Coming up for auction this afternoon: Ulysses

Millea Bros. (www.milleabros.com) in Boontoon, NJ, will auction a copy of "Ulysses" this afternoon. It is described as "Good/Fair, slipcase worn and soiled and splitting at joints, endpapers discolored from age, front endpaper split at hinge, stamping on front cover rubbed, binding sound." The link to the lot is https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/lec-james-joyce-ulysses-signed-matisse-3a....

You can view the live auction here: https://live.invaluable.com/catalog/OM7PLJK0AQ/bidder?channelID=1&rURL=https....

It's likely to come up around 2:00 or 2:30 p.m. and the high bid just before noon is $1,500.

I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes by posting this.

>1 Addison372:

$1500 in that condition? And not signed by Joyce?

Most interesting, when you remember the storm of protest from LEC subscribers when the book was announced.

From what I can see, the $1,500 bid comes from Invaluable users, and the house has additional bids that they announce when the lot comes up. (That's my best guess based on watching the auction this morning, but I could be wrong.)

How is a split hinge a "sound" binding?

That said, I would probably pay $1500 for this if I happened to have $1500, which I don't.

>4 jveezer: How is a split hinge a "sound" binding?

That seems to rule out "a good reading copy."

Sold for $3,000

And it sold for $3,000. The buyer's premium will be either $600 or $750, depending on how the bid was placed. There's a charge for shipping if the book isn't picked up within 10 business days.

"How much is the buyer’s premium?
"The buyer’s premium for each lot purchased is twenty-five percent (25%) on the first $500,000 and twenty-two percent (22%) on the portion exceeding $500,000. For successful bidders who register for an auction and bid directly through our Milleabros.com website or app, a discount of 5% off of the 25% buyer’s premium will be applied to invoices that are paid in full via cash, check, or wire transfer within 7 days of the sale date. Purchases made through third party live bidding services (i.e., LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, BidSquare.com) are not eligible for this discount."

Cost $10 new....

>9 Django6924: If only my grandfather had bought a couple of copies, and 10 shares of Berkshire Hathaway's IPO when it was issued.

>8 Addison372: Since I never participate in such things, please explain the "buyer's premium". Is this an additional amount paid by buyer on top of the winning amount?
I think I'll stick to ebay.

>11 laotzu225: Yes, got it in one.

>11 laotzu225:

It's an additional amount, but auction "wholesale" prices are often far lower than Ebay or Amazon "retail" prices even after you factor in the buyer's premium. So traditional auctions are great for the buyer. The person who's really being punished here is not the buyer but the consigner, because they only get the hammer price minus a selling fee, the hammer price being the price before the buyer's premium is applied. The buyer's premium goes into the auction house piggy bank.

There are, of course, some really rare and desirable items which will command a high price regardless of whether it's being sold retail or through a traditional auction. Usually stuff I can't afford anyways.

>14 kdweber:. When buying at auction, my rule f thumb is my end price will be roughly 150% of my bid price when taking into account the buyers premium, sales tax, postage and handling. I’ve only won a few auctions but when I have, the price has been very reasonable. Sometimes auction prices (eBay as well) end up being considerably higher than copies in similar condition on Abe. Never bid blindly and be willing to lose.

Another "Ulysses" came up for auction today at Fairfield Auction in Monroe, Connecticut: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/95165072_ulysses-by-james-joyce?utm_source=....

"Some toning at the edges. No slip case. Front and back hinge with fine break (see image)." The opening bid was $1,500 and it sold for $1,700, not including the buyer's premium of 25% and a shipping charge of $35. (Insurance isn't included.)

Is Ulysses as hard to understand and read as people say?

>16 RickFlair: Yes! I failed to complete it 4 times before convincing my book group to tackle the work over 3 months. Used helper notes and lots of stuff online. Hardest read I've ever done after reading Finnegan's Wake in a college class.

>16 RickFlair:

When I read it in college, it didn't make much an impression because I wasn't understanding what was behind the words I was reading. Then, when I was in Ireland in 2007 I went to the Joyce House in Dublin and bought a copy and read it, often going to the many places mentioned in the book (even having a gorgonzola sandwich and glass of burgundy at Davy Byrne's "moral pub"). This time things clicked. Is it the best novel ever written and worth the effort? I wouldn't say that, but I will say I really enjoyed it the second time around, probably due to being in the surroundings, but also due, I'm sure, to 40+ years of additional reading of many of the books which formed the foundation upon which Joyce built his edifice.