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« on: May 24, 2004, 08:29:42 PM » |
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Book collecting stories
Posted by Michael Croteau (209.86.131.49) on April 01, 2002 at 09:02:53:
I would prefer to limit this thread to mostly just Farmer books but if you have a great story about getting a book for much less than it's value, all of the collectors here would probably enjoy it.
I wish I had kept track of how much I have paid for all of my Farmer books (then again if my wife ever saw the total...) but I do have a few prices that stick in my mind.
Flesh, 1st paperback printing Beacon 1960. I got my first copy for $1.37. The price sticker they put on the cover even came off without any damage.
The Green Odyssey, 1st hardcover Ballantine 1957. The book did not come with a dust jacket but is in VG+ condition. I found it on ABE one morning for $37. The dealer was really surprised when I called him because he had just listed the book the night before...
The Fabulous Riverboat, 1st British hardcover Rapp + Whiting. $5.00 on ABE just a month ago, I can't believe the dealer did not search ABE to see what the going rate was before listing the book.
The Digital Wristwatch of Philip K. Dick by Richard Lupoff (with a forward by Philip Jose Farmer), Canyon Press 1985. After YEARS of looking for this book and never seeing one for sale, I checked ABE a few weeks ago found two copies, both signed by Richard Lupoff. The one that is still on ABE is $250, the one that I bought was $12.
One more book that many of you scifi/fantasy collectors might appreciate: The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan. I don't always get a chance to check ABE on Saturday mornings but fortunately I did this time. I found a hardcover 1st printing for $150. I emailed the seller immediately and asked him to hold it and that I would call at 10:00am (assuming his store in Canada opened then). When I called he said that mine was the second email but since the first one was from a guy in Sweden who only asked a question and did not ask him to hold the book, he sold it to me. $150 may not sound like a bargain compared to $1.37 but since the only US hardcover 1st on ABE right now is $750, it feels like a bargain to me. Can you imagine if they ever decide to make a movie or TV series out of Jordan's Eye of the World series, what the prices of his books will do?
Of course I have over paid for some books, especially when I first started collecting. Before the internet started making it much easier to find books and compare their prices, it was easy to overpay for a book if you had never seen a copy. Fortunately I did not have enough money to buy them the first time I saw copies of To Your Scattered Bodies Go and The Peerless Peer. Then again, looking back, $350 for To Your Scattered Bodies Go looks pretty good today (although I did finally get a copy for less than that).
Please post your book hunting stories, especially where you got a great deal!
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