Modern First Editions
This has been the biggest growth area of collecting and dealing in the last decade. Prices have rocketed for many of the classics of 20th Century literature, the highest prices of modern first editions often been determined by the condition, most significantly the presence and condition of the dust-jacket. Bloomsbury has been at the forefront of this remarkable market movement. Our three annual dedicated Literature sales (held around March, June & November) include an enormous range of Modern Literature. Indeed these sales have become, according to Book and Magazine Collector "important events in the bookselling calendar".
So what about some examples of the "dizzying rewards" (as The Daily Telegraph called them) available? Bloomsbury still holds the world-record price at auction for a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone at £17,000. Authors such as Virginia Woolf (signed Orlando, £1,600), Graham Greene (Journey without Maps, £2,200), Evelyn Waugh (Vile Bodies, £1,300) and Anthony Powell (A Dance to the Music of Time sequence, £2,000) are collected as supreme 20th Century literary figures. Science-Fiction has a strong following and first editions of works by early Sci-Fi proponents Jules Verne (The Purchase of the North Pole, £1,300) and H.G. Wells (The First Men in the Moon, in its exceptionally rare dust-jacket, £12,000) lead the way. Contemporary or Ultra-modern authors continue to attract amazing prices, particularly for their first or early works Martin Amis's The Rachel Papers (signed) made £360; Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting (signed) made £600; and Ian McEwan's First Love, Last Rites reached £260.
We cover Detective Fiction from Agatha Christie to Ian Rankin; Children's/Adult works from Tolkien to Milne to Pullman; books that have been made into movies from James Bond to Captain Corelli. If it's Biggles you collect or Narnia books you wish to sell, contact Max Hasler and he will guide you through the process.
Max Hasler
Max Hasler is available Monday to Friday for valuations and for any questions regarding Modern First Editions that you may have.
Phone: +44 (0)20 7495 9494