Collectible Childrens Books on eBay

[picture*books]

As per cc's suggestion, a thread for relatively higher dollar children's books sold on eBay and the ensuing discussions.

[picture*books]

$550 for the 18th book in the Bright & Early Books series, first published in 1974 without a DJ.

Item 350244516296 sold for $550 on Mar. 25, 2011

"RARE 1ST! There's a Wocket in my Pocket! by Dr. Seuss HB 1974

New York: Bright and Early Books for Beginning Beginners/Random House, 1974. BE-18. Hardback.

Unpaginated, about 28 pages. First Edition, First Printing with complete number line: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0. Very Good+ in No Dust Jacket As Issued. (Doesn't have $2.50 PEEL OFF sticker on front.) Glossy pictorial boards, has two small nicks on back top edge, else fine, no lean, no bumps, pages clean and bright, no writing in book, no previous owner's name, binding tight. Very rare in a first printing. ISBN: 0394829204. NOT ex-library, NOT book club, NOT remaindered."

[picture*books]

Since only 20 numbered hardcover copies were printed, it is unlikely another will turn up again on eBay. If anyone should come across a copy, here is some record of a comp.

Item 390298745305 sold for $3,595 on Mar. 24, 2011

"Set of 13 Hardcover Books - Mickey Mouse - 1930 to 1955
All the daily comic strips - Limited Edition #2 of 20

This auction is for a complete set of all 13 hardcover volumes of the Walt Disney Mickey Mouse Daily Comic Strip - 1930 to 1955. This run is every single daily Mickey Mouse comic strip published, nothing is missing! All of the great adventure stories are here, with the Phantom Blot, Peg-Leg Pete, Ghost Hunters, Professor X, XX, etc. After 1955 the strip became a 'gag a day' and no longer had continued stories. This set is the only place you will see the early Mickey Mouse strips printed, as the Walt Disney Company has banned many of these strips from seeing print due to the "politically incorrect" content.

This Limited Edition set was published in the early 1980's and only 20 hardcover sets were printed! This is set #2 out of 20. Each book in the set is numbered, and all are #2 out of 20. These LARGE books are bound in blue cloth with sewn signatures and are 10 inches tall by 15 inches long.

Great stories and artwork by the famous Ub Iwerks, who started the daily strip in 1930, then continued by Floyd Gottfredson until 1955. The quality of the printed strips is superb! My poor quality pictures do not do justice to the solid blacks and great half-tones that are used in these wonderful strips. There was one unbound set made up of reject pages that was sold to a buyer in Europe. He then made poor quality copies of these reject pages and sold them by year. My set is the original SUPER quality printing, unlike the poor copies that have been sold around Europe.

Books are in Near Fine to Fine condition. See photos below for the book set (robot toys on shelf are not included), one sample book cover and several interior illustrations."

[picture*books]

Item 140529687104 sold for $4,500 on Mar. 30, 2011

Horatio Alger/New Schoolma'am/Paperback/FIRST !!

"The New Schoolma'am , or, A Summer in North Sparta. By Horatio Alger, Jr. Boston, MA: A. K. Loring, 1877. Paperback. First edition. Issued anonymously. Good condition, some chips as common for its age. Arguably the rarest Alger title of all--- no other known copy, in original wraps, has surfaced in a private collection. Rarer than the Disagreeable Woman, published under the Alger pseudonym, Julian Starr, which sold several years ago. Free postage/insurance. 19th century paper covers nineteenth"

[picture*books]

Nice sale by Satnrose, an old friend of the BSB. Nearly $1400 for a signed first edition Ferdinand, without DJ. Congratulations old friend!

Item 380326048544 sold for $1,337 on Mar. 27, 2011

"THE STORY OF FERDINAND by Munro Leaf; illustrated by Robert Lawson

New York: The Viking Press, Publishers, Mcmxxxvi

© 1936, first printing of the first edition
so stated on the copyright page: FIRST PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 1936

Cloth spine hardcover

Slightly over 8-¼" tall

Signed by Robert Lawson on the verso of the front free endpaper

Signature guaranteed to be authentic.
Dated Aug. 1936

Inscribed to "Ferdinand Sanford"

Includes a letter from "Marion" on Woman's Home Companion stationery
[Marion B. Sanford was the Chairman of the "Reader Reporters" for the magazine,
Ferdinand Sanford was her brother]

No dustjacket

Worn at corners and spine ends, covers soiled, contents a little agetoned, but still in good condition, hinges and joints intact and sound.

The following information was taken from the Wikipedia:

The Story of Ferdinand (1936) is the best known work written by American author Munro Leaf and illustrated by Robert Lawson. The children's book tells the story of a bull who would rather smell flowers than fight in bullfights. He sits in the middle of the bull ring failing to take heed of any of the provocations of the matador and others to fight.
The book was released nine months before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, but was still seen by many supporters of Francisco Franco as a pacifist book. It became a target of the right wing, being banned in many countries, and—perhaps because of that suppression—was promoted by many on the left. It was one of the few non-Communist books promoted in Soviet-occupied Poland.

Leaf is said to have written the story on a whim in an afternoon in 1935, largely to provide his friend, illustrator Robert Lawson (then relatively unknown) a forum in which to showcase his talents.

The landscape in which Lawson placed the fictional Ferdinand is more or less real. Lawson faithfully reproduced the view of the city of Ronda in Andalusia for his illustration of Ferdinand being brought to Madrid on a cart: we see the Puente Nuevo ("New Bridge") spanning the El Tajo canyon. The Disney movie added some rather accurate views of Ronda and the Puente Romano ("Roman bridge") and the Puente Viejo ("Old bridge") at the beginning of the story, where Lawson's pictures were more free. Ronda is home to the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain that is still used; this might have been a reason for Lawson's use of its surroundings as a background for the story.

The story was adapted by Walt Disney as a short animated film entitled Ferdinand the Bull in 1938, in a style similar to his Silly Symphonies series (and sometimes considered an unofficial part of that series). Ferdinand the Bull won the 1938 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons).....

For the rest of the article, click here: wikipedia"

[picture*books]

Item 290538730955 sold for $5,500 on Apr. 3, 2011

1908 ANNE OF GREEN GABLES 1ST L.M. MONTGOMERY-VERY RARE
ONE OF THE MOST COLLECTABLE CHILDRENS BOOKS EVER!!!!!!!

"Up for auction is the all time classic, 1908 Anne Of Green Gables by Lucy Maude Montgomery. This is the very rare first edition, second impression from July 1908 and is in near fine condition. This copy is in the rarer green variant boards and the gold gilt lettering is fine. There is no writing or tears in the book or any foxing. This may be the finest copy known in this incredible condition!! First edition copies of this book have sold for close to $40,000 at auction and the 2nd impressions are very collectable and prized as well as very few were printed, only about 1,000 copies. This copy is protected in plastic mylar and will be shipped USPS priority mail insured for free."

[picture*books]

First edition Hunger Games are continuing to escalate in price, $900 for this signed copy. The 2nd and 3rd books in the series are much more common.

Item 220702612900 sold for $900 on Apr. 3, 2011

Suzanne Collins HUNGER GAMES Signed 1st
CATCHING FIRE Signed 1st + MOCKINGJAY Stamped 1st

"DESCRIPTION
Suzanne Collins - THE HUNGER GAMES, CATCHING FIRE & MOCKINGJAY (All 3 books in trilogy) - Signed First Edition/First Printings

PUBLISHER
Scholastic, USA, 2008, 2009, 2010

CONDITION
FINE, NEW and unread books in FINE dust jackets

SIGNATURE
Hunger Games and Catching Fire are signed by hand to the half title page. Mockingjay is stamped (not hand signed) with her signature and the words "MOCKINGJAY BOOK TOUR 2010". Due to her hand injury it is unknown if Ms. Collins will ever sign books again.

BONUS
Includes promotional tote bag given out during her Mockingjay tour stop in Wellesley, MA.

BASIS for the Lionsgate feature film that is currently in development

SYNOPSIS
HUNGER GAMES - In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival.

CATCHING FIRE - Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

MOCKINGJAY - The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss Everdeen. The final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins will have hearts racing, pages turning, and everyone talking about one of the biggest and most talked-about books and authors in recent publishing history!!!!"

[picture*books]

From the same seller as post #657, this lot of Richard Scarry original art sold for over $9,000.

Item 140523531102 sold for $9,050, on Mar. 21, 2011

"THE GINGERBREAD MAN LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK ARTWORK 1953
Illustrated by: Richard Scarry

Up for auction is the original artwork for the THE GINGERBREAD MAN LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK published by Simon & Schuster in 1953.

Includes:
Front Cover Art 10"x 13" "
Interior Page Art 6"x8" 28 pages ***ALL interior artwork has spotting throughout piece***
Little Golden Book

Illustrated by: Richard Scarry

Artwork is in good condition."

[oldnndway]

Mockingjay trilogy was a very good read, I can see why there would be interest in those.

[picture*books]

Mockingjay trilogy was a very good read, I can see why there would be interest in those.

Yeah for feedback!!!! Sometimes the monologue is monotonous.

[hollowayd]

Impressed that the 2nd impression of Anne did so well....wonder if that is an eBay phenomena or if it would do as well outside of eBay.

[gismas]

Yeah for feedback!!!! Sometimes the monologue is monotonous.

Not for me.

It's a great read.

Thanks so much.

.

[jeanpaulbooks]

Happy (almost) third anniversary! Well done.

[dcjunker]

I just posted a separate thread about a Harold and the Purple Crayon. Apologies if I should have posted it here. Please have a look and help me out if you can, thanks!

[ksmrkt]

I love this thread, picture*books!

Please don't stop. It is much appreciated.

[picture*books]

I know nothing about this book - perhaps the informed can help the uniformed with an explanation for why this mid-1980's reprint of an innocuous looking children's mystery series book sold for over $400 on eBay. The seller provided ample information, so maybe the reason is as explained in the auction. Still, wouldn't have thought the demand would be so high.

Item 290555916824 sold for $415 on April 21, 2011

THREE INVESTIGATORS #17 MYSTERY SINGING SERPENT ADRAGNA

"THREE INVESTIGATORS (formerly "Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators") #17 - THE MYSTERY OF THE SINGING SERPENT by M. V. CAREY, published by Random House, copyright 1972, circa mid-1980s printing, Gibraltar Library Binding, white endpapers, illustrated front board with Robert Adragna cover art.

THIS BOOK WAS ONE OF ONLY 8 OF THE ORIGINAL #1-#28 THREE INVESTIGATORS BOOKS THAT WAS REISSUED IN THE MID-1980s WITH THE REVISED ROBERT ADRANGA COVER ART - THERE WERE LIKELY ONE OR MAYBE TWO PRINTINGS WITH THIS COVER ART AND THESE WERE ONLY SOLD TO FILL LIBRARY ORDERS - VERY RARE HARDCOVER EDITION - ONLY SOLD TO LIBRARIES. STARTING WITH THREE INVESTIGATORS #29 IN 1979, RANDOM HOUSE ONLY SOLD RETAIL THREE INVESTIGATORS BOOKS IN PAPERBACK-ONLY FORMAT (THE LAST TRADE HARDCOVER EDITION SOLD TO THE PUBLIC WAS #28). THE HARDCOVER EDITION WAS ONLY MADE WITH RE-ENFORCED HINGES (I.E. "GIBRALTAR LIBRARY BINDING") AND SOLD EXCLUSIVELY TO SCHOOL LIBRARIES. AS A RESULT VIRTUALLY EVERY SINGLE HARDCOVER COPY OF THIS BOOK THAT IS FOR SALE ONLY EXISTS AS A DISCARDED EX-LIBRARY BOOK. THE EIGHT "ADRAGNA" HARDCOVERS VERY RARELY COME UP FOR SALE - THEY ARE MUCH RARER THAN THE HCs OF #29-#43 (I DON'T THINK I HAVE HAD ONE FOR SALE IN OVER A YEAR).

Book has no ex-library markings/stamps.stickers/card pocket to title page, copyright page, rear endpaper or outer page edges, slight paper residue to ffe, couple of creased page corners, no spine lean, no foxing/drop stains to outer page edges (slight dust soiling only), endpapers are otherwise clean and free from markings/tape residue, no former owner's markings or used bookseller stamps/stickers inside, no wear to board edges, slight wear to board corners and spine tips, no soiling or staining, no dust rubbing to rear cover, no color tearing to boards or spine of note, no spine sun fade (common defect with this book), no bumped board corners.

Note: This book comes protected by a removable clear Brodart book cover (cover is not taped to book - it can be simply slipped off if desired) which prevents further rubbing/soiling damage to the outer boards. Any white marks/glare lines in the photo are simply glare from the flatbed scanner reacting to this Brodart cover (and are not actual defects with the book).

Overall a VG+ book of a rare "Adragna" hardcover printing Three Investigators book. THIS IS ONE OF THE LAST OF THE ORIGINAL 43 THREE INVESTIGATOR HARDCOVERS AND IS NEVER FOUND WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT WEAR AND EX-LIBRARY MARKINGS. I have a number of other hardcover and paperback Three Investigator books up for auction on ebay - just click on the 'see other items' link to the right of the picture."