posted on July 1, 2001 02:38:59 PM new
I have a collection of books going back over 30 years (from my father's collection). I was going through them and found a first edition of The Methuselah Enzyme by Fred Mustard Stewart published in 1970. It contains a handwritten dedication on the cover page that appears to have been written and signed by the author. Is this of any value?
posted on July 1, 2001 02:47:26 PM new
My husband (a chemist) says the book was written back in the days when some thought that single chemicals could explain complex causes of aging; it's been disproved.
However, I'm sure the book is of some value, esp. with the inscription inside.
posted on July 1, 2001 02:58:18 PM new
Thanks for the info. The book itself is only selling for $10. No indication if the author's inscription is worth anything. I assume it is the author because I don't see much motivation for someone to forge it.
posted on July 1, 2001 03:05:13 PM new
You might also try looking at abebooks. I got 35 hits there. I didn't see any with an inscription, but I just woke up. Good luck!
posted on July 1, 2001 03:17:59 PM new
Okay, now that you have given me these good tips, here's the main question. I have a website that is getting about 500 hits a day. It is not book-related. Would I be better off just putting my book collection there and selling at $2 a book or would I be better off listing at some site? With several hundred books, I really don't have the patience to put a few hundred listings on some site on the off chance that I will get $3 a book and I certainly dont want to pay a small fortune in listing fees, so it has to be a site that charges FVF only. Any comments from the pros?
Unless its by a popular author I would hesitate to put a signed first edition on an online auction unless it had a decent reserve.
Check abebooks.com for their fees. I believe they are pretty reasonable. Most serious book collectors would check this site. Used to be Bibliofind, but Amazon bought them and killed them. Its just me, but I wouldn't let a signed first go for under $50. In reality I have a small collection that I am not selling at all.
