Bookshelves of the Rich and Famous
by Scott Laming
We often talk about the passion of book collecting, and how you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on your books to create a collection that you cherish. These Modern Library copies of James Joyce’s Ulysses look great and would be a smart addition to the shelf of a Joyce fan, and the fact that you can have them for around $50 make them a great choice.
But what if you could spend tens of thousands of dollars on the books of your wildest dreams? If money were no object, what would your library look like? Well, now you can trade up to the Ultimate James Joyce collection featuring first edition copies of Dubliners (1914), A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man(1916), Ulysses (1922, and a signed limited edition of 1936) and limited edition, signed Finnegan’s Wake (1939) and others. All for the bargain price of just over $200,000.
If you want to be a rockstar book collector, here are some samples of the kinds of rare (and very expensive) treasures available on AbeBooks.
Please note: Prices are approximate, as currencies fluctuate. Quantity on rare books is extremely limited; copies on display may sell quickly.
Priceless Pages:
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
$45,000
True first edition with original dust jacket with illustrations by Tolkien, only 1,500 copies were printed for the first publication and a number of those were ravaged by WWII.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
$111,000
One of the most famous children’s stories ever written, this is a first edition privately printed by the author in 1901. Only 250 copies were issued so this is one of the rarest children’s books ever printed.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
$49,500
Published in 1951 but still a staple in high school English, The Catcher in the Rye's success drove Salinger to become a recluse. Signed copies of this landmark novel are extremely rare and expensive.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
$117,500
The teenage Shelley helped create the horror genre with this novel. A first edition in three volumes.
Birds of America by John James Audubon
$95,000
The bible for birders. This octavo edition contains 500 hand-colored lithographic plates. The original publication has been thought to have cost more than $100,000 to publish in the 1800s, so a copy for $95,000 is an absolute bargain.
Relativity by Albert Einstein
$79,650
The most famous scientific equation of the 20th century was defined in this work. The first American edition, published in 1920, includes Einstein's signature in full. Housed in a cloth slipcase with the historical E=mc2 equation embossed in relief.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
$24,150
This 1897 first edition is in beautiful condition and inscribed to Frank A. Munsey; Stoker was undoubtedly attempting to sway Munsey to serialize the story in one of his magazines, such as Argosy or Munsey's.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
$200,000
One of the rarest and most sought after modern first editions, an original 1925 copy with an original dust jacket in fine condition is a six figure book.
Orlando by Virginia Woolf
$292,500
In and of itself a first edition copy of Orlando will garner a four figure price tag, however this particular copy was inscribed by Woolf to Vanessa Bell: "Vanessa / From her slave and sister."
The Dain Curse by Dashiell Hammett
$89,500
This particular copy of Hammett’s second book has been inscribed to fellow hardboiled crime writer Raoul Whitfield.
White Buildings by Hart Crane
$75,000
What could be better for a Hart Crane fan than to own a first edition copy of his first book? And to up the ante, how about buying the copy that came directly from Crane’s own library?
Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy
$45,000
This iconic first edition of JFK's biography is inscribed by JFK (junior senator) "To Senator Saltonstall- with the very highest regards of his colleague John Kennedy".
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by Ian Fleming
$43,940
For the ultimate Bond fan this is a must; a marked-up uncorrected proof copy from the desk of Aubrey Forshaw, then Managing Director of Pan Books, together with a copy of the first edition hardcover also inscribed to Forshaw.
Danny the Champion of the World artwork $136,853
The Jill Bennett archive of illustrations for the first edition of Roald Dahl’s Danny The Champion of The World. Including correspondence between the author, artist and the publishers Jonathan Cape.
Works of Geoffrey Chaucer by Geoffrey Chaucer
$85,000
The works from a legendary poet produced by William Morris and his Kelmscott Press. Published in 1896 and limited to 438 copies, included with 75 woodcut illustrations.
An American Dictionary of the English Language $28,980
Published in 1828, this is the first edition featuring 70,000 words and limited to 2,500 copies. This dictionary was Webster's first attempt to separate American and British English.
No comments:
Post a Comment