What is the most frequently asked question in the used and rare book field? What is my book worth?
- by Bruce E. McKinney
May I quote Zero Mostel?: Money, Money, Money
Everyone in the rare book business is asked everyday “what is my book worth?” and the question almost always gets a careful listen because once in a great while the book or books you have are very good. But that said, the process is time consuming and rarely successful for the person providing perspective.
For people who have these questions there are a few straightforward ways to find out, without spending a dime or anyone’s time. You should go to the listing sites; Biblio, Alibris, Abebooks or Rare Book Hub that provide listings of books for sale. Or, if you are diligent, go to all of them. There you will get a free appraisal simply by putting the author last name, a few words from the title, and the date published into the advanced search fields. Then BINGO you get a variety of answers. Now what should you do?
The chances are the book you are looking up will match almost identical copies offered for sale. And then low and behold you notice someone is offering a copy for $500.- “These people must be smart because they know something that the other fools, who have priced theirs at $75, don’t.” This then leads to the cracking open of a beer or sarsaparilla followed by: “Wow Daddy, we’re rich” because you have boxes of books to look up and $500.- times all the books you have is – let’s see – a New Car, in fact a German one, possibly a 7 series, a convertible at that.
If only it were that easy.
Looking up books that are listed for sale is easy and I suggest doing it before you seek free advice. Unfortunately, the expensive copy listed that you find has probably been posted by a nut who is determined not to leave a penny on the table. It is not illegal to put a crazy asking price on anything.
Now you start to study your copy and quickly confirm you’re an optimist. By reading the descriptions that others have written you start to see some differences though. The term “with original artwork” sounds good until it’s disclosed that Maria, the seller’s daughter and no relation to the author, when she was 3, colored in the pictures. Sorry! Somewhere else you noticed the term “original color.” This must be what it means. This is too easy.
I suggest you make a list of the books you have because they are going to start to blur.
Try to be honest. Try to grade them. Make notes about anything that appears to be missing such as, “it’s complete except for 1 page” which is usually the title page. Ouch! OR, you only have one page – the title page – and you heard that if a book is missing its title page it loses at least 90% of its value. That must mean the title page, by itself is worth 90% of what the whole book is worth. No! No! and No!
About 1 person in a 100 is going to find they have material of saleable value. If you are the lucky one now you can call dealers or whoever you consult. They’ll be looking for evidence of retail prices at and above $500 not including the person who listed their $75 book for $500.
For those books you conclude are valuable you’ll want to offer them in list form, with pictures of the higher value examples, to a specialist in the category of which your book or books is a part. In other words, don’t expect a specialist in opera to know much about your Life of Lincoln [unless it was made into an opera].
Many people will be willing to help but don’t abuse their trust. Do a little bit of homework and identify the things you have that are of value.
Ultimately you are going to sell the material. If you sell to a dealer you’ll get less money [because, once they buy your copy, they’ll assume its market risk]. Their distinct advantage is that they usually pay on the spot. Many, many people take that deal. Others will opt to send their material to auction and it will be roughly 6 months from submission until you receive payment [the amount of which will not be known until the book sells].
Now get started. A few beers from now you can go online to Mercedes Benz to plan your purchase.
If you need further help, after determining your material is probably of substantial value, you can contact us or a professional advisor. Here is one:
Sotheby’s Shelf Life: Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper from the Library of Stanley J. Seeger and Christopher Cone 25 June – July 7
Sotheby’s, July 7: Ludwig van Beethoven. Autograph sketches for the overture "Die Weihe des Hauses", op.124, [1822], UNPUBLISHED. £150,000 to £200,000.
Sotheby’s, July 7: Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice, 1813, first edition, 3 volumes, contemporary half calf. £50,000 to £70,000.
Sotheby’s, July 7: Walt Whitman. Leaves of Grass, Brooklyn, 1855, first edition, first issue, original green cloth, the Doheny copy. £50,000 to £70,000.
Sotheby’s, July 7: Binding—Sangorski & Sutcliffe—Omar Khayyam. Rubaiyat, London, 1872, third edition, in a magnificent jewelled Peacock binding. £15,000 to £20,000.
Sotheby’s, July 7: George Eliot. Middlemarch, Edinburgh and London, 1871, first edition in the original parts. £20,000 to £30,000.
Forum Auctions The Private Library: Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers July 9, 2026
Forum, July 9: Hassall (Joan) A large collection of over 300 original woodblocks of engravings for various books, v.d., with Hassall's engraver's glass water-globe (Qty) - Est. £10,000-15,000
Forum, July 9: Eragny Press.- [Bradley (Katherine Harris) & Edith Emma Cooper], "Michael Field." Whym Chow, Flame of Love, one of only 27 copies, inscribed by Bradley, the rarest book from the press, 1914. - Est. £3,000-4,000
Forum, July 9: [Moore (Thomas Sturge)] [Wood Engravings], 71 wood-engravings printed by David Chambers from the original blocks, the only set on Japanese Hosho paper, from an edition of 5 sets, [1970]. - Est. £3,000-4,000
Forum Auctions The Private Library: Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers July 9, 2026
Forum, July 9: La Fontaine (Jean de) Contes et Nouvelles en vers, 2 vol., engraved plates after Eisen, fine early 19th century blue morocco, gilt, by Bradel l'ainé, Amsterdam [Paris], 1762. - Est. £2,000-3,000
Forum, July 9: Erotica.- Prostitution.- Pretty Women of Paris (The); Their Names and Addresses, Qualities and Faults..., [Paris], privately printed at the Press of the Prefecture de Police, 1883. - Est. £3,000-4,000
Forum, July 9: Vale Press.- Ricketts (Charles) & Lucien Pissarro. De la Typographie et de l'Harmonie de la Page Imprimée…, [one of 216 copies], bound in dark blue morocco tooled in gilt, by Sarah T.Prideaux, 1898. - Est. £1,000-1,500
Forum Auctions The Private Library: Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers July 9, 2026
Forum, July 9: Martin (John) Illustrations of the Bible, complete set of 20 mezzotints, good impressions, rarely found in early states, [c.1831-1835]. - Est. £1,000-1,500
Forum, July 9: Golden Cockerel Press.- Four Gospels of the Lord Jesus Christ (The), one of 500 copies, Mary Gill's copy, Waltham St. Lawrence, 1931 with a signed proof of engraving on japon numbered 10/10 (2) - Est. £5,000-7,000
Forum, July 9: Boccaccio (Giovanni) The Decameron, 3 vol., vol.1 extra-illustrated by John Buckland Wright with c.150 erotic original drawings in pen & ink and pencil, 1886 [extra-illustrated c.1940]. - Est. £10,000-15,000
Forum Auctions The Private Library: Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers July 9, 2026
Forum, July 9: Cox (Morris) Collection of Gogmagog Press Books, 35 vol., rare complete collection of printed books issued by the press, limited editions, most signed by Cox, 1957-83. - Est. £10,000-15,000
Forum, July 9: Wynkyn de Worde.- [Terentius Afer (Publius)] [Comedie...], [Paris, Josse Badius: sold in London by Wynkyn de Worde, & others], [15 July 1504]. - Est. £4,000-6,000
Forum, July 9: Mosley (James) Ornamented Types. Twenty-Three Alphabets from the Foundry of Louis John Pouchée, 2 vol., one of 10 copies for presentation, from an edition of 210, 1992-93. - Est. £1,000-2,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Inundation papyrus. P.Michael 4, the ‘Inundation papyrus’, a geographical account of the Nile near Canopus, in Greek, remains of two columns from a manuscript scroll on papyrus, Egypt, second century CE. £12,000-18,000
Forum, July 16: Book of Hours, use of Sarum, manuscript on vellum, 6 full-page miniatures, with famous Middle English inscriptions, Southern Netherlands for the English market, [c.1430]. £30,000-50,000
Forum, July 16: Qu'ran, Arabic manuscript on burnished, stencilled, and gold-flecked paper, 447ff., Sultanate Gujarat, Ahmadabad, [after 1411 but no later than 1442]. £15,000-20,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Turner (William). A New boke of the natures and properties of all wines that are commonly vsed here in England, rare first edition of the first English book on wine, By William Seres, 1568. £20,000-£30,000
Forum, July 16: Spenser (Edmund). The Faerie Queene. first edition, Printed [by John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, 1590. £30,000-40,000
Forum, July 16: Shakespeare (William). The Comedie of Errors, extracted from the first folio, Isaac Jaggard and Edward Blount, 1623. £15,000-20,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Fleming (Ian). Casino Royale, first edition, signed presentation inscription from the author, 1953. £40,000-60,000
Forum, July 16: d'Agoty (Jacques-Fabien Gautier). Anatomie de la Tête, first edition, Paris, chez le Sieur Gautier, 1748. £10,000-15,000
Forum, July 16: Martial Arts.- Lee (Bruce). 'Praying Mantis style' Kung Fu book, containing numerous annotations, diagrams and graphs in Bruce Lee's hand, c. 1960. £50,000-70,000
Forum Auctions The 10th Anniversary Sale Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper July 16, 2026
Forum, July 16: Warre (Capt. Henry James). Sketches in North America and the Oregon Territory, first edition, rare hand-coloured issue, 1848. £30,000-40,000
Forum, July 16: Norie (John William). The Marine Atlas, or Seaman's Complete Pilot for all the principal places in the known world..., 1826. £30,000-50,000
Forum, July 16: Mao Tse-tung.- Kim Il-sung.-[Note book for visitors from China to Korea], signed by Mao and Kim, [Beijing, 1954]. £10,000-15,000
