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Top 10 on eBay
Non-Fiction Top 10
August 2005

#1 $5,525.00 George Harrison Books - Set of 3 - Alike Numbered
#2 $3,850.00 Alcoholics Anonymous 1st Ed 1st Printing Red Book 1939
#3 $3,026.06 Pink Floyd Syd Barrett "Psychedelic Renegades"
#4 $2,540.72 BEATLES CONCERT FOR GEORGE & POSTCARDS FROM THE BOYS
#5 $2,103.14 Battle of Britain RAFbook Arise to Conquer signed Gleed
#6 $2,025.00 1943 Alcoholics Anonymous 1st edition 4th print. Green
#7 $1,933.06 Philip Pullman- Northern Lights 1/1 set! Dark Materials
#8 $1,823.79 England's World Cup Triumph - SIGNED by 1966 team
#9 $1,814.80 JAMES JOYCE A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN 1ST
#10 $1,700.00 Narcotics Anonymous 1st Edition Red Book No. 1182

#1 Three George Harrison Books
I, Me, Mine, by George Harrison
Fifty Years Adrift In An Open-Necked Shirt by Derek Taylor
Songs, by George Harrison

Listed by a seller who eschews normal punctuation, this brief auction text accompanied by 12 pictures nonetheless brought in $5,525.00 on 4 bids from the starting price of $4,600.00. The three titles sold here are from Genesis Publications and are all numbered 482 of 2000. New and unread, they are in the original shipping boxes and signed by George Harrison.

#2 Alcoholics Anonymous

Described as a first edition, first printing, ex-library red copy, this 1939 book has been restored. The auction included 5 pictures and the note that "The book looks much better than the pictures show." It sold at the starting bid of $3,850.00.

#3 Psychedelic Renegades: Photographs of Syd Barrett,
by Nick Rock

In the non-fiction category this time (see #2, Fiction above), this Barrett-and-Rock-signed Genesis Publication is #33 of 950 numbered copies, only 320 are signed by Barrett. Described as in mint condition, the slipcased book is accompanied by a postcard size photo of Syd Barrett by Rock. Illustrated by 4 pictures, this auction went from a starting bid of GBP 550.00 to $3,026.06 on 2 bids.

#4 Concert for George: A Celebration of the Life of George Harrison
Postcards from the Boys

Two limited-edition signed Genesis Publications were sold at the starting bid of GBP 1,400.00 or $2,540.72. The books are described as #220 of 350 copies of each produced and were listed with 8 pictures. The lengthy descriptions are difficult to read in all caps format (regularized here).

Concert for George is described as signed by Olivia Harrison and "half bound with terracotta shade leather and blocked in gold with blue silk screening on the cover ..." Concert-related poster, replica backstage passes, dropped petals, photos, DVD, pamphlet, and program are included. Postcards from the Boys, by Ringo Starr, is described as signed by the author with its accompanying inserts.

#5 Arise to Conquer, by Ian Gleed

The 1942 first edition by Wing Commander Ian Gleed, D.F.C. is signed by the author and by about 20 other RAF officers. Inserted are 4 newspaper clippings, including the one reporting Gleed missing. A picture of the title page with the many signatures was among the 3 pictures with the auction. Described as Good+, the wartime paper has yellowed at edges but "the book is tight and the boards are clean." Said to be the first book to describe the Battle of Britain, the UK seller notes it is of special interest to RAF and Battle of Britain collectors. Twenty-two bids raised the opening bid of GBP 14.99 to $2,103.14.

#6 Alcoholics Anonymous

A first edition, 4th printing green copy is described as in very good condition with one small tear on the spine and name/address on flyleaf. Corners are bumped and there are some scratches on the cover. Eight pictures illustrate the auction. The book sold with 25 bids at $2,025.00, rising from an initial bid of $9.99.

#7 Philip Pullman Dark Materials Set, by Philip Pullman
Lyra's Oxford
His Dark Materials
(the play)
His Dark Materials (the book)
The Amber Spyglass
The Subtle Knife
Northern Lights

Listed as non-fiction, these 6 volumes are described individually. All are first edition, first impression. The first two were issued without dust jacket; the other 4 are hardbacks with dust jackets. Numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5 are flat-signed. Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are in mint condition. Number 6 is very fine in a mint DJ. No pictures were included in the auction by this seller with 0 feedback, but potential buyers were instructed to email for them. The UK seller saw the book sell for $1,933.06, rising from the starting bid of GBP 1.00 on 34 bids.

#8 England's World Cup Triumph, by Jack Rollin

Jack Rollin's 1966 book is a "first edition first printing, and is signed by the team and Alf Ramsey!" In the original dustwrapper with price intact, the book is described by the UK seller as very good with some browning/foxing, a small stain, sunning, tight hinges, front board warp, and a dust jacket in excellent condition. The auction received 23 bids taking it from a starting price of GBP 29.99 to $1,823.79.

#9 Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by James Joyce

In a month when sellers blur the line between fiction and non-fiction, it's no surprise to see the equally cross-format James Joyce work show up in the non-fiction category. In this case, it's a first English edition "published with Egoist title page and using the American sheets, not more that 750 copies were printed." [all caps auction regularized here] Described as very good by the UK seller, who calls it "a very scarce book." Seven pictures illustrate the book. Sold as a Buy it Now at GBP1,000 or $1,814.80 in around 10 hours.

#10 Narcotics Anonymous: It Works

Minimally described as "copy number 1182 of the first edition ... in excellent condition but not perfect" with some ink underlining on 16 pages. Three pictures illustrate the book that sold on 1 bid at the starting price of $1,700.00.

By the Numbers

75% of the sellers were from the U.K.
1 seller was from Malta
20% of the sellers were from the U.S.A.
2 sellers each sold 2 books in the fiction category
10 sellers had 100% feedback (1 of them sold 2 books)
1 seller had 99.3% feedback, the lowest with any feedback (sold 2 books)
1 seller had 0 feedback
11 were listed for 7 days
7 were listed for 10 days
2 were BIN purchases
7 used reserves
1 to 36 is the range of number of bids (including BIN)
5 auctions had over 30 bids
4 items had only 1 bid
3 were sales of Genesis Publications
3 were Narcotics or Alcoholics Anonymous publications
3 were Philip Pullman titles: 2 in fiction, 1 in non-fiction
3 were JRR Tolkien titles
2 were Psychedelic Renegades, 1 in fiction, 1 in non-fiction
2 were Ian Fleming titles
75% of the books were published after 1950

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editor@bookthink.com

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