BookFinder Lists Top 10 Used and Out of Print Books for 2006
- by Michael Stillman
What is commonly called the "Madonna Sex Book" is BookFinder's most sought after title.
By Michael Stillman
Internet book finding website BookFinder has released its top 10 list of the most sought after used and out of print books for 2006. Being a site where buyers can search many bookselling websites at once for used and old books, BookFinder knows exactly which books searchers want. What emerges is an unusual collection. There are no great classics of literature or notable works of history, but there is self-help, pop interest, a book related to a successful film, and -- surprise, surprise -- sex. The one thing these books have in common is they are hard to find. That, undoubtedly, is why they are so heavily searched. They are not readily available, and where they can be found, the prices are quite high for books of this sort. Now, as to why these books are so sought after, we'll let you reach your own conclusions. For the most part, they seem to lie in that netherland, popular enough to have a devoted following, but not quite popular enough to reprint. Now, here we go, and with a thanks to BookFinder for compiling this interesting list.
10. The list starts with a very hard to find obscurity, One Way Up, a story about helicopter development by John Straubel, published by the Hiller Aircraft Company in 1964.
9. Once a Runner, the 1978 cult classic by John L. Parker that has been praised by many of the great distance runners. A lot of people must be long-distance runners, at least in their dreams.
8. The Secret of Perfect Living, a re-discovered 1963 self-help obscurity by James Mangan, shows how focusing on words can help you achieve everything you desire, or something like that.
7. The Lion's Paw, an out of print children's adventure story about a search for a lucky seashell by Robb White.
6. The Principles of Knitting, a 1988 book by June Hemmons Hiatt which will tell you everything you want to know about needlework, and perhaps a lot more.
5. Treasury of Great Recipes by Mary and Vincent Price, published in 1964. Vincent Price was the great horror movie actor, making you wonder whether these recipes are horrific or good for poisoning people (actually, Price was an accomplished cook and gourmand too).
4. Man in Black, a 1975 autobiography by legendary country singer Johnny Cash, whose life story was made into a film this past year.
3. Touch Me Again, a 1978 collection of poetry from weight loss, skin care, jewelry, food, apparel, and anything else she can sell guru and one-time "Three's Company" star Suzanne Sommers.
2. Football Scouting Methods, a 1963 book by longtime Navy Assistant Football Coach Steve Belichick, who died shortly before 2006 began. One person who undoubtedly learned from this book is his son, three-time Super Bowl winning New England coach Bill Belichick.
1. Sex, a 1992 book by Madonna, BookFinder describes as a "perennial favorite." This book, filled with photographs that could be called either art or pornography, depending on your point of view, was published to accompany her 1992 CD "Erotica." The controversial item has not been republished since, leaving used copies the only source for this strange classic from the ultimate pop queen of music, film, and now books.
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
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Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
