Collectible Books
This list is our current sorting-room reference for collectible books. It is by no means all-inclusive. We constantly add new items to the list and also delete items as appropriate. An editable version is available for download at alaeditions.org/webextras. You will want to add regional books and your own local authors to the list. Update your version regularly as you learn more about collectibles. Any prices listed here are only guidelines. Your region and the specific customers at your sale in any given year will determine the price at which your books will sell.
A
Advance reading copies—any author, but more famous authors worth more
Alice in Wonderland books
Horatio Alger
All-About series
Almanacs—1800s or early 1900s
American Girl
American Guide Series
Cherry Ames series
Amish-related
Joan Walsh Anglund—little gift books
Annals of the Conestoga Valley—$400 to $600—PA local
Annotated books—ALL
Antiques—also Furniture Refinishing
Apocrypha—biblical writings of doubtful authority, but collectible
Appleton’s Travel Guides
Architecture books
Atwood, Margaret—some first editions
Audel’s Carpenter’s and Builder’s Guides
Auto and Auto Racing books—books about vintage cars very desirable
Autographed books—value depends on celebrity
Avedon, Richard—photographer
B
Baedeker’s Travel Books—Before 1920
Ballantine paperbacks—WWII—$3 to $10, depending on subject
Bangs, John Kendrick—any
Baseball—nicer books
Beckett, Samuel—any
Bemelmans, Ludwig—any
Bicycling—early books
Black’s Law Dictionary
Bobbsey Twins series
Bodkin, B. A.—American Folklore
Boy Scout manuals—old (The Golden Jubilee edition worth $150!)
Book collecting, publishing, etc.
Brautigan, Richard—any, even paperbacks
Breen, Walter—U. S. Coins
British Isles Travel & History by F. Fraser Darling
“Buddy” series
Burgess, Thornton
C
Caldecott award winners
Car racing—the older the better
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller first edition
Caton, Bruce—all
Chandler, Raymond—first editions
Chandler, Roy—Perry Public History
Cheever, John—first editions
Chilton auto repair books
Circus books—including programs
Civil War books
Clancy, Tom—first editions (NOTE: Hunt For Red October first edition worth a lot!)
Coffee table books—oversize, often beautiful books—many can get premium price
Community Historian’s Annual
Concordances—Religion
Cookbooks—also advertising pamphlets from 1940 and earlier
Currier & Ives
D
De Angeli, Marguerite—all
Decoys—any books
Dell—10-cent paperbacks and first printing 25-cent
Dick and Jane readers—good condition command about $30
Nancy Drew series—even new ones
Dunbar, Paul—black author—any
Dungeons and Dragons—All
Durant, Will—Story of Civilization
Dahl, Roald—all
Dr. Seuss—hardbacks
E
Egyptology
Evergreen Review
F
Fairs and Exhibition books—e.g., St. Louis World’s Fair
Farm Engines
First Editions—famous, popular authors
Fisher, M. F. K.—Cooking criticism
Fishermen’s Encyclopedia and other fishing
Folio Society books
Folk Art
Ford, Henry—International Jew—4-volume paperback
Foxfire Books—$3 to $4
Frances, Mary—Sewing or Cooking
Franklin Library editions
Freeman, Douglas—Lee's Lieutenant
Freeman, Douglas—Robert E. Lee
Freeman, Douglas—Washington (7 Volumes)
Freud, Sigmund—all books
Furniture refinishing
G
Gehman, Richard—local PA author—pricey
Genealogy books
Gibran, Kahil—$2 and up
Girl Scout handbooks—1950 and older
Golden Books—first printings. See resource listing for reference
Gone With the Wind—first edition hardback—May 1936
Gone With the Wind—all other hardbacks—about $8. Also movie edition
Gorey, Edward—authored or illustrated by him
Graphic Novels
Grey, Zane—any hardbacks
Grove Press books
Gun books
H
Happy Hollisters
Hardy Boys series—even new ones
Harris, Joel Chandler
Haynes auto repair books
Hearn, Lafcadio—Japan or other ($25+)
Heller, Joseph—Catch-22—also his other first editions
Herb books
Hillyer, V. M.—Child’s History
Hoffman, Abbie—any
Horse books
Hubbard, Elbert—Roycroft Press books
I
Illustrators:
Howard Chandler Christy
Harrison Fisher
Edward Gorey
Rockwell Kent
Lois Lenski
Peter Max
Maxfield Parrish
Frederick Remington
Arthur Rackham
Charles Robinson
Norman Rockwell
Eric Sloane
N. C. and Andrew Wyeth
Indians (North American)—most books
Int’l Correspondence School—old ones
J
Janson’s History of Art
Jeffers, Robinson—poet
Johnson, Osa—any
K
Kelly, Walt (POGO books)
Kent, Rockwell
Kentucky Rifles
Kerouac, Jack—any, including paperbacks
Kipling, Rudyard
L
Lakeside Press—any
Lancaster Public Historical Society Journals—PA local
L’Amour, Louis—any hardbacks
Landmark series—juvenile
Lawrence, T. E.—any
Chiang Lee
Lemony Snicket
Little Leather series
Local interest—authors or subjects:
You will want to add your own regional list, although most regional items are desirable
Pennsylvania
Amish
Charles DeMuth
Wallace Fisher
Richard Gehman
Mennonites
Earl Rebman
Slaymaker
New York
Adirondack
American Indian lore
Frederick Remington
St. Lawrence River
Ray Whalen
Arizona
Baxter Black
Jan Cleere
Tony Hillerman
J. A. Jantz
Mata Ortiz Pottery
Guy Porfirio
Louis Alberto Urea
Loeb Classical Library—$3 to $8
Lossing, Benson—historical U.S. books
Lovecraft, H.P.—sci-fi
M
Machinist’s Handbooks
Magic—any books
Man, Myth & Magic—20-volume set
Mann, Thomas—any hardbacks
Maps—antique or railroad types
McPhee, John—most hardbacks
McSweeney’s—any
Mencken, H. L.—any
Mennonites—any, especially Weaverland
Merton, Thomas—photography
Metals—any books
Metropolitan Museum books
Millay, Edna St. Vincent—poet
Modern Library—old ones with dust jacket
Movie editions of novels
Myers, Anna B.—I Lift My Lamp
Mystery—in dust jackets or first editions from 1940 and earlier
Agatha Christie
Raymond Chandler
Ellery Queen
Mickey Spillane
Rex Stout
N
Nature and wildlife—any regional
Newbery Award winners
O
Oates, Joyce Carol—first editions
Occult—any
O’Keeffe, Georgia
Olympic games memorabilia
On The Road—Jack Kerouac (Beat Generation), even paperback
P
Peter Pauper Press—any
Photoplay editions
Photographers
Ansel Adams
Richard Avedon
David Douglas Duncan
Thomas Merton
Edward Steichen
Piper, Watty—any children’s
POGO books, Walt Kelly
Potter, Harry
Pop-up books—any, old or new
Power of Myth—Joseph Campbell
Printing—books about
Pynchon, Thomas—any hardbacks
Pyramid Power
Q
Queen, Ellery—first edition hardbacks
R
Railways Guide—timetables, etc.
Readers, elementary—20th Century in color
Rice, Ann—first edition hardbacks
Rifles, guns—any books
Rivers of America series
Robinson, Charles—Illustrator
Rodale Press—early books
The Rosetti’s
Rubin, Jerry—60s stuff
S
Salesmen’s dummy copies—have sample bindings
Saturday Night Live
Scoutmaster handbooks
Service, Robert
Dr. Seuss—older hardbacks
Shipbuilding—any
Signed copies by author
Silverstein, Shel
Sixties (1960s)—Beat Generation stuff—Ginsberg, Kerouac, Abbie Hoffman, etc.
Slipcase books—(in cardboard casings)
Sloane, Eric—author, illustrator
Starrett, Vincent—cult books
Steal This Book—Abbie Hoffman
Steichen, Edward—photographer
Stevenson, D. E.
Stewart, Martha
Stuart, Jessie—all
Submarines
Summers, Montague—Vampires
Sunbonnet books
Tom Swift
Swords—any books
T
Taber, Gladys—any books
Tarzan—including paperbacks
Temple, Shirley—any books
Thomas the Train
Thompson, Hunter—Curse of Lono paperback
Treason Trials—local interest
Tuchman, Barbara—hardbacks
Tyler, Anne—first editions
U
Ulysses—James Joyce
Uncle Remus
Uncle Wiggily
University Press books
Updike, John—hardback novels
V
Vampire books
Van Loon—any
Viet Nam books
Vogue Fashion books
W
War books—any
Watchtower hardbacks—pre-1960
Weathervanes—any books
Weaverland Mennonites—any
West VA Pulp & Paper Christmas annuals
Wodehouse, P. G.—first edition hardbacks
WPA guides
Z
Zane Grey—any
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance—Robert Pirsig
Zen Buddhism—any
From Pat Ditzler and JoAnn Dumas, A Book Sale How-To Guide (Chicago: American Library Association, 2012). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 2.5 License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/.