First Edition Hunt: Lord of the Rings

First Edition Hard Covers

 

     Ill see if I can tell this story a better way then the way I read it, which was confusing for me the first time around.

    Broken down, each Lord of the Rings novel is actually three books in one. Due to paper shortages in the UK at the time of the publication, Tolkien had to compromise, combining three books in to one volume, and agreeing to publish the Silmarillion later on down the line and not with the rest of the books. In his rush to have the books published (due to money issues), Tolkien, or his publishing agent forgot to establish the rights to the book outside of the UK. As the books did well and enjoyed a surge in sales, the ACE publishing company noticed that the rights had not been established for the UK market, and reprinted their own copies here stateside in paperback.

First Edition 'Pirate' Paper Back

 

     The books obviously sold very well and attracted a small amount attention back home, and Tolkien realized he was missing the boat, monetarily. His agent contacted ACE, the people at ACE were not happy, but paid him a little bit of money and agreed to retract their editions for his 'corrected' ones. Tolkien saw many mistakes and plot holes in his very first edition and made quite a few changes to subsequent editions. Sometimes he would forget when changes he made with what publisher, so by publisher, almost all the books were different in a small way. This was not fixed until 1994 when Christopher Tolkien went through them all and added all the revisions together to make one master copy. This 'master copy' is the only version available today in reprint.

First Edition Hard Covers

 

     In the printing run, the first three runs were pretty small, but identical in every way. Each following impression was larger than the last, making the later impressions less and less rare. Although any first edition LOTR books from the 50's are pretty rare to come by, those with the lowest print runs in the first-third impressions are the most sought after.

 

Impression/Printings Page

   
     First editions signed by Tolkien are exceedingly rare as he did almost all his signing in his home. By the time the LOTR books were popular, he was in the twilight of his life and enjoyed to stay inside and be in his room to himself. The Hobbit, although written earlier, has much more signed copies in circulation as he was more available, was working, and was often seen around.

First Edition 'licensed' Paper Backs

     First edition first printings go for around $10,000 in any condition, in hard cover. Each following impression can almost cut the price by a third, depending on the market availability. Pirate ACE paperbacks can be found relatively cheap, sometimes less than $20.00 for a good example. Personally, I think the ACE editions are great little paper backs with a great history, and don't understand why they are not worth more than they are. You almost never see them, the covers are cool, and man.. what a story. All paperback editions from 1963-65 are all possibly first editions. Four different publishers were selling the same book, at the same time, cheapening the market for the paperbacks I love, but also making them easier to collect.

     For the record, I have several editions, copies and printings of LOTR.. but sadly, no first edition hard covers.



Flea Market Pick Ups, Part 4

     Here we are, back at Flea Masters in Fort Myers. Saturdays I typically yard/garage sale, and Sundays suck for that, so I hit the Flea Markets and thrift stores on Sundays. Was up pretty early, so I was there when the parking lot was empty and there were chains on the doors.

 

     I typically walk the whole market which takes about an hour. I find new things all the time, and I hate to miss anything. Like this gator humanoid thing in front of a place that sells fried gator to curious tourists. For the record, gator is good... tastes like fish and chicken mixed. Also found bunch of books not organized in a side stall. Nothing of interest there. Tons of romance and roughly-in-the-barn novels.

 

 

     Every item in the world that you could think of selling has its own "reseller". Comic book vendors are everywhere. I always look, but seldom buy anything. $1.00 a comic seems like a good deal, but they buy boxes of these things for pennies on the dollar. I even saw a VHS porn reseller a few times in the more seasonal months.

 



      Need some books on Hitler, or some throwing stars? Yeah.. me neither. The sword/knife vendors are always popular at the Flea Market with the red necks.

 
  I hit up my normal spots, talked to the guy who sells me most of my books on Sunday. He told me that its hard to find any real good stuff locally anymore, that he has to go to Tampa to find the good stuff. I agree with him, but I have still been finding some cool stuff once in a while around town so can't complain. The haul:

     It's hard to take good pictures with a curious cat around. He had to walk all over them and smell them individually. Artax is of the 'Book-Cat Variety', not yet recognized by any breeders association.

 

     So I picked up a lot of Zelazny paper backs that I don't own. I see a few in the market and in the paper back exchanges and for some reason I don't pick them up. I love the covers, and seeing five in a series in the same place in great condition changed my mind. First edition Piers Anthony Rings of Ice and Orn, both great books and super old. Dayworld by Farmer, Mars book and a DAW paperback to round out my picks. In Hard cover I picked up a Silmarillion first edition (my third one) and a cool looking short story compendium that I had not seen before with some great authors in it. Overall, I spent $10.00, and got a real good value for my money. The Silmarillion alone goes for around $35-60 on a bad day, so I guess the day is mine. 

Flea Market Pick Ups Part 1 - Flea Market Pick Ups Part 2 - Flea Market Pick Ups Part 3

First Edition Hunt: The Silmarillion



 

Thank you Reddit! Here is a cat picture.

     I asked the Reddit community to check out my blog, and they sure did! Several hundred new people came and checked it out over a few short days and really brought back my will to keep the blog going. Thanks especially to r/bookcollecting.

     I appreciate all the comments and emails, especially those offering advice. I do plan on changing the background/color scheme a little bit. I want to make the blog more personal, I really just want to make it better. For those who asked why I have not monetized it, I honestly don't care to make money from it. I enjoy my hobby and sharing it with all of you on the interwebs.

     Check back often, more updates to come. For now, here is a picture of my cat Artax with some books to hold you over.

What does the office of an author look like?

 

 

     My mother, S.M. Ballard, was nice enough to let us in the library-like office she writes in every day. I think she sneaks in some reading now and then.. what do you think?

 



For those who are interested, The woman who gave me birth writes western and historical fiction, columns for the Tombstone Times and has a publishing company. Check it out here.

Christian Thrift Store Pick Ups - Tolkien Companion

     Was down in South Naples today, just about as far as you can go without hitting good Florida swampland, and I passed a Christian thrift store I had missed before. I marked it in my mind, and hit it on the way back into town. Typically, depending on the town, Christian tax free thrift stores are over priced, and very few have the books of the devil known as Science Fiction. Could the Bible be considered Fantasy? High fantasy.

 Books were in good supply, mostly Bibles, Christian well-being, and Christian Romance.

 

 I got a shitty look when I took a picture of the mobility wheel chairs. Price? Only $400 each.

 

I did find a few of the only sci-fi/fantasy books in the store, and just bought them to buy them. Only .50 cents each, so why not. The lady behind the counter insisted I keep my receipt so when I was done reading them, I could bring them back and donate them. The haul:

 

     So there were two first edition hard covers collecting dust where the old lady clothes were in some decorative bookend things. One was a Harry Potter and Chamber of Secrets 1st/1st. This being the third one I've found, it will be eBay fodder. As I have explained before, early editions of the first and second HP books kind of fund my little outings. The one I really wanted for myself was the Tolkien Companion. I have a reprint, and have read it cover to cover.. back in middle school. Really cool artwork, dust jacket and fonts. The others were just junk paperbacks I have already, but could not stand to leave them to rot with the holy rollers. A few pictures from the Companion:

 Click to Enlarge, I love maps.. glorious maps.

Dune First Edition Value & Cost Comparison (Dune Price Guide)

 

Dune Editions and Values Based on market prices from websites such as eBay, Amazon, and other rare book sellers, based on a study of three years market evaluation and obsession.

 

__________________________________________Fine____Good____Fair______Signed

 

Dune 1st Edition - HC First Printing                      $4,000+      3550       1900           10,000

 

Dune 1st Edition - HC Second Printing                   1300          875          675               5800                  

 

Dune 1st Edition - HC Third Printing                      1000          675          500               5000 

 

Dune 1st Edition - HC Fourth Printing                      425           380          275              2000

 

Dune 1st Edition - HC Fifth Printing                         200           160          125                 ??

 

Dune 1st Edition - HC Sixth-Ninth                            125            90             65                 ??

 

Dune 1st Edition - Book Club Edition                        80              50             20                ??

 

Dune 1st Edition - PB First                                         60              50             25                ??

 

Dune 1st Edition - PB Second                                    50               30             20                ??

 

Dune 1st Edition - PB Third                                       35               25             10                ??

 

__________________________________________________________________________

 

 

-- Q & A --

 

 

 
 

 

 
 How do I know if my copy of Dune is a first edition, first printing?

A: All Dune first/first HC copies have BLUE cloth boards. Subsequent printings have light RED cloth boards.

My copy has red cloth boards, and says first edition, which printing is it?

A: Up until the fifth edition, they were labeled as above. If it does list the specific edition, it will be the first number of seemingly random numbers under the Printing information. Ie.. the bottom image above is a ninth printing.

How can I tell if my copy is a book club edition?

A: The price of the book will be under $10.00 on the flap of the dust jacket. First edition books listed for $5.95, third and fourth 7.95, and so on. No first edition Dune is listed at over 10.00 on the flap. You will notice sellers on eBay trying to get away with selling a BCE copy as a later edition or first edition because of the similarities. Book Club Editions are fun to collect as they resemble the original first editions if it is priced well. BCE copies have bright RED cloth or canvas boards.

I see first edition Dune's on eBay for much more than $4,000. Why?

A: Several reasons. #1: The seller is trying to boost the price of the other auctions he has selling the same book. The above image I took was the third time seeing the same book, with the same pictures and description by the same seller at a higher price. Anyone in the market to buy one will see the "Value" and buy the lowest. #2: The seller believes that his copy is special in some way. Unless it is signed, it is not special, and you should use the table above. Having seen what actually sells over the years and recording it, I can say my estimates are pretty close. #3: It is the rare exception where the book is really honest and truly, near-mint condition and needs it's value to be reconsidered. Books of such quality can bring well over my estimates, I just don't see them very often or at all to give you a great value of it. Also, the + next to my value could extend to nearly $5,000 if a buyer is in the right mood but it is very rare.

Paperbacks seem to be always in terrible condition and over priced. Do people really collect them?

 

A: People really like the paperbacks, as its pretty much an introduction to rare book collecting, on a budget. There are various printings and editions, but this is one thing I've noticed over the years: people don't know what they are looking at. First through tenth printings all look the same when it comes to the first edition 1965 paper back. The only way you can tell? The price of the book. .95 cents was the original price of the book and is the only sign you need. Prices range up to around $1.50, and on eBay they sell for all around the same price without much consideration to condition. People that have done the research will know what they are looking at, and if they are smart, will use the guide above.

 

 

Are forgeries out there? Do people fake the signatures?

 

A: I have only seen one really bad signature forgery. Just really obvious and not his style. Look above. That's what is looks like. Always with a Bic-type pen, and always, I mean always has the name crossed out. Even on book proofs he will cross out his name, no matter how small it is. As far as faking the whole book, or switching out boards, I would have no way to confirm this. I have only ever held one first edition with my hands, and would not know what to look for. The dust jacket seems it would be very, very easy to rip off. The jacket is the same as the BCE copies out there, scan it, change the price on the flap using pictures also on eBay, make it look old-ish, and sell it as an earlier edition. Other books of the time had blue boards, and were the same size. It would be more elaborate, but could be pulled off to make a few grand. Just be careful. Ask for more pictures when buying.

Lots more information here on gutter codes and some more things to look for. 





Books: Why do they increase in value? (Dune PB)

     I was on eBay, checking on the steady rise of value of Fantasy and Science Fiction, when I came about this listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1965-FRANK-HERBERT-DUNE-True-1st-EDITION-PAPERBACK-/290954701196?pt=Antiquarian_Collectible&hash=item43be40698c

    Right now, there are no other Dune first edition paper backs on eBay. Not a single one. Obviously this person, this smart business minded person had the sense to notice that and get one up for about six times it's value. Will it sell? In my experience with such things, sometimes it will. Once I sold a Neuromancer, a book I found commonly at Paperback Exchanges in the area with great frequency, for about double its going rate, only because it's the only one I saw on there in a while.

     Is it gouging? I don't think so. Will it cause a artificial inflation of the market? Possibly. Much the way prices of popular vintage video games have skyrocketed over the years. When I collected video games they were so cheap, I could pick up two or three uncommon games for a few bucks. I bought five copies of Secret of Mana for Super Nintendo, because it was my favorite game and the save battery would go dead, for $3 each. You get the point. The same thing that effects anything vintage and collectible, happens with books.. for the following reasons.

Why Books go up in Price:

1) The condition of a book always get worse with time.
2) Authors die.
3) Movies/TV Shows get made.
4) Book are reprinted.
5) Books are out of print.
6) Internet/Social Media Trending

Roll 1D6 two times with the above table to tabulate a response from the market.

     Example: The Hobbit

    J.R.R. Tolkien is dead, the books went out of print, books are reprinted in the millions, movies get made, it trends on the interwebs, and booyah, books = bank.

    When I was taking the pictures of my Dune first editions for this post on my keyboard, I was thinking, "Do I have $600.00 worth of books on my desk right now?" The answer is, and I'm pretty sure you all will agree with me, is.. no. Scrutinize the condition, the fading, the whatever it takes, never pay $300 for a Dune first edition. I don't care how big a fan you are.

Video Blog #1 Book Case Overview

     I thought that this would be a good way for people to see some of my more visible and not in storage collection in my downstairs living room. Most of my series stuff and vintage end up here. Most of my pick-ups and unrecorded books end up here as well, so you might recognize some if you follow the blog. My wife recognizes them as junk, and space taker-uppers.

     It's a mess I know. I need more shelves both up and downstairs. I'm working on it. These videos are part of the "Some of the Books I own" post.

A very, very good Top 50 Sci-Fi List.

    
     I'm at like 99% original content, pictures and the like, but I had to pass this Flavorwire Top 50 Science Fiction book link along to who ever reads the blog.

http://flavorwire.com/408275/50-sci-fifantasy-novels-that-everyone-should-read/view-all

     Fantastic list of great and different books, put together by someone who has actually read them. I love to see this kind of stuff hit the front page of Reddit. Anyways, go over to Flavorwire and check out the list. How many have you read?