Any rare books on your bookshelf?
Rare books can pop up in all sorts of places. Have you ever seen one of these 'Cash in the attic' type television programmes where they clear out all the clutter in someones house and then try and sell it? Well usually they come up with a pile of junk, but sometimes they surprise even me by finding something that's actually worth a lot of money. Now, you might not have a ming vase lurking in your loft, but most of us have accumulated some books at some point.
What makes rare books rare?
Rare books can be rare and sought after for many reasons. In some cases, they're not necessarily "rare" in the sense that there are only a few copies, however, demand is outstripping supply by a large margin. A good example of this is with Harry Potter first editions of the Philosopher' Stone. These were printed in some sort of quantity but they are still commanding high prices from book collectors.
So how can I tell if I have any rare books in my house?
Well, the simplest way to find out if you have any rare books on your hands is to seach on Rare British Books by author to see what's currently being offered for sale. Choose an author you want to find out about or use our search on the right hand side of the page to see what is currently being offered for sale. Once you're there, check to see the books that have been sold in the last 30 days. This should give you a good idea about the values of any books you have found, and whether they are in fact rare books or just common or garden books. (Obviously we're not suggesting you should love your books any less just because they're not "rare" or valuable!)
We've been having a look at some of the recent rare book auction prices to see whether demand is still there for rare books. Do you have any of these rare books on a shelf or in a box in your attic? Here's a quick roundup of some recent selling prices:
- A. A. Milne Winnie The Pooh Complete First Edition - this sold for £1220 on May 1st (see current A.A.Milne rare book sales and auctions )
- J.K.Rowling HARRY POTTER & SORCERER'S STONE 1st USA edition 1998 in dust jacket - this sold for £614 ($1009) on April 26th (See current J.K. Rowling Harry Potter rare books for sale )
- King James Holy Bible Version 1683 FOLIO 6 Maps - sold for £1083 on 27 April (US auction) (see current King James Bibles for sale )
- An original 1909 edition of Emma By Jane Austen - sold for £75 on May 1st (see rare Jane Austen books for sale)
So that little pile of books that you had forgotten about could yield quite a lot of money (if you're lucky and there are some rare books amongst them) so might be worthy of investigation!