February 2022: Greatest Find or Buy

Collectors shared their Greatest Find and Greatest Buy during the February 2022 meeting.  Greatest Find was subjective and interpreted differently by each collector.  For some, their greatest find was a title, edition, or a particular copy which somehow anchored their collection or a sub-collection.  For others, it was a significant work in its respective genre or history, or a title which carried a sentimental attachment.  And for others, it was a truly rare, elusive book which few are fortunate enough to ever own.

Greatest Buy was that favorite "heist" or "steal" where the collector acquired a book at a ridiculously low price (or even at no cost).  On this blog, we generally avoid writing about prices and values of individual books in our collections.  For this topic, however, prices paid and values appraised were kind of the point.  So, we proudly boasted about some of our best steals.

In several cases, great finds were also great buys, and the line between the two topics was often blurred.  For the organization of this blog, the books are grouped by how the collector principally introduced the work.

 

Greatest Finds

 

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Gibbon, Edward.  The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.  7 vol.  New York: AMS Press, 1974.  Bound in quarter leather with truncated title on the spine.  All volumes in fine condition.

The collector recalls: "Really, it was the very inexpensive price that made it a great find.  I paid $20 for the set at a yard sale several years ago.  The condition was as new. I don't think the volumes had ever been opened, they were so tight. There was no bumping, scratching, bent pages, etc.  Prices online for the same set in inferior condition run several hundred dollars, with one set on Amazon today priced at $773."

The Ridiculously Expensive MAD

Gaines, William M. and Albert B. Feldstein.  The Ridiculously Expensive MAD: A Collection of the Worst from 17 Years of MAD.  New York: World Publishing Co., 1969.  First edition.  A compilation of reprinted material from the first 17 years of the magazine's publication, original content, and numerous inserts.

Title page of The Ridiculously Expensive MAD

The collector remembers: "My neighbor was moving and offered me a choice of any of her books.  I asked for it over other titles, as the original MAD magazines were always special to me.  The volume is a delightful fun-filled reminder of going to the local corner 'newspaper' store to buy the latest MAD magazine as a teenager.  This is a superior copy in fine condition with the dust jacket (price intact) and all the 'extras' in place (uncut mobile, facsimile dust jackets, a record, bumper stickers, stencils, and more).  Most copies lack most of the extras.  Later, I was surprised to learn its value."

A MAD Record, one of many inserts

When the book came out in 1969, it retailed for $9.95.  Presently, there are only 3 copies for sale which include the dust jacket and are complete with all of the inserts; they range from $1,300 to $1,750. 

Oliver Wiswell frontispiece and title page

Roberts, Kenneth.  Oliver Wiswell.  2 vol.  Garden City: Doubleday Doran, 1940.  Signed limited edition with map end papers, top edge gilt and deckled fore edge.  This set is #852 of 1,050 copies; 1,000 copies were for sale and 50 copies were reserved for use by the author.

Roberts mostly wrote historical novels and specialized in regionalist historical fiction, often writing about Maine and upper New England states.  Oliver Wiswell, the main character of the eponymous novel, was from Milton, Massachusetts; the novel recounts the American Revolution from the perspective of Wiswell, a Loyalist, at the Siege of Boston.

Signed limitation page

The collector explains: "Kenneth Roberts novels seem to be lost to modern readers of American history.  His historical novels were my very first introduction to American Revolutionary history.  Since this set is in near-perfect condition and limited, I was thrilled to finally come across it."

Greatest Buys

The Long, Lonely Leap

Kittinger, Joseph W.  The Long, Lonely Leap.  New York: E. P. Dutton, 1961.  Written with Martin Caidin, Captain Kittinger describes his United States Air Force work with high altitude balloon flight projects in the pre-Space Age era.  The Long, Lonely Leap focuses on his world record-setting skydive from a balloon at 102,800 feet on August 16, 1960, testing an early version of a pressure suit which ultimately lead to the space suits for NASA's Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions.

The collector recounts: "I discovered this book lurking on the shelves of the Newnan Good Will store back in 2016.  The price was $1.10 (I think).  The condition is near fine, which is unbelievable considering it is over 60-years old.  The book was obviously part of a private collection where the collector passed away, or something. This book is hard to find, and prices range from $395 to $850 depending on condition."

Author's inscription

The collector adds: "I had a friend who knew Captain Kittinger personally and lived very close to him.  I mailed the book to my friend, and he got Captain Kittinger to inscribe the book for me."

Nineteen Stories and The End of the Affair

Greene, Graham.  Nineteen Stories.  London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1947.  First edition.  This copy is signed by the author on the title page.

Greene, Graham.  The End of the Affair.  London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1951.  First edition.  This copy is signed by the author on the title page.

The collector boasts: "My 'greatest buy' consists of two books which came up for auction on eBay at the same time, by the same seller.  I recognized these copies instantly and was suspicious of the eBay listings.  I had seen these books listed online with a reputable bookseller; Nineteen Stories was listed for £1,900 ($2,508 at the time) and The End of the Affair was listed for £3,000 ($3,960).  Now, these exact same copies were up for auction with a starting bid of £10 each; the eBay seller used the same photographs and descriptions as those used on the bookseller's website.  I worried the books may have been stolen, so I carefully inquired about the books with the bookseller and determined the books were still in his possession.  I also worried the listings may have been fake, but after some digging around, I confirmed that the eBay seller was, in fact, the reputable bookseller and rightful owner of the books.

The End of the Affair signed title page

"Because of the popularity of The End of the Affair and its importance in the author's body of work, signed first editions are quite expensive; the bookseller's asking price of £3,000 was a good deal.  Nineteen Stories is a very difficult title to find signed, so £1,900 was also a reasonable price.  I knew the winning bids would far exceed the starting price of £10, but I remained hopeful I might be able to get one of them for a sensible rate below the original asking price.  The End of the Affair came up first; it was the title I was more interested in acquiring.  I placed my bid in the final seconds of the auction and won the book for a whopping $216.32.  The price was so surprisingly low that minutes later I was able to bid on the copy of Nineteen Stories, too; I got it for $171.63.  These prices include sales tax and shipping, by the way!

Nineteen Stories signed title page

"In the end, I got both signed first editions for a grand total of $387.95, or 6% of the bookseller's original asking price.  Presently, there is only one signed copy of Nineteen Stories available, an inscribed copy for £2,500 ($3,500); and there are two signed copies of The End of the Affair listed for $4,500 and $5,000.  I never asked the bookseller why he parted with the books for such low prices; I'm just glad he did."