What's The Rarest Book You Own?

[chilango]

I sold a book to Clifford Harper yesterday (one for the anarchists and artists).

I sold a book to Tony Wilson once. It was 5 minutes till closing and he was being an arse about it though.

I've also sold books to Matthew Kelly, Sandi Toksvig, Hayley from Coronation Street and a whole bunch of there's who I now forget.

 

[fishfinger]

I've got a 1st edition copy of The Naked Lunch.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I think I have sold most of mine - they would mainly have been eighties subcultural stuff which were published by small press bods. So enough for the odd takeaway.

I do still have a copy of A Ruota Libera - Miseria del lettore di TAZ.

Which was supposed to be some Italian translations of writings by US counter culture superstar (and nonce) Hakim Bey. But was actually parodies of his stuff and things taking the piss out of him instead. So it was pulped when this was discovered (but not before several commentariat types had praised this new book by Bey).​

 

[el-ahrairah]

I sold a book to Clifford Harper yesterday (one for the anarchists and artists).

I sold a book to Barry Norman once. His credit card says Barry Norman International.

 

[Sprocket.]

Do not have a clue how rare this is but have a Left Book Club edition of; 'On Top of the World, the 1937 Soviet Expedition to the North Pole' by Lazar Konstantinovich Brontman published in 1938.
It belonged to my dad and as he left little else I could never part with it.

 

[sojourner]

Would be interested to hear some more about this.

I'll have a look in the next couple of days

 

[butchersapron]

Do not have a clue how rare this is but have a Left Book Club edition of; 'On Top of the World, the 1937 Soviet Expedition to the North Pole' by Lazar Konstantinovich Brontman published in 1938.
It belonged to my dad and as he left little else I could never part with it.

Couple of quid i'm afraid - left book club were quickly cheaply and mass produced - loads of them around. Best bet on that is a LBC completist who is missing just one...

 

[butchersapron]

I'll have a look in the next couple of days

You could be quids in here if it's def 1800s.

 

[chilango]

Do not have a clue how rare this is but have a Left Book Club edition of; 'On Top of the World, the 1937 Soviet Expedition to the North Pole' by Lazar Konstantinovich Brontman published in 1938.
It belonged to my dad and as he left little else I could never part with it.

Sounds cool.

 

[el-ahrairah]

Sounds cool.

sounds cold

 

[Sprocket.]

Couple of quid i'm afraid - left book club were quickly cheaply and mass produced - loads of them around. Best bet on that is a LBC completist who is missing just one...

Thanks for the info but it is one of the few possessions my dad had when he passed back in 1971.
Sentimental I know but it helps me understand him a bit more.

 

[butchersapron]

Thanks for the info but it is one of the few possessions my dad had when he passed back in 1971.
Sentimental I know but it helps me understand him a bit more.

Sorry missed the bit where you said you'd never let it go. Does seem a niche book to be mass produced.

 

[Sprocket.]

Sounds cool.

I read it years ago and it is in a cupboard upstairs, one day I will read it again.

 

[Sprocket.]

Sorry missed the bit where you said you'd never let it go. Does seem a niche book to be mass produced.

I wondered if it was a PR exercise for the Soviets with the coming world crisis and all that?

 

[butchersapron]

I wondered if it was a PR exercise for the Soviets with the coming world crisis and all that?

LBC was a PR exercise for popular frontism and so pretty much a USSR front at the time - that's pretty much all it was supposed to do. They still did some great stuff. Maybe that particular expedition had caught the public imagination at the time?

 

[Sprocket.]

LBC was a PR exercise for popular frontism and so pretty much a USSR front at the time - that's pretty much all it was supposed to do. They still did some great stuff. Maybe that particular expedition had caught the public imagination at the time?

Think this may inspire me to do some proper research.

 

[Cheesypoof]

I have a copy of 'My life with Chaplin' signed by Lita Grey Chaplin. This is an original from 1966 and this version went out of print (as it was too scandalous). It is quite shocking and a good read. The signature on it, with a message surprised me when i opened it. Because it is signed, that must be my rarist book.

I also have a copy of 'Leigh Bowery, Life and times of an Icon' by Sue Tilley - pretty rare as it cost me £36 and is out of print. Its a brilliant book, one of the best bios and rivetting account of 80's clubland in London. i LOVE this book

Also a gorgeous, tiny old edition of A Christmas Carol, with ink drawings and a red cloth spine. I love that book so much i wrote a whole thread about it!!! called 'Your favourite thing in the world' or something...

I have some others....bought a weird old book on Harry Houdini the other day, and i have an original of 'I follow St Patrick' by Oliver Gogarty - its really old and was quite expensive.

Also 'Some mistakes of moses' by Robert Ingersoll. Got that on the forgottenbooks website. Its reprinted now but from the 1870's - seriously brilliant book, and complete disembowelment of the Old Testament. Its reprinted like the original. Thank you Forgotten Books!!

I got into collecting quirky cookery books for a while and although i havent yet got my copy of 'Be Bold with bananas,' from 1972, from the Australian Banana Growers' Council - that's now out of print. i have a really strange one called 'White trash cooking' with telephone cord type spine, and an obese blond grumpy looking lady on the cover. Its full of interesting recipes.

On my 'want' list is an original copy of Lord Alfred Douglas's autobiography, but last time i looked on amazon it was like £75....have toyed with this. I also want 'Me, Alice' which is Alice Coopers original autobiography from the late 70's and out of print. I occasionally look for it on amazon, it usually costs about $600. Would also like an old copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray (who wouldnt??) ideally the one with the plain green cover by Penguin.

 

[Boris Sprinkler]

I have a hand bound copy of Sex Crimes of the Fucher by Billy Childish

 

[hiccup]

A first edition of Under Milk Wood. I don't think they're massively rare or valuable though.

 

[articul8]

Les Dawson's apocalyptic (and well fucking weird) novel - A Time Before Genesis.

Quite collectable. And did I mention it's really fucking weird.

I never knew Les wrote a novel. Would be well up for reading that

 

[SikhWarrioR]

I have a couple of pre 1914 engineering text books, One on steam turbines dating from 1905 and a general engineering text book dating from 1912

 

[Wilf]

A Webb's History of Trade Unionism (2nd edn, or maybe an early 20C reprint). Me Dad's got a couple of bibles he thinks are worth a bit.

 

[butchersapron]

Nothing on the first. Poss on 2nd.

 

[sojourner]

You could be quids in here if it's def 1800s.

It's actually Milton's Poetical Works, and was published in 1845. Having had a quick google I don't think it's worth that much tbh.

Ooo it's like Antiques Roadshow int it?

 

[butchersapron]

bah!

Literally!

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

It might be a first edition Tarzan of the Apes (1914). I also have the next three books.

Or, it could be Lady Byron Vindicated, but its in pretty bad shape.

I also have a mid-19th century medical textbook. Have no idea what that might be worth... possibly nothing.

 

[Hocus Eye.]

I have a copy of The History of Torquay by J.T. White from 1878 I paid £100 for it two years ago. It was printed at the "Directory" office, whatever that was.