Are Rare Books Really So Valuable As They Say They Are?
When you venture into collecting rare books, you will figure out that some of the rare books are highly valuable. This is where you will come across the need to understand whether the rare book are as valuable as they are or not. When you have this understanding, you will find it as an easy task to spend more money on rare books and get your hands on the best ones out of them.
There are numerous factors that contribute towards the value of a book. Let’s first take a look at those factors. Based on that, you can understand the true value that is associated with rare books available out there.
Table of Contents
Rarity
Rarity is an obvious factor that can make rare books valuable. There are numerous strategies available to determine the rarity associated with a rare book. It is heavily determined by the supply and demand. When you take a look at a rare book, you will figure out that there is a very high demand available for it. However, there is no supply for the book to cater to the demand. Due to this reason, some of the people are even looking forward to spend more money and purchase rare books.
For example, you can easily find a tenth edition of the Huckleberry Finn Book. However, it will not be so easy for you to find the first edition of that book. Due to the same reason, you can call the first edition of this book as a rare book.
Quality Of Binding
Quality of binding is contributing towards the value associated with a rare book. If the book doesn’t have a high quality binding, you need to understand that it is not holding any significant value as it should. Therefore, you will need to keep the fact in your mind and proceed with collecting rare books.
Illustrations
Illustrations are another major reason that makes the rare books valuable. You can think about calling this as a physical characteristic of a book that is contributing towards the value. In some of the books, you will be able to see how the author himself has drawn some illustrations. For example, when you take a look at the limited edition books of Ulysses by James Joyce, you can find a hand illustrated depiction of snakes. Even though these are not first edition books, you can find them holding a high value because of the illustrations introduced to the book by the owner.
Previous Ownership
When you take a look at the factors that determine the value of a book, you will also figure out that previous ownership associated with a book is playing a major role. For example, if a book was previously owned by a popular and successful person, there is a high possibility for it to possess a high value.
Rare book collectors often tend to take a look at the history of ownership when they are purchasing rare books available for them to get. A book that doesn’t even cost $20 would raise its value to more than $20,000, just because a famous person held that book. When you take a look at the prices of books that were held by George Washington, you will be able to get a clear understanding about this book.
Even if the previous owner had a relationship with the author of the book, there is a high possibility for it to become a valuable book. Then you will be able to see the signature of the original author of the book. It would boost the value associated with a rare book.
Quality Of Printing
Similar to quality of binding, quality of printing associated with a book is contributing heavily towards its value. Book collectors are usually attracted to finely printed books. They tend to appreciate the quality of the book as well. This is another perfect example for a situation where a non-first edition book can have a high value among book collectors.
Contemporary Binding Of The Book
Book collectors are always keen to go ahead with the books that are in original binding. This is also called as contemporary binding of the book. If a book is rebound, there is a possibility for the value associated with it to book. A perfect example for such a book is Gulliver’s Travels. This book is more valuable in the original binding when compared to others. Therefore, you should be using this as a factor to determine the true value associated with rare books.
Completeness Of The Book
Some of the books are issued with multiple parts. For example, you can get illustrations, maps, color plates and many other aspects along with the book. This completeness would contribute towards the value that you can receive out of a book. For example, Lewis and Clark’s journals is a book that comes along with a map. When the map is removed from this book, it is not holding any value at all. Therefore, you should be taking a look at the completeness when analyzing the value linked with a rare book.
Condition Of The Book
Last but not least, it is important to focus on the condition of the book. Some of the rare books are in pristine condition, whereas others are not. Only the rare books that are in pristine condition would have value when compared to others. In fact, the condition associated with a book would play a major role behind determining the overall value associated with it. However, it is also important to keep in mind that the books published during the 19th Century are not so uniform when compared to books that you can find as of now. However, they have a high value.
Final Words
Now you know what factors are making rare books valuable. Based on these factors, you will be able to get an understanding about the value associated with rare books.