Short answer: No.
It's a simple question, but perhaps not one that's often considered, and it really only applies to very recent publications. The background is that it's possible sometimes to buy books still in their original shrinkwrap (particularly limited editions), usually having come directly from the publisher in such a....
Something needs to be said about the growing trend of over-priced later printings of first editions.
There's something nebulous about the motivation behind book collecting. The desire to own the physical object; a memento or an object d’art, or a concrete representation of nostalgia or achievement, a manifestation of one’s soul...
Heads Up: Don't take this too seriously, I think, perhaps, it's primarily nonsense pitted with opinion and anecdote. But hey, it's the 21st Century. So it goes.
The Idea
Do you know who's a better fantasy writer than Tolkien? Creator of Discworld and self-driving luggage Terry Pratchett. That's a fact*. Also, despite his...
The most rewarding thing about this job is not just helping collectors fill gaps in their collections, but helping collectors fill the last gap in their collection. Recently, one of our clients emailed us to let us know that a book we'd sent had completed their collection of Gnome Press publications...
One of the questions we get asked the most is where can I sell my [insert rare book]. Here's a brief outline of your options and a short assessment of the pros and cons.
At Auction. This has been a common option for a couple of hundred years. We don't generally...
In the words of Public Enemy, Don't Believe the Hype. Well, that's a little disingenuous to be honest. Chuck D should've really said 'Don't always believe the hype', or 'Exercise caution when making a decision based upon what others, both with and without vested interests, suggest. Admittedly, I'm not quite...
We recently acquired a wonderful Kelmscott piece and thought it might be nice to preserve the pictures on this blog before it sells. As always, it's a fabulous work of book art. Everything about it speaks volumes for the care Morris and his team put into their work. Jean Froissart...
Here follows a list of terms we use when describing our books.
NOTE: We expect to update this post every now and then, so please check back to look for updates.
ABRASION: This refers to the boards, jacket, wraps of even leaves having had something scuff their surface. It can occur just from...
Collectors usually, though not always, value a book that has been signed by the author over one that hasn't. Though authors have been signing their books for centuries, the notion of an author sitting at a table and signing dozens of books for their adoring public is a relatively recent...
What is an association copy?
An association copy can often be the pinnacle of collecting for a particular book. A book is designated an association copy if it was owned, at some time, by someone associated with the book. This can be somewhat tenuous, and the less tenuous the association the...
I've spent the morning putting together statistics for the Hugo and Nebula awards and plan on sharing the data over a handful of blog posts. I've only looked at the awards for novel, novella, novelette and short story. That's not to demean the other categories, rather these are the categories...
When I dismantled and sold my first collection nearly a decade ago it was nearly a decade old. When I look back, it was an unruly collection, with more than a smidgen of simple amassing. It was my first collection and I enjoyed it immensely. I enjoyed receiving the books...
I'd like to introduce you to a new website we've put together. We thought it would be nice to allow our clients and readers, and anyone really, to post photos of their book collections online. It's not for comment and it's entirely anonymous, just a place really to let people...
One thing that I've been hearing a lot about of late is market value, so I thought I'd take a moment to offer my take on how market value works in the rare book trade.
1. Markets are many and varied.
When most book collectors talk about market value, what they're actually...
This is an article that shouldn't need to be written, but sadly it does. There are sharks out there, but thankfully most of them are amateurs and shunned by the professional trade. This is by no means endemic. It should also be noted that these issues have been around as...
A lovely copy of William Morris’ Kelmscott Chaucer came to market recently (last year, but that is recent in book collecting). It sold for in excess of £100,000, quite an increase on the £20 it originally sold for in 1896. If you’d put £20 in...
Previously published on our blog firsteditionbooks.co.uk
Now and then we get asked for advice on creating a book collection. Most of our collectors know exactly what they want to collect and how to go about it, but for new collectors it can be a difficult task.
One of the biggest sticking points...
Whenever I talk about rare books to someone outside of the world of book collecting, they're invariably familiar with the idea of a first edition. Most in the world of book collecting are familiar with the notion of first printings, many understand that books can have different states and issues...
NOTE: This first appeared on an earlier blog in July, 2016.
Nope, this isn’t some whimsical hammering on the chest, it’s a brief look at which editions to buy when collecting rare books. As a little spoiler; this won’t provide a set of rules that determine which edition to collect; it’s...
// An introduction to our 'Collecting Arkham and Lovecraft' category in the ideas section above (here) //
One of our most common requests is for books published by Arkham House, often specifically with an interest in H. P. Lovecraft. Let's just a look at a background of the two, and their...
Nope, this isn’t some whimsical hammering on the chest, it’s a brief look at which editions to buy when collecting rare books. As a little spoiler; this won’t provide a set of rules that determine which edition to collect; it’s never that easy. So, what are we talking about exactly...