How to price Uncle Tom's Cabin

[cambriachick]

Hi everyone,

I have a 1886 copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin and don't understand how to price it.  I see some for $20 and see some sold for $270-$300.  The expensive ones do have a better looking cover than mine, but other than that, there aren't enough pictures to determine a difference.  The spine on mine is good, the interior pages all good, but with darkening on the outer inch or so.  Any suggestions?

[picture*books]

Uncle Tom's Cabin is not in my wheelhouse, however I'll provide some perspective. The most similar to your book is priced at $149 at ABE, the 'New Edition' published in 1890 by Riverside Press versus your 1886. Similar binding to yours, however in green cloth versus brown. The ABE copy is in better condition than yours, so that would be the high side of your asking price, as I don't think the four year publication difference makes much of a difference on this title.

[lux-libri]

One potential selling point: The binding is unsigned but appears to be by noted American book designer Sarah Wyman Whitman (1842-1904.) There's much online about her if you want to learn more. Regarding price, I wouldn't be too optimistic given the condition.

[cambriachick]

Thank you.

[imagine.ink]

There is a very helpful website written by Michael Winship which identifies and gives background info on the many early editions of Uncle Tom's Cabin.  

http://utc.iath.virginia.edu/interpret/exhibits/winship/winship.html

Your copy appears in Figure 20 in the article (although in green, not brown, color cloth): 

 In 1885, another new set of plates were manufactured, and these were used to produce the even cheaper "Popular Edition" for $1.00 in cloth, and fifty cents in paper wrappers. This set of plates was still in use in 1917, by which time it had been used to print over 202,000 copies.

[taylor_memorial]

I think I'd be happy with $20 and a quick sale for the pictured title. 

[cambriachick]

Just as a follow up, I sold it for $55.

[imagine.ink]

Congrats on the sale!   I searched for your sold listing on eBay, but couldn't find it.

However, while looking at completed sales on eBay, I did find something of interest.  A while back (a couple of years ago), I posted on this Booksellers Board about my dilemma in finding Volume 1 of the first edition of Uncle Tom's Cabin with a missing title page!  All other pages and illustrations were intact.  I asked if anyone knew how to identify a first printing if the title page was missing, but no one knew the answer. 

Well, I just found a completed sale on eBay of Volumes 1 and II for $2,125  in October and the seller laid out all the first printing points of issue.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/353692560571?hash=item5259b82cbb%3Ag%3AM4EAAOSwkZZhT9VD&nma=true&si=ttkub%2...

UNCLE TOM'S CABIN
or,
Life Among the Lowly
by
HARRIET BEECHER STOWE

BOSTON: John P. Jewett & Co. , 1852 [published date: 1852]. RARE FIRST EDITION. FIRST PRINTING. 8vo. 8.0" x 5.25" inches. (LxB). Pp. [3, blank], [iii]-x, [13]-312; [i]-iv, [5]-322  pages. (Correct collation, same as the first issue) + illustrated with 3 woodcut illustrations in each volume. 

Rare first printing set from the first 5,000 printed with all first printing points present. No printing references on titles. "Hobart & Robbins" reference on copyright pages. 

Has "spilt" on Vol.1, p.42, line 1 and "cathecism" on Vol. 2, p.74, line 5.  

All text pages and all six engraved plates are present.

VOLUME 1: Complete 312-pages. Illus. p. 62, 174, 284.

VOLUME 2: Complete 322-pages. Illus. p. 63, 198, 238.. 

Original publisher's black cloth binding, front covers with gilt vignettes & gilt lettering on rebacked-relaid spine. There are title page vignettes and three black on white engravings by Hammett Billings in each volume.

 The first printing of five thousand copies was exhausted in a few days (3000 copies were sold the first day). The later printings bears the additional information on the title page, Tenth thousand, Twentieth thousand, etc.  BAL 19343. Grolier English 100, 91. Grolier American 100, 61. 

So now I know that the first printing has some words to differentiate it from all the printings after the first 5,000.   I looked at my copy and it did NOT have the first printing points of issue on page 42, so while still a first edition, it is definitely NOT a first printing.  At least that information will help me sell it accurately in the future.