Identifying Contemporary First Edition Books Book collectors and booksellers are meticulous in their meaning of “First Edition.” In the book collecting industry, “First Edition” is always meant to be the first printing of the first edition of the book. It is very important for the novice book collector or bookseller to understand that the meaning … Read more
From yesterday’s USA Today, the most memorable books of the past 25 years: 25 Books that leave a legacy Books tell a story — about our reading preferences, certainly, but also about what’s happening in our world. USA TODAY’s book editors and critics chose 25 titles that made an impact on readers and the publishing … Read more
Dr. Seuss First Edition Identification Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book, 1962 Childrens Picturebook Price Guide: $200 VG+ Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book was the 17th large-format children’s book written and illustrated by Theodor Seuss Geisel, and twenty-first overall. The first edition continues to show up on eBay for modest prices a couple of times per month. In … Read more
First Edition Identification The Little Engine That Could; written by [Watty Piper, pseud.]; Illustrated by Lois Lenski; Platt & Munk, 1930. Children’s Picturebook Price Guide Value – $920 VG+ Background The Little Engine That Could has been widely popular since it’s original publication in the 1930’s, and is famous for bringing the refrain "I think … Read more
Children’s book collectors and many booksellers know of the collectibility of Caldecott and Newbery award winning books. Children’s early readers, or ‘Learn To Read’ books are also likely to develop as a collectible sector over the coming years. For decades, early readers were prescribed by school administration, often in the form of the ‘Dick and … Read more
In a previous post, we provided the first edition identification points for Dr. Seuss’s If I Ran The Zoo. The key identifying point is the absence of the line "Based on Material Originally Appeared in Redbook Magazine" on the copyright page. The true first printing of the book omits this line. We thought some Seuss-o-philes … Read more
There’s an amusing article at Fuse#8, "Fat Insufferable Cats", about the OCLC list we posted a couple of days ago. The article laments the inclusion of the eh, how shall we say, ‘less literary’ children’s books on the OCLC Top 1000, beginning with #15, Garfield. Indeed, a fat insufferable cat. Recall that the OCLC list … Read more
Every Seuss-o-phile must read Professor Philip Nel’s new book, The Annotated Cat: Under The Hats Of Seuss and His Cats. From Newsweek’s article, ‘236 Perfect Words‘, by Malcolm Jones: Nel’s line-by-line annotations illuminate precisely how Seuss created his masterwork (Nel also includes annotation for “The Cat in the Hat Came Back,”). We are treated to … Read more
The "Top 1000" titles most widely held by Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) member libraries—the intellectual works that have been judged to be worth owning by the "purchase vote" of libraries around the globe. The OCLC web site presents the top books most widely held by libraries, with thematic sublists, sample cover art, "Find in … Read more
Dr. Seuss First Edition Identification If I Ran The Zoo, 1950 1951 Caldecott Honor Award Childrens Picturebook Price Guide: $1600 VG+ If I Ran The Zoo was the fourth post-war children’s book written and illustrated by Theodor Seuss Geisel, and eighth overall. At this point in his career, Seuss was considered one of the top … Read more