Reddit Reddit reviews ABC for Book Collectors

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ABC for Book Collectors
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1 Reddit comment about ABC for Book Collectors:

u/VapidDelight ยท 12 pointsr/whatsthisworth

Congratulations on the great find!


I think that the $10k is a fairly reasonable offer.The dealer will likely try to sell the book for $15-20k and is unlikely to get the higher end of that unless the book is an exceedingly rare first edition as explained below. The condition is not as good as the higher price comps. The dealer is going to have to hold onto the book for several years before they are going to find someone that wants to buy it. I would do the homework below, copy all the relevant pages out of BAL, highlight the applicable parts, and try to get $12-14k in cash from the dealer.


I can tell you exactly what the book dealer is doing to determine the price of your book. A little background information on what collectors are looking for will help you understand the market.


The majority of book collectors want the earliest edition and printing possible. To get the best idea for the value you need to figure out the state and issue of the book. These refer to either deliberate or accidental changes to the printing of the first edition. Ignoring condition factors, a book that is a first edition, first issue, and first state is going to be the most valuable version of the book. Here is a better definition of state and issue. Also, the blue cover is approximately 20 times rarer than the green cover, making your book more valuable.


The first edition points you have listed, aren't to determine if the book is a first edition or not, they are to determine the issue and state of the book. There are comps that I found below that list a variety of factors that are used to determine the state and issue of the book. This information comes from a set of books call the Bibliography of American Literature (BAL). Your library might have a set of these books. If not, a university or larger library will have a set. You need to find a set of these books so you don't miss any important factors.


More detailed pricing information will be available in the American Book Prices Current (ABPC). They charge a yearly subscription so gaining access to the information might be difficult.


You're going to encounter lots of book jargon. I'd suggest picking up a copy of ABC for Book Collectors as it will be a helpful reference guide. This book will also help you determine how the book would be graded.


Here are comps. When reading the description pay attention to their description of the state and issue of the book being sold.

http://www.abaa.org/books/247848094.html
http://www.mabks.com/Huckleberry_Finn.htm - Green cover
http://forum.biblio.com/index.php?topic=9547.0;prev_next=next
http://www.baumanrarebooks.com/rare-books/twain-mark-kemble-edward-w-/adventures-of-huckleberry-finn-blue-/83771.aspx