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Went book hunting today, found legitimate FIRST EDITIONS of Mark Twin, Norman Mailer!

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charlie and algernon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-10-09 05:09 PM
Original message
Went book hunting today, found legitimate FIRST EDITIONS of Mark Twin, Norman Mailer!
Edited on Sat Jan-10-09 05:10 PM by charlie and algernon
Last time I went to a used book store, I found old Steinbeck books that I thought were first editions and ended up being 2nd or 3rd editions. Well I went back to that store prepared and came away with real, honest to God literary treasure!

1882 Mark Twain - The Stolen White Elephant (Worth hundreds of dollars, paid $35)
1949 Sinclair Lewis - The God-Seeker
1971 Norman Mailer - The Prisoner of Sex (Worth hundreds of dollars, paid $7!)
1984 Norman Mailer - Tough Guys Don't Dance
1933 John Galsworthy - One More River (worth at least $100)




Also found a London Printing of Moby Dick. Unsure how old it is, will need to check out a book dealer to find out.
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seemunkee Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-10-09 06:42 PM
Response to Original message
1. Awesome finds
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bluethruandthru Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-10-09 07:05 PM
Response to Original message
2. How can you tell if a book is a first edition?
I've never known for sure.
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charlie and algernon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-10-09 07:18 PM
Response to Reply #2
4. check the copyright page
in some caes it will say "First Printing, Edition, or Publication" If there is only one year listed, you have a good shot. You also have to know the original publisher. It may be the first edition for that publisher, but not the original publisher. if you find a book you think is a first edition, check it out online. I like Abebooks.com, people are good at explaining in good detail what their confirmed first editions look like and you just compare yours to theirs.
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bluethruandthru Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-10-09 07:29 PM
Response to Reply #4
6. Thanks!
I see you found them in Frederick, MD. Only about 15 miles from me! I may have to go prowling the shops of Frederick. :)
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BeachBaby Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-10-09 07:08 PM
Response to Original message
3. Wow! Where did you find them????
I live in the Mullica Hill, NJ area......which is known for its antiques, old books, records, etc.

But I've had some great luck on South Street in Philly.

Congrats on your finds! :toast:
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charlie and algernon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-10-09 07:20 PM
Response to Reply #3
5. Frederick, Maryland
one of these days I'm going to go on a tour of all the local libraries and goodwill stores and check out their book sales. What books or antiques have you found?
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TZ Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-10-09 07:32 PM
Response to Reply #5
7. dude...
You were within 15 miles... of my house and didn't let me know--cheeez....;)
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charlie and algernon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-10-09 07:37 PM
Response to Reply #7
8. dude...
gotta tell me you live 15 miles from my book hunting grounds :P
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bluethruandthru Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-10-09 07:49 PM
Response to Reply #7
9. Yep...
I'm in Poolesville!
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madinmaryland Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-10-09 08:30 PM
Response to Reply #5
11. Huh? In Frederick??? The only reading material you can get there
is Klan material.

:wtf:
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charlie and algernon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-10-09 08:33 PM
Response to Reply #11
12. gotta know where to look
;-)
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justabob Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-10-09 08:12 PM
Response to Original message
10. that's great!
What a happy day for you! Books are so great, especially when you score good first editions. :) I worked in a used book store for a couple of years, but I didn't start getting into first edition hunting till late unfortunately. I have found a handful of treasures, but nothing to compare with yours. Good work!
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charlie and algernon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-10-09 08:36 PM
Response to Reply #10
13. this is first time I've specifically gone out first edition hunting
the first time when I found the Steinbecks, I was killing time and wondered into a book store and realized it had a bunch of old editions and started searching. These books aren't going to break the bank, but they're a fantastic start to a library. Whenever I get my first house, I'm building a special glass enclosed case for them.
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charlie and algernon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-11-09 04:04 PM
Response to Original message
14. UPDATE: Twain book confirmed by dealer to be real thing
I had a book dealer confirm the Mark Twain bok and he said it's worth at least $200, so i got a nice deal considering I bought it for $35.

He also has no idea when the Moby Dick was published, so that either means its super rare and worth a ton, or it's worthless and no one has bothered to sell it before, lol.
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