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The BookThinker Newsletter


ISSN 1547-9501

131, 5 January 2009

BookThink Special Report
26 January 2009>>>




BookThink Special Report
An Overview
of Historical Pricing Resources
Three Resources at the Right Price

Among booksellers, pricing is more often regarded as an art than a science. And yet never before in the history of bookselling have booksellers had such ready access to so much pricing data. Granted, most of this data pertains to books that haven't sold yet, but, increasingly, historical pricing data is becoming more and more available as well.

BookThink Update
19 January 2009>>>

Update Announcements

 

BookThink's Top 10 on eBay
December 2008

December 2008 was a good month for relative novices on eBay. Four of the 18 sellers (2 sellers sold 2 books each) had feedback in the single digits. The fiction top 10 included 3 copies of Twilight and 2 books by Haruki Murakami. Classic science fiction was represented by 1st editions of Ray Bradbury's Dark Carnival published by Arkham House and Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. The non-fiction top 10 included 3 1st editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. Beyond that it was diverse - from a pre-revolutionary history of St. Petersburg, Russia and Barack Obama to Mark Twain and Daytona Cobra coupes.

QMR Book of the Week
How To Survive & Thrive
in the Coming Wave of Deflation

In investment circles, there are forecasters who get it right sometimes and wrong other times - as we would expect. Occasionally, however, there are those who get it right a lot. Such a case could be made for investment advisor A. Gary Shilling. In 1999, Shilling published How to Survive & Thrive in the Coming Wave of Deflation. Essentially, it's a how-to on investing in anticipation of the onset of a deflationary cycle. Well, in 1999, almost nobody was talking about the possibility of deflation, and there weren't many buyers for this book. Today, few aren't talking about it. (And, for that matter, Shilling had been talking about for years previous to the publication of this book.) [Read the complete article here.]

 

How to Buy and Sell Photobooks
Issues #32, #33 & #34

I've made a lot of money on photobooks over the years, and I must tell you that this is one of the easier genres to make money in. Here's why: Close your eyes and toss a brick into a room full of photobooks, and chances are you'll hit something of value - and there's a pretty good chance you'll hit something of significant value. Reasons are several. [Read the complete article here.]

From the Editor

Bookselling with Apple's iPhone 3G
Taking It to the Next Level?

Wow, did I ever get a neat present for Christmas - an Apple iPhone 3G. This is the hottest thing out there in tech land and is packed with so many features that it'd almost be easier to tell you what it doesn't do. Among these features are several bookselling tools that will enhance your scouting big time. Details follow in my feature article, "Bookselling with Apple's iPhone 3G."

 

BookThink's Quarterly Market Report of Common, Profitable Books
Issue #5
Issue #5 of BookThink's Quarterly Market Report of Common, Profitable Books is now available for purchase. Purchase or subscribe now.

Previous BookThink Update >>>>>>>

BookThink Update
22 December 2008>>>

Update Announcements

 

BookThink's Top 10 on eBay
November 2008

Barack Obama vied with Audubon, Helmut Newton, and Alcoholics Anonymous in the non-fiction category and came in at #4, #5, #6 and #7 for Dreams from My Father and #4 for a signed ARC of The Audacity of Hope. Some were signed; others were mint. But even an unsigned good condition Dreams .... fetched $3,200.00. The fiction list was mainly populated by the usual suspects. There were 2 Flemings, 3 Tolkiens, 1 King and 1 Meyer listings. The usual super seller from Hamburg, Germany took positions 2, 3, and 4 on the Antiquarian and Collectible list, losing out to an 1830 copy of The Book of Mormon in 1st place and Barack Obama's signed Dreams From My Father accompanied by his sophomore high school yearbooks in 5th position. The latter attracted 64 bids

QMR Book of the Week
The Art of Terry Redlin
Master of Memories

Question: For eight consecutive years, 1991 through 1998, the same artist was named America's Most Popular Artist in annual gallery surveys conducted by U.S. Art magazine. Who was it? If you guessed Thomas Kinkade, "Painter of Light" - who, by the way, is presently America's most collected artist - you'd be wrong. [Read the complete article here.]

Gold Edition Quotation of the Month
Bible Mania
Issue #11

Question: when scouting, what book do you come across more than any other? Easy. The Bible. By far. It can pop up anywhere, especially at thrift shops, church sales and estate sales - in fact, even when there are no other books in sight, there's still a good chance you'll come across a Bible. Somewhere. But - how many booksellers actually sell them? Hard to say, but from what I've observed, it ain't many, despite the fact that it can be a consistently (and sometimes very) profitable niche. [Read the complete article here.]

First Edition Guides: General

  • 20th Century First Edition Fiction: A Price and Identification Guide
    2008 Edition, Thomas Lee

    Buy it at BookThink

  • American First Editions, Merle Johnson, revised and enlarged by Jacob Blanck (Fourth Edition)
    Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon

  • Author Price Guides, Allen and Patricia Ahearn (4 vols.; also available for individual authors; also issued as complete set on CD; 174 authors to date. Note: Some issued in looseleaf binder so determine contents before buying.)
    Buy it at Amazon - vol. 1, 1990 or Amazon - vol. 2, 1998 or Abebooks

  • A Bibliographical Introduction to Seventy-Five Modern American Authors, Gary M. Lepper
    Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon

  • Bibliography of American Literature, Jacob Blanck (9 Volumes)
    Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon

  • Bibliotheca Americana: Dictionary of Books Relating to America From its Discovery to the Present Time, Joseph Sabin (29 Volumes or 2-Volume Microprint)
    Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon

  • The Book Collector's Handbook of Values, Van Allen Bradley (1982-1983 Edition)
    Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon

  • Collected Books, Allen and Patricia Ahearn
    Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon

  • First Editions: A Guide to Identification, Edward N. Zempel and Linda A. Verkler
    Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon

  • First Printings of American Authors, Matthew J. Bruccoli (5 Volumes)
    Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon

  • Guide to First Edition Prices 2008/9, R.B. Russell
    Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon

  • Modern British Authors, B.D. Cutler and Villa Stiles
    Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon

  • Modern First Editions: Points and Values, Gilbert H. Fabes and William A. Foyle (First, Second and Third Series)
    Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon

  • Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions, Bill McBride
    Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon

  • Points of Issue: A Compendium of Points of Issue of Books by 19th - 20th Century Authors, Bill McBride
    Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon

  • Wright Howes: The Final Edition (of U.S.iana)
    Buy it at Abebooks or Amazon

Other Books

  • The Performing Arts: A Guide to the Reference Literature
    Buy it at Amazon

  • My Name in Books : A Guide to Character Names in Children's Literature
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Make Mine a Mystery: A Reader's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Introduction to Bibliography and Reference Work
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • International Bibliography of Discographies
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Index to Black American Writers in Collective Biographies
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Graphic Novels: A Bibliographic Guide to Book-Length Comics
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Literature: A Genre Guide
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Fine Arts: A Bibliographic Guide to Basic Reference Works, Histories, and Handbooks: Second Edition
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Fantasy Authors: A Research Guide
    Buy it at Abebooks

  • Encyclopedic directory of ethnic newspapers and periodicals in the United States
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Applied and Decorative Arts: A Bibliographic Guide to Basic Reference Works, Histories, and Handbooks
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • American Popular Culture: A Guide to the Reference Literature
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Read the High Country: Guide to Western Books and Films
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks b>

  • American Military History: A Guide to Reference and Information Sources
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Murder in Retrospect: A Selective Guide to Historical Mystery Fiction
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Children's Books About Religion
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • A Guide to Field Guides: Identifying the Natural History of North America
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Anatomy of Wonder: A Critical Guide to Science Fiction, Fifth Edition
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Children's Authors and Illustrators Too Good to Miss: Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Christian Fiction: A Guide to the Genre
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • The Bookmark Book
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Fantasy Literature for Children and Young Adults: An Annotated Bibliography, Fourth Edition
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Reference Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • 100 Most Popular Picture Book Authors and Illustrators: Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • The Newbery Companion: Booktalk and Related Materials for Newbery Medal and Honor Books
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Reader's Adviser : Vol.1 The Best Reference Works, British Literature & American Literature
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Children's Book Award Handbook
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • The Entrepreneur's Information Sourcebook: Charting the Path to Small Business Success
    Buy it at
    Amazon or Abebooks

  • 100 Most Popular African American Authors: Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Graphic Novels: A Genre Guide to Comic Books, Manga, and More
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Quotation Index to Children's Literature
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Reference and Research Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction Second Edition
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

  • Fluent in Fantasy: A Guide to Reading Interests
    Buy it at Amazon or Abebooks

Above is a sample of the Editor's Hot Picks.
Click here to see all of them.

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