Rare and Expensive Books

[V.C. Brunswick]

As a book dealer and collector I've come across my share of rare books over the years -- perhaps not ultra-rare like a Gutenberg Bible but nonetheless worth a fair chunk of change. What I'm curious about is what is the rarest book and/or the most priciest book (excluding college text books*) that you own?

Also, what books have you been looking for that are either beyond your price range or so grossly overpriced that you refuse to pay that much for it?

One in this category that I've been looking for (at the right price) is Stuart: History of the American Light Tank by R.P. Hunnicut (published in 1992). I've seen this book at ABE priced between $875 and $1,500 even though many of the late Mr. Hunnicut's other books can still be had for $40-50.





*that could be the subject of another thread or rant

 

[RetroPat]

What a great thread. My mom is a book dealer as well and the two of us are complete bibliophiles. I have some signed books (mentioned in another thread) but I don't have any rare books. I'd have to say the rarest books in my mom's collection are signed first edition/first printings of 'A' Is for Alibi by Sue Grafton and Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell. I own an unsigned third printing of the latter which is somewhat valuable.

 

[LordBest]

The rarest and probably most expensive book I own is a 1550 print of the Roman-Byzantine legal Justinian Code. Its in medieval Latin so I can't read it, which works out well as it is a legal text and I wouldn't want to.

 

[Undertow]

I'm not much of a collector, thus I don't really have many rare editions. I do have three "rare" copies that I'm most proud of, although they are likely easy enough to find.

1. Mein Kampf - Adolf Hitler, 1st full English edition released 1939
2. Western Civilization Condemned By Itself - Maryam Jameelah; I basically had to get a copy from an Egyptian friend, who in turn had to get his copy in Turkey. I don't doubt that I could get this in the states, but for one reason or another NO ONE seems to be able to get their hands ont the 2-volume set.
3. The Jewel and the Lotus: A Historical Survey of the Sexual Culture of the East - Allen Edwardes, I have a very early, if not first edition of this title although it's missing its dust jacket. Not a particularly valuable book, but nonetheless, I've really struggled trying to find another early edition so as to canablize the cover.

I'm sure I have some others, including an early/1st edition of Catch-22 handed down by my grandfather, but I'd have to go looking through my library.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

1. Mein Kampf - Adolf Hitler, 1st full English edition released 1939

My guess is that the rarest edition of Mein Kampf would have to be a Russian translation that was published by the Soviet General Staff in 1925 or 1926. Only a hundred or so copies were printed which were distributed to key Soviet military and political leaders. This is according to Viktor Suvorov's book The Chief Culprit in which he claims that Stalin had secretly supported Hitler right from the very beginning when Hitler was still a total unknown. Suvorov -- a former Soviet military intelligence officer who defected to the West in 1978 -- further claims that Stalin's motive was to instigate a war between Britain, France and Germany in which the three powers would fight themselves to exhaustion thus paving the way for a Soviet conquest of Europe.

Edit:
Relatively speaking, probably the rarest book that I own is a copy of The Long Rangers by Sam Britt, Jr. (published in 1990), a history of the 307th Bomb Group (H) which operated B-24 Liberators in the Southwest Pacific Area. Every now and then I check eBay, ABE and bookfinder.com and have yet to see another copy.

 

[Smithy]

Nothing extremely rare or magical here but I have a few signed RAF pilot memoirs which tend to go for a bit with enthusiasts such as myself.

My grandfather gave me his own first edition of "Jock of the Bushveld" which might be worth a small amount (although it's priceless in terms of value to me).

And I do own a copy of "Men of the Battle of Britain" signed by the author who I know which I could (but never would) sell for rather a lot.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I have quite a few early books on broadcasting that are quite rare, but not especially valuable since not very many people collect such --- Gleason Archer's two-volume history of broadcasting from 1936/38, a signed (!) copy of Frank Arnold's "Broadcast Advertising" from 1931, Herman Hettinger's "Ten Years of Radio Advertising" from 1933, Graham McNamee's autobiography from 1926, several treatises on how to write for radio from the late twenties and early thirties, and many other items like that. By judicious shopping over a period of many years, I was able to put together a broadcasting library that's as comprehensive as you'll find at any college, but when it's sold off to pay my debts after I die, it likely won't bring more than a few hundred dollars for the whole lot. Sic transit gloria mundi.

 

[dhermann1]

I have a vast and extremely chaotic family archive, which includes thousands of letters and photos, dating back past the Civil War, and a fair number of old and rare books. The stuff uis divided between my place and my neice's upstate.
Somewhere among all this stuff is the 1723 edition of LaFontaine that my mother picked up at one of the fabled street book vendors in Paris in 1937. At least I hope it's stiil there.

 

[p51]

I have first editions of every book cartoonist Bill Mauldin ever did, all with dust jackets where applicable.
Among my many Mauldin items, I also have the 1938 yearbook for his high school that shows him as a kid (in ROTC uniform, no less). The rarest book I have by far is a good copy of his 1941 book, “Star Spangled Banter” which is a very rare paperback. It was a collection of cartoons from the Louisiana maneuvers. It lacks the envelope included to mail it home, but I doubt I’ll ever find one of those.
If anyone really wants to know more about his work, PM me and I’ll send the link to my shell of a Yahoo group which has a PDF file of the magazine article I wrote on his work in 2003.

 

[Tiller]

I own book 421, of the one thousand limited edition copies of The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge. It's from 1929. I was offered 500 dollars for it last year, but it's one of my most treasured possessions.

Here's a link to 495 that has already been sold.

I also have the 1919 edition of Have Faith in Massachusetts.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"Mr Punch in Mayfair" cartoons and short stories" also "A Modern Rake's Progress"

Published in 1934 by Hutchinson and Co. the story follows George as he wakes up one morning to find himself unexpectedly a millionaire and a peer. Each chapter starts with a double page color plate and chronicles a step in his rise and fall. The Rake Gives a Cocktail Party, The Rake Invests in the Movies, The Rake's Marriage, The Rake's Divorce...you get the idea.

 

[57plymouth]

I have a South Carolina Masonic ritual from before 1850. Since South Carolina's Grand Lodge does not sell any ritual of any age for any price, a pre-1900 ritual is pretty scarce. Especially one that is privately owned. I can't date it exactly since it is not dated, but reading the text I know it is before the ritual was changed in 1850 to respond to the Baltimore Convention.

 

[Undertow]

My guess is that the rarest edition of Mein Kampf would have to be a Russian translation that was published by the Soviet General Staff in 1925 or 1926. Only a hundred or so copies were printed which were distributed to key Soviet military and political leaders. This is according to Viktor Suvorov's book The Chief Culprit in which he claims that Stalin had secretly supported Hitler right from the very beginning when Hitler was still a total unknown. Suvorov -- a former Soviet military intelligence officer who defected to the West in 1978 -- further claims that Stalin's motive was to instigate a war between Britain, France and Germany in which the three powers would fight themselves to exhaustion thus paving the way for a Soviet conquest of Europe.

Very interesting! I'm sure there are even rarer copies of Mein Kampf, likely including the very first edition published in Germany. I know the UK received copies of Mein Kampf prior to the US; however, it was abridged.

 

[MisterCairo]

The most valuable book I have is a first edition, third printing of Dickens's "Pickwick Papers". I have several of Ian Rankin's Rebus novels in signed first editions, priced around $100 or so each.

My goal is to have all of Dickens's oeuvre in first editions (first printings), once certain debts are paid off!

My out of reach dream acquisition: any first edition of Jane Austen. Peter Harrington Antiquarian books had a first edition P&P for, as I recall, 65,000 pounds stirling.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

The most valuable book I have is a first edition, third printing of Dickens's "Pickwick Papers". I have several of Ian Rankin's Rebus novels in signed first editions, priced around $100 or so each.

My goal is to have all of Dickens's oeuvre in first editions (first printings), once certain debts are paid off!

My out of reach dream acquisition: any first edition of Jane Austen. Peter Harrington Antiquarian books had a first edition P&P for, as I recall, 65,000 pounds stirling.

I have a two-volume facsimille reprint of Nicholas Nickleby as it originally appeared in serial form in 1838-39. This reprint even reproduces the original ads which I found just as interesting. Most of which are ads for books that came out at the time. I had a bit of fun running the titles through bookfinder.com to see what they're worth today.

 

[stillsparkling]

I don't think I own any books that would be considered very rare, but I do own an original copy of Ginger Rogers and the Riddle of the Scarlet Cloak from 1942, and lots of old movie magazines.

 

[splatt]

I have an almost mint condition 1st edition UK release of "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" which is the first book published by Agatha Christie in 1921.

I didn't realise what i actually had and it sat on my bookshelf for quite a few years while i was living in Sydney.

Once i realised that it might be a bit more important than i thought i got it valued.

After the valuation it very quickly moved from my bookshelf to its current home in a bank vault along with one other item that i get to see once a year during my visits to Sydney. Hopefully i can move it back to Melbourne in the near future

 

[Mark D]

I collect antiquarian books. My collecting guidelines are simple; the subject has to be interesting to me. The oldest book that have is "The Life and Death of Philip Henry," published 1712. For those of you who are familiar with Matthew Henry the Bible commentator, Philip was his father.

 

[Foofoogal]

I have a bunch of very old books. 1840s etc. I just picked up an old price guide yesterday. Possibly can do something with these before they fall completely apart. Of all vintage books make me nervous. Odd really and I do not know why?
I do pick up some for the illustrations.

http://www.tias.com/7617/PictPage/1923082144.html
I did manage to list a few but it was a task.
http://www.tias.com/7617/PictPage/1921692033.html

I think the condition issue is what I cannot figure out well enough to be comfortable.

 

[Quixote]

I have a very strange small book called Demonology; or, the Scripture Doctrine of Devils, by the Rev. Joseph Young, late of Haddington (not the Latter Day Saint of the same name, but rather an obscure Edinburghian scholar). The first and only edition from 1856. There is simply next to no information available on the net or any other sources. I found a scan of the entire book on a webpage, but it seems to have vanished. I've seen the book being sold only twice - the second time was when I bought it. Mine is an ex-library copy, previously housed in the library of the University of Edinburgh, and I got it for pennies. The next time I saw a copy was when one popped up on eBay and it went for a little over 100 pounds.

Curiously enough, there is an elusive American company that sells archival reprints of this book for 500 dollars a copy.

With a bit of research, I found a curious piece of text, apparently it's the publisher Thomas Grant's advertisement:

THE SCRIPTURE DOCTRINE OF DEVILS.

By the Rev. JOSEPH YOUNG, late of Haddington.

" Our author has displayed powers of no ordinary analysis. His theories on the subject of Demonology are not only ingenious, but, possibly, as correct as any theories ever can be made. His enunciation of them is clear and forcible, while their defence is couched in that nervous, purpose-like style of writing, which betokens the pen of a practised and ' a ready writer.' The volume may worthily take its place in any library."— Scottish Review.

" An orignal and able contribution to existing demonological literature. It contains mnch excellent writing; the practical part, in particular, which is very full, and executed with much care, strikes us as especially excellent, and as what cannot fail to prove edifying to readers of every description. We will be glad again to meet with the author in any walk of dogmatic or practical divinity."—. United Presbyterian Magazine.

So I guess it's definitely rare and possibly expensive.