Where do I find out the how much an old book is worth?

Question

I have a book called "Advice to a daughter in opposition to the advice to a sonne" written by Eugenius Theodidactus in 1658. It's an original. I looked it up on the Internet and It's written about in many websites. I'm curious how much it's worth. Where can I find this out without having to pay someone for an appraisal?

Answer 1

Hang on, I'll ask my husband. He knows how to do that. I'll check back in a sec.

He said go to abebooks.com
(he couldn't find any results on this one by that author) :o( Sorry!

or alibris.com (nor this one!)

That's where he looks all of his up. Good luck! I hope it helps!

Answer 2

There are a lot of factors as to what it is worth. Like you say "It's an original." Is that a first edition? You find that by looking on the first few pages of the book. It is usually listed where the publisher is listed. It is sometimes called the copy write page. If it is a first edition it automatically is worth more. If it is signed then it is worth even more. Book club of the month books are worth less.

What condition is it in? I am working on a condition of a book page but here is a pretty good page that lists conditions of books: http://www.mywingsbooks.com/home/grading.shtml

There are a lot of things to look for, the condition over all of the cover of the book. Hard Copy or paper back? Scratches, shelf wear, bent corners, the condition of the spine. What is the condition of the pages? A book that age is going to have "yellowing" (toning or tanning) of the pages. That is normal. Check out that page and you will have a more informed view of your book if you go through the other references on that page. There are some good pictures to give you examples of differing conditions.

Another factor is the Author. Were they famous? How many books did they write? What is the availability of their books today? Do people collect them? Just because it is old doesn't mean it has value, the value comes from the person that wrote the book and the demand for the collection of those works today.

Here is a pretty good book that gives you some information on books of this nature: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/used/product.asp?z=y&EAN=2697038478499&Itm=1

It was listed on Barnes and Noble.com for $1.99 so it might be worth your time to pick this up.

I did a preliminary search for you and didn't find any information about this book and its current value. Sorry about that.

Finally, you can search the online book stores or auction houses and see if any of your book are listed and what they are selling for. That is a good indication of what the market is for such a book. But just because you don't find it in the public does not mean that it is not valuable. You final option may be to take it to an appraiser. Watch the appraiser not the book that they are looking at. Watch their reaction as they look through the book. Then take it to another one and watch them as they go through the book. Their expressions may say more then the actual words that they say. I know that when I am holding a valuable book, I tend to be more reverent and careful.

I have done a couple of videos that show me looking at a book, and you may watch that if you wish to see the things that I am pointing out about books.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LLm_uI1ckE

Hope that helps

Answer 3

In this case you have a truly antique book. I would bite the bullet and get it appraised. An antique dealer will only give you a price that he or she would pay for it.

A paid appraisal will give you (in writing) a value that you will need for insurance purposes. You should get this book insured it is quite likely it is very valuable. Insure it for at least twice its current value if you can as it will only go up in time.

Answer 4

You will probably have to pay for an appraisal, but also probably sell the book for a lot more if you want to.

http://www.djmcadam.com/book-values.html

Hint: Get a several appraisals; the first few people may try to cheat you.

Answer 5

don't go to an antique store. they don't really know the true value of old things. there is an antique company named KORVELS and you may be able to get in touch with them on the internet. they will give you a true appraisal but don't know if they will charge you. that book you have is probably worth quite a bit so don't let any one give you a pittance for it. also you may be able to contact ANTIQUES ROAD SHOW on the internet. they have a t. v. show that comes on public t. v. on the weekends. don't know where you are but you should be able to find out about them. good luck.

Answer 6

well you could always go ebay and under a certain catagorey look up how much the book is sorry i forgot the exact website but i am sure there is a link to it on ebay.com

Answer 7

Antique store.

Answer 8

why would you wanna sell a book thats over 300 years old!?

Answer 9

you might shoot Jackie (Airplanegirl) a email, she's selling stuff like that on ebay