For a book to have value these conditions apply:
YOUR BOOK MUST BE in ‘collectible condition’. The Antiquarian Book Trade recognizes nine grades of condition (in decreasing value): As New, Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor, Ex-library, Book Club and Binding Copy. Books having collector value seldom fall below the grade of Very Good.
YOUR BOOK SHOULD HAVE A DUST JACKET, if it was originally published with one. The dust jacket is subject to the same grading standards as the book. A significant portion of a collectible book's value is because the book is "complete" with the dust jacket. It drops value if the dust jacket is missing or of low grade.
FIRST EDITION. It’s the first edition, first printing that usually has collector value. This is the edition that was published in limited quantities. Many first editions are easily identified, while others can be very difficult. Professional booksellers use many references to determine a book’s edition. You may have to do some research to determine if a book is first edition. Even within a first edition there may be several printings and the later printings decline in value.
YOUR ‘OLD BOOK’ is not valuable just because it’s old. An old book still has to be scarce and in demand and in collector condition. Collectors rarely buy a book in poor condition because of age. There’s no such thing as an old book in poor condition being in fine condition 'for it's age'.
IF YOU HAVE missing or damaged volumes in a set of books, the set has lost much, if not all, of its value.
YOU MAY FIND a range of values pertaining your book by visiting internet book-selling sites. These sites can be useful, but you need to be aware that the sellers offering these books may have a wide variety of experience and professionalism. This partially explains why there is often a wide variety of prices asked for similar books. Typically, the most realistic values are found in the first ten or fifteen books being offered (that are similar to yours), beginning with the lowest priced book. This establishes a range of probable market value for your book.
YOUR BOOK’S VALUE is subject to supply and demand, just as gold or diamonds or anything collectible is. Scarcity will be a determining factor in the value of your .
AUTHOR'S SIGNATURE can add significantly to your book's value if it is authentic. There are a lot of forgers out there who know this. You need to determine if the signature is authentic. One source is:
And this page has numerous links to sites that have author autograph information:
