Which books do you think are future collectors pieces?

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Which books do you think are future collectors pieces?

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1kiwidoc
Jun. 23, 2007, 2:19 am

I am always surprised at the varying rates at which 'good books' that seem to be future collector pieces, go up in value. Does anyone have any suggestions of possible good ones to buy. I will not hold you to it, if you are wrong in ten years!!!!

2VisibleGhost
Jun. 23, 2007, 2:50 am

If you tell me where a limited signed edition of The Road by Cormac McCarthy is offered for sale I'll go buy a copy or two. Or three or four.

3scotchbooks
Jun. 25, 2007, 3:58 pm

2
At this point, anything signed by Cormac McCarthy has some degree of elevated value since he seems to have graduated beyond the book signing rounds. I do have a first of Blood Meridian I would be delighted to have him autograph though.

As was stated on another thread, 1st novels positively reviewed in NYTBR that have a small initial print run have a better than average value potential. But these represent a very small slice of the market. In a documentary on NYTBR run by CSPAN recently the Times staff said they had about 1000 new titles submitted each week. They run about 12-15 weekly reviews and short review maybe 15 more books. So we must presume they can reliably select the best 3% of everything that's published. Better check other reviews from the top 10 papers in the country rather than bet on that long shot.

4bookstothesky
Bearbeitet: Mrz. 2, 2008, 10:58 am

One that I think will have some staying power, because I fully expect it to hit the summer teen reading lists soon, if it hasn't already, as a Diary of Anne Frank alternative, is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This was a surprise bestseller, so I believe the U.S., first printing was relatively small, though I don't have any actual figures.

There's currently a first printing of the U.S. hardcover, described as fine, selling for $75.00 on bookfinder.com.* Buy it and get it signed by Zusak, who is young and tours fairly regularly, and the value will jump about 4-5 times. Hold the signed book for 10 years and I think it will be considered a classic selling for around 1K, plus or minus a few hundred dollars (pure speculation here, but not unreal, I think). If you read messages 6, 8 and 10 here: http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=1322 you will see I do have a stellar prediction history ;)

Anyway, since being published in March of 2006 in the U.S., the book has received 103 reviews on LT and an average of 4.53 stars after more than 500 ratings, so the great majority of LT readers like it very much.

*I have no relationship with the seller of this book.

5Polite_Society
Jul. 21, 2007, 3:12 am

Crossover "scholarly" works designed for the general public usually have a limited initial printing run and seldom require a second edition (or they head directly to a paperback version); 80% of the time resale prices for these books go through the roof in less than twenty years -- in less than ten years, even. Here are just a couple of examples:

Yale acquired the private papers of James Boswell in the first half of the last century and spent the last half of it editing and publishing a 14-volume "trade edition" set of Boswell's 'journals' via a deal with McGraw-Hill. The very first books in the series - even though they're fifty to sixty years old -- are not at all rare or valuable; Yale/McGraw-Hill had so hyped their grand endeavor that they printed vastly more copies of the first five or six books than would ever sell, so from then on McGraw-Hill printed much smaller runs. The result is that the very latest of the Boswell books - some barely ten years old - are the rarest and costliest: with dustjacket prices between $22 and $27, they sell for hundreds apiece on the collector circuit.

Another example of a specific book is Angelica Goodden's biography of portrait artist Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun, "The Sweetness of Life." It was published in the UK in 1997 and sold (briefly) on Amazon.com for about $27. It now fetches $135 or more.

And, no matter what, any time you find a complete set of books (in good shape) that were privately printed with a numbered run, buy them if you can afford them, because, while their subject matter may not appeal to you, it *will* appeal to someone, and limited editions only decrease in availability while increasing in value.

6nickhoonaloon
Okt. 5, 2007, 4:37 pm

The Aqua Crysta series (an English series, possibly not on LT`s database, but only ( I would think ) signed firsts, preferably ones which still have the accompanying merchandise with them. I recall they cam with `passports` and bookmarks. I also recall some sort of game, but my wife says I`ve imagined that. There`s a web site, I`m sure where these things can be checked out.

7andyray
Bearbeitet: Okt. 6, 2007, 11:01 am

u run across anything by harry crews for under $20 (and there are many of his at library sales). yes, even library copies of his first foiur novels are selling in the hundreds of dollars. the gospel singer 1st is up to $1,500 or more.

i don't understand why, since i still have 400 copies i will sell for $10, my book A CANDLE IN THE RAIN by Andy Ray is listed on Abebooks and Amazon, et al, from $25 to $350. go figger.

8nickhoonaloon
Nov. 25, 2007, 8:29 am

Something else I`ve thought of. The UK`s Five Leaves publishing company produces, among other things, new work by established authors (Zoe Fairbairns, John harvey, David Belbin), and some by new authors.

In particular, two of their short story anthologies contain stories specially written for them by Harvey which, as far as I know, have not appeared elswhere.

They are paperbacks, so less likely to accrue in value than hardbacks, but I wonder ? These titles aren`t run off the press in huge quantities, and of course there`s also the side bet that one of the less well-known writers might make a name for themselves.

I know second hand copies of one or two of their discontinued titles have been offered by booksellers on Abe at high prices, though how realistic that is, I don`t know.

9nemoman
Bearbeitet: Nov. 27, 2007, 12:02 am

National Geographic Directions has published travel literature by very well known writers. I have the entire collection , first edition, and I think that it epitomizes what you can collect currently depending on your interests. Mine happens to include travel literature and this collection introduced me to great writers I otherwise would not have known. In twenty years, many of the editions will become obscure and it will be hard to assemble an entire collection. For example I think of the great rivers of america collection which is difficult to completely collect now because of the rarity and hence cost of some editions.

10tom1066
Jan. 25, 2008, 1:06 pm

It occurred to me the other day when looking at notices in the paper for upcoming author signings that there are fewer and fewer signings all the time. I have lived in the Bay Area and Chicago (both pretty good centers of reading) and in neither are there more than a scattering of signings each month.

Obviously, there are likely financial reasons for this trend -- the high cost of travel and lodging relative to the shrinking reading public. This has resulted in odd innovations like the "remote" book signings that some authors have been doing.

I note this to suggest that signed copies of books by current authors may be an even better investment than they have been in the past, because they will be relatively more scarce.

I've also noticed a rise in the number of signed bookplates by current authors, which suggests that an actual signature in a book may become more valuable relative to a signed bookplate in the future.

Last note: Signed books by foreign authors are instantly valuable, simply because such authors are usually not available to sign many copies. For instance, Haruki Murakami's signed books -- even recent books -- command hundreds and thousands mainly because he almost never tours the U.S.

11nemoman
Bearbeitet: Feb. 3, 2008, 2:46 pm

I would ditto tom1066's comment. On a morbid note, an author's death also significantly enhances the value of his signed editions. I have a limited edition of Catch 22 signed by Heller that I bought for $50 new. After his death I saw copies for sale for as much as $450. The Franklin Library issued some fine signed first editions by such collectible authors as Oates, Chatwin, Vonnegut and Theroux. Sometimes when a bookstore stages a signing it will retain additional signed copies in its inventory. For example, while browsing in a bookstore on Martha's Vineyard, I decided to buy Theroux's then new book "My Other Life." I paid only retail for it and was surprised to later discover it was signed. I also bought a signed first edition of Abbey's Beyond The Wall: Essays From The Outside for retail and its value has soared since Ed's tragic death.

12nickhoonaloon
Feb. 5, 2008, 4:26 am

Over here, shops that are having a signing always get the author to leave an additional supply of signed books behind. These are normally placed on display for the benefit of those who couldn`t attend/didn`t know about the signing for around a week, then just added to the normal shop stock.

It`s not unknown when shops are unloading unsold stock for signed copies to be among them.

I wouldn`t read too much into exorbitant prices, unless you know that they are actually being acheived. Some sellers offer a few items at inflated prices, basically on the premise that you never know, someone might be daft enough to pay it. You`ll notice on Abe sometimes that the same book can be available from different sellers at widely differing prices.

But yes, I agree that the death of an author can enhance the value of a book, though sometimes only for a short time.

13tom1066
Feb. 5, 2008, 9:28 am

I second nickhoonaloon's observation, and note that there are people out there who treat books as investments. One way, at least in theory, to leverage your investment is to buy books by an author who has fallen out of general popularity, is nearing death, and is certain to be the subject of media tributes upon his or her death. When the author dies, the "investor" can sell his or her books for a premium and make a profit.

In my opinion, this scenario is a bit ridiculous. For one thing, books are not a great investment strategy -- they are high-risk, low-yield, in general. For another, who are the people who are going to suddenly rush out and buy an expensive, collectible copy of an author's work when he or she dies? And how many of them are there? And what happens if you don't sell the book in the short window of time when it is valuable again?

At the same time, I know firsthand of people who operate along these lines, and who believe it is a sound strategy. I think they'd be better off putting their money in a mutual fund or IRA, myself.

14andyray
Mai 26, 2008, 12:47 pm

to tom1066's last:
"books are not a good investment strategy." . . . .

Really?! If you study the Books in Print and buy at auctions and roadsales and library sales, you can make a retirement fund. One example from hundreds. Up in New England they have no idea of who Harry Crews is. You can find a Crews 1st edition for $2 to $6 and turn right around and sell it for 20 to 50 times of that amount. Gee. I think that's a good investment. The fact is many bookstore owners and auction people (those who auction everything and don't specialize), have no idea what anything printed is worth. there was a book auctioneer named Davis here in Central Florida who used to put five books together haphazardly and sell them to the highest bidder, usually for $20 to $30 dollars. Among the gems I've found in those bundles are a first edition of an Italian publication of James Jloyce's poetry (in Italian of course) a Father Kleaber Beowulf translation, and a first British edition of some book called "Peter and Wendy" by a guy named J. barrie. Hm.

Putting it another way, I took some 600 books in my collection I'd added for about $2,000 and sold them for $8,500 when I needed cash and that was 10 years ago. The Hemingways and Twains have since gone through the roof.

15tom1066
Mai 26, 2008, 2:13 pm

andyray - I don't dispute that some books appreciate, or that books can often be had for well below their market value. I myself used to make a considerable amount of money exploiting the same lack of knowledge you discuss in your message.

All I mean to suggest is that for the majority of collectors, who rely on booksellers of some variety for their books, their initial buy-in will be at or above current market-price. When they finally sell these books several years later, they may make a profit but inflation also has to be considered. For most collectors, their particular area of knowledge or interest may not be as profitable as high-point literary works. Their money might have been more profitably invested in something else.

Some books will always go up, such as your Twains and Hemingways, but others will not. Harry Crews is a good example of an author who is not a good long-term investment. His books are not really scarce, their value is mainly because they are out of print and consequently sellers can get a premium for them for those who want to read them. That's why even paperbacks of some of his titles command prices above cover. However, if and when they are reissued, you can expect their value to drop considerably. The same happened to Neal Stephenson's Big U.

More power to you, who can find ways to exploit the inefficiencies in the marketplace. You're using the kind of knowledge that good booksellers have, but not a kind that most collectors have. As in any investment, a few have the knowledge to make a lot of money, while most do not.

16muzzie
Mai 26, 2008, 2:45 pm

I think children's books are a good possibility. Most get quite a bit of wear, therefore few first editions, first printings are available even a short time after issue. I bought this book new about ten years ago, It's not worth a great deal but I have hopes. Meanwhile, its a beautiful book.

Pish, Posh, Said Hieronymus Bosch by Nancy Willard

http://www.librarything.com/work/316622/book/30048155

I have ten book limited set of Kipling, I think has potential although I'm still researching it. Same case with a set of two Washinhton Irving.

So many of the older sets have been broken up, I would think complete sets in good condition would be a good choice.

17yhoitink
Mai 26, 2008, 2:55 pm

Old atlases are a nice choice as well. School atlases in good condition are often sold in garage sales for little to nothing and they can easily make tens of dollars or more. Older atlases can be worth a lot more.

I also check for woodcuts when going to antique book markets. A couple of years ago, I was able to buy the remnants of a 1628 edition of the 'cosmographia' by Sebastian Munster for 2.50 euros (about $4). All the maps were cut out but there were still many woodcuts left. I've seen a single page go for $ 50 on Ebay so I guess that wasn't too bad of a buy :-)

18bookstopshere
Jun. 17, 2008, 1:04 pm

LOL
It's certainly possible to turn a nice profit in books - and, in many cases, to predict which titles/editions will increase in value - but that's not book collecting, that's investing. "Collect" stuff you love; invest wisely. Collecting is much more fun!

19andyray
Jun. 26, 2008, 11:11 am

#18. I agree heartily. That's why I stopped investing as a prima facis method of operating and (still am attracted to an obvious bargain) began my third library october 1, 2004 acquisisting books of all bindings and publication that had only one thing in common -- I must have read it! This probably will free my complete set of Moliere circa 1900 and the 13 volume leatherbound set of Fielding's complete works for sale.

20bookstopshere
Jun. 27, 2008, 9:55 am

now, if you can just find someone that knows Fielding wrote more than one book . . .

21lilithcat
Jun. 27, 2008, 10:49 am

> 17

Oh, you must read (if you haven't already) Dorothy L. Sayers' short story, The Learned Adventure of the Dragon's Head, in which a copy of Munster's Cosmographia holds the clue to treasure!

22yhoitink
Bearbeitet: Jun. 30, 2008, 5:29 pm

Hi Lilithcat,

Thanks for that wonderful tip! I hadn't heard about this story and I would really like to read it now!

I Googled the title and also found the story contains one of the earliest known references to 'hic sunt dracones' (here be dragons) on a map. For a historical cartography lover like myself that makes it even more special.

... adding to wishlist ...

Yvette