Book Finds: How to Find, Buy, and Sell Used and Rare Books (Revised) (Paperback)

by Ian C. Ellis (Author) "The used and collectible book market divides into three relatively neat categories: reading copy, antiquarian, and modern first edition..." (more)
Key Phrases: book scout, remainder mark, modern first edition, United States, Rule of Three, Stephen King (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Newly revised, updated and expanded-with two new chapters on book collecting and the Internet...

Collecting books today can be surprisingly easy-and surprisingly profitable. This insider's guide to the world of the used and rare book market shows how to find the best deals. It's everything the novice or the expert needs to know, including:

• A new chapter on buying and selling books on the Internet
• First editions and reader's copies
• Auctions and catalogs
• Finding valuable books and selling them for the highest price
• What's going up in value and what's going down
• Avoiding beginner's mistakes
• What bookstore buyers look for
• The secrets of professional "book scouts"

With tricks of the trade and a revised index of over 1,000 "most collectible" books and authors, anyone can learn to find hidden treasures on the bookshelves.

About the Author
Ian C. Ellis has been working as a book dealer for nearly twenty years, haunting bookstores around the world. He currently specializes in science fiction and mysteries.

Product Details

• Paperback: 306 pages
• Publisher: Perigee; Revised edition (February 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399526544
• ISBN-13: 978-0399526541
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #605,954 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good intro for beginners, February 13, 2002

By	Daryl Anderson (Trumansburg, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book as I was starting into book collecting. But with about 4 months of intensive collecting and study under my belt, I found it not to have too much new or really useful information. Is is, however, very well written and engaging enough that I read the entire book. If you are starting at a slower pace than I did or if you are just thinking about becoming a book collector this is a fine place to start. It has chapter-length overviews of all the important realms and activities of book-collecting. The only weak-spot, but an important one, is in the area of internet books. In being about 2-3 years behind, it is not an adequate introduction to the range of online resources available to the new collector.

Most useful was a list of "1001 more-or-less collectible books" listed by author at the back. (Lacking years of experience, such lists are critical for my reference). This is a useful thing to have around at book sales and the like (along with a good guide to first editions) although not especially wieldy as provided. I found that I finally photocopied the entire section in half-size and ended up with a more useful 5-6 page foldup that I could carry in my pocket. Note that this last section is NOT a price-guide and is not especially discriminatory... for many authors their rarest first book is listed along with much less collectible later works (and since the listings are alphabetical by title, rather than chronological by publication date, you will not be able to use it for parsing-out "first books".

Overall a useful starting resource but one that you will rarely use once your collecting becomes a more serious affair.

81 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for book book lovers., October 24, 2000

By	John "John" (PHOENIX, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Book Finds (Paperback)

I started to become interested in book collecting about 2 years ago and this was one of the first books that I purchased. It is an excellent book for a beginning collector. The author describes the history of book production and how books are produced in modern times. There is also a very good chapter on the grading of books, and how to determine if a book is "collectible." Another chapter describes ways to determine if a book by a certain publisher is a first edition. However, if you plan to collect rare, old books then this text may not be the best for you. The focus of this book is on collecting modern first editions.

Although it's full of facts, the book is written in a light, easy-to-read style. The author is an avid book collector and he provides plenty of anecdotes about his experiences.

The author assumes that the reader is interested in book collecting both for pleasure and for profit. He explains in detail how to acquire collectible books as inexpensively as possible by using trade-ins.

The book claims to contain a list of the "1000 Most Collectible Books and Authors." This list is a little subjective however. The author even admits that what may be collectible now, may have little value later. What may be collectible to one person may be just another used book to another. Don't assume that every book on the list will be valuable.

If you collect books, or plan to start a collection, this book should be part of library.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do You Have A Fortune Sitting On Your Bookshelf?, March 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Book Finds (Paperback)

If you love to buy and collect new or used books, then chances are you have some very collectible books just lying around. Some may be worth a fortune.

A book doesn't have to be old or a first edition Hemingway to be worth money. There are thousands of highly collectible modern first editions. It's easy to find them, too . . . often at prices far below market value.

The secret: Learn which books are in demand (many are more common than you may think), and then try to find them in first editions. Some may be sitting on your shelf right now.

Often, publishers state "First Edition" on a title page, but far from always. And even if you know you have a first edition, how do you know if it's collectible? Ellis gives detailed information on how to identify first editions and books worth collecting. You'll learn about how later editions can be collectible, too.

There's tons of solid, money making advice on how to become a book collector, even if you're on a limited budget, including tips on "avoiding costly mistakes that many beginners make."

Bonus: A section that lists "Over 1,000 Most Collectible Books and Authors."

Best of all: It's fun. You'll learn how to scout for books at major book stores, used book sales, remainder bins, tag sales and more. If you already enjoy buying books, why not turn it into a hobby that pays?