The hardcover edition of any book is made of a better paper. Cheap pieces of smut filled with lurid scenes of sex and violence. Abebooks has compiled a list of the most collectable books published between 2000 and 2009. Pocket book 268 3rd prtg in rare dust jacket, dell 154, dell 421, jonathan j36. Each sold at auction for thousands, and in some cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars. Childrens books old and rare walter schatzki listed under collecting childrens books. Buy religious books for sale at auction invaluable. A discussion of the most valuable vintage paperback authors follows.
Search over 3 million price reports spanning art, antiques, coins, collectibles, memorabilia, and other tangible assets of value. Rowlings first harry potter book was published in the u. I totally need the copy of the the wonderful wizard of oz in my life. A first edition of the kite runner by khaled hosseini. A legendary paperback, the holy grail for some collectors of pulp, published in 1948 by the diversey publishing corporation. It is very important to remember that, if the conditions are right, dust can be a food source for mould and mildew, leading to an infestation which can weaken and irreversibly stain books and paper.
Edgar allan poes tamerlane and other poems a small collection of poems by american poet edgar allen poe 18091849 is notable for a number of reasons. Fragile treasures the worlds most valuable paperbacks. Valuable books can turn up at yard sales and book sales, too, where you can buy them for next to nothing. Fill out this form with enough information to get a list of comparable copies. Most of thompsons books are paperbacks but its the brutal raw nature of his writing that attracts so many fans. The top 20 most valuable books that could make you a small fortune and how to spot a rare. Their first 10 paperback reprints have gone down in publishing history but they dont attract high prices.
Since her first bestseller in 1991, noras books have spent more than two hundred weeks in the number one spot on the new york times bestseller list. Why is the hardcover edition of a book much more expensive. Rare and collectible crime fiction which are the most rare, collectable and valuable crime books. Rare and valuable books find rare books online at the. The story concerns a young girl named daisy and her abusive father.
Rare books collecting and price guides to rare and. Not all rare books are collected or valuable, unfortunately, and those by obscure latenineteenth to 20th century authors who are not particularly remembered and who wrote in languages read by a small minority of the. First editions of wellloved books can become the most prized in literature. Values relate to first editions in very good condition. We have been selling collectible paperbacks, first editions, and other used and rare books since 1994. The easiest way to know how much your copy of a book is worth on the open market is to check on how much similar copies are currently being offered for. A book that nobody wants or nobody is willing to pay for, is not a valuable book, even though it could still be considered a rare book. The most valuable authors in vintage paperback bookscans. You may not have thought too much of it when you bought your first harry potter book. Relatively valuable books due to scarcity by popular authors. This is why i never understand why authors dont create paperback editions of their books.
Hidden treasures on your bookshelf bottom line inc. There might be a book on your bookshelf thats worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Abebooks 50 most expensive sales of 2014 shop for books. 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. If you have one of these rare books sitting on a shelf, get ready to cash in. Selected special collections dell paperback collection. There was a time, however, when books represented months and perhaps years of effort on the part of a single person, laboring. That is the message that one gets after browsing through the contents of the faded giant website. The written record of humankinds preoccupation with these controlling forces is found in religious texts, which are valuable both for their contents and their worth on the market. It all comes down to supply and demand and condition. Demand a book will only be considered valuable if it is in demand. Dell paperback collection selected special collections. What is the best method for determing if you have a valuable paperback book.
Enjoy a selection of highly valuable paperback books. Top 50 rare and valuable books the following books are considered by many collectors to be the most rare and valuable. Poe was one of the first widely renowned american authors, and is considered one of the earliest writers of stories with macabre. The market fluctuates based on death of authors, movie or movie remakes, and other factors that bring attention to specific titles. Check your local phone directory under books, used dealers to find an appraiser. The rarest books in the world are highly sought after by collectors because theyre associated with a particular author or a major historical event or era, or simply because theyre incredibly old. Books are made rare when there is a high demand from buyers but few known copies in existence. The demand for a book is created by a combination of factors, often including status as a first edition, signed book, or written by a. Discover the incredible books that the worlds richest collectors added to their bookshelves during 2014. List of most expensive books and manuscripts wikipedia. This paper is acid free and is coated with appropriate polymers that make it dust and moisture resistant.
When the beatles paperback writer hit number one in 1966, fans everywhere knew exactly what type of books the songs subject was churning out. Published by charles scribners sons 153157 fifth ave, ny. Classify these books as hyper modern first editions. Rare books are the surviving relics of humankinds very first steps into the world of portable information storage and mass communication a field of study thats meant a great deal to me personally over the past two decades as an early architect of the web. She was the first author to be inducted into the romance writers of america hall of fame. I made quite a bit of money off the paperback sales alone, let alone the buythrough of the other books in the series. While trying to figure out if some old books i had were worth any money, i found some notveryold books that are worth a surprising amount of cash. Throughout time, sacred texts have been hidden, stolen, smuggled, and destroyed. List of highly valuable rare books infotainment news.
Rare books are a notable investment, particularly for those who appreciate the significance of written language. Loved for its lurid cover of a blonde bombshell in high heels, nylons and smoking a cigarette. Check and clean your books regularly, as dust can quickly accumulate on books. Of course, it has always been the case that paperback books, unlike their hardcover counterparts, have been considered disposable, hence the inexpensive materials highacid paper, etc. You probably dont need to include every word of the title and authors name. How do we define the special category of antiquarian books called rare books.
It usually takes a long time, sometimes decades, for a books value to be determined but these treasures became collectable in a hurry. Find great deals on ebay for rare books and rare books 1st edition. You should think twice before throwing away that dusty old tome. Though approximately 90 percent of the books are reprints of titles previously issued in hard cover, the collection includes the dell first editions series which was begun in 1953 and features works by george sumner albee, george c. The paperback of the most valuable book ever published. Ellery queen is a pseudonym for cousins frederic dannay and james yaffe. You run the risk of having a rare item and not recognize that fact. Only books with some acknowledged importance will have a consumer demand that creates market value and a.
If you own one of these rare books, youre sitting on a gold mine. Fragile treasures the worldas most valuable paperbacks. Religious books bring lots of excitement at auction based upon their rarity. Johannes gutenberg, printed 1456, 180 copies known to exist. The value is determined by what the buyer is willing to pay. Collecting vintage paperback books vintage bookseller. Youve probably read articles about all those insanely expensive and incredibly rare, collectible books like the highly covetable first edition. Many of the most famous names in literature are found on our list, including lewis carroll, ernest hemingway, james joyce, harper lee, salman rushdie. Charles williams the sailcloth shroud first printing. To be valuable in the market place and thus command a premium price, a book must satisfy at least one, and usually more, of six criteria. The 20 most valuable books you might have at home daily mail.
The most essential factor in determining rarity is the book s intrinsic importance, or how important the book is considered to be in its field. The official price guide to collecting books, 6th edition official price guide to books by marie tedford paperback from house of collectibles 20080408. Published in 1938, the london life shown in this rare photography paperback book is long gone. Paperback sales of that title were sluggish prior to the free run, but after, they soared. Infotainment news follow on twitter february 20, 20.
Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book without typos from the publisher. The value of collectible paperback books is similar to any other collectible. This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Nora roberts is the bestselling author of more than two hundred romance novels. Vintage and pulp paperbacks discover rare books at where youll find a wide selection of fine, collectible, and rare books including vintage and. Curious if anyone knows if any value as the book is really in incredible condition for its age aside from some penciled in notes from an obvious past student. When most people think of books, they think about mass market paperbacks and the hardbacks at the library. This selection ranges from 1917 to 1969, and really is.
Or, contact a local auction house if you believe your books may be very valuable. For a while, some of the eclipse comics trade paperbacks of miracleman were selling for pretty substantial sums, sometimes even greater than youd pay to buy all of the back issues individually. Book em collectible paperback rare used and outofprint books. To many, its one of the best crime novels ever written.
Everyone had seen the graphic covers of these throwaway titles screaming from the racks at bus stations, corner stores, and supermarkets. New listing a novel book 3504 seduction on the run by louis fisher vintage firehunter by jim kjelgaard, 1965 scolastic pb, fine. Rare editions of famous books that are worth a fortune lovemoney. We do not have an open shop, but welcome serious collectors by appointment. Rare and valuable books old and not so old books worth. The first step to finding rare books is to understand exactly what makes a book rare. Group 8 vintage western paper back books printed 1923 various authors. Of particular interest to vintage paperback collectors were the pulp magazine authors, and.