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First Editions Gallery

-- Courtesy of Abebooks bookseller Books Tell You Why, specialist in first edition books.

What’s the “right strategy” and which edition should one buy to have a book with the highest appreciation in price? While each strategy has its merits, it is our belief that it continues to be most beneficial to:

• Obtain the (signed) first trade edition in first print in outstanding condition.
• Do not focus on later printings. With some exceptions later printings typically do not show any or only very little appreciation. Why? Because they are replaceable. A 6th print is not perceived much different than the 26th print. It is number one that counts.
• Do not compromise in quality. “Good” copies are typically not among the one that collectors will put on their shelves as they often show too many (visible) flaws.
• Let your budget define if you want to go signed or unsigned. Do not “compromise” for later print or lesser condition, if you think high appreciation.

However, when all is said and done, do choose the book you will enjoy most.

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The Hitchhiker's Guide To The GalaxyThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams

This is the story of a book called The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy—not an Earth book, never published on Earth and, until the terrible catastrophe occurred, never seen or even heard of by any Earthman. Nevertheless, a wholly remarkable book. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a number-one best seller in England, a weekly radio series with millions of fanatic listeners, and soon to be a blockbuster movie.

First Editions from: £5.00 - £742.48

 

The Great GatsbyThe Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby, the story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan has been acclaimed by generations of readers. But the first edition contained a number of errors resulting from Fitzgerald's extensive revisions and a rushed production schedule. Subsequent printings introduced further departures from the author's words.

First Editions from: £1,800.00 - £58,234.05

 

And to Think That I Saw It On Mulberry StreetAnd to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street
Dr. Seuss

In 1936 on the way to a vaction in Europe, listening to the rhythm of the ship's engines, he came up with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, which was then promptly rejected by the first 43 publishers he showed it to. Eventually in 1937 a friend published the book for him, and it went on to at least moderate success.

First Editions From: £12,000.00 - £12,000.00

 

The Lovely BonesThe Lovely Bones
Alice Sebold

When we first meet 14-year-old Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. This was before milk carton photos and public service announcements, she tells us; back in 1973, when Susie mysteriously disappeared, people still believed these things didn't happen. In the hands of a brilliant new novelist, and through the eyes of her winning young heroine, this story of seemingly unbearable tragedy is transformed into a suspenseful, touching, even funny novel about family, memory, love, heaven, and living.

First Editions From: £1.00 - £218.38

 

New HampshireNew Hampshire
Robert Frost

New Hampshire won the Pulitzer Prize and contains a number of Frost's most famous poems - "Fire and Ice", "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", and "Nothing Gold Can Stay".

First Editions From: £15.00 - £4,367.55

 

 

Silent SpringSilent Spring
Rachel Carson

First published by Houghton Mifflin in 1962, Silent Spring alerted a large audience to the environmental and human dangers of indiscriminate use of pesticides, spurring revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. "Silent Spring became a runaway bestseller, with international reverberations . . . [It is] well crafted, fearless and succinct . . . Even if she had not inspired a generation of activists, Carson would prevail as one of the greatest nature writers in American letters" (Peter Matthiessen, for Time"s 100 Most Influential People of the Century).

First Editions From: £5.00 - £1,747.02

 

The Interpretation of DreamsThe Interpretation of Dreams
Sigmund Freud

This ground-breaking work, which Freud considered his most valuable, forever changed the way we think about our dreams. In it, Freud made this century's startling discoveries about why we dream, what we dream about, and what dreams really mean.

First Editions From: £18.00 - £13,102.66

 

Old Possum's Book of Practical CatsOld Possum's Book of Practical Cats
T.S. Eliot

Eliot’s famous collection of nonsense verse about cats-the inspiration for the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats. The nickname "Old Possum" was first given to Eliot b Ezra Pound. Eliot sometimes used it amoung his friends and occasionally signed letters to them with the initials "T.P." (Tom Possum).

First Editions from: £3.00 - £2,038.19

 

Show BoatShow Boat
Edna Ferber

Show Boat appeared as a novel in 1926 and was adapted for the stage in 1927. It has been in almost constant production since that time and is an American classic.

First Editions From: £2.50 - £873.51

 

Death on the NileDeath on the Nile
Agatha Christie

Linnet Doyle is young, beautiful, and rich. She's the girl who has everything--including the man her best friend loves. Linnet and her new husband take a cruise on the Nile, where they meet the brilliant detective Hercule Poirot. It should be an idyllic trip, yet Poirot has a vague, uneasy feeling that something is dangerously amiss.

First Editions From: £1.25 - £13,500.00

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