Books - General

Book lovers enjoy antique books for their impact on history and culture and thought-provoking contents. Vintage books may also be adored for their physical characteristics, such as the artwork on an original cover or for notes made in the margin by the creator or a famous person. A Salvador Dali "Alice in Wonderland" book for sale is valued for its illustrations by the famous painter and its originality. A biography of Queen Victoria titled "Queen Victoria from Her Birth to Her Bridal" is rare and interesting because of the disapproving notes scribbled in the margin by Queen Victoria herself. Similarly, these little discrepancies also make antique maps and rare manuscripts valuable.

Collectors can find rare books online or at traditional auction houses. Rare book dealers and librarians often compete for these treasures, which has the double effect of making a book more collectible and unobtainable. Contemporary works can also bring high prices at auction.

Currently, editions by Ernest Hemingway are more valuable than works by his contemporaries because they are more widely read. Rudyard Kipling works, which were favored in the '20s, became less sought after in the following decades. More contemporary books which have become highly collectible are signed works by "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling and signed copies of "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. Rare comic books and science fiction novels are also a growing trend in collecting.

Quick Facts

• A signed copy of a Salvador Dali "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll realized a price of $5,625 at a Christie’s auction in 2008
• A first edition book of poems by Scottish poet Robert Burns bound in late 19th century green Morocco gilt sold for more than $57,730 at a Lyon and Turnbull auction in 2012
• A signed first edition of "The Order of the Phoenix" by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling sold for $7,657 at Abe Books in 2007