One of my latest additions, David Gemmell, Drenai Tales Vol 2. One of the compilation Hardbacks that I was missing, I found this handsome (1st, signed) copy and picked it up for £95. Told the missus I paid half that, and she still looked at me funny. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
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Nice data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
After a week of buying I now have 20 1st/1st signed books on the shelf data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7No more..... data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
btw, does it generally matter if they are UK or US editions when building a collection?
Ta data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
As for US/UK that depends on if you are collecting for you or collecting to make a profit at some point. A US version of your favourite author could be bought purely because it has a different cover to add to your collection. Depending on the nationality of the author a US version could have been released later (or before) their UK equivalent.
So what have you bought?
Far far too many, and at least 1 mistake so far!That'll teach me data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
Anyway, here's just a sample of what I've bought over the last 3 weeks (mistake excepting):
All of these are 1st/1sts...
Scott Lynch - Red Seas Under Red Skies (signed, dated)
Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Angels Game (signed, limited edition w/slipcase)
Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Prisoner of Heaven (signed, dated, limited edition)
Karen Maitland - The Owl Killers (signed, dated, limited edition)
China Mieville - Embassytown (signed)
China Mieville - Railsea (signed, dated)
Terry Pratchett - Snuff (signed)
Terry Pratchett/Stephen Baxter - The Long Earth (signed)
Iain M Banks - Look to Winward (signed)
Bernard Cornwell - The Pale Horseman (signed)
Bernard Cornwell - The Burning Land (signed)
Bernard Cornwell - Sharpes Escape (signed)
Robert Harris - Imperium (signed)
Bernard Cornwell - Lords of The North (signed)
Bernard Cornwell - Sharpes Skirmish (signed)
And a few others which don't warrant mentioning!
I'm trying to collect William Horwood's complete works too, managed to get 2 of the 1st/1st Duncton books but the others I'll have to bide my time for...I want mint copies and at 30 years old, I may be asking alot data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
Speaking of alot, bugger me...no more buying for me!
I love Goldsboro books though, my first delivery came today and the books are pristine, lovely data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
A couple of glaring oversights on my behalf. One, Golosboro books is a short trip away from me, and as I wander up and down Covent Garden quite a lot, Apple, Forbidden Planet, Orcs Nest, Ace Comics and I really should visit adding it to 'Theydon's Walk'.
Two I am on their mailing list already, so should have spotted that earlier.
Three looking at the books you have listed, I have just realised that I have not read the latest Pratchett book that has now been sitting on my shelf for eight months, while my read book list for this year is littered with re-reads of favourites.
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Goloboro book club looks fantastic, but I think I would end up with far more books that I dont have an interest in then I would have an interest in. I am popping to FP later so I may pop in there and take a look on my way to make up for my 'rudeness' data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
I was fortunate in that looking at the list, I actually wanted the next 3 books of the month data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7And they have some nice ones coming - Joe Abercrombies next one, Prince of Thorns sequel limited edition, and a limited edition of Justin Cronin's follow up to the Passage (still not read that one).
Goldsboro are expensive for out of print books, but the latest 1st/1st releases are good data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
Good range there Smurfin, good to get some Pratchett books signed, quite a collector's thing around his stuff. I don't really collect signed books as such but I have picked up a couple of signed David Attenborough books from charity shops to go with the autobiography 'Life on Air' he signed for me (just the paperback, though he also signed my Life of Mammals DVD set). I managed to get hold of The First Eden for £7 and The Living Planet cost me about £1.25 I think! Have also got some first editions of his other books but they're not exactly collectable (other than being nice to own!).
I've a number of first editions but none that you'd class as collectable like Gemmell. I don't really collect them as such, they're mostly just books I've happened to pick up, though I've got a number of them in my collection of (oh no, he's not talking about them again is he?!) New Naturalist books. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7 The ones I've bought new are all first editions and they can sometimes really shoot up in price when they go out of print but I'm not buying them for that reason. I'm not sure if they actually reprint them now outside of the 'print-on-demand' editions so first edition is a bit of a misnomer really. My copy of London's Natural History from 1945 is a first edition (though showing its age!) as is the 1946 copy of Britain's Structure and Scenery and a couple of later books from the 1970's (Woodland Birds and British Thrushes), though Woodland Birds doesn't have a dust jacket as it would have cost me £35 for a copy with one or they had this copy for £10 which is in fairly good condition and fine for reading.
I wouldn't mind a copy of the volume they did on Ladybirds but it's a wee bit outside my price range, especially for signed edition:
Loe Books | Fine Books and Pictures | New Naturalist No. 81 LADYBIRDS (SIGNED)
same with the book on Larks, Pipits and Wagtails:
Loe Books | Fine Books and Pictures | New Naturalist No. 78 BRITISH LARKS, PIPITS & WAGTAILS
They tend to get hoovered up by collectors, which is a shame when there are ones you'd like to read but the price is sky-high because they're rare. It seems to be a popular set to collect but it's not hard to see why as they're gorgeous books, beautifully bound and printed and have superb dust jackets. Many of them are said to be reference works on their subject too. Get a good shelf-full of decent condition editions and they look really great with all the bold designs on the spines. Mine are a right hotch-potch as I've some new editions, a couple of paperbacks, one without a dust jacket, some slightly faded ones and a few of the Bloomsbury reprints from the end of the 1980's. Have seen a used bookshop with a big row of good condition hardbacks though and it was a real sight!
They sell limited edition signed leatherbound editions too, which are about £250 new - the book I have on Dragonflies was made into a leatherbound edition and I've seen it selling for £350 (I paid £29 for a new copy of the regular hardback edition).
Pic attached is of the current state of my collection... nearly a whole shelf now! Probably unlikely to add to it with the situation at work currently, plus I've bought most of the ones I want to read that I can afford to buy anyway - I'm determined not to buy ones I won't read as I don't want to collect them just for the sake of having them. Am reading Dragonflies at the moment, but being quite careful with it as I want to keep them in good condition. All the books starting from the pink Seashore paperback are first editions that I bought new. Most expensive one I've bought was Southern England, which was just over £37 and seems to be becoming harder to find new (amazon, NHBS and waterstones have stopped selling it directly, though it's available from 3rd party sellers).
That certainly is a lot of money for a fiction book though so can see why. data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7 Looking at the amazon sellers (though that's probably not the place to look!) you got a good price for that though as they seem to be starting at £145. Presumably you've got the first volume already?
Is there a reason why Gemmell books are so expensive/collectable?
Because he's dead....always helps data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
Ah, yes that oughta do it.