The Sword of Shananananahannara. I think I spelled that right.
The Sword of Shannara is arguably one of the best fantasy epics of our age. Huge.. sprawling descriptive environs, acts of pure heroism, high adventure in a low fantasy setting. Brooks owes everything of the initial sale to the Brothers Hildebrandt for the best artwork ever seen on a hard cover novel in years. Look at the fold out on the same book:
Just awesome. You want to be there with them. In my opinion, some of the best fantasy artwork out there. I suppose that's why the first edition of this novel in hard cover goes for so much money. Mint eBay prices commonly go for about $250, and one in serious ugly condition goes for about $125. But of those currently on eBay, I only see two real first edition books. I'll tell you how you can tell the difference.There are book club versions of the same book also listed as "First Edition" when you open the title page to check the copyright. There was a version released in the UK also sold as the first edition, this one has the price listed as 6.75.. pounds. The real price on the first edition is $12.95. And the one telling sign you have a first edition is.. drum roll please...
There is a dark red "TB" on the front of the book when you take the dust jacket off. I'd say about 1 out of 100 so called "First Editions" has pictures of this. When I request if a picture of the symbol is available, almost right away the post is either taken down, or the person has no idea what I'm talking about, like I'm making something up. I have sold one such first edition for just over $200, and I have one more in my collection downstairs that I would not sell. I also have a first edition paper back which are not so rare, but are big and great to have. It was given to me by a childhood friend and was one of the first fantasy novels I've ever read.
*Edit* Terry Brooks use to sign his books with just his first name. He also liked to leave you a little message in the book. Signed copies go for around $400, 500 on a really good day.
*Edit #2 1/12/15* Lot's of comments keep pouring in about the value of their book. Depending on printings, condition, and other factors, these prices do change. See below:
- Advance reader copies are more rare than a first edition but can be in varying degrees of quality, and some are signed. $250-$300 for an unsigned advanced reader copy is not unheard of. Signed easily over $500 if you can verify the signature.
- Book club editions are nearly exactly the same as a first edition, but go for around $20-$30. Book club editions are not rare and printed all the way in to the 90's regardless of the date on the book.
- Second, third and fourth printings of the first edition drop heavily in price as the print run increased as more printings were ordered. Keep cutting the price by 50% for each printing after the first.
- The second edition has a very different appearance than the first, with white lettering and a cropped cover picture. $40 is a safe bet for a second printing first edition, with a signed copy going for around $75. Looking at ebay now I see a few for more than I just stated, but I'm sticking to the value I just put on it.
- The TV show just came out, so the demand of these of books has increased slightly. If the popularity of the show gets to Game of Thrones-esk levels, you will see a 20% increase in value of the early printings.
- Paperback first editions were printed after two or three printings of the hardcover over a year after the first edition/first printing. The initial print run was pretty large, but i can't find any information online about it. The book was oversized, with a stiff cardstock cover that is easily yellowed and damaged easily. It has the fold out cover art and maps included. New condition, $25, used maybe $15-$20. I think these are under valued as many of these books get tossed in the garbage being as they get beat up easily.
- Late reprints have no collectable value unless limited edition, or signed.
- Boxed sets have almost no collectable value, but are really cool to have. Early boxed sets were mail order paperbacks similar in appearance to the first edition and are awesome. Yes, awesome.
I'll keep my eyes peeled...literally. Okay, make that figuratively. ;>
ReplyDeleteSounds like a true first edition based on your two comments. The best possible thing you can do to increase it's value is to buy a dust jacket for it. The dust jacket on this book is the same as the BCE (book club edition) so you can get away with buying a cheap-o BCE and take the jacket off, put it on your first edition. If you want to sell it, that would be the way to go.
ReplyDeleteIf the book has water damage, tears, or defects, be sure to list it in your posting when selling it. This is a highly sought after book, a potential collector in the market for buying will be sensitive by all these factors, but not put off.
Good luck Kags!
Old library books are my favorite. They are typically in pretty good condition minus all the stuff they stick on them, like the permanent plastic dust jacket, and check out card sleeves, etc. Still worth money, and still fun to read. You got yourself a great book!
ReplyDeleteI found a copy that is a Book Club Edition. All black hardback cover with the red TB lettering on the cover. No isbn. From what I gather this isn't a 1st edition or worth much either right?
ReplyDeleteThanks
The true first edition has a number line of 24689753 and was published in 1977. The American dust jacket has a price of $12.95 on the inside flap. The Australian/NewZealand version does not have a price. The British version was printed by Raven Books, as noted on the dust jacket, and has a price of 6.75 pounds. The Anerican version is probably the most valuable to collectors, with a copy in fine condition fetching as much as $1,000.00 or more. The Austrailan/New Zealand version is probably next, followed by the British version. There were only 3,500 true first edition/first printings. The first edition/first printings of The Elfstones and Wishdong were also limited in quantity at 5,000 a piece and can sell for hundreds of dollars based on their condition.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThanks for the insightful post. What would you guess is the value of a 1st printing Australian edition? My copy has all the points of a 1st/1st except that it doesn't have a price on the DJ which after reading your blog sounds like an Australian copy. Bought on Abebooks a little over a year ago for $49, at the time I just wanted a copy with the original artwork. Seeing the TB on the cover was definitely a happy moment for me and I hope to keep this in my collection for awhile.
DeleteI have a genuine first edition 24689753 edition in USA with a friend that i sent to USA to sell. if anyone has any interest in making an offer for it i can send photos etc of the book
DeleteI have a first edition of The Sword of Shannara, bought in San Diego in 1977. It has 24689753, First Published in 1977 and the words First Edition on the inside cover. I would appreciate any feedback on the value as well as how I might sell it. Thanks
ReplyDeleteIn what condition are is the dustjacket and book? Any flaws, and if so, what are they?
DeleteDepending upon those factors, I would be interested in purchasing it.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIf it has the signature TB, then you may be in luck my friend. Compare it to other well documented books on ebay or other websites, could go for up to $250, depending on condition.
ReplyDeleteHow does the advanced reader copy compare in value to the first editions?
ReplyDeleteIf the condition is flawless, you might be able to squeeze $250 out of the advanced reader copy.
DeleteAs Dan touched on, this could be worth money. Is it signed?
DeleteI couldn't be happier, having just found this book (I've read half a dozen times previously) at a used book store for $8.00 in beautiful condition...printed 4/77, with numbers 468975, so that would make it a 3rd printing?
ReplyDeleteSounds right to me. Early printings can still be worth money.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have a hardcover with the red TB on the book and numbers 20, 19, 18,17,16,15,14 on the inside but the dust jacket says it's a BCE so with is it?
ReplyDeleteBCE Means Book Club Edition. It's worth around $20-30.
DeleteIf a book does not have a DJ is there a way to tell if it is BCE or not? I'm also seeing books without a price and a raven on the DJ at the top. They are saying it is a 1st British edition. Any value to these?
ReplyDeleteThe inside CR page will have no mention of first edition.
DeleteIf it's cheap enough, I would pick it up on a gamble.
Thanks. I don't know what they are going for but they are asking $120.
DeleteMy son got me a signed copy of The Sword of Shannara. It says To Shaun, Happy Father's Day. It does have the red TB on the book.
ReplyDeleteI have the first three in paperback and they all say first edition in them. Any idea of the general price range for these books?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI was lucky nough to find a British first edition first printing and have it signed by Terry Brooks at GenCon, he signed with both his name and surname, so maybe he used to sign just 'Terry' but doesn't do it now.
ReplyDeleteHey, Just found this blog and ran to my library to check. I've had a copy of Brooks' 'Sword' for years now and had always assumed it was a 2nd printing of the first edition given the copy line.
ReplyDeleteNew York printing of Random House. 1977. LoC: 76-53925 copyline: 24689753 First Edition Stated
Can't find a price on the dust jacket however jacket does state printed in United States 4/77.
Is there anywhere I could find a valuation of this book for cataloguing purposes?
Look at AbeBooks. It won't show you the sales prices but will give you the asking prices and an idea of its value.
ReplyDeleteThanks mate, wasn't sure if it might have been an Australian copy regardless of the print line. I'll check that site out.
DeleteI have a copy of Sword of Shannara that first edition first printing that was misbound upside-down to its cover and signed by Terry Brooks in 1977. I took it to a signing and showed it to Mr. Brooks who said he had only seen two misbound upside-down. Sent pictures to an appraiser at Christie's auction who said I could ask a price that I can't refuse. That was a few years ago before the tv show was released and since then I had Greg Hildebrandt add his Hancock. Anyway, just a really beautiful collectors piece that I was lucky to find and I thought someone out there might like to hear about. Wish I knew more of the history on how the original owner got it and found Brooks, but alas, Terry did not remember. Look foward to hearing what you guys have to say, thanks.
ReplyDeleteI have an upside-down copy too! They must be super rare
DeleteRed TB, no dust cover. Pages are in great condition. Outside has light to medium wear.
ReplyDeleteSlap a BCE dust cover on it?
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI have a Sword of Shannara hard cover. No stated 1st edition, no BCE or Book Club Edition on dust jacket. No price listed. Only has the copyright & illustrations paragraph on the inside front page cover about illustrations & publishing in USA & Canada 1977. Book is tan with a brown spine instead of black that I have seen & lettering is gold on the spine. DJ looks like other 1977 DJ's. Is this just a reprint? Thanks
I have this same version. The numbers 21 through 30 are listed sequentially under the publishing information. Wish I knew more about it.
DeleteI have the book "SWORDS OF with a wide black binding..Its a smooth tan color with TB in red embossed on the front cover..I located it wrapped!! Brand new!! My Dad was an intelligent chemist and "hoarded" books and magazines:(
ReplyDeleteThe binding is "unBroken in"
I'd like to sell it for Dads outstanding bills that were left after he passed like 8months ago...
Where do I sell it??
Any idea what I should ask?
Thanx
I would be interested. If you would still like to sell, would you provide the publisher's number line? Also send some pictures?
DeleteI have a black hardcover with red TB, no dust cover. Can someone confirm the edition/printing.
ReplyDeleteHas some cover damage but pages are great. Would be interested in a value as well. Thanks
Does it state the edition on the publisher's page? what is the number line on that page? If it reads 24689753, it could be a first print/edition
DeleteI found a copy of The Sword of Shannara today that has a barely damaged dust cover, but the book is immaculate. It was published by Random House, has no price listed anywhere, and also has no other numbers such as ISBN or otherwise. It just says: Copyright 1977 by Terry Brooks and underneath:
ReplyDeleteIllustrations 1977 by Random House, Inc
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
Published in the United States by Random House, Inc , New York, and simultaneously in Canada under Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto
No numbers or any other text. No TB on front cover of the book.
On back bottom right of dust jacket the numbers: 01739
Any help identifying what I have would be appreciated.
Does it contain the Hildebrandt color foldout in the middle? If not, I'm guessing it's a book club edition.
ReplyDeleteYes it does, in perfect condition along with all the other Hildebrandt black and whites in the book. The actual book is Brown/Tan with gold, writing on the spine, with no numerical markings inside the book, which is odd because every copy I have seen in my 48 hours of research at least has an ISBN number and Library of Congress #. I honestly think the book has never been read at all, that's how pristine the actual book is. Only the dust jacket has minor damage from some mishandling. The book itself is immaculate.
DeleteThat is odd. If you aren’t a member and you’re on Facebook, join the Terry Brooks Community group and post pictures of the publishers page and the markings/lack of markings you posted above. You’re as likely to find an answer there as anywhere else. There are many Terry Brooks book collectors there. You can also directly address Shawn Speakman and the post. He’s close with Terry and knows a lot about his publishing background with Del Rey.
DeleteThank you. I will do that as soon as I can get my phone replaced to get some decent photos.
DeleteInformation received from the Terry Brooks Community group on Facebook:
ReplyDeleteRandom House published and printed 3500 hardcover copies of The Sword of Shannara as a 1st printing on 1 April 1977, but there exist 3 versions. The US version has the price $12.95 on the dust jacket, the UK version has a price of £6.95, and the International (or Overseas) version has no price. These 3 version (not editions) are identical insofar as the book is concerned, differing only in the dust jackets, and were all printed in the US. The dust jackets for the US and International versions were printed by Random House in the US. The UK version was shipped to the UK without a dust jacket, so Raven Books printed a dust jacket in the UK, but this doesn't make it a UK edition. Note that both the US and International versions exist with different print numbers; I don't know if the UK version does or not. The 1st UK-produced hardcover edition of The Sword of Shannara was created by Macdonald/Orbit in October 1996 with ISBN 0-356-19518-X; they also produced matching UK editions of Elfstones (978-0-356-19521-6) and Wishsong (0-356-10895-7). So yes, the UK/Raven version of Sword is part of the 3500 1st printing copies produced by Random House, but no, the UK/Raven is not (CORRECTION) the the UK 1st/1st.
Also from the Terry Brooks Community group:
ReplyDeleteWhich makes the Raven version even rarer as far as copies are concerned. But still the US draws more interest and cost. I got my Raven copy at a reasonable price in mint condition last year or 2019.
Also: Michigan And of course, there are the different International versions with red,green, and blue titles.
ReplyDeleteDisregard “Michigan” above - it’s a typo
DeleteOk so mine has the 24689753 number on it. Does that mean first print or second print since it starts with a 2. Yes to the red TB also.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Ok so mine has the 24689753 number on it. Does that mean first print or second print since it starts with a 2. Yes to the red TB also.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Random House published these first editions with a printing line of 24689753, so this would be the first printing only if it states First Edition below it. If it does not state First Edition, then it is a second printing.
DeleteWhy thank you wise Ohmsford! Yup has the First Edition under the line. Us version down now to hunt down a Canadian and UK! Are they the same with the number and listings of “First Edition”?
DeleteYou're welcome. Yes, the international versions of the book are identical except for the differences with the dust jackets noted in my post above from March 11.
DeletePersonally, I really like the original trilogy first printing first edition books. I think the art work makes them quite attractive. The fact that there were only 3,500 of the Sword of Shannara and 5,000 each of the Elfstones and Wishsong of Shannara published years ago makes them even more exceptional.
The Sword of Shannara really brought fantasy out of hibernation after Tolkien, and I don't think Terry Brooks gets enough credit for that.
I picked a copy of this book and trying to learn more about what I have. First my copy has no dust jacket. Book is black with red lettering on spine and a red TB of cover. On the copyright page there is a "Copyright 1977 by Terry Brooks" but there is no ISBN list and no mention of edition or printing number.
ReplyDeleteIt's most likely a book club edition
DeleteI have a hardback copy published by Random House which has no dust jacket, is black with TB written in dark red capitals. It has the Hildebrandt illustrations in the middle of the book and has 5 pages leading to the first chapter. I cannot find any 1st Edition of publication number/isbn details beside (c) 1977 Random House and all rights reserved etc. There are no numbers of any kind. Can you tell me anything about what edition this might be. I bought it second hand for 1 pound in a hospital in England, on a table of about 20 books raising money.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I type in first edition sword of shannara in the internet it leads me to someone selling a later copy using first edition as bait. Can you help me determine what I have. I have no intention of selling it or care what it is worth. My dream, now I live in the USA is to meet Mr Brooks and get him to auto it. TY Ian Deal - Montana
Could you email me some pictures so I could get a better look?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi all. I have recently acquired 2 true first HB printings of the Sword of Shannara, with all the points (numberline, 'TB' logo, double foldout page etc. etc.). I think I want to keep one of them but am looking to sell the other. The dustcover for this is in good condition, albeit with 2/3cm tears along at foot and head of spine) and the book itself is also in good condition (foxing consistent with age, slightly worn board corners but unmarked apart from a name/ stamp on the fly cover). It is not an ex-library copy. Will happily send photos, of course. New to the blog but certainly not to the author! This book was such a game-changer for me in the late '80s and it's so great to see people still celebrating it (even if the writing looks a little shakier all these years on!).
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading the blog! Send over the pictures you have; I plan on doing an update to these First Edition Hunt posts sometime in the future and could use them. I'm not a fan of using Google Images random pics and would rather use my own, or ones taken by Subscribers of the blog.
Deletep.s. this is an Aus/ NZ export copy from that first 3500 off the press: it has no price listed...
ReplyDeleteMy first edition (TB embossed) has a chunk of the pages upside down. I know of one other copy where this has happened. Were they recalled at all? Because obviously not all First editions have upside down pages... Maybe they detected the error early and corrected it for the rest of the print run
ReplyDeleteI have a signed copy. I bought it new in 1977 and had Mr. Brooks sign it in 1982 when he was in town for a book signing. It has a personal message from him to me. It is a first edition. It has all the things mentioned above. The book is in very good condition except for a stain on the cover about the size of a quarter. The jacket is near perfect condition. I am wandering if you could give me some idea what it would be worth and or where the best place to sell it as I am getting older and would love for someone else to enjoy the book as much as I have over the years.
ReplyDelete