I was recently selling some books for my girlfriend on Amazon (just textbooks and such) and got into a conversation with my roommates about selling books. One of my roommates mentioned that they had a book that they thought may be worth some money. She said that it was a very old publishing of “Our Mutual Friend” by Charles Dickens. After getting her mom to snap some pictures, we saw that it was published in 1898 by New York Knight and Brown. I decided to consult the broad wonders of the internet to find more info!:dubious:
Unfortunately, I found nothing about this release or even the publisher. Has my Google-Fu failed me? Maybe.
So my question to Doper masses is: is there any way to find more information about this book and whether it’s worth anything? I understand that I could find an appraiser and get his or her word on it. Is there any other way?
Mind you, Dickens sold a lot of books. Unless it was a real British first edition in perfect condition I would be surprised if it was worth much. Old does not equal valuable.
Unfortunately there are in all likelihood thousands of such editions still out there somewhere. Dickens first published his novels in quarterly serial form, Our Mutual Friend appearing through 1864 and 1865. These are the real collectors’ items.
I can’t find a publisher named Knight and Brown and I can’t find a single edition of Our Mutual Friend published in 1898.
Unfortunately, the odds are greater that the information you’ve provided is wrong than of your having a uniquely collectible book.
Just take it to a good used and rare book store. They do this every day and they won’t charge you anything. They’ll also be able to take condition into account and condition is everything when it comes to pricing. Of course, if it’s really rare they’ll want to buy it but at their wholesale price. Which is often a good deal since most people don’t know how to market a really rare book properly.
This. Especially “condition is everything”. Condition will make the difference between a valuable book and one that you can hardly give away, unless it’s something like the Dead Sea Scrolls.
I have a mystery book as well: Jubilee History of England, by A. Duffy, published 1887. I bought it on ebay some years ago and have never seen another one.