question for the book buyers

[SteveDodds]

Not sure where to post this but since all of the book buying people I read about are on here and since I found this at a garage sale this is where I am asking this.

I "bought" a book at a garage sale today. I say "bought" because when I asked the lady what she wanted for it she said that I can just have it. I am wanting to know if this one is a winner and whether or not I should post it on the bay.

It is called "One White Star" by Gladys Hasty Carroll. On the copyright page it says 1954. It also says first printing. There is no dust jacket. One small liquid stain on the front. One small "X" on the inside of the cover. There is some light toning on the top of the cover all the way around and I suspect it is from lightbulbs or daylight that toned it. I found some on this page http://www.dunnybrook.org/homepage/GHC_Price_List.html that are for sale for anywhere between $80 and $110. Is this worth listing on the bay? Can anybody tell me if this a valuable book?

 

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[bja3908]

Steve with out the dust jacket the book losses 20 to 60 percent of its value, DJ are very important to collectors. It still has value as a reading copy so I would list it.

 

[SteveDodds]

Thank you for the info. Some of the ones on the website that I found also don't have a dust jacket and are for sale for $80 to $90. Does that change your thoughts?

 

[airborne1092]

SteveDodds,

I'm not book buyer and I could not tell you what the book is worth but I do want to share this with you;

The author was born in Rochester, New Hampshire and attended Bates college in Lewiston, Maine. It seems her largest impact with writing was her frequent theme of rural life in Maine. If you were looking to get a premium for your book, I'd recommend beginning with local outlets in those two areas. Additionally, her manuscripts and other writings are stored at Boston University and "She has received the Maryann Hartman Award from the Women in the Curriculum program at the University of Maine."

She also appears to have a following at Bates College and you might hunt up a literature professor that enjoys her work. Lastly, she lived, and died, in South Berwick, Maine on her family farm.

Just some info to get you started. Good luck!

 

[spartacus53]

Thank you for the info. Some of the ones on the website that I found also don't have a dust jacket and are for sale for $80 to $90. Does that change your thoughts?

Best thing to do now is see if it sells and and what price it went. A book is only valuable like anything else to a collector that is willing to pay for it. So even if it went for $75, you're still ahead

 

[Beans]

Best bet is to check ebay and see what the book is selling for. Two issues is 1) not Dust Jacket, 2) the liquid stain. I don't think the small x is a big issue, just depends on where it is at and is it made with a pen, pencil, etc.
A couple of other things to look for. Is the binding still strong, are the corners of the cover bent and worn, are all the pages still there, are they dog eared? Any markings in the book, some people like to make notes or underline sentences.
Is there a big or even some demand for this author? One thing to consider is just because a book is old does not make it valuable. Hope this helps a little. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[diggummup]

There was one on Ebay that didn't sell. The starting bid was $8.99--

http://tinyurl.com/3xf9zjo

Multi-Tasking Solutions LLC presents ...
One White Star [Hardcover] by Carroll, Gladys Hasty
Author: Gladys Hasty Carroll
Publisher: Chicago People's Book Club C
Release Date: 1954-01-01
Seller Category: --
Qty Available: 1
Condition: Used: Very Good

Sku: GY-8OD2-4R41
Notes: Some writing on inside front page

 

[gorgias]

Books are finicky. You're lucky if you ae able to buy CHEAP and double your money on e-bay.

I've rarely made small amounts--usually $5-$10 at the most. However, I've bought books for my collection for $2 which were listed for hundreds of dollars on the internet. You can list as high as you want: it doens't mean anyone will buy at that price.

Gorgias