Anybody here owns very old books?

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Christiane17

Christiane17

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Jan 19, 2010
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Hi there!!! I was wondering if any of you guys have in their bookshelves some very old editions of famous authors. I am a Charles Dickens fan and I wish I would pocess one original edition of his great story A Christmas Carol. I have been looking on the internet just to see how much one of those would cost in our days. And I have found out that original editions are now listed as much as $4000.00 and more. And they are very rare.
Just curious if any of you are also fans of authors of the 19th century, like Jules Verne, Melville, Bronte sisters, or any other...or if you are lucky enough to own one copy of their original first editions.
 

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Moderator

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Christiane17 said:
Hi there!!! I was wondering if any of you guys have in their bookshelves some very old editions of famous authors. I am a Charles Dickens fan and I wish I would pocess one original edition of his great story A Christmas Carol. I have been looking on the internet just to see how much one of those would cost in our days. And I have found out that original editions are now listed as much as $4000.00 and more. And they are very rare.
Just curious if any of you are also fans of authors of the 19th century, like Jules Verne, Melville, Bronte sisters, or any other...or if you are lucky enough to own one copy of their original first editions.
Click to expand...
I have one by Louisa May Alcott that I've owned since I was a teenager but no idea what it's worth or if it's a first edition although it is from the time it was first published. It's Jack and Jill, not one of the more known titles. One of the things that struck me about it is that they have ads in the back of the book. :smile2:
 
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Dana Jean

Dana Jean

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Christiane17 said:
Hi there!!! I was wondering if any of you guys have in their bookshelves some very old editions of famous authors. I am a Charles Dickens fan and I wish I would pocess one original edition of his great story A Christmas Carol. I have been looking on the internet just to see how much one of those would cost in our days. And I have found out that original editions are now listed as much as $4000.00 and more. And they are very rare.
Just curious if any of you are also fans of authors of the 19th century, like Jules Verne, Melville, Bronte sisters, or any other...or if you are lucky enough to own one copy of their original first editions.
Click to expand...
I own many old books, but have never taken the time to see if any of them are worth anything. They just look beautiful on my bookcase.
 
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Christiane17

Christiane17

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Jan 19, 2010
838
915
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Quebec, Canada
Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women I think. I used to have an old edition of this story, but I don't know what happenned to it.
Moderator said:
I have one by Louisa May Alcott that I've owned since I was a teenager but no idea what it's worth or if it's a first edition although it is from the time it was first published. It's Jack and Jill, not one of the more known titles. One of the things that struck me about it is that they have ads in the back of the book. :smile2:
Click to expand...
 
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DiO'Bolic

DiO'Bolic

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Christiane17 said:
Really!!! Well, you have something precious there. Keep it forever!!! :)
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Unfortunately the binding (I think that is what it is called) is broken, and when I inquired about having it fixed at a bookbinder they said it would cost about $75 to do it right. The front of the cover is separated but the back of the cover is still attached. $75 to slap on a little glue? Really? :umm: And frankly, I have no use for it... I'm afraid to read it and damage it any further.
 
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kingricefan

kingricefan

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DiO'Bolic said:
Unfortunately the binding (I think that is what it is called) is broken, and when I inquired about having it fixed at a bookbinder they said it would cost about $75 to do it right. The front of the cover is separated but the back of the cover is still attached. $75 to slap on a little glue? Really? :umm: And frankly, I have no use for it... I'm afraid to read it and damage it any further.
Click to expand...
I have fixed a couple of books that have had broken bindings in the past. You have to use acid-free glue (which you can get from Brodart.com or even possibly a crafting shop). It's white and looks just like Elmer's Glue from schools. Just run a small line of it down the inside length of the front cover, then use a Q-Tip to even out the glue (try not to make the line of glue more than 1/4 inch wide!), and press the cover to the front page evenly. Then lay a small stack of books on top of it to put some weight on it and let it dry for a day or so. It might not be a 'perfect' fix, but it's a cheap way to do it.
 
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DiO'Bolic

DiO'Bolic

Not completely obtuse
Nov 14, 2013
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kingricefan said:
I have fixed a couple of books that have had broken bindings in the past. You have to use acid-free glue (which you can get from Brodart.com or even possibly a crafting shop). It's white and looks just like Elmer's Glue from schools. Just run a small line of it down the inside length of the front cover, then use a Q-Tip to even out the glue (try not to make the line of glue more than 1/4 inch wide!), and press the cover to the front page evenly. Then lay a small stack of books on top of it to put some weight on it and let it dry for a day or so. It might not be a 'perfect' fix, but it's a cheap way to do it.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I'll check out a crafting shop. We have a Hobby Lobby nearby. I'll take a pic of the broken binding and post it so you can let me know if there is anything additional I have to do.
 
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GNTLGNT

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
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....just this one....:D

man_file_1040248_funny-books-ate-the-pizza-rolls.jpg
 
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