I have 4 condensed readers digest books first edition from the 1950's are they worth anything?

Answer 1

That's Reader's Digest Condensed Books, and I doubt that they are worth much. You say "first edition," but they rarely went to more than one edition anyway, so that's no big deal. Those old books have been floating around used bookstores so long, you find them as decor in furniture stores and on sets in high school plays. About the only thing they have going for them is to give you a shortened version of a book you only wanted to read in order to talk about it over cocktails, and that means keeping up with the current ones. The old ones might be useful to spark the imagination of someone who does not like to read, so that they might end up wanting to read the real thing.

I'm opening a bookstore soon, and I expect to offer maybe 50 cents each for RD books, if they are in decent condition.

Answer 2

Check on ebay to see what similar items go for...are they in good shape, that will make a difference. If they're not worth anything now, hopefully they will be soon!