Anyone know much about old books?

[Milo]

Before going to the trouble of signing up to some kind of old books forum I thought I'd try here. Who knows, maybe one of you can help.

Right, I've found a set of old children's books - standard classics, Black Beauty, Treasure Island, etc. Now, I want to sell them but haven't the slightest idea if they are actually worth anything. I wouldn't want to ebay them for 99p only to discover that they're actually really worth a tenner each of something. So, does anyone know? Here are some pictures of one of them:





ta!

[Catalogue Trousers]

I'm sorry to say that it looks like you'll have to shelve the early retirement plans - I tried googling "J G Ferguson Publishing Company", "1961" (as the latest reprint date) and "Black Beauty", and eBay spake thus:

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-COLLECTION-OF-GREAT-BOOKS-FOR-CHILDREN-12_W0QQitemZ290088236678QQihZ019QQcategoryZ279QQcmdZViewItem

I'm not sure if this is a typical price for the books concerned, but I'd imagine that the average eBay seller who goes into that much detail isn't going to knowingly undersell themselves, and this one seemed to find $5.00 a reasonable starting bid for all 12.

On the bright side, you've probably got some good books there.

[Milo]

Dammit. Why on Earth did my googling come up with nothing? Bah! if no-one is prepared to pay five 'bucks' then there's probably not much hope for a sale..

Thanks for that!

[Catalogue Trousers]

You're welcome. Just a pity that it wasn't the most marvellous of news. Oh well. Maybe they'll become priceless in a decade or two...

[Toad in the Hole]

I always check ABEbooks and see what people are offering the same edition for.  In all honesty, unless you've got first editions books generally aren't worth much, particularly of well known titles - supply outstrips demand.  There has to be something special or unusual of academic / enthusiast interest for there to be any real value.

I use and buy a lot of books, and I've come to the conclusion it's very worth selling yourself.  If you've got a nice set of any kind a dealer might give you something for them.  That and any classics or that sort of things.  Otherwise, for airport fiction or cheap editions of things it's the charity shop I'm afraid.

[Dark Sky]

Though don't bother giving any old books (i.e., older than five years) or hardback books to a charity shop, unless they're acknowledged classics in really good nick, because they'll just tear them up and throw them in the bin once you've left the shop.

Same with bookclub books.  Or any books damaged more than spine-creasing.  All go in da bin.

(Well...I'm talking about Oxfam shops here, specifically...)

[Milo]

Really? That's terrible. I'm never giving anything to a charity shop again. I'm not having them judging my stuff. The bastards.

[Phil_A]

Though don't bother giving any old books (i.e., older than five years) or hardback books to a charity shop, unless they're acknowledged classics in really good nick, because they'll just tear them up and throw them in the bin once you've left the shop.

Same with bookclub books.  Or any books damaged more than spine-creasing.  All go in da bin.

(Well...I'm talking about Oxfam shops here, specifically...)

You're exaggerating, surely? Even if that's the case in Oxfam shops it can't be the same everywhere. I've seen many, many books older than five years in charity shops, bought plenty of them too. And not all of them are exactly in brilliant condition, either - I nearly bought an illustrated "Wind In The Willows" hardback a few years ago, before I realised it had the first few pages ripped out.

[Dark Sky]

I'm really not exaggerating.  Admittedly this was one of those specialist Oxfam shops which specialise in just second hand books, music and videos.  We have two of them in Nottingham so I presume there's quite a few dotted around the country.  But yeah, they never refuse donations, but bin about 90% of what comes in.

And then charge three quid for a second hand book.  Who wants to pay three quid for a second hand book, I say?  You can get them NEW for that price if you also pay an extra five quid and no money goes to charity either, the scroungers...

[Toad in the Hole]

I'm certainly never going to Oxfam again.  Not that I do anyway, they're not one of my charities.  But that's appalling.

[ccab]

Who wants to pay three quid for a second hand book, I say?

Something tells me you've never stepped foot in Hay-on-Wye.