An Antique Books Guide - Vellum Binding

Only recently have I really learned of the value of vellum and I though I should make a brief blog post about it.
Vellum is treated pig skin and can be found as the binding of many antique or valuable books.
Whilst it may sounds rather disgusting, Vellum is one of the most prized cover materials, giving a lovely cream colour that can be adorned with gilt patterning.

Vellum copies of famous book can sell for thousands such as Arthur Rackham's Alice in Wonderland.
Vellum can get dirty easily and is most valuable when clean and bright with detailed patterning gilded upon it.

Even lesser known books can attract reasonable values purely for the binding.
Below are some pictures to show more of this smooth, hard binding material.

Thanks for reading

Ebay Quick Tips TOP 8 - An Antique Books Guide

eBay is really quite a simple site to get the hang of but there are some unspoken rules regarding selling books that can be useful to know if you want to get the maximum price possible.

1. PhotosIf your listing doesn't have a photo then there is a very high chance your book won't sell.

If you are starting it at 99p then it might but someone could get a great deal.

You can't expect a buyer to bid on something they can't see.

2. Clear photosMake sure that your photos clearly show the book.

Some listings I've seen have someone holding a book at an angle and the photograph just looks shoddy.

Use a white or at least clean surface in a well lit room and make sure the entire book is on show.

3. Relevant photosYou shouldn't be satisfied with just one photo for your listing.

Take several showing off key aspects of the book so that the buyer can see exactly what you are offering.

Make sure you show the covers, title page, publication/ print details and any illustrations.

4. Appropriate title.Try to give the year of the book, the title of the book, the author of the book and any relevant key terms such as 'antique', 'gilt', 'decorative' and war' etc as this improves search possibilities.

Don't just use caps as this can come across as a bit amateur.

5. Subtitle riskIf you are asking for £14.99 plus for your book then a subtitle can be useful as it shows the person searching through eBay a little bit about your listing without having to click on it.

The subtitle also includes searchable words so maximizes your chance of a sale.

6. Description

Make it clear and concise but don't be afraid to sell your book with words.

Make it sound nice and tell the buyer of it's best features.

Give the details of the book also including Title, Author, Publisher, Publication Date (If shown) and number of pages.

This helps the buyer decide if they want the book or not.

7. Price

The most important aspect to selling your book - make sure you know the value.

Don't undersell but more importantly don't try to overcharge.

Generally antique books  aren't worth as much as you might think.

Check Abebooks.co.uk for the price of your book or a similar copy and knock a few pounds off to ensure a sale.

It sometimes takes a few times before the book sells as the right buyer has to be searching in the 10 days or so that your item is active.

8. Postage 

Arguably one  the most important aspects to listing on eBay, the postage cost can determine whether you get a sale or not in some cases.

If a buyer sees a book with £7 postage then they will instantly be wary, especially if the book isn't all that big.

If you do have a heavy book it is sometimes best to still charge a few pounds less than the postage cost purely to entice buyers.

Make sure you know the eight of your book however for you don't want to be caught out.

If your book weighs under 1kg and over 500g then it will most likely cost £2.60 to post second class.

If the book is less than 2cm thick then it should only cost approx £1.20-£1.80.

If the book is over 1kg then it will probably cost £5.60 to post second class but could rise to nearly £9 if especially thick.

And lastly if the book weighs more than 2kg the cheapest option is Parcelforce 48 which is ordered through the Post Office and costs £12.90 approx.

And there you have it!

These are only tips for listing but if you pay attention and put a bit of care into your listing then your book should sell for far more than if you listed it quickly and without thought.

Thanks for reading!

The Marvel of the Folio Society - An Antique Books Guide

The Folio Society is one of the best known modern day publishing houses and quite rightly so.
They offer a nearly unparalleled quality in all of their books, printing classic in facsimile form or with new, bold covers.

Sold with slip cases, these books are often larger than standard editions and always carry a high presentation value.

The value of these books is quite varied from some of Tolkien's books which in the correct edition can fetch several hundred to many more common title which are sadly worth under £5 - a fraction of what they would have cost when published.

Below are a range of books and aspects of books published by the Folio Society.

Gilt Detailing:

Expensive but popular, gilt detailing makes a book that little bit more visually attractive

Photo covers
Some Folio Society books have unique photo-style covers with representations of paintings or pictures that wrap around the front and back boards.

Slipcase

The slipcase is almost always plain and hides what the book will actually look like.

Facsimile

Here is one of the Folio Society's facsimile books, by which I mean a modern replica of an older edition.
Often reproduced to the highest quality by the FS, these replicas are quite valuable and extremely attractive.

Inside the book will appear very similar if not exactly like the original text.

High Presentation Value

This book has strong, deluxe binding and colouring to the top of the text block - both symbols of the high production values associated with the Folio Society

Decorative front/ endpapers

Most Folio books will come with unique front/ endpapers which represent the theme or era of the book - again another sign of high value in the production of these books.

 And here are several covers just to show some more variation in the portfolio of the Folio Society

 

A Folio Society book is going to be one of the nicest copies you can get of said book although perhaps not the most valuable.
Ideal for presents or luxurious reading!

Thanks for viewing and please share, comment etc

Guild Publishing - A Post in honour of the uniform volume - An Antique Books GUIDE With VALUES!

Guild Publishing is probably best known for its series of faux leather books.
These are some of the most collected uniform volume sets and so I shall dedicate this brief post to Guild Publishing.

With green and red covers, all embellished with the same antique style gilt patterning and fine attention to detail, this series is one that will grace any bookshelf.
Guild Publishing printed some of the most famous novels published in this range so you can find Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca and even The Grapes of Wrath.

Some books are worth far more than others so I have listed a handful of the most valuable below and their approximate values:

The Hobbit - In First Guild Publishing Edition up to £60
The Lord of the Rings - In First GP Edition up to £40
The Silmarillion - In First GP Edition up to £30

The Great Gatsby - Up to £40

Nineteen Eighty-Four/ Animal Farm - Up to £20

Anne Frank's Diary - Up to £15

The Godafather - Up to £10

Rebecca - Up to £10

By comparison The French Lieutenant's Woman is worth approx £1

Description:

Each book has the same antique inspired cover design

Each book features the title and author on the spine in gold

A lovely gilt floral design is featured on each book

On some books the front papers are highly patterned also

The title page is always the same and always plain

Print details - these books are rarely older then 1978

Thanks for reading this brief guide!

The Hobbit - J.R.R Tolkien's most famous book and how much it's worth - An Antique Books Guide

Here's a brief version of a longer post I have written, but this time only focusing on The Hobbit.
As Tolkien's most famous book, people often wonder how much a copy can be worth up to, especially if they happen to own a rather old edition.

Well hopefully this post will help guide anyone who wants to know what their Hobbit might be worth or anything else about editions of the Hobbit currently available.

The Hobbit

Published in 1937 with a very limited print run, this book is Tolkien's most famous and arguably the most famous fantasy book of all time.

Originally written for children but now touted as an adult friendly book due to advanced themes and lexis, this book is one of the most collected of any fictional works.

Look out for hardback copies with the dust jacket that are pre-1975 for real value.

Below are a selection of the editions of The Hobbit currently available and what they might be worth:

George Allen and Unwin Hobbit

The original Hobbit book with the Iconic dust jacket.

This design ran from 1937 up to 1975 with only minor alterations and as such is the classic Hobbit edition.

The first editions can reach over £6,000 at auction whilst later impressions drop to £20 approx. Here's a quick value guide for the George Allen and Unwin illustrated Hobbit:

First Edition/ Impression 1937 - £6,000+

First Edition 1932-1946 - Between £400 and £1,000+

Second Edition 1951-1965 - Between £80 up to £300 

Third Edition 1966-1975 - Between £15 and £80 

Editions with dust jackets and in good condition sell for the most

Folio Hobbit

This recent Folio edition is worth between £10-£20 despite the lovely covers, fine binding and black and white illustrations

Deluxe Edition

These versions started in 1976 and are known for their incredible quality throughout from the luxurious binding to the incredible cover designs.

This is THE edition for the collector.

Worth up to £200 for the first edition to at least £50 for last editions

Longmans Edition

A more obscure edition, this version was created primarily for schools.

Worth between £50 for a first edition and under £10 for a later edition.

The 1975 Hobbit paperback

This book is a a particularly rare year and contains colour illustrations and the unique cover design.

Worth up to £10

The Vintage Paperback

This is the classic paperback edition with covers using a drawing from Tolkien's own hand.

Starting in 1966 this edition ran to the mid 1970's.

Values range from £5 up to £20 for the first impression of this edition

The First Paperback edition

This is the very rare 1961 first paperback.

With a never used before or after cover illustration and poor quality binding, these books are growing rarer and rarer.

Valued at £25 for a poor condition version to £100 for one in very fine condition.

The Guild Publishing Deluxe edition

This rather nice looking copy has a uniform Lord of the Rings and Silmarillion also and is one of the more unique copies.

Prices vary from £10 for a poor condition edition to over £60 in some cases.

The 50th Anniversary Edition

The 1987 50th edition is one of the most collected recent editions.

Valued between £10 and £25

The 1978 Fourth Edition

The fourth edition may not be quite as collectible as the third, second or first editions (all of which have the classic iconic covers) but is nonetheless sought after.

Valued at between £10 and £25

The Michael Hague edition

This particular edition has some of the nicest and most elaborate illustrations of any yet published.

A large book and with completely unparalleled presentation, this book can be worth up to £30 for a first impression and as low as £5 for a later poor condition copy.

Earlier Folio

This particular folio edition is the middle edition between the 1979 deluxe and the 1990's popular Folio in terms of value.

Prices range from £10 to £30 in rare cases

Guild Publishing edition

Another rare GP edition with fine binding

Worth between £10 and £20

Guild Publishing edition

And another GP edition, worth slightly less than the above edition but still a nice rare copy to own.

Valued between £7.50 and £15

The Modern anniversary edition

This 1990's edition is a nice modern revamp of the classic edition and worth up to £10 in some cases

The modern Paperback

The standard modern paperback is ideal for children to read.
Worth generally less than £1 unless a first print of this edition in which case it could be worth up to £10

Limited Box Set

This rare boxset contains a unique edition of the book and many other extras including postcards, a CD with Tolkien reading excerpts and adverts.

Worth between £15 and £30

And there you have it!

The Hobbit is a very well published book and a solid investment with prices continually on the rise thanks to the great work of Christopher Tolkien and the Estate of Tolkien.

I hope this guide helped you in some way - please share, comment and do anything else you can with this blog except for copy it without permission!)

Thanks for reading

J.R.R Tolkien - Values Of The Hobbit, Lord Of The Rings and more... An Antique Books PHOTO Guide

I have been wanting to write a post about Tolkien for a while, showing which books to collect and what they might be worth.
Only now have I gained enough experience to take a shot at it

A little background

J.R.R Tolkien is one of the best selling authors of all time and not just because of the big money film franchises that arrived post 2000.
He also happens to be one of the most valuable to book collectors and is my favorite author of all time.

When Tolkien's revolutionary 'The Hobbit' arrived on bookshelves in 1937 , it redefined fantasy and introduced the genre to a new audience. Some consider it to have been the Harry Potter of the time.
The popularity was so great that his publisher requested a new series and thus The Lord of the Rings came about.

Many believe this to be the greatest fantasy trilogy of all time, containing themes and influences that range from mythology to religion and even to Tolkien's hatred for industry.
Whilst writing The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien amended The Hobbit with several inclusions to make the narratives link better and when the first part of The Lord of the Rings was finally released in 1954 it also received the acclaim that The Hobbit had.

Tolkien also worked on several smaller novels including 'Smith of Wootton Major' and 'Farmer Giles o Ham' and left a legacy for his son, Christopher Tolkien to work upon.
The Tolkien empire is now vast with films still set to be released and edition after edition of his works being printed for new audiences.

Look for George Allen and Unwin as the publisher for a guaranteed valuable as they were his original publishers and ran until the late eighties.

Below I shall attempt to detail some of the works of Tolkien:

The Hobbit

Published in 1937 with a very limited print run, this book is Tolkien's most famous and arguably the most famous fantasy book of all time.

Originally written fro children but now touted as an adult friendly book due to advanced themes and lexis, The Hobbit has had a huge number of editions printed.

Editions with the iconic dust jacket sell for the most and the valuable years run from 1937 up to 1975.

A first edition with dust jacket has been known to sell for over £6,000.

early 1940's copies sell for close to the thousand mark with dust jackets, early 1950's copies sell for early hundreds and so on to the early 1970's editions which can reach £75 if excellent but are generally worth £30-£50.

Look out for hardback copies with the dust jacket that are pre-1975 for value.

The 1961 first edition paperback is also collectible selling for up to £100.

Folio and Deluxe editions are worth a decent amount too.

Folio Hobbit

This recent Folio edition is worth between £10-£20 despite the lovely covers, fine binding and black and white illustrations

Deluxe Edition

These versions started in 1976 and are known for their incredible quality throughout from the luxurious binding to the incredible cover designs.
This is THE edition for the collector.
Worth up to £200 for the first edition to at least £50 for last editions

Longmans Edition

A more obscure edition, this version was created primarily for schools.
Worth between £50 for a first edition and under £10 for a later edition.

George Allen and Unwin Hobbit

The iconic Hobbit design with the wonderful dust jacket.
This partcular book is from 1968 but editions with this dust jacket range from 1937 to 1975.

Valued from £6,000-£30 for the most recent

The 1975 Hobbit paperback
This book is a a particularly rare year and contains colour illustrations and the unique cover design.
Worth up to £10

The Vintage Paperback

This is the classic paperback edition with covers using a drawing from Tolkien's own hand.
Starting in 1966 this edition ran to the mid 1970's.
Values range from £20-£5

The First Paperback edition

This is the very rare 1961 first paperback.
With a never used before or after cover illustration and poor quality binding, these books are growing rarer and rarer.
Valued at £25 for a poor condition version to £100 for one in very fine condition.

The Guild Publishing Deluxe edition

This ratehr nice looking copy has a uniform Lord of the Rings and Silmarillion also and is one of the more unique copies.
Prices vary from £10 for a poor condition edition to over £60 in some cases.

The 50th Anniversary Edition

The 1987 50th edition is one of the most collected recent editions.
Valued between £10 and £25

The 1978 Fourth Edition

The fourth edition may not be quite as collectible as the third, second or first editions (all of which have the classic iconic covers) but is nonetheless sought after.

Valued at £10-£25

The Michael Hague edition

This particular edition has some of the nicest and most elaborate illustrations of any.
A large book and with completely unparalleled presentation, this book can be worth up to £30 for a first impression.

The earlier Folio
This particular folio edition is the middle edition between the 1979 deluxe and the 1990's popular Folio in terms of value.
Prices range from £10 to £30 in rare cases

Guild Publishing edition

Another rare GP edition with fine binding
Worth between £10 and £20



Guild Publishing edition

And another GP edition, worth slightly less than the above edition but still a nice rare copy to own.

Valued between £7.50 and £15

The Modern anniversary edition

This 1990's edition is a nice modern revamp of the classic edition and worth up to £5

The modern Paperback

The standard modern paperback is ideal for children to read.
Worth generally less than £1 unless a first print of this edition in which case it could be worth up to £10

Limited Box Set

This rare boxset contains a unique edition of the book and many other extras including postcards, a CD with Tolkien reading excerpts and adverts.
Worth between £15 and £30

The Lord Of The Rings

Few trilogies have had such influence as Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
The amount of work and time Tolkien invested into this set of books is incredible - so detailed in fact that his son managed to create a series of twelve books just referring to the fictional world of Middle Earth that Tolkien created.

Needless to say these book are hugely collectible, with nearly as many editions published as there have been printed of the Hobbit.
It is popular for publishers to condense the three books into one volume.

The First Edition

The first editions of LOTR were published in 1954, 1954 and 1955 (sequential).
Issued with the now famous dust jacket design and containing a large fold out map at the rear of the book, these editions are immensely sought after and valuable.
True firsts can be worth in excess of £1,000 for one book, with sets selling for £6,000 plus.

Later impressions such as the 1957 edition below can be worth between £30 without dustjacket and up to £150 in very fine condition

The Later Second edition

This edition looks quite akin to the first edition and is in most aspects, even having the map at the back.
Unfortunately these aren't worth anywhere near as much ranging from £200 for a very fine first impression of the second edition set to under £5 a volume for later impressions without d/js

The Deluxe Edition
As with the Hobbit Deluxe edition, this is one of the nicest versions available with stunning covers and an overall high presentation quality.
Printed on the ultra-thin India Paper (Bible paper), these books can range from £30 in poor condition up to £250 for a first edition.
A set of this book and The Hobbit can add value also.

The Guild Publishing Deluxe edition

As seen with The Hobbit, this edition is unique compared with most other editions, having faux leather covers and a nice gilt deign.
Can be valued up to £45 for a first impression down to £10 for a later in poor condition.

Alan Lee Illustrated

The later editions illustrated by Alan Lee are particularly nice although often too heavy to post viably on eBay.
With an R.R.P of £50, this large luxurious edition contains countless full page colour illustrations if incredible quality and is quite the copy for fans.

Valued at between £10 and £50 for the first edition.

Unwin Hyman/ Later editions

These later editions of LOTR were produced during the late 1980's to the early 1990's and are reasonably collectible
Individually approx £5 and up to £30 for a very fine set

Guild Publishing Deluxe

Another GP edition but one that is rather rarer than the red cover version. Also available as The Hobbit and The Silmarillion in this form, these can be worth between £15 and £30.

The Vintage Paperback

This iconic paperback was first printed in 1968 and comes as a hardback also.
Worth the price for the covers alone, these can vary from under £5 for a later impression to £30 for a very fine first impression.

Later hardback compilations

There are many editions like this, each containing all three books with relative quality.
These can be worth from as low as a few pounds up to £10 for a very fine first impression.

Modern Paperback

Modern paperback editions are worth less still and only ideal as reading copies or for children/ young teens.
Worth as little as 99p and up to £5 for a very fine first impression.

 The Silmarillion

Tolkien's other great work is The Silmarillion.
Although by no means as popular as the previous two titles discussed above, this book is a nice addition to the Middle Earth franchise, first published in 1977.

First Edition

The Silmarillion actually has three first editions being the William Clowes, the Billing and Sons and the Book Club Associates, each coming with the blue dust jacket and fold out map at rear.
Each is identifiable by examining the print details page and must show first impression as stated.

The most valuable two are the Clowes and the Billing editions which can be a vlued at up to £30 each.
The BCA edition can reach £15 with d/j.

Later impressions vary from a few pounds up to £15

The Guild Publishing Deluxe

As seen above, this version also runs for the Silmarillion.
A nice copy can reach £25

Unfinished Tales

Another of Tolkien's later works, this book was of Tolkien's lesser writings.

The First Edition

The first is much akin to The Silmarillion and can be known to reach £25 at auction for a very fine first impression.

 The American First edition

As with all of Tolkien's other books, Houghton Mifflin picked up the publishing over in the States and produced a range of Tolkien's works.
These can also be quite valuable although not quite as valuable as George Allen equivalents.

The copy below is valued at £15 approx.

Smith of Wootton Major

This short story is often described as 'charming' and quite rightly so! It is very small and contains lots of b/w illustrations.

A first edition can be worth up to £25 whilst later editions can be bought for as little as £5

Farmer Giles of Ham

The last of Tolkien's original classics, this short story is quite alike to Smith of Wootton Major.
Equally nice in terms of illustration and story, the first of this is much rarer and can be valued at low hundreds.
Later impressions from the early 70's can reach £15

 The Book Of Lost Tales

Part of the Shaping Of Middle Earth set pioneered by Chrsotopher Tolkien, these two are quite collectible as a set.
Combined values in both first impressions - £40 if fine condition.
Some of th series are worth more whilst others less - these are quite collectible however and a complete set of all 12 can be worth £1,000 if all first impressions..

The Children Of Hurin

A much more recent book, this one was printed with help from Christopher Tolkien once more.
Standard first editions rarely sell for more than £5 but the deluxe edition below, signed by Alan Lee the illustrator can be worth over £50.

Tolkien related

There are countless Tolkien inspired or related texts such as The Art Of The Hobbit which looks into Tolkien's illustrative capabilities.
Valued at £10-£20.

And there you have it!

I hope you managed to stay until the end of this post - it was a rather long one.
I also hope you have learned a bit more about Tolkien and that the post can help you find some of Tolkien's earlier and more valuable books when you are next shopping.

As usual thanks for reading and a plus one, share or comment is always appreciated!