First editions.........

[bunnykinz]

Can anyone tell me please what makes a first edition valuable? Is it things like who the author is and how popular they are, when the book was first printed,eg year of printing, and does it make a difference if it's signed by the author?

Thanks in advance :) bunny

[Buenchico]

(2 part post):

The most valuable first editions are usually rare books by popular authors.

Most books by popular authors are far from rare (e.g. the first edition of J.K. Rowling's next book will probably have a print run of several millions). The only books, by such an author, that will have had very limited first edition print runs are the very first book they had published or, in some cases, additional later volumes published prior to their first 'blockbuster'.

The actual age of a first edition has little to do with its value. e.g. some first editions published in the Victorian period might be worth 50p while a first edition less than twenty years old might command a price of over a thousand pounds.

A signed volume might be worth much more than an unsigned book but this depends upon how many copies were actually signed. e.g. Let's suppose that I publish a book myself. I only have a few hundred copies printed and distribute them to bookshops myself, signing almost every copy. In a few year's time, I write a blockbuster and become famous. Now copies of my original volume will become collectable and rise, possibly steeply, in price. It's unlikely, however, that a signed copy will have any extra value because so many copies were signed when they were distributed. It's even possible that an unsigned copy could, because of its rarity, be worth more than a signed one!

[Buenchico]

Even when a book is quite valuable because it's a first edition, the usual quality factors, which are so important to book collectors, will still apply. For example, prices for a first edition of a highly collectable book might read like this:
Book & dust wrapper in mint condition: �1000
Book in mint condition, 1cm tear in dust wrapper: �700
Book in mint condition, scruffy dust wrapper: �500
Book in mint condition, no dust wrapper: �150
Book slightly marked, no dust wrapper: �80
Book with 'foxed' pages, no dust wrapper: �50
Book with broken spine, no dust wrapper: �30

(This information is based upon reading the 'Book & Magazine Collector' for many years and having bought and sold quite a few first editions but never with a price even into three figures yet alone four!)

Chris

[jno]

I think it's mostly to do with rarity - ie, the law of supply and demand. First editions tend to be smaller than subsequent ones. If they're older, they're likely to have become a bit tatty, so ones in good condition will be rarer. Ones signed by the author will be rarer still. And so on. It helps if the book or the author is famous, because more collectors will then be on the lookout, so demand will further exceed supply.

All that subject to what Buenchico has already said, of course.

[Hard@it]

I have several 'cheapy' first editions but problem is that everyone says they are worth something but nobody wants them. If you look in the likes of AB books, even the professionals don't seem to hit the mark when it comes tor ealising the price