Book Collecting

[chief4db]

I've have 3 hobbies over my life so I'm no stranger to collecting and all that goes with it. My question is when it comes to books how do u go about getting what your after. In Lionel trains, sports cards and guns the common denominator are shows,shows,shows. Plenty of dealers and shows. Of course there u also meet other hobbyists that are selling as well. But with books I can't remember ever seeing an advertisement for a show anywhere. So how do u go about getting books. Yes there is ebay but u don't get to inspect the book. Also the asking prices are ridiculous on some of it. If shows r just not part of it , it should be.

 

[morgan]

I've have 3 hobbies over my life so I'm no stranger to collecting and all that goes with it. My question is when it comes to books how do u go about getting what your after. In Lionel trains, sports cards and guns the common denominator are shows,shows,shows. Plenty of dealers and shows. Of course there u also meet other hobbyists that are selling as well. But with books I can't remember ever seeing an advertisement for a show anywhere. So how do u go about getting books. Yes there is ebay but u don't get to inspect the book. Also the asking prices are ridiculous on some of it. If shows r just not part of it , it should be.

I'm trying to figure out the collecting aspect of SK books as well. kingricefan and jchanic are very knowledgeable.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I like to go to the used bookstores to see if I can find any steals. SK books are typically hard to find, but I have found some bargains.

I like buying online, but it's hit and miss. You don't really know what condition the book is in until it arrives.

 

[Surreal]

Depends on how you want to collect. Are you looking for high end SK collectible books? Or more looking to collect one of every book?Autographed copies....ect?

 

[muskrat]

Tell ya, Goodwill is where it's at, especially with King. You wouldn't believe the items I've found there, dirt cheap and in great shape.

 

[AchtungBaby]

Used bookstores. Usually I do my searching based off of information given to me by collectors on here. Thrift stores, Amazon, eBay, and thrift books are my best friends.

 

[Debbie913]

I agree with the others...used book stores, thrift stores, maybe even flea markets. You can check out the books before you buy in places like these. There are lots of online places to shop, but I'm not much for shopping that way. I'm sure some of the other members can point you to some good websites.

 

[The Nameless]

Depends what you mean by collecting, I collected a version of all of his books, knowing that I may never read them all. I just wanted to have as many of his stories that were available to me. The only books I didn't get were faithful and Stephen King goes the movies - faithful because I have no interest in a dedicated fans interest in baseball, even if it is Stephen King, and s.k goes the movies because every story in it was already available in other collections or stand alone.

When I was collecting them I bought some new, some used, some paperbacks, some hardbacks, some in mint condition, some falling apart. I went for the cheapest way possible, my cheapest used book was 10 pence, my dearest was £5.55 (colorado kid, that was hard to find at a sensible price). I mostly used play.com (rakuten in other countries) and Amazon.

However, I get the feeling you are talking about collecting first firsts and limited editions, in which case people on eBay know what they've got and want top end money for it. I've never heard of a show for books like you get for classic cars or something.

 

[jchanic]

For the more rare new issues, I make sure I'm on the publishers' mailing lists--that way I get advance notice of the new limited publications at the issue price. For the other editions, I use eBay, ABE (American Book Exchange), Amazon and for the UK editions, Amazon UK. I also have developed a number of contacts who can get me items. I avoid using eBay for signed books (unless they are official signed limited editions) because there are so many fakes out there. When the new issue comes out, I'll go to my Barnes & Noble so that I can get the best copy (no bent pages or damaged dust jackets, etc.)

I'm also active in some of the Stephen King bulletin boards and have learned to trust many of the participants. The best one for collectors is:

Calvin's Corner

This one has many of the best super-collectors as members. I've found that if you have a question regarding anything related to Stephen King, everyone is more than willing to help.

John

 

[GNTLGNT]

...and though they are glacially slow moving with new releases, the Stephen King Library is a good way to build a collection....

 

[jchanic]

...and though they are glacially slow moving with new releases, the Stephen King Library is a good way to build a collection....

Unless you're interested in first edition, first printings. The Stephen King Library editions are considered to be book club editions, thus effectively worthless as collectibles.

John

 

[GNTLGNT]

Unless you're interested in first edition, first printings. The Stephen King Library editions are considered to be book club editions, thus effectively worthless as collectibles.

John

...I understand that....it was simply my way of explaining how to build a wealth of words, not cash value on a book you'll never be able to read because it will drive it's price down....

 

[DiO'Bolic]

I'm not one for collecting Stephen King novels people would consider collectible, but I do own some. And I have a singed copy of TGWLTG I got from Haven Foundation. Several years ago my copy of Pet Sematary went missing. So I found a used book store online and ordered it. The price was about $5. A week went by and I emailed the store wondering what was wrong because I hadn't received it. They got back to me that they had to investigate as it was a first edition and shouldn't have been offered at that price. A couple days later they said they would be sending me the book at that price because someone signed their name on the first page, and they were sending me a little something for the delay which turned out to be a 80's horror booklet with a King short story in it. When I got the novel delivered I looked at the signature and was going to erase it out. The signature was "Ian Anderson." Probably not the same guy, but I left it in, thinking it might be cool owning a first edition of Pet Sematary signed by Jethro Tull.

 

[GNTLGNT]

I'm not one for collecting Stephen King novels people would consider collectible, but I do own some. And I have a singed copy of TGWLTG I got from Haven Foundation. Several years ago my copy of Pet Sematary went missing. So I found a used book store online and ordered it. The price was about $5. A week went by and I emailed the store wondering what was wrong because I hadn't received it. They got back to me that they had to investigate as it was a first edition and shouldn't have been offered at that price. A couple days later they said they would be sending me the book at that price because someone signed their name on the first page, and they were sending me a little something for the delay which turned out to be a 80's horror booklet with a King short story in it. When I got the novel delivered I looked at the signature and was going to erase it out. The signature was "Ian Anderson." Probably not the same guy, but I left it in, thinking it might be cool owning a first edition of Pet Sematary signed by Jethro Tull.

...did it smell like flautist sweat?....if so, it's the real Ian deal....

 

[Alexandra M]

I'm not one for collecting Stephen King novels people would consider collectible, but I do own some. And I have a singed copy of TGWLTG I got from Haven Foundation. Several years ago my copy of Pet Sematary went missing. So I found a used book store online and ordered it. The price was about $5. A week went by and I emailed the store wondering what was wrong because I hadn't received it. They got back to me that they had to investigate as it was a first edition and shouldn't have been offered at that price. A couple days later they said they would be sending me the book at that price because someone signed their name on the first page, and they were sending me a little something for the delay which turned out to be a 80's horror booklet with a King short story in it. When I got the novel delivered I looked at the signature and was going to erase it out. The signature was "Ian Anderson." Probably not the same guy, but I left it in, thinking it might be cool owning a first edition of Pet Sematary signed by Jethro Tull.

What a great story!

 

[Alexandra M]

I'm not one for collecting Stephen King novels people would consider collectible, but I do own some. And I have a singed copy of TGWLTG I got from Haven Foundation. Several years ago my copy of Pet Sematary went missing. So I found a used book store online and ordered it. The price was about $5. A week went by and I emailed the store wondering what was wrong because I hadn't received it. They got back to me that they had to investigate as it was a first edition and shouldn't have been offered at that price. A couple days later they said they would be sending me the book at that price because someone signed their name on the first page, and they were sending me a little something for the delay which turned out to be a 80's horror booklet with a King short story in it. When I got the novel delivered I looked at the signature and was going to erase it out. The signature was "Ian Anderson." Probably not the same guy, but I left it in, thinking it might be cool owning a first edition of Pet Sematary signed by Jethro Tull.

What a great story!

 

[DiO'Bolic]

...did it smell like flautist sweat?....if so, it's the real Ian deal....

The smell was more of a mixture of old book and locomotive breath.

 

[Alexandra M]

I've been looking for a hardcover of Pet Sematary for a long time. Everywhere I've looked, so far, no
luck. But being on this MB has really taught me a lot about books and what to look for and where to
look for them. Everyone has been so helpful with their experience and advice. In the early days, when
I was replacing the SK collection I lost I was replacing books one at a time by paying full price from a
local bookstore. That was a slow and expensive route to go. Now I am at used book stores, thrift stores
and on websites and having great success at finding what I want for a decent price. It is also a lot of fun
looking for these books now! A real Saturday adventure for me.

 

[DiO'Bolic]

I've been looking for a hardcover of Pet Sematary for a long time. Everywhere I've looked, so far, no
luck. But being on this MB has really taught me a lot about books and what to look for and where to
look for them. Everyone has been so helpful with their experience and advice. In the early days, when
I was replacing the SK collection I lost I was replacing books one at a time by paying full price from a
local bookstore. That was a slow and expensive route to go. Now I am at used book stores, thrift stores
and on websites and having great success at finding what I want for a decent price. It is also a lot of fun
looking for these books now! A real Saturday adventure for me.

Pet Sematary by Stephen King - AbeBooks

 

[GNTLGNT]

I've been looking for a hardcover of Pet Sematary for a long time. Everywhere I've looked, so far, no
luck. But being on this MB has really taught me a lot about books and what to look for and where to
look for them. Everyone has been so helpful with their experience and advice. In the early days, when
I was replacing the SK collection I lost I was replacing books one at a time by paying full price from a
local bookstore. That was a slow and expensive route to go. Now I am at used book stores, thrift stores
and on websites and having great success at finding what I want for a decent price. It is also a lot of fun
looking for these books now! A real Saturday adventure for me.

pet semetary hardcover | eBay