(If anything) and how to get a good price, or any help at all would be great!. Here is a list:
The Nature Book. 1922 Waverley book. co. issues 1-6 (excellent cond).
Childrens encyclopedia arthur mee. Vol. 2,3,5,7,8,9. (Can not find a date)
The wonderland of knowledge. Ernest ogan. Oldhams press. Vol. 4,5,7,8,9,10,11,12.(can not find a date)
And lots of milestones in history Readers digest 1974.
Thanks, Karen

[manor_house_books]

I fear that the value of these books is mainly calorific.

[sigmapsidelta]

There may be someone looking for odd volumes for those sets. In fact, I'm pretty sure there is a website that deals with odd volumes of series.

But Manor House is correct. They are mass-produced items. I recall seeing various Odhams and Caxton Press series as a kid. I'm pretty sure they were among the wares of door-to-door salesmen.

. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whomever you may murder, there's no police like Holmes.
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[mase144]

Can anybody tell me if Southeys Poetical Works published by Longman Orme Brown Green and Longmans, Paternoster Row hold any value. The date appears to be 1838.

[sigmapsidelta]

How many volumes do you have?

It was published in a 10 volume set.

http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?bx=off&sts=t&ds=50&bi=0&pn=longmans&y=15&tn=southeys+poetical&x=115&sortby=1

. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whomever you may murder, there's no police like Holmes.
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[mase144]

Hi I have nine of the ten volumes

[mase144]

Thanks for your help here I have checked the link you gave me however description doesnt quite match mine. Can I also check with you the value of another set of books called the Aldine Poets, I have a few of these volumes published Bell and Daldy York Street Covent Garden

[sigmapsidelta]

That is a much larger set. 52 volumes.

http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?bx=off&sts=t&ds=50&bi=0&pn=bell&y=19&tn=aldine+poets&x=115&sortby=1

. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whomever you may murder, there's no police like Holmes.
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[mase144]

Just to add I cant find any dates on these on one book a date of 1835 is mentioned and inside the front cover there is a label with a crest and the name Charles T.S.Churchill ( I think its a 't' its very olde worlde not too confident). Any ideas if these may hold any value ?

[sigmapsidelta]

I'm not well-up on W.S. Churchill's family tree, but if it was a relative of his it may well be very interesting. You might try a bit of googling research to see if your Churchill had any connection to THE Churchill.

As to date, it seems these books were published from 1866 onwards. I don't think the 1835 you mentioned was anything to do with publication.

. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whomever you may murder, there's no police like Holmes.
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[mase144]

May I just ask you where you feel would be the correct place to sell these. A book auction or e-bay or other internet site. I would like to keep them as the bindings are wonderful but sadly they have to go. I have 16 of the Aldine Poets.

[mase144]

I have one other book that you may know of. Its by Edwin Waugh Lancashire Sketches First series. Published by John Heywood Deansgate and Ridgefield Manchester ;2 Amen Corner London E.C. Do you think this holds any value ? Thanks once again for your help.

[sigmapsidelta]

Your Edwin Waugh seems to be a later issue. It was also a 2 volume set. This could be tested in the topography/local history section on eBay. The 2 volume set can be found for £20 to £30, so a single volume isn't going to find a buyer at much above £5 or so.

Depending on how quickly you wish to part from them, eBay may find a buyer more quickly than an 'odd volumes' site. But that will be your sticky patch, the fact that they aren't complete sets.

Where a complete set of 20 volumes would fetch £1000, a set with one volume missing wouldn't fetch £950 - more like £50 as the buyer would then face a search, possibly lasting years, possibly never-ending, to complete the set.

You're sort of stuck in the middle. Difficult to advise you what to do. Unless you want to keep the books, seek out the missing volumes, then sell the completed sets for those premium prices....I dunno.

. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whomever you may murder, there's no police like Holmes.
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[mase144]

Many thanks for your help, I may be able to get the missing tenth volume of the southeby volumes this week. I dont want to put you under any pressure but i do appreciate the fact that you are willing to advise... in which case where would you sell?

[sigmapsidelta]

The lowest price on ABE for that set is $1,000 - but that isn't necessarily what it will fetch as that set is still unsold.

Many more valuable items are sold on eBay every day. I see no reason not to try it here first. If you think it necessary you can always try the more expensive selling routes, like physical auction houses (Christies, Bloomsbury, etc.). But I would try it here first.

There are more eBay members than there are names on the mailing lists of auction houses. The more people who see it, the more likely it is to sell.

. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whomever you may murder, there's no police like Holmes.
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[black-country-books]

This question is posed more from interest than avarice (for once);-).

I have found among some books bought at the car boot, a small pamphlet of 16 pages entitled ' Sunshine at Last ' by Beth Coombe Harris. This is, according to the cover, no.422 of Lily Stories priced at four pence halfpenny. It was Made and Printed by Pickering & Inglis Ltd., at their Evangelistic, Commercial and General Printing Works, Glasgow. No idea of date.

Don't think it would have much value but would be interested in your comments.

[sigmapsidelta]

Here are a few from the Lily series....

http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?bx=off&sts=t&ds=50&bi=0&pn=pickering&y=11&kn=lily+stories&x=110&sortby=1

Your title doesn't appear to be among them. Maybe yours is a rarity.

. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whomever you may murder, there's no police like Holmes.
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[black-country-books]

I wish! No, I did say I wasn't interested in the money. ]:)

I found those, Steve, but wasn't able to find this particular one.

At the risk of a rude reply, what should I do with it?

[sigmapsidelta]

Get yourself a space to put those things that just maybe of interest. If you find out otherwise, you can always find someone of appropriate age and give it to them.

On the other hand, you can make some interesting and useful things out of papier mache.

. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Whomever you may murder, there's no police like Holmes.
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[black-country-books]

Or, I could read it to make up for my misspent youth.]:)

There are a few listed but seem to be in complete sets, so obviously not worth anything other than iterest value.