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![<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> Samuel Johnson, Jr. <i>A School Dictionary…</i> New Haven, [Connecticut]: Edward O'Brien, [1798]. FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST DICTIONARY IN ENGLISH BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR, AN EXCEPTIONAL RARITY.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/144d303d-fb7b-4c8f-90f8-93d2ee5b5473.jpg "<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> Samuel Johnson, Jr. <i>A School Dictionary…</i> New Haven, [Connecticut]: Edward O'Brien, [1798]. FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST DICTIONARY IN ENGLISH BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR, AN EXCEPTIONAL RARITY.")
![<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> James Joyce. <i>Ulysses.</i> London: John Lane The Bodley Head, [1936]. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION, SIGNED BY JOYCE. Designated a “Presentation Copy” in ink beneath Joyce’s signature.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/b96c89fb-e0c1-4ce9-99c1-c97b003d38bd.jpg "<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> James Joyce. <i>Ulysses.</i> London: John Lane The Bodley Head, [1936]. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION, SIGNED BY JOYCE. Designated a “Presentation Copy” in ink beneath Joyce’s signature.")
![<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> [Photoplay]. Delos W. Lovelace. <i>King Kong.</i> New York: Grosset & Dunlap, [1932]. FIRST EDITION of "a most sought after title" (Davis).](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/030395f1-e26d-4ae6-b120-43d881c17632.jpg "<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> [Photoplay]. Delos W. Lovelace. <i>King Kong.</i> New York: Grosset & Dunlap, [1932]. FIRST EDITION of \"a most sought after title\" (Davis).")
![<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> Ray Bradbury. <i>Fahrenheit 451.</i> New York: Simon & Schuster, [1993]. 40th Anniversary Edition. PRESENTATION COPY, INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR TO HUGH HEFNER.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/593de668-7304-4f7b-af33-0f408183249a.jpg "<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> Ray Bradbury. <i>Fahrenheit 451.</i> New York: Simon & Schuster, [1993]. 40th Anniversary Edition. PRESENTATION COPY, INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR TO HUGH HEFNER.")
![<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> Neil Gaiman. Original manuscript for the "Neverwhere" BBC television miniseries. [London: Crucial Films, LTD., 1995-1996]. TYPESCRIPT "NEVERWHERE" WITH NEIL GAIMAN'S NOTES AND AMENDATIONS THROUGHOUT.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/2f398c6b-072b-406e-ad66-55fff389034a.jpg "<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> Neil Gaiman. Original manuscript for the \"Neverwhere\" BBC television miniseries. [London: Crucial Films, LTD., 1995-1996]. TYPESCRIPT \"NEVERWHERE\" WITH NEIL GAIMAN'S NOTES AND AMENDATIONS THROUGHOUT.")
![<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> [DICTIONARY]. Noah Webster. <i>An American Dictionary of the English Language...</i> New York, 1828. FIRST EDITION OF WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY, UNCUT IN THE PUBLISHER'S ORIGINAL BOARDS](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/e3af12c5-4ae8-4f41-9567-382fc93f5eee.jpg "<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> [DICTIONARY]. Noah Webster. <i>An American Dictionary of the English Language...</i> New York, 1828. FIRST EDITION OF WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY, UNCUT IN THE PUBLISHER'S ORIGINAL BOARDS")
![<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> H. G. Wells. <i>The Time Machine: An Invention.</i> London: William Heinemann, 1895 [but 1897]. With a SIGNED PHOTOGRAPHIC POSTCARD laid in.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/1772ac84-200c-4c75-b633-5f918dbe2d54.jpg "<b>Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11:</b> H. G. Wells. <i>The Time Machine: An Invention.</i> London: William Heinemann, 1895 [but 1897]. With a SIGNED PHOTOGRAPHIC POSTCARD laid in.")
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: J. R. R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. London, 1954-1955.FIRST EDITIONS, FIRST IMPRESSIONS, ALL IN THE EXTREMELY RARE FIRST STATE DUST JACKETS.Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Francesco Fontana. Novae coelestium terrestriumque rerum observationes... Naples: Gaffari, 1646. FIRST EDITION. Contains the first observations of spots on the surface of Mars.Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. London: Printed for W. Strahan and T. Cadell, 1776. FIRST EDITION of “the first and greatest classic of modern economic thought” (PMM).Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Benjamin Franklin. Mémoires de la Vie Privée de Benjamin Franklin, écrits par lui-méme… Paris: Chez Buisson, 1791. FIRST EDITION OF FRANKLIN'S MEMOIRS IN THE PUBLISHER'S ORIGINAL WRAPPERS.Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Samuel Johnson, Jr. A School Dictionary… New Haven, [Connecticut]: Edward O'Brien, [1798]. FIRST EDITION OF THE FIRST DICTIONARY IN ENGLISH BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR, AN EXCEPTIONAL RARITY.Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Joseph Smith, Jr. The Book of Mormon. Palmyra: Printed by E. B. Grandin, for the Author, 1830. FIRST EDITION.Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Miguel de Cervántes Saavedra. El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Madrid: Joaquin Ibarra, 1780. THE BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED IBARRA EDITION.Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: James Joyce. Ulysses. London: John Lane The Bodley Head, [1936]. FIRST ENGLISH EDITION, SIGNED BY JOYCE. Designated a “Presentation Copy” in ink beneath Joyce’s signature.Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: [Photoplay]. Delos W. Lovelace. King Kong. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, [1932]. FIRST EDITION of "a most sought after title" (Davis).Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Simon & Schuster, [1993]. 40th Anniversary Edition. PRESENTATION COPY, INSCRIBED AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR TO HUGH HEFNER.Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Neil Gaiman. Original manuscript for the "Neverwhere" BBC television miniseries. [London: Crucial Films, LTD., 1995-1996]. TYPESCRIPT "NEVERWHERE" WITH NEIL GAIMAN'S NOTES AND AMENDATIONS THROUGHOUT.Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: [DICTIONARY]. Noah Webster. An American Dictionary of the English Language... New York, 1828. FIRST EDITION OF WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY, UNCUT IN THE PUBLISHER'S ORIGINAL BOARDSHeritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: Stephen King. Full Dark, No Stars. Baltimore: Cemetery Dance Publications, 2010. WITH AN ORIGINAL TWO-PAGE COLOR ILLUSTRATION BY GLENN CHADBOURNEHeritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: George Orwell. Nineteen Eighty-Four. London: Secker & Warburg, 1949. FIRST EDITION, IN THE ORIGINAL DUST JACKET.Heritage Auctions, Oct. 10:-11: H. G. Wells. The Time Machine: An Invention. London: William Heinemann, 1895 [but 1897]. With a SIGNED PHOTOGRAPHIC POSTCARD laid in. -
Old World Auctions (Oct. 10): Lot 1. Rare First Edition of Oronce Fine Double-Cordiform World Map (1531) Est. $50,000 - $60,000Old World Auctions (Oct. 10): Lot 2. French Edition of "Rudimentum Novitiorum" with Woodcut Maps of the World and Palestine (1543) Est. $27,500 - $35,000Old World Auctions (Oct. 10): Lot 3. Complete Edition of Munster’s Cosmographia with over 100 Maps & Views (1560) Est. $32,500 - $40,000Old World Auctions (Oct. 10): Lot 4. Purchas' Important Collection of Voyages with 88 Maps, Including John Smith Map of Virginia (1625-26) Est. $55,000 - $70,000Old World Auctions (Oct. 10): Lot 5. Complete First Latin Edition of De Bry's "Grands Voyages," Parts I-IX (1590-1602) Est. $120,000 - $150,000 -
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![<b>Dominic Winter, Oct. 9:</b> Lot 234 - Bible [English]. [The Holy Bible, Imprinted at London by Christopher Barker, 1584]. £1,200-1,500](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/a576e1d7-1fc2-480d-ad82-ee169d60d4a4.jpg "<b>Dominic Winter, Oct. 9:</b> Lot 234 - Bible [English]. [The Holy Bible, Imprinted at London by Christopher Barker, 1584]. £1,200-1,500")
![<b>Dominic Winter, Oct. 9:</b> Lot 247 - Embroidered binding - Bible [English]. The Holy Bible, 1660. £500-800](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/20ddc0b7-1179-409f-af6f-b1846c61012b.jpg "<b>Dominic Winter, Oct. 9:</b> Lot 247 - Embroidered binding - Bible [English]. The Holy Bible, 1660. £500-800")
![<b>Dominic Winter, Oct. 9:</b> Lot 282 - Nightingale (Florence). Notes on Nursing, 1st ed., 2nd issue, [1860], <i>signed presentation copy.</i> £1,000-1,500](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/4191d3ea-49ac-4fc7-8d08-95ef1871a719.jpg "<b>Dominic Winter, Oct. 9:</b> Lot 282 - Nightingale (Florence). Notes on Nursing, 1st ed., 2nd issue, [1860], <i>signed presentation copy.</i> £1,000-1,500")
Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 42 - Meyer (Dr. Hans). Across East African Glaciers, limited edition of 50, 1891. £3,000-5,000Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 2 - Agassiz (Louis). Etudes sur les Glaciers, 2 volumes, 1840. £1,000-1,500Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 234 - Bible [English]. [The Holy Bible, Imprinted at London by Christopher Barker, 1584]. £1,200-1,500Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 288 - Florio (John). A Worlde of Wordes, or most Copious, and Exact Dictionary in Italian and English, 1598. £2,000-3,000Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 289 - Cotgrave (Randle). A Dictionary of the French and English Tongues, 1st edition, 1611. £700-1,000Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 368 - Grahame (Kenneth). The Wind in the Willows, 1st edition, 1908. £700-1,000Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 52 - Phillimore (R. H.). Historical Records of The Survey of India, 4 vols, 1st edition, 1945-58. £1,000-1,500Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 92 - Albin (Eleazar). A Natural History of English Insects, 1st London, 1720. £2,500-3,500Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 99 - Leach (William Elford). Malacostraca Podophthalmata Britanniae, 1815-20 & 1875. £2,500-3,500Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 247 - Embroidered binding - Bible [English]. The Holy Bible, 1660. £500-800Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 282 - Nightingale (Florence). Notes on Nursing, 1st ed., 2nd issue, [1860], signed presentation copy. £1,000-1,500Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 66 - Ward (Rowland, editor). Great and Small Game of Africa, limited edition, 1899. £600-800Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 235 - Campo (Antonio). Cremona Fedelissima Citta, 1st edition, 1585. £2,000-3,000Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 355 - Jewish playing cards. Artistic Palestine Play-Cards, Jerusalem: Duchifat Press, circa 1920. £200-300Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 102 - America. Lea (P. & J. Overton). A New Mapp of America..., London: circa 1686. £1,000-1,500Dominic Winter, Oct. 9: Lot 161 - North America. Laurie (R. H.), Map of the Southern Dominions belonging to the United States, 1823. £500-800
Rare Book Monthly
Articles - September - 2004 Issue
Searching The Old Book Sites:<br>Just Who Is The Best?
Amazon offers a cacophony of choices that does not make it easy to find old books.
By Michael Stillman
There are two sides to every internet sales story, buyer and seller. Most of what you read is taken from the seller's perspective. How many customers visit the site, how easy is it to upload your material, and most importantly, how much do they charge? This month we look from a different perspective, the buyer's. Not just any buyer. No, we take it from the slow-learning technophobic easily confused buyer's point of view. If you're a seller, you know him. He makes up about 90% of your business. I am totally qualified to speak for him.
Just to elaborate on that last point a bit more, some of you may say "you should have just clicked this link," or "you should have done..." fill in the blank. Probably. But remember, most people are not as well versed in these sites as the average person reading this article. For a site to perform up to its potential, it needs to work for the ignorant as well as the learned.
This is not to say dealers should choose which sites to list on based on how well they work. Dealers should post their listings based on which make them the most money. This will be a factor of how many books they sell, what commissions they charge, how much time you have to spend to place books on the site, and factors like these. Many booksellers will gravitate to Amazon because, with their large audience, they have the ability to move a lot of books. If not always the most user-friendly site, to paraphrase John Dillinger, it's where the customers are. Still, it is worth looking at a site from the buyer's perspective, as in time this will make a difference.
We looked at seven sites: the two major regular booksellers, Amazon and Barnes and Noble, the two largest primarily old book sites, Abebooks and Alibris, two bookseller organization sites, the ABAA and ILAB-LILA, and the biggest search engine, Froogle (brought to you by Google). We also tried the IOBA site (Independent Online Booksellers Association). We found only one copy of one of the books we searched, so it was not very productive. However, there did seem to be many low-priced other books available there, so it might be worth a look if you are searching for not very rare items at bargain prices.
