Your personal book buyer

This weeks Essay in the NY Times Book Review struck a chord with me, in it the author talks about his youth when he would go to a yearly church book sale and stock up on cheap paperbacks to get him though the year. 

This is exactly what I do every year with a local charity book sale sponsored by our local daily newspaper.  Each year I go and pick up a bag full of books to help limp my reading habit though the year on budget, but there are always extras.  This year I picked up the entire Foundation series to go along with a number of other gems that I have sitting in my to be read pile.  Apparently I am not alone, the author also had many, many, extras.  So many extras that he is still reading his selections thirty years on

As the author looks back at his youthful self I see my future self in his words, I foresee the day that I too will be forced to institute "the First Law of Literary Thermodynamics, otherwise known as the conservation of libraries. No book can come into our household without another book leaving it."

I dread that day, I better get reading.

Comments

[Nancy Simonetta]

We have a Bible that was given by Amos Ford's sister-in-law upon Amos's death to Alvin Ford. It originally belonged to Chester Ford born in 1781. Any idea of it's value? Thanks!

[Scott Laming]

Bibles are a tough one, more often than not they are not really worth all that much (in a dollars and cents valuation), however sometimes copies associated to famous individuals will have value. I suggest that if you really want to know the true value you should pay for an appraisal from a local book appraiser. If you just want a ballpark guess try searching for other items associated with the Ford family and see what kind of premium they fetch. From there you could make an educated guess on your books value, however it would still be no more than a guess.

Hope that helps.

[Gael Goin]

I have a first edition, signed copy of Gladys Hasty Carroll's novel, "Dunnybrook." Good condition with dust jacket. Any idea of its value? Thank you!

[steven]

i have a supliment to the graphic volume 47 dated january to june 1893 any idea of how much it is worth please

[LFL]

I have volume 1-9
THE WORKS OF LORD LYTTON
BULWER'S
P.F. COLLIER PUBLISHER NEW YORK 1892

[Anne DiGeorge]

I looked up several books on bookbid and abebooks in May 2009 and was given a value for each.

Now, when I look them up, they will only accept ISBN numbers. These books were printed way before ISBN became the norm. When I search by title and author, I get "not found".

Particularly I am interest in the current value of these books.

1. The Complete Street Guide to Philadelphia, PA 1948 Edition. Original price 25 cents. Exclusive Distributors: The Central News Company, Division of The American News Company, South Washington St, Philadelphia, PA - Book measures 3 inches wide by 6 inches tall. Pages are aged, but intact. Red cover. Some dog ear pages (maybe 6 to 8) but otherwise no tears or loose binding. 192 pages. Also lists movie houses, hospitals, and clubs of the era. Condition: I'd say good to fair. Appraised in 2009 (bookbid.com) in present condition for $475.00

2. Nancy Drew Mystery Stories - The Clue in the Old Album - by Carolyn Keene - hardbound book, 1947 Edition, Grosset & Dunlap Publishers in New York, NY. In Very Good to Excellent condition.

3. Nancy Drew Mystery Stroies - The Clue of the Dancing Puppet - by Carolyn Keene - hardbound book, 1962 Edition, Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, New York, NY. In Very Good to Excellent Condition.

4. Mrs. Browning's Poems - A selection edited by Heloise E. Hersey. Printed by The MacMillan Company, London, Originally set up and electrotyped January, 1903. Copyright 1906.Burgundy hardbound cover; 192 pages. Measures 4in x 6 in. Cover is in good condition, pages are aged, not dog eared, and for the most part intact. A few pages have come loose from the others but remain attached to binding. Imprint: Norwood Press, J S Cushing & Co - Berwich & Smith, Norwood, Massachusetts USA. Includes introduction regarding Mrs. Browning's life, a list of works and her life as a poet.

5. Browning's Shorter Poems, as selected by Franklin T Baker (Professor of English in Teacher's College, Columbia University, 1912 Edition, Published by The MacMillan Company, London, England. Originally set up and electrotyped October 1899. Twelve reprints listed; this is the 1912 reprint and last one listed. 270 pages. Book measures 4in x 5 1/2in. Hardbound Cover is green; pages are aged but intact and untorn.

6. A Child's History of England, the Works of Charles Dickens with Illustrations. Cleartype Edition. Books, Inc in New York and Boston. Dedication page: This Child's History of England is dedicated to My Own Dear Children, whom I hope it may help, bye and bye, to read with interest larger and better books on the same subject. Christmas 1851. The copyright page: A Child's History of England first appeared in "Household Words" from January 25, 1851 to December 10, 1853 and was published in three volumes in 1852, 1853 and 1854 respectively. This Edition contains all the copyright emendations made in the text as revised by the Author in 1867 and 1867. Typeset, nickeltyped, printed and bound in the United States of America by the Colonial Press Inc in Clinton, Mass. Book is in good to fair condition; all pages intact and untorn. Hardbound cover is burgundy with some discoloration on binding edges. Has some stamped ownership markings, measures 5in x 7in, 367 pages.

I do not have the money to go to an appraiser and have tried several online book buyers with no result.

Thank you for your consideration,
Anne

[frogprof]

>I foresee the day that I too will be forced to institute "the First Law of Literary Thermodynamics, otherwise known as the conservation of libraries. No book can come into our household without another book leaving it."<

Nah, you just rent the apartment/buy the house next door. There is no reason to get rid of books you enjoy ... if you're like me, anyway, and tend to read so quickly that within two weeks you've forgotten the plot, characters, and even the author and/or title, in some cases ... so that when you re-read the book it's almost as though it's brand new to you!

[tera gold]

"I dread that day, I better get reading."thanks give the information with us.i think most people with the same mood with you.best wishes for you.:)