I get these things form Abebooks from time to time. See this one in full
here.
Top of the pile is
The Hobbit - the book that launched the entire fantasy genre - and we're talking about the 1,500 first edition copies published in the UK on 21 September 1937 by Allen & Unwin. ...
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a 1937 first edition sold for £45,050 in 2003.
Several options here. The first appearance of this book in print (2,000 copies) in 1865 was short-lived as illustrator John Tenniel disliked the print quality. Those '1865s' are like hen's teeth and have seven-figure price tags. The next edition (4,000 copies) was released in December of 1865 but dated 1866. They are also expensive and scarce. Current demand on AbeBooks is all about
Salvador Dali's illustrated limited edition (just 2,500 copies) from 1969 and no (sane) parent would give their child this version of Carroll's famous tale.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a Dali copy signed by the artist sold for £13,860 in 2014.
It has to be one of the 500 first editions printed by Bloomsbury in June 1997. The library system swallowed up 300 of them, so what happened to the other 200? If you have one then you have hit the JK Rowling jackpot.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a flawless 1997 first edition for £25,650 (and it wasn't even signed) in 2005.
This simple children's picture book has had a remarkable impact on popular culture. To have a special copy, it has to be a 1963 first edition published by Harper & Row, and Sendak's signature will add thousands to the value. Sendak, who died in 2012, was a generous signer and often added sketches when signing a book.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a first signed sold for £17,330 in 2012..
The golden ticket here is a September 1964 first edition published by Knopf that's been signed by Dahl, and has a pristine dust jacket. Only 10,000 copies were printed and they sold out in four weeks.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a first edition signed by Dahl in the month of its publication sold for £17,330 in 2015.
A lesson to all of us about being careful in what is thrown away. Both the US and UK editions were published in 1922 and you will need one of these to have something special on your bookshelf. William Nicholson provided seven memorable full-page illustrations.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a US first edition sold for £11,055 in 2013.
Published in 1926 by Methuen, the ideal copy would be signed by Milne and perhaps also the book's illustrator E.H. Shepard. The presence and condition of the dust jacket will heavily influence the value of this book that has delighted readers for 90 years.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a copy signed by Milne and Shepard, and containing a bookplate displaying Milne's London address sold for £8,215 in 2016.
First published in 1962 by Ariel Books, this classic story was rejected by dozens of publishers because they thought no young reader would understand the combination of science, and good versus evil. Ellen Raskin, author of
The Westing Game, designed the beautiful Sixties era dust jacket and your copy needs a pristine dust jacket to fetch a top price.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a first edition for £7,625 in 2015.
The first edition was published in 1900 by Geo M. Hill but the copyright notice is dated 1899. This book was first printed with 24 colour plates by W.W. Denslow.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a first edition for £6,100 in 2012.
Peter Pan first appeared in Barrie's adult novel
The Little White Bird in 1902. The boy who never grows up then appeared in a successful stage play that opened in 1904 and ran until 1913. A proper Peter Pan book finally appeared in 1906, called Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.
Arthur Rackham provided illustrations and it's the artwork that makes this book so appealing to lovers of collectable children's books.
Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a first edition signed by Rackham sold for £4,505 in 2016.
