Anyone here collect 1st/1st signed editions?

Theydon Bois

I would buy that Proof before I bought those editions should roles be reversed. I have just six proof editions of David Gemmell, and they VERY rarely appear to be bought, and when they do, are insanely expensive.

For example:

QUEST FOR LOST HEROES (Proof Pages with Signed Bookplate) by Gemmell, David: Century, London Unbound Publisher's Pages, First Edition, Author Signed Bookplate - Fine Edition Books

....ignore the bookplate 'scam' but they are rocking horse poo rare mate.

....and dont give me that 'only hardbacks' rubbish you are bitten mate, and with that comes the signed copies, the proof editions, the foreign versions, the xxth year editions, the slipcased versions.......

Smurfin

I've avoided bookplate copies as I thought they were suspect - am I right?  

That may well come, but for now I'll be sticking to HBs and slipcased editions!   For me, it's not so much about what they're worth but books that I want on my bookshelf

I've taken a punt on some signed 1st/1st without knowing much about the author, but there again at £3 it doesn't really matter if it's crap

Fozzybear

Cool - thanks for that. I think the guy I work with who collects Pratchettania mentioned that to me before. I was probably being a little harsh in the earlier posts as it's none of my business how much people want to pay for stuff like this. I couldn't justify anything like that much on collectable books (though there are some I'd love to own - having an old copy of The Origin of Species would be wonderful) but considering that at the start of the year paying £10 for a book was a difficult sell for me I have changed my attitude a lot over the year as I've bought a lot of £30-40 books this year!

Smurfin

The quote above could be about me   My most expensive book to date has been £45, mostly they've been between £10-£15, but then we're talking more recent works where the print runs are big.

Some of the ones I want I'd never shell out for though...

Fozzybear

I'm not too unusual then.

Most I've paid is just over £37, though I did momentarily consider splashing out £120 on a copy of J.D. Summers-Smith's The House Sparrow after reading a copy from the library:

Loe Books | Fine Books and Pictures | New Naturalist Monograph No. 19 THE HOUSE SPARROW

I'd probably be more inclined to buy his recent Poyser Monograph on Sparrows though:

The Sparrows (Poyser Monographs): Amazon.co.uk: Denis Summers-Smith: Books

Theydon Bois

Although it may seem like I have spent a huge amount on books (that is true) that £180 was the single most expensive book I have paid for (hmm, that makes it seem like I have stolen more expensive books ) the majority of my Gemmell books have been bought at cost at time of release. The £50-100 I have bought a few though.

Theydon Bois

Mate, that looks like a lovely copy of a 50! year old book, and would settle in next to number 20 in your bookcase as if it belonged there. You got a birthday, anniversary, a Monday coming up soon in your diary? Buy it!

Fozzybear

I 'have' been tempted but with all the books I've bought over the last few months I really can't justify it, especially as I've some expensive work to do around the house coming soon and the situation at work is somewhat uncertain.

In terms of content that more recent Poyser book or some of Summers-Smith's other more recent books would be likely to be a better choice too - I found another of the New Naturalist Monographs while on holiday on Badgers (like this one, but a little cheaper):

Loe Books | Fine Books and Pictures | New Naturalist Monograph No. 1 THE BADGER

but my brother talked me out of it as there's been so much research on Badgers in recent years and he has the recent Badger book from the main series which he said was superb - I bought it myself and it really is, though I've only flipped through it a little, I've not got around to reading it:

Collins New Naturalist Library (114) - Badger: Amazon.co.uk: Tim Roper: Books

Fozzybear

Because it's raining and I'm kicking about the house a bit... current state of the 'obsession':

New Naturalists

3. London's Natural History (1945 1st edition)
4. Britain's Structure and Scenery (1946 1st edition)
10. British Plant Life (1989 Bloomsbury reprint)
12. The Sea Shore (1961 3rd edition)
17. Birds and Men (1990 Bloomsbury reprint)
20. The British Amphibians and Reptiles (1973 5th edition)
21. British Mammals (1989 Bloomsbury reprint)
38. The World of Spiders (1976 4th edition)
52. Woodland Birds (1971 1st edition - no dust jacket)
63. British Thrushes (1978 1st edition)
94. Seashore (2004 1st edition paperback)
106. Dragonflies (2008 1st edition)
108. Southern England (2008 1st edition)
109. Islands (2009 1st edition paperback)
110. Wildfowl (2009 1st edition)
114. Badger (2010 1st edition)
115. Climate and Weather (2010 1st edition)
117. Plant Galls (2011 1st edition)

with the new books there's quite a good proportion of first editions.
My other old and scarce-ish (not rare) books:

Haunts of British Divers by Niall Rankin (1947 1st edition)
A Natural History of British Birds by Eric Simms (1983 1st edition)
The First Eden by David Attenborough (1987 1st edition signed)
The Living Planet by David Attenborough (1984 1st edition signed)
Life On Air by David Attenborough (2003 2nd edition [first printing in paperback though I think] signed)

I've some other hardback first editions but just regular stuff - a few later Pratchetts, Bernard Cornwells, plus some nice centennial edition hardbacks of Charles Dickens by Heron Books (The Old Curiosity Shop Pt. 1 & 2, Christmas Stories, Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities).

Attached pic of the New Naturalist shelf... nearly filling that shelf now! And a couple of pics of my oldest book (including the publishing details page), London's Natural History by R.S.R. Fitter... which includes a section detailing plant species found in bomb sites in London!

Theydon Bois

Fozzy, dont go down the Book Club route unless they are an exclusive special edition of some kind. They will taint your collection I tell you!