A Price Guide to Vintage Books: 20th Century First Editions

Oct 10, 2010
Lorraine Syratt

First Edition Steinbeck, Mitchell, Du Maurier - Lorraine Syratt

Those first editions by popular fiction writers of the 20th century may be important, not a thing to sneeze at when viewed on dusty thrift store shelves.

Some first edition books written by popular writers of the 20th century are extremely valuable today. That old copy of The Catcher in the Rye collecting dust in your father's or even your grandfather's book case, could be a first edition and if it's in good shape, published by the original publisher and still has the dust jacket, your father or grandfather could be thousands of dollars richer.

Examples of Sales in 20th Century Vintage Fiction

After J. D. Salinger (Jerome David) died on January 27, 2010, rare book dealers began to get those high prices for his first editions. His 1951 The Catcher in the Rye, listed as "First Printing, First Edition" sold for $8,000 in an online rare book venue. In the same venue, a first edition of his second book, Nine Stories sold for $6,500. AbeBooks.com saw a general rise in sales of his books.

Surprisingly, there are few Ernest Hemingway books valued as high as Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. A first edition of Green Hills of Africa sold in October, 2009 for $3750, but a first edition of A Farewell to Arms, one of his most popular books is valued at only $150. The Old Man and the Sea has a top value of only $1,000.

A first edition of Tender is the Night, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, sold in November, 2009 for $11K.

Science fiction writers, Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick were prolific writers in the '50s and '60s. Early first editions by these writers have sold for several thousand dollars.

Examples of Values in 20th Century Vintage Fiction

Not all first editions books with high valuations sell, and for the most part a book is only as valuable as someone is willing to pay for it. Some rare book dealers ask incredible sums for their offerings on the hope that someone will eventually buy it. AbeBooks has some amazing examples of 20th century first editions. Some values are placed with consideration to author inscriptions.

Ulysses, by James Joyce has values of $75K to $150K. It was published in Paris in 1922 at the famous English book shop, Shakespeare and Company.
John Steinbeck's Cup of Gold, The Grapes of Wrath and Pastures of Heaven are all valued between $20K and $70K.
The highest value for Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita is $9K, $15K for a signed first edition.
The highest price for Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind is $15K, but signed editions could be valued as high as $20K.

What to Look for in Vintage Popular Fiction Books

Rare book dealers have a nose for a good thing. But for new collectors, it can be an overwhelmingly long and often painful learning curve when investing in vintage popular fiction. A few tips for the novice might be useful.

Get to know the important writers of the period.
Don't bother investing in books that say Book Club Edition on the inside Dust Jacket. There is generally little value in those.
Books with dust jackets have more value than those without, even if the dust jacket is in poor condition.
Don't shy away from books without dust jackets, however. Some do indeed have great value and it may be worth doing further research.
The most pertinent information is on the copyright page, found on the other side of the title page. First editions will likely read First Edition followed by a date. Or, it might read First Edition First Printing or First Edition First Impression. If the collector sees a long line of printing dates, it won't get those high price returns,
Books from this period can be found in any thrift shop or yard sale stack, just by noting the lack of sheen on the dust jackets, and the more subdued or faded colors. This isn't always the case, but it's good to know in order to do a quick scan to pull the books for further scrutiny.
Look at inscriptions as well. Sometimes, the provenance or knowing the original owner of the book can prove more valuable than the book itself, especially if the inscriptions and signatures were penned by historical figures.
Also, books signed by their authors can double in value. All the titles mentioned above can sometimes double in value if signed by the author, especially the big names in mid-century and earlier fiction.
Learn to spot the unusual. Perhaps it's a review or proof copy, an edition sent out to various reviewers, long before publishing. Or it could be a rare special edition with a short print number.

Start slowly and carefully to avoid overspending and bad decisions. Research the titles, authors and publishers using online resources like Abe Books and other rare book dealer websites. With time and experience, a lot of the guess work will be removed.

Please read The Joy of Collecting Antique and Vintage Books, to learn more and how to collect books in other genres including Antique and Vintage Gardening Books.