Rare Books You Could Have That May Be Worth A Small Fortune
Rare books could be sitting on your shelf, and you could not even know it. Perhaps that old bible, or some of your child hood books you have lying around collecting dust can actually be worth thousands. That is why today we are going through several rare books that could be sitting on your shelf right now that might be worth a small fortune. Heads up, any first editions or autographed books are promising.
Cat In The Hat, First Edition
Starting off strong with a book that every person has come in contact with, the Cat In The Hat is a beloved children’s story that generations of children have come to love. But make sure to check what edition you have, because if you happen to have the first publication of this book in good condition, you will thousands of dollars richer.
Magic Books
Believe it or not, old magic books that explain magic tricks and principles can go for a lot of money. You probably will not have a book explaining magics greatest tricks just sitting around, but you really do never know. Some of these books are kept secret for obvious reasons. Not only do trick explanation books go for a lot, but original books from Harry Houdini and other magicians can fetch lots of money.
Jane Austen Books
Jane Austin was an English novelist who you may know best from her book “Pride and Prejudice”. She is widely considered one of the most important literary figures of all time, so it is expected that her books can also go for some serious money. You can still find reprints of her works for a pretty good price, but any first editions can go for thousands of dollars.
Winnie The Pooh
A first edition of Winnie The Pooh from 1926 can go for thousands of dollars, but there are several versions of the classic story which can go for thousands. Look for any books which feature a gold decorations of Winnie The Pooh characters.
Pre-1800s Bibles
Another one that many people probably have somewhere, the bible is the most read book of all time. That being said, your bible probably does not have much value unless it fits one of these two categories. Either 1, it is pre-1800s. Or 2, it has some sort of special characteristic that makes it stand out. So either your bible has to be really old or owned by Elvis or something. In fact, Elvis had a bible and it sold for nearly $100,000!
A Christmas Carol
This Christmas story from Charles Dickens is another story that many people may have on their bookshelf, especially anyone who might fancy a good fire-side Christmas classic. Depending on the edition you have, you can make an extra hundred, to few thousand dollars. One first edition from 1843 is currently up for $75,000.
Lord of The Flies
By now, you should have learned that the older your book is, the better. That rule applies again, as older copies of the William Golding classic can go for a few hundred dollars. But, if you were lucky enough to have the first edition with the dust jacket still in good shape, you could have yourself over $15,000.
The Mysterious Affair At Styles
Agatha Christy wrote The Mysterious Affair At Styles in the middle of World War 1. The first edition published in 1920 can go for a lot of money. Not too many are known to exist, but there is a high chance that there are people who own this book and have no idea it is worth thousands. That is because Agatha Chisty is one of the all time classic mystery novelists, and many people tried to get their hands on them.
Signed Twilight Books
Another one you may have on your shelf right now is any signed book from the Twilight series. Twilight author, Stephenie Meyer, can offer a pretty nice payday. Meyer did fewer autograph sessions, and they were more expensive. Anyone who got them originally was the most hardcore fans, and choose to keep their copies.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
You either have no idea what this one is, or you are static to be reminded of such classic childhood bedtime stories. The Tale of Beedle the Bard is written by J. K. Rowling and consists of different tales of wizardry. No doubt, someone reading this remembers their bedtime stories consisting of tales from this book, but a first edition can go for an immense amount of money.
Life of Pi
Life of Pi is a novel about a boy who ends up stranded on a boat with several animals. You probably saw the movie instead, but a first edition, first printing of this novel can make you a few hundred dollars richer. It is also said that the Canadian first edition is the most sought after edition from collectors, however it is hard to find information about it.
Alice Adventures in Wonderland
This entry is simply legendary. The first edition of Alice in Wonderland is known to only have 22 copies in existence. It is said that Lewis Carroll printed 2,000 of these editions, and was given 50 to give out to his friends and family. However, Carroll was not satisfied with the illustrations and chose to republish the book and sell the original as waste paper. It is unknown how many he gave away, but 22 are known to exist today and can go for millions. Chances are, you do not have this one on your shelf, but how funny would it be if someone actually had one and only realized it because of this article?
Rare books can fetch some seriously high price margins. You should look for any book that is a first edition, autographed, or has some sort of special characteristic to it which makes it stand out. Did I forget any rare books that could be worth a lot of money? If so, make sure to let me know in the comments below!
