Best use of 3 dollars ever?
May 1, 2011 9:48 PM Subscribe
What's the value of this book? Did the I hit the fiscal jackpot with this Toliken first edition or did I just get a cool hardcover for my shelf?
So, first off, I'm mostly asking this question for my own edification. If I did get a book worth a couple hundred bucks for a measly three dollar investment that's great, but I'll likely keep it as an awesome piece of Middle Earth history either way.
Ok, so based upon the discussion from this link. I'm 95% sure that I have the Clowes First Export, First Edition printing based upon the fact that mine does have the following:
Dark blue cloth binding, with blue and white striped headband and dyed blue top edge.
Not being an expert I hesitate to place a condition on the book but based upon the information at abes books I'd place the condition somewhere between very good and fine.
I ask because I see various prices around the net.
Thanks for the opinions.
So, first off, I'm mostly asking this question for my own edification. If I did get a book worth a couple hundred bucks for a measly three dollar investment that's great, but I'll likely keep it as an awesome piece of Middle Earth history either way.
Ok, so based upon the discussion from this link. I'm 95% sure that I have the Clowes First Export, First Edition printing based upon the fact that mine does have the following:
Dark blue cloth binding, with blue and white striped headband and dyed blue top edge.
Not being an expert I hesitate to place a condition on the book but based upon the information at abes books I'd place the condition somewhere between very good and fine.
I ask because I see various prices around the net.
Thanks for the opinions.
I ask because I see various prices around the net.
As is sometimes mentioned in rare-book threads, the high list prices around the net are for books that haven't sold yet. However, the market for Tolkien first editions is more liquid than most, and that makes it easier to find someone who'd be able to hone in on the going rate.
posted by holgate at 4:58 AM on May 2, 2011
As is sometimes mentioned in rare-book threads, the high list prices around the net are for books that haven't sold yet. However, the market for Tolkien first editions is more liquid than most, and that makes it easier to find someone who'd be able to hone in on the going rate.
posted by holgate at 4:58 AM on May 2, 2011
Response by poster: an expert is a much, much better judge at condition than average people.
Yep, totally agree: Not being an expert I hesitate to place a condition on the book...
And yea, I get what you're saying holgate, guess I'll just have to figure things out as I go along.
posted by RolandOfEld at 6:38 AM on May 2, 2011
Yep, totally agree: Not being an expert I hesitate to place a condition on the book...
And yea, I get what you're saying holgate, guess I'll just have to figure things out as I go along.
posted by RolandOfEld at 6:38 AM on May 2, 2011
I assume we're discussing the Silmarillion based on your links. Do you have any pictures you could post?
posted by fiercekitten at 11:06 AM on May 2, 2011
posted by fiercekitten at 11:06 AM on May 2, 2011
What city are you in?
posted by jeffamaphone at 11:55 AM on May 2, 2011
posted by jeffamaphone at 11:55 AM on May 2, 2011
Response by poster: No pictures yet, but yes it is the Silmarillion and I'm in Northern Florida (memail if you want to know exactly where). I got it at a Goodwill books store which was actually rather nice.
I guess if you want to visualize it any of the ones you see in the links from my post pretty much match it's appearance exactly.
posted by RolandOfEld at 7:36 AM on May 3, 2011
I guess if you want to visualize it any of the ones you see in the links from my post pretty much match it's appearance exactly.
posted by RolandOfEld at 7:36 AM on May 3, 2011
Response by poster: Oh, forgot, the book, according to a small sticker on the inside lower dustcover leaf, seems to have came from Canada originally if that matters at all.
posted by RolandOfEld at 7:37 AM on May 3, 2011
posted by RolandOfEld at 7:37 AM on May 3, 2011
The cheapest price you find at Abebooks or Bookfinder.com for a copy in comparable condition is the surest indicator of what your book is worth. I work in a used/rare book shop and we see folks all the time who search Abebooks and latch onto the highest-priced copy they see while ignoring lots of similar-condition cheaper copies. Don't be that person. :) The $651 edition you linked at Abebooks discusses very specific typos that set it apart from later editions; since you don't mention those in describing your copy, I'm assuming you don't have that edition.
A quick search for Tolkien's Silmarillion at Abebooks with "clowes" and "export" as keywords produces many copies starting at $20, with book and dust jacket in VG condition, including one for $25 which claims near fine condition for both book and dust jacket. Unless you can point to some reason why those copies are somehow different from yours, I'd say you have a $20-25 book in your hand; i.e., it's one of the later editions mentioned in the description of your $651 example.
posted by mediareport at 5:21 PM on May 21, 2011
A quick search for Tolkien's Silmarillion at Abebooks with "clowes" and "export" as keywords produces many copies starting at $20, with book and dust jacket in VG condition, including one for $25 which claims near fine condition for both book and dust jacket. Unless you can point to some reason why those copies are somehow different from yours, I'd say you have a $20-25 book in your hand; i.e., it's one of the later editions mentioned in the description of your $651 example.
posted by mediareport at 5:21 PM on May 21, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
One thing i've learned in the decades collecting comics, an expert is a much, much better judge at condition than average people. They will notice things that set the bar at a certain level, and that will set the price (obviously), the best prices will be mint and near mint, and drop off sharply after that. If you are seriously interested in value, get it appraised and documented.
posted by usagizero at 10:41 PM on May 1, 2011 [1 favorite]