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First Edition

Book collectors seek out first editions as they represent the original form in which a book was originally published.

Signed and inscribed copies are even more desirable, and the ‘dedication copy’ – the copy which is inscribed to the person to whom the author dedicated the book – is more sought after still.


Harry Potter 1St Edition Paperback Front

Soft cover Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone bought for £3.50 in 1997 now hammers at £6600 in auction

11 September 2024

The bad news if you have a first edition of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone' in soft covers is that they are not as rare as the hardback version which numbered 500 copies.

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Charles Dickens first issue in book form delivers great result

02 September 2024

'Great Expectations' first appeared in England in 36 weekly parts in the pages of Charles Dickens’ popular magazine, All the Year Round, beginning on December 1, 1860.

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Famous Five first edition at four figures

02 September 2024

'Five Run Away Together' was the third of the Famous Five titles but today the most elusive.

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The Hobbit stands tall for new auction high

12 August 2024

Spotlight on copy sold in superb Strutz collection – plus a look at other recent results for the Tolkien classic

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Pink Frankenstein shines in Strutz sale part one

12 August 2024

William Strutz’s library built within his home in Bismarck, North Dakota, consisted of some 15,000 books, which the attorney began assembling while in college in the late 1950s

Tolkien letter

JRR Tolkien letter taking a swipe at Conan Doyle sells for £20,000

08 August 2024

Opinionated and philosophical missives to friends and first editions from the Lord of the Rings cycle are available through Bayliss Rare Books

New Travel Rare Book Room At Dover Street Shop (1)

London dealer Peter Harrington marks an anniversary and a new chapter

05 August 2024

Last month, Peter Harrington hosted a party to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of their flagship location in Mayfair.

The Generall Historie of Virginia

US library comes to auction after college closure

25 July 2024

The library of Birmingham-Southern College, featuring early works on the history of North America and classics of science and literature, will be sold at Grant Zahajko Auctions in Davenport, Washington over two days on July 31-August 1.

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Inscription helps Holtby result

08 July 2024

Little-known work by the Yorkshire author dating from 1927 is boosted by dedication to Suffragette friend

Casino Royale Results L&T

Two first edition Casino Royales cash in at auction - but condition is key

25 June 2024

A 1953 first edition, first impression copy of Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel Casino Royale in its original dust jacket, bought at a car boot sale for £1, has sold for £10,000 hammer.

Casino Royale first edition

Car boot find: Casino Royale first edition bought for £1 now pitched at five-figure sum

11 June 2024

Bought at a car boot sale for the princely sum of £1, a 1953 first edition, first impression copy of Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel 'Casino Royale', in its original dust jacket, is coming to auction with a guide of £10,000-15,000.

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Harper Lee classic comes with a Christmas card from the author

10 June 2024

Not only is this 1960 first edition of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' inscribed by Harper Lee to her friend Harold Caufield, but it was sold with a Christmas card from the author penned with a lengthy message.

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Collector interview: Tracking down detective works

13 May 2024

ATG meets Jeffrey Johnson, whose collection of classic ‘Whodunnits’ was recently on public display at the Grolier Club in New York

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone illustration

Original cover artwork for Harry Potter estimated at record $600,000 comes to auction

02 May 2024

The original cover watercolour for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by Thomas Taylor is coming to auction with the highest pre-sale estimate ever placed on an item of any Harry Potter-related work, according to Sotheby’s.

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Charles Darwin presentation copy of On the Origin of Species is among five lots to watch

18 March 2024

With estimates from £800, here are five previews of items coming up at auction this week.

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Conan Doyle appears in detail as second part of dedicated collection comes to auction

11 March 2024

Chicago sale offers more than 300 works related to the British author amassed by US collectors

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First edition of early feminist text makes over 30 times estimate

19 February 2024

Actress cheated by the Prince of Wales turned to a campaign based on ‘injustice of mental subordination’

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Keeping the dust jacket was definitely not a dumb move

22 January 2024

An original dust jacket made all the difference when Weiss Auctions (20% buyer’s premium) offered a first edition copy of Agatha Christie’s Dumb Witness in Lynbrook, New York.

WEB Harry Potter 1 Hansons

Boy wizard Harry Potter casts his spell on book collectors

12 December 2023

Harry Potter continues to bring big bids at auction especially for the earliest hardback editions

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Presentation copies with a special touch

04 December 2023

Pictured here are two fine 19th century presentation copies that, unexpectedly, topped sales in South Cerney and Cambridge in October.