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

[jeffbrg23]

Without the dust jacket you probably looking at around £30-£50.

[empiresignedbooks2012]

Hi, first time here and was wondering if anyone could help me.

I have recently acquired a copy of Douglas Adams' Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy. This copy is, what I beleive to be a little bit special. It is a paperback published by Pan London, and is a True First Edition, what makes it also a little more special, is that it is signed by Douglas Adams, it also has a flyer in the back of the book promoting the book on LP. The book is in very good condition considering its age, and to be honest it looks as it is unread.

I have searched the internet, high and low and cant find another like it, anywhere in the world. I have seen other versions, such as hardback copies etc, but this specific one was released before the hardback ones.

If anyone could help regarding its rarity and a price guide I would be grateful.

p.s. I bought it from a charity shop for a £1.00 and have been offered £100 for it, but im pretty sure its worth more than that.

Thanks in advance

[rogersbooks32]

There is a signed quote lined copy if you search on addall they are asking £180 odd for it. I can't seem to be able to copy and paste the description.

[jeffbrg23]

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=7568110753&xbf=b3MtcWctdWJ6cg__%2F575309070602851...

Thats the link to the book.

It seems to be the only one around at the moment.

[sigmapsidelta]

Walker's Critical Pronouncing Dictionary and Expositor of The English Language (Thomas Nelson 1850)

Can't find any mention of this anywhere. All the Walker's I come across seem to be US publications.

Anyone any ideas?

.

[jeffbrg23]

Theres a slightly earlier edition from Thomas Nelson here:

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=1262289094&searchurl=tn%3Dcritical%2Bpronouncing%2B...

Thats all I could find.

[sigmapsidelta]

Damn! Why didn't that show up when I checked ABE?

I think I'll put it back on the shelf for another century or two.

Thanks.

.

[sigmapsidelta]

'I have 6 first edition readers digest in very good condition with lovely pictures in what are they worth,I would like to sell them so I can send my son and his wife on holiday as my son is very ill and this might be his last summer,are they worth much.cheers lynne'

I'm sorry, Lynne, but it is unlikely you'd make enough from them to get out of sight, let alone out of town.

And that's without knowing what the titles are or anything else.

Unless they're something so special that I've never come across them in 25 years in the book trade. I know the 'Cookery Year' used to fetch about £12 per copy or so on eBay, but I never heard of any other Reader's Digest publication making more than a few pounds, if that.

Not the most desireable publisher. I guess your question was either missed or no-one else wanted to be the one to disappoint you.

.

[al2fame]

Hi, does anyone know the best place to sell Manga books besides ebay?

Is there a general guide for valuing books?

[jeffbrg23]

Bookfinder.com will give information on potential value by seeing what other people are asking for the book.

You could try listing them on Amazon

[lilypearl2411]

Hi, I wonder if anyone can shed any light on this?

I have a signed copy of the 1990 paperback 'Watching' by Jim Hitchmough that my mother bought at one of his book signings in 1994. Just out of curiosity I searched on Ebay and there is a copy for sale for £69.21p. Not quite believing this I googled the title and there are a few copies out there, prices up to £185! 

Is this for real? Would anyone know why they might be expected to fetch this kind of price (unsigned)? It seems extraordinary...

Thanks in advance. 

[jeffbrg23]

It seems to be quite a scarce book, the only one he wrote and there are collectors of books based on TV series especially if they are signed.

This has probably led to some optimistic pricing on behalf of sellers, its impossible to say whether the price is justified and copies do sell at the high prices or whether they have been sitting there unsold for a very long time.

A book can be scarce without being valuable. A book is only valuable if someone wants to buy it.

That doesn't really help you much I'm afraid.

If you did list it I would go for TV Memorabilia as a category rather than fiction books and try an auction to see what happens.

[lilypearl2411]

Thank you Jeffbrg23, I will be 'watching' the other sellers with interest to see if they manage to sell!

[rogersbooks32]

Hi you can trade the book in on amazon for £30.00 so there must be a market for it even if limited, At least its not one of the penny books you often find on amazon when checking prices.

[huckells]

Thank you. I didn't realise that Amazon did trade-ins, that's interesting to know. The book is in reasonable condition considering it is over 20 years old. The spine is virtually unbroken but unfortunately the front cover is creased. I don't know whether that still counts as the 'good' condition in Amazon's requirements.

On the plus side it is signed! 

[huckells]

Sorry, posted under buying/selling ID! - LilyPearl2411

[rogersbooks32]

This is good according to amazon trade in.

Item shows minor wear from normal use and is clean in appearance Item has intact cover, pages, binding, and no tears Item may be lightly highlighted Item has no notes or markings Item has no torn or folded pages Item has no personalisation or name(s) on the cover or pages Study guides and workbooks should have no answers filled in Originally issued supplemental materials included (like CD-ROMs, access codes, study guides etc.)

Not acceptable according to amazon

Library copy Custom edition textbooks (typically has a school name listed) Water damaged (wavy, swollen or discoloured, crinkled, stains, rings) Broken spine or binding Books with torn or taped cover Missing, torn, or loose pages Burns, fire, or smoke damage Strong odour of any kind (including musty odour, cigar or cigarette odour) Marked Not for Resale (or is otherwise marked not for sale) anywhere on the cover or inside Self-Service

[ooldbaker]

I would think that if Amazon are offering £30 then it must be valuable. For my books that sell for about £200 it is not unusual to be offered 25p trade in.

[lilypearl2411]

I put in a few of my books just for fun to see what Amazon were offering. Most were 25p!

The best I could do - apart from the £30 one - was 'The Triple Tree' for £3.20p. The only other book I own that I know is of interest to some collectors is a first edition of 'The Book of Bond or Every Man His Own 007'. I've seen that for sale for around £65. Amazon tells me it's worth £1.26p trade-in!

Many thanks for your replies - most interesting...

[rogersbooks32]

one advantage of lower value trade in value books  is that they pay the postage as well.