Ask any question about any book Part II

[satnrose]

Ask

[taylor_memorial]

There is a radio collectors specialty auction in Burbank, OH once a month.

I'm not suggesting this is a good place for your stuff, only that because there is such a regular auction at a venue which also auctions calves and piglets, there is a solid collector base for such things.

If you don't have your own website, eBay would be the likely place to catch the eye of the collector.

I had some SAMS from the 60's, on Amazon for about three years without a single nibble, sold the lot at a nice profit on eBay within a month.

[jimcalliste_0]

In general how much would a 1930s-40s book be worth? I bought a few from the library today.

[lludwig]

jimcalliste_0 - The value of a book is not based on its age. The book could be 150 years old but if no one wants it . . . Without more information such as title, author, publisher no one will be able to help you with your books.

Have you tried doing some research on them yourself? Check to see if the book is listed on ebay or the River and at what price; however, remember the price you see is the asking price not what the book sold for. There are also other bookselling services you can check such as addall.

When you find the books you have, remember to check to make sure it is the same edition and in the same condition. Condition of a book is like location to in real estate.

[blinkinglemon]

Boy, I hope I am adding my question in the right way...

I bought this book:

1909 Chatto & Windus

Poems by Robert Louis Stevenson including Underwoods, etc.

My edition looks identical to the white vellum binding shown here by rare bookseller, Jonkers:

https://www.jonkers.co.uk/rare-book/7069/poems/robert-louis-stevenson

Mine also has the page marker, with an owner's name in fountain pen upper right on the title page.  Their price isn't available anymore since the book sold.  Any ideas about value?  (I did not pay much, impossible to disappoint me 🙂 )

[blinkinglemon]

And obviously this picture is of my book not the Jonkers...just to be clear....

[lludwig]

Blinkinglemon - AbeBooks has this one listed for $100.00. The covers of your copy look much nicer.

"London: Chatto & Windus, 1909. Fine-Paper Edition. Pp. x, 205, title-page in red and black. Full vellum with ornate gilt decoration to both upper and lower covers, gilt decorated spine, top edge gilt, others uncut, marbled endpapers, ribbon bookmark. Bookplate of Zella Evelyn Leather-Culley on front pastedown (see Burke's Peerage), inscription on verso of free endpaper: "Xmas 1910 / Z.E.L.C. / from HMW & F.E.W." Covers lightly soiled, browning to spine and around margins, otherwise very good copy."

http://tinyurl.com/ya4rdvwa

I can't make out the former owner's name, but I suggest you research the name just in case it is someone of importance.

[blinkinglemon]

lludwig -- thanks!  -- I appreciate the perspective on the condition of the covers!  Obviously I should have dug deeper myself - d'uh.  I had the same thought on the signature.  

I guess this needs a place on the "be careful with it" shelf -- though all the shelves are  "I really ought to try to sell this someday" shelves, so my bookselling remains purely theoretical.

i have another book from the same sale that looks like it might be something -- at least by my standards, so i'll post here later today.

I was delighted to find this board still here, plugging away -  despite the rampant over-improvement of its appearance by management.  Thank you again!

[figtree3]

Could the writing on the title page say "R F from E F [followed by the date] ?

[bestpaperboy]

I visited the Friends of the Lake Forest Library sale today. It is one of the biggest and best sales in the Chicago area and I always find something to buy. I think I enjoy the hunt more than anything. 

I picked up a couple of Alice in Wonderland books as they can usually sell pretty easily, and if you know what to look for it is easy to turn a couple buck investment into $10 or more. Both books had illustrations by John Tenniel which is a pretty good sign as he is well known for his illustrations from the 19th century. The first book turned out to be a Junior Deluxe Edition which will be an easily sell. 

The second volume has been much harder to identify. I noticed when I looked at it that the illustrations where clean and sharp. Many times this is not the case with retreads which look like they have been copied from a copy. You can still sell those but this one, I figured would be far easier.

When I started to look at listings to try and place it I suddenly realized that nowhere in the book is there the name of a publisher, a city of publication or a date. There is no ISBN number either.

As near as I can tell what I have looks to be a facsimile of the 1887 edition of the book - The Title Page says Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  By Lewis Carol, With Forty-Two Illustrations by John Tenniel.  Below that is where other volumes I have seen (there were facsimiles produced in 1922 and 1932 with the exact same look) the name of the publisher listed - 'Macmillan' - just as it was in the 1866 edition. The bottom of the page in my book in brackets it says [The Right of Translation and Reproduction is Reserved]. On the bottom of the last page in this book it says:  "R. Clay, Son And Taylor, Printers. Bread Street Hill," which I believe comes from the original 19th century volume.

The boards are covered in maroon cloth. The front cover features a gilded Alice holding i believe a pig dressed as a baby in a circle. There are three parallel gild lines running around the outside of the cover serving as a frame. I understand the first editions have a cheshire cat on the back board. This volume does not.

I am fairly certain I do not have anything extremely rare or extremely valuable but what I'd like to know, if anyone can tell me, what I do have. 

[ll_rare_books]

Help with identifying Illustrator - 1900's - Wicked Willie - Written and Illustrated by B. 

Hi , I'm trying to find out who this illustrator is  - Being that the artwork is distinct in style I'm hoping someone can look at the photos and know immediatly - I thought maybe Wilhelm Busch - but probably not - There is NO title page story starts on back of front board , The publisher info is on Back of Back board - The only mention of Author/  Illustrator is the letter B.  Any thoughts or help on this would be greatly appreciated !

Title - Wicked Willie by B

Published by Barclay and Fry Ltd London - no date but most likley 1907 - 1909 

[figtree3]

I found it in this 1907 listing:

https://books.google.com/books?id=QaNJAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA297&lpg=PA297&dq=%22barclay+*+fry%22+%22wicked+w...

I'll try to work on this a little later also, since the above doesn't answer your question but at least gives a possible date.

[sigmapsidelta]

Has anyone ever seen a copy of Dorothy L. Sayers's 'The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club' 1935 Penguin 1st with the dust wrapper?

Even the Penguin Collectors Society's copy doesn't have one. I can find no mention of one being offered with a wrapper, nor one having been sold. Though I don't have access to the subscription sites that carry such records, I didn't think they'd include relatively modern paperbacks anyway.

.

[sattlerbooks]

halftitle

[sigmapsidelta]

This may be a bit of a vain hope, but we have yet again had something donated to the charity bookshop I run that I can't find any comparable for....

Records of the Coinage of Scotland

From the Earliest Period to the Union

Collected by R.W. Cochran-Patrick of Woodside

Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas 1876

2 volumes.

There are 2018 POD softcovers in droves on ABE and Amazon, Bookfinder has more of the same. Google searches find, alongside the above, digitized parts or complete books of the original items, but nothing about what we should be looking to ask for them.

Google Books says, "This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it" which seems to indicate a modicum of importance.

Has anybody seen these items offered for sale anywhere? Seen them sell anywhere in the past? Any assistance gratefully accepted.

.

[argon38]

---

@sigmapsidelta wrote:

Google Books says, "This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it" which seems to indicate a modicum of importance.

---

Every single one of the older digitised books on Google Books says that! Here's a listing of the two volumes from 2014 - they sold for $200:

http://www.icollector.com/Records-of-the-Coinage-of-Scotland_i20338826