Very rare expensive books

Jan 19, 2006 books this article is more than 14 years old. Values relate to first editions in very good condition. This page will deal with the most valuable of all, golden age comic books. While trying to figure out if some old books i had were worth any money, i found some notveryold books that are worth a surprising amount of cash. Feb 23, 2014 however, you have to face it, reading your favorite authors masterpiece while turning the pages of a first edition copy, completely unaltered, illustrated by the very writer, is unparalleled. Books with a very limited market for example advanced graduate school text books tend to be expensive. Amongst this list of expensive books, most are ancient texts that bear significant historical value and some are literature works by hugely celebrated authors.

First editions of wellloved books can become the most prized in literature. As a result, hardcover first editions of his first few novels are much more difficult to find and consequently very expensive depending on their condition. Discover your rare book source, featuring outofprint books and antique books. His first folio is so rare because it is the first authoritative collection of his plays, compiled by his friends and business partners who helped run his theatre company.

What are the 15 most expensive scifi, fantasy and horror. Affordable alternative marjory williams also wrote a book with a very long title called poor cecco. The very first book in history to feature engraved illustrations is also the worlds first atlas, which inspired many others to come and be cartographers worldwide even to this day. The worlds most valuable childrens books do you have one. This rare comic book price guide presents the latest value of rare comics based on the average valuation of the most reputable comic book price catalogs in. Luckily, many of these are available on the internet, and its actually pretty fascinating to see how old books and first editions are pricedits sort of like the art world, in that its not always clear why something is valuable. We have thousands of rare and antique treasures brought to you by our network of trusted sellers from all around the world.

This story about a family of mice who rush to help a poor tailor finish sewing a suit for the mayor has to be one of our favourites. The worlds 10 most expensive books ever sold forbes. These are some of the worlds most expensive books ceoworld. This selection is reserved for some of the oldest offerings in the rare book room. If you are interested in collecting rare books, you should know that if the book has personal notations in the margins, it will be a very, very expensive one. Most readers opted for the less expensive paperback, so first printings of the hardcover are rare. The books in our rare book room are not necessarily old or expensive, but they are all, to one degree or another, considered rare. Luckily, many of these are available on the internet, and its actually pretty fascinating to see how old books and. List of most expensive books and manuscripts wikipedia. Check and clean your books regularly, as dust can quickly accumulate on books. Rare and valuable books old and not so old books worth. Hidden treasures on your bookshelf bottom line inc. Whether youre a budding rare book collector or a bibliophile with an evniable collection, discover an amazing selection of rare and collectable books from booksellers around the. It is very important to remember that, if the conditions are right, dust can be a food source for mould and mildew, leading to an infestation which can weaken and irreversibly stain books and paper.

Other books featured multiple times on the list are the gutenberg bible, the first folio of shakespeare s plays and the north american indian with four separate copies. Mar 29, 2018 youve probably read articles about all those insanely expensive and incredibly rare, collectible books like the highly covetable first edition of j. Jan 26, 2017 most expensive and rare books in the world unique or extremely rare books part of humanity legacy which were sold for a great amount of money. Jan 20, 2012 the 10 most expensive books in the world. Extremely rare, kept in special conditions on the shelves of the worlds most famous libraries, first edition books are a slice of history, and their. Alibris is one of the premier rare and outofprint book sites on the internet. So lets have a look at the most expensive books that have been sold all around the world. This rare comic book price guide presents the latest value of rare comics based on the average valuation of the most reputable comic book price catalogs in the business. Rare books that are very fragile should be stored in custommade, acidfree book boxes that are sized to each book.

Some books were considered rare not because of the content itself, but because of the owner of this book. As you should bear in mind that the owner of the book could be a famous person. The world record for the most expensive book ever sold is a science book. On the night of january 7, 1610, galileo galilei, a resident of padua. For avid comic book collectors and enthusiasts, you will find below the list of the top 25 rare comic books in the world. We specialize in making it easier for you to get the books. It was meant to help children learn to read, while learning of gods word. The dates of composition of the books range from the 7thcentury quran leaf palimpsest and the early 8th century. A gutenberg bible, printed in 1456 and considered the first book of movable. Maintaining your older pr pricey, or pretty books will help them retain their monetary value, if applicable, or just ensure that they will be readable for years to come.

Most expensive and rare books in the world unique or extremely rare books part of humanity legacy which were sold for a great amount of money. Weve added this gallery of really rare comic books because, for all the glamor of the bigname superheroes and villains, these are the really hard books to find. Due to its very limited numbers, in our time is considered one of the rare books for book collectors around the world. When we talk about rare books, we speak of books that have a limited supply. Find signed books, first editions, antiquarian books and more. The authors travelled widely between 1820 and 1825 to gather the books content. Americas biggest rare book sale to date goes to a copy of poes very first book. Abebooks 50 most expensive sales of 2014 discover the incredible books that the worlds richest collectors added to their bookshelves during 2014. Whether the older books on your shelves consist of rare first editions or tomes that are only valuable on a sentimental level, they need a certain level of care.

Oct 29, 2012 whether the older books on your shelves consist of rare first editions or tomes that are only valuable on a sentimental level, they need a certain level of care. A first edition of tamerlane and other poems, a book that poe claimed he wrote just before he turned 14, sold at. For example, suppose i wrote a text on designing uv instruments for observing diffuse interstellar matter. If you have one of these rare books sitting on a shelf, get ready to cash in. This is a list of printed books, manuscripts, letters, music scores, comic books. Its most famous for its collection of rare and expensive books.

This bookstore has a very special collection of rare books. In 1994, however, the journal was purchased by no other than bill gates himself, who paid 29 million euros for it making this manuscript the most expensive book ever sold. Also known as the stonyhurst gospel, this book is one of the most valuable religious books urizen in the world. What are the 15 most expensive scifi, fantasy and horror books. Johannes gutenberg, printed 1456, 180 copies known to exist. Caring for rare books rare books collections national. Explore thousands of old and rare books, including illuminated manuscripts, fine press editions, illustrated books, incunabula, limited editions and miniature books. There were only 200 copies of it printed on july 4th, 1776, and only about 26 copies survive to this day.

Considered as a masterpiece of romanesque book illumination, it has been the most expensive book in the world until bill gates purchased codex leicester in 1994. It is now kept at the herzog august bibliotek in wolfenbuttel and for security purposes, its display is only available every two years. This is a special guest article by adam weinberger of, a book dealer with over 30 years of experience. Johannes gutenberg developed the movable type printing press in the 1440s in fact, any printed book dating from 1500 or earlier is known as an incunabulum, and is virtually guaranteed to be rare and valuable. Most expensive and rare books in the world youtube. Rare books for sale, buy antique books from alibris.

Youve probably read articles about all those insanely expensive and incredibly rare, collectible books like the highly covetable first edition of j. Each year, thousands of rare books are sold for hundreds or thousands of dollars eachand often much moreand many of those books are clearly science fiction, fantasy or horror. Abebooks periodically publishes a list of the most stunning books recently sold. In fact, these are some of the most expensive ever sold. This may all sound a little too tongueincheek to you, but the books are enormously collectible, and they are all very valuable. To help you brush up on your knowledge of the very old and very valuable, weve compiled a list of the ten most expensive books ever sold no. Grab your wallet, here are the most expensive books ever sold. The mystery surrounding a copy of galileos pivotal treatise. Most would never go through the trouble to obtain original copies, especially when reprinted versions contain the same information. Published in 1829 in five volumes with 50 fine handcolored engraved plates, this is a very rare copy of a seminal work on the insects of western asia and northern africa. Some books are unique works, like original manuscripts or association copies. Look out for first editions, a full set of volumes, or titles that were manufactured as a oneoff, as these tend to be the most valuable. So what are the most expensive books in the science fiction, fantasy and horror genre.

The works of william shakespeare are amongst the most influential in the world, continuing to have great precedence in western literature 400 years after his death in 1616. Yes, some people have spent such a huge amount just for a single book. In the world of book collecting, old means very, very old. Use the search box above to find fond treasures from your childhood or that one book that has escaped your collection thus far. They are organized pretty randomly, with no attempt to keep them truly in order of value by record sale. But the most pointedly fantastic of them all were the agent 0008 novels. Can you think of any book that can be sold in millions of dollars. Some books, in particular, have matched their literary worth with a price tag. I totally need the copy of the the wonderful wizard of oz in my life. Below are the worlds 10 most expensive books ever sold. Geographia cosmpographia is greek astronomist, mathematician, and geographer ptolemys extremely rare atlas illustrated with maps, printed in bologna in italy in 1477. Top 10 most expensive rare books sold one can ask himself what makes a particular book an expensive one.

Its not always obvious whether or not a book will be valuable. While trying to figure out if some old books i had were worth any money, i found some not very old books that are worth a surprising amount of cash. The 20 most valuable books you might have at home daily. Others are considered scarce because the number of interested collectors exceeds the number of copies available on the market. To be considered rare a book must be more than just scarce.

May 10, 2017 the most valuable rare books in existence. The original declaration of independence, signed by thomas jefferson, benjamin franklin, and john adams, is easily one of the rarest, most sought after documents of all time. The history of books is as old as the history of thought. The readymade boxes have four flaps surrounding the book and are sealed with some type of string, magnetic tape, or velcro. Jul 22, 2017 most would never go through the trouble to obtain original copies, especially when reprinted versions contain the same information. Top 10 most expensive rare books sold topteny magazine. Here within are found books rare and ancient, starting with the earliest printed works encompassing incunabula, 15th century and 16th century volumes. You can make them from precut bond stock or buy them readymade. Before the first century ad introduced the techincal advances of the codex, the written word was preserved on clay tablets and parchment scrolls. We will say that the golden age begins in 1938 and ends in 1956, when the silver age began. Lets look at a recent christies book auction sale 2861, new york, june 19, 2014. Ember library el317 ember library el309 ember library el325 berkley y705. The most expensive books in the world readers digest.

Over the last 31 years, governments, billionaires and private collectors have repeatedly trumped auctions prices for rare manuscripts. Top 50 rare and valuable books the following books are considered by many collectors to be the most rare and valuable. These lists provide a remarkable insight in the world of rare book collecting and. One of the bestselling rare books is a first edition of. Top 100 most valuable comic books of the golden age 19381956 the 100 most valuable comic books from each age. Rare comic books price guide, valuable, expensive, world. Each sold at auction for thousands, and in some cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars.