Bookseller Digest UK

AbeBooks Top 10 Most Expensive Sales in October 2009

1. The Scots Musical Museum by James Johnson - £5,193 ($8,500)
The pivotal collection of Scots music compiled by James Johnson with contributions, both musically and editorially, by Robert Burns. Published in 1792 as four volumes, this bound in two.

2. Oeuvres by Pierre de Ronsard - £4,544 ($7,435)
The complete first volume of the first edition of Ronsard's "Works"; bound with an incomplete copy of the second volume and the preliminary matter of the third volume. Published in Paris in 1560, the present first two volumes contain the complete text of Renouard's "Amours," and the following three volumes contained odes and hymns.

3. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - £3,972 ($6,500)
A signed second edition of Tolkien’s fantasy masterpiece.

4. The Bonefish Brigade by Zane Grey - £3,055  ($5,000)
Privately published in 1922, this was a special edition with “Christmas Greetings” and a candle design printed in red and green on the upper cover.  This was Zane Grey’s copy with his library blind-stamp on the front free endpaper.

5. Frank Lloyd Wright Monograph by Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer; Frank Lloyd Wright; Yukio Futagawa - £2,750 ($4,500)
The complete 12-volume monograph of a lifetime of Wright’s work.  Published 1984, first American edition.

6. The original pen, ink, and watercolour that was used for the dust wrapper of The Fairy Tales of Perrault by Harry Clarke - £2,750 ($4,500)
Harry Clarke’s set of pen, ink and watercolour which he used to create the intricate dust cover for The Fairy Tales of Perrault.

7. Historia De Las Indias by Bartolomé de las Casas - £2,641 ($4,321)
The Complete History of the Indies as written by the first resident Bishop of Chiapas, Bartolomé de las Casas which documents his campaign for the rights of Native Americans as well as his initial openness, and later bitterly opposition, to importing African slaves.

8. The first tome or volume of the Paraphrases of Erasmus vpon the newe testament : conteinyng the fower Euangelistes, with the Actes of the Apostles: eftsones conferred with the latine and throughly corrected as it is by the kinges highness by Desiderius Erasmus  - £2,495 ($4,187)
Erasmus' (d. 1536) famous paraphrase was ordered to be placed in all churches with the Great Bible during the reign of Edward VI.  His successor, Mary I, consequently ordered all copies to be destroyed, in part accounting for its rarity today, this was a second 1551 edition.

9. XCVI. Sermons by The Right Honorable, and Reverend Father in God, Lancelot Andrewes, Late Lord Bishop of Winchester By Richard Badger - £2,445  ($4,000)
Ninety-six sermons by Lancelot Andrewes.  This second edition, published 1632.  Andrewes was among the most learned of churchmen of the period, he was also an important member of the scholars that created the King James translation of the Bible.

10. Green Hills of Africa by Ernest Hemingway - £2,292  ($3,750)
First edition, first printing published in 1935. 

AbeBooks Top 10 Most Expensive Sales in September 2009

1. The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King - £8,472 ($14,000)
First edition copies of all seven volumes of the series, signed and numbered in a slipcase. 

2. Liber Psalmorum Hebraice By Benjamin Kennicott - £4,992 ($8,250)
Printed in 1809, this first edition copy of the first American Hebrew Psalter is written in Hebrew and Latin, the psalms appearing in Hebrew on each page, with the Latin commentary and notes below.

3. Various first editions & letters by R.K. Narayan & Mulk Raj Anand - £4,698 ($7,764)
A collection of more than 20 books, letters, essays, and drafts from Narayan and Anand, two of the most influential English language writers in India.  The books included various editions, many firsts, and the majority were signed.

4. Fourteen Thomas Pynchon first editions - £3,729  ($6,269)
A collection of 14 first editions by this reclusive American author, including The Crying of Lot 49, Gravity’s Rainbow, Vineland, and Mason & Dixon.

5. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling - £3,630 ($6,000)
A leather-bound collector’s edition copy of Rowling’s much talked about mini-book.  Signed and limited to just 100 copies - this was #84.

6.  Jackson Pollock: A Catalogue Raisonne of Paintings, Drawings and Other Works - £3,630 ($6,000)
Published by Yale University Press in 1978 this collection was printed in four volumes together in a slip case.

7. Les Fleurs Du Mal by Charles Baudelaire - £3,557 ($5,885)
Baudelaire’s classic book of poetry republished with illustrations (lithographs and woodcuts) by Henri Matisse.  It was also signed by Matisse.

8. Poemes by Charles d'Orléans - £3,546 ($5,866)
The poetry of the Duke of Orleans with original lithographs by Henri Matisse.  A 1950 edition limited to 1,230 copies, signed in pencil by the French artist.

9. Ootheca Wolleyana: An Illustrated Catalogue of the Collection of Birds' Eggs, begun by the late John Wolley, Jun., M.A., F.Z.S., and continued with additions, by the editor, Alfred Newton - £3,373 ($5,580)
Published in 1907, this was a first edition copy of this ornithology book.

10. Copper Engravings by Robert Cami, Rene Cottet, Albert Decaris Robert Jeannisson, Kiyoshi Hasegawa & Paul Lemagny - £2,911 ($4,950)
A monograph on engraving by Jean Adhemar followed by short biographies of each of the six artists, accompanied by a suite of six large engravings, one each by Cami, Cottet, Decaris, Jeannisson, Hasegawa, and Lemagny.  This edition, limited to 50 copies, also included a second set of engravings in the first state, published 1945.

AbeBooks.co.uk Top 10 Bestsellers in September 2009

1. Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
2. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller
3. How to Survive a Robot Uprising by Daniel Wilson
4. The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories by Alisa Surkis
5. Coaching Handbook by Sara Thorpe
6. Street Child by Berlie Doherty
7. A Practical Handbook for the Actor by Melissa Bruder
8. The Road to Memphis by Mildred D. Taylor
9. Westminster Confession of Faith by G.I. Williamson
10. Becoming a Woman of Prayer by Cynthia Heald

Top 10 Bestselling Books on AbeBooks.co.uk in June 2009

1. The Countryside Companion by Malcolm Tait

2. The Lifewise Guide to Work by Jim Dunn

3. Another Bloody Century by Colin S. Gray

4. East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon by Naomi Lewis

5. Toxic Childhood by Sue Palmer

6. Father Joe by Tony Hendra

7. Parenting Teenagers by Don Dinkmeyer

8. The Young Rider by Lucinda Green

9. Moonwalk by Michael Jackson

10. An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley

AbeBooks Top 10 Most Expensive Sales in June 2009

1. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut   £4,635
A signed first edition copy of what is arguably Vonnegut’s best work

2. Miniature Maghribi Manuscript of Dala’il ul Khayra by Sidi Muhammad ibn Sulayman al-Jazuli al-Simlali  £3,831
This copy of the Dala’il ul Khayra, the popular Islamic prayer book, was published in the 18th century AD in Maghribi script.  Its author, Muhammad al-Jazuli, is considered by many Moroccans as one of the seven saints of Marrakesh.

3. Photographic portrait of Frédéric Chopin   £3,756
An original print of the only known surviving photograph of the famous composer dating from 1849.  This print was unknown to exist until it surfaced and seems to have been printed at the Goupil & Cie studio, around 1895. 

4. The Store by Claes Oldenburg  £3,400
Poster published for Oldenburg’s one-man exhibition The Store at 107 East Second Street in New York from December 1, 1961 – January 31, 1962. Based on the drawing: The Store, Study for a Poster.

5. La Divine Comédie by Dante  £3,376
Printed in six volumes in 1963 and limited to 4765 copies this copy was numbered 1791. The printing also contains 100 water-colours from Salvador Dali.

6. Une Dance Macabre by Edmond Bille  £2,780
One of 20 numbered original copies of the 1919 publication signed by the artist, includes 20 original colour wood engravings.

7. The National Cyclopaedia Of American Biography   £2,225
A multi-volume collection of biographical articles & portraits of Americans, this edition was printed in 1984 in 82 volumes.

8.  A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens  £2,163
First edition, first printing of Dickens now famous pot-boiler published in 1843.

9. Sein und Zeit by Martin Heidegger  £1,964
First edition copy of Being and Time, one of the most important philosophical works of the 20th century, published in 1927. 

10.  The Jungle Book & The Second Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling  £1,868
First edition, first impression of both books which are housed in a purpose made leather clamshell box.  Published in 1894 the Jungle Book was one of Kipling’s more notable works which heavily influenced Scouting movement.

Bookseller Survey - June

Last month we asked booksellers whether they consider the fixed book price system* to be a good measure to protect independent booksellers.

In the UK, 52% of participants and in France, 50% of participants, did not agree that this system is a useful means of protection.

However, in Germany, Spain and Italy, where the fixed book price system already exists, booksellers were very much in favour of this measure. 75% of participants in Germany, 67% in Spain and 100% of participants in Italy were of the belief that this system is a good measure to protect independent booksellers.

This month, we invite you to take part in a new survey:

How successful do you find the following channels for selling your books?

*  Fixed book price system - This is a system whereby publishers can set the price at which a book is sold by the bookseller to the general public. The Net Book Agreement, which continued until 1995, was the UK equivalent of this system. For more information, you can visit the website of the International Publishers Association.

Independent Booksellers Week 2009

The second Independent Booksellers Week takes places from 15th - 22nd June 2009. The event has been arranged by the Booksellers Association and intended to help to promote independent bookshops across the UK within their local communities through organising book related events.

This year there are over 200 bookshops taking part. Visitors to many of the bookshops will be able to vote for one of the ten shortlisted titles for the Independent Booksellers' Book Prize 2009, which will be announced in September.

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith  
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer 
Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
Somewhere Towards the End by Diana Athill
Spilling the Beans by Clarissa Dickson-Wright
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale
When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

You can find more details about the events taking place close to you through the search facility on the official website. We hope all of the AbeBooks members taking part in the week have an enjoyable time and make the most of this event to promote their bookshop in their local community.

AbeBooks Top 10 Most Expensive Sales for May 2009

1. Della Magnificenza ed Architettura de'Romaniand Osservazioni sopra la Lettre de M. Mariette by Giovanni Battista Piranesi  £10,438  ($17,000)
Piranesi (1720-1778) was famous for his etchings of ancient Roman ruins and prisons.  This work (published in 1765) translates to Roman Antiquities of the Time of the First Republic and the First Emperors and contains etchings of the structures built in this period.

2. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Through The Looking Glass, and And What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll  £8,827  ($14,377)
First London editions in two volumes (1866 & 1872).  Illustrated by John Tenniel and bound in red morocco with a slipcase.

3. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens  £4,268  ($6,950)
First edition from London (1859) from the original seven monthly serial parts that were bound by Birdsall & Son of Northampton. Illustrations by H.K. Brown.

4. Selected Poems by Ezra Pound  £3,717  ($6,050)
First edition, limited to 100 copies and signed by Ezra Pound and hand-numbered (this was No.3). The poems in this collection were selected and edited by T.S Eliot in 1928

5. Sartoris by William Faulkner  £3,688  ($6,000)
First edition of Faulkner’s third book, and the inaugural effort in his Yoknapatawpha cycle.  Published in 1929, includes the rare Aurthur Hawkins-designed dustjacket

6. Tugboat Annie by Norman Reilly Raine  £3,381  ($5,500)
First edition of the book, published in 1934 with dustjacket, based on the Oscar-winning film.

7. Philosophia Moysaica. In Qua Sapientia & Scientia Creationis & Creaturarum Sacra Vereque Christiana (ut Pote Cujus Basis Sive Funamentum Est Unicus Ille Lapis Angularis Iesus Christus) by Robert Fludd  £2,398  ($3,900)
First edition from 1638.  Flood was a scientist, philosopher, and doctor.  This was the last of his major works and acted as a summation of his philosophies, it was published the year after his death.

8. Tobler / Lommatzsch: Altfranzosisches Worterbuch  £2,336  ($3,800)
German edition of a dictionary of the French Language from the 12th to 14th centuries.  Published in 2002 in 11 volumes (plus CDs and DVDs).  This project is considered to be one of the greatest collections of the French language and it took the editors over 75 years to complete.

9. The Historic American Merchant Marine Survey (HAMMS): Works Progress Administration, Federal Project No. 6 by Historic American Merchant Marine Survey  £2,152  ($3,500)
Published in 1983, first edition, in seven volumes.  Contains over 1,000 scale drawings of wooden ships from the 1936-37 HAMMS survey.

10. Wildflowers of Great Britain by George W. Johnson and Robert Hogg  £1,996  ($3,245)
Compiled in 11 volumes containing 924 coloured plates and originally published in 1863.  Johnson was a master gardener who penned numerous works on the subject and founded the Journal of Horticulture, which published this work.

AbeBooks.co.uk Top 10 Bestselling Books in May 2009

1. The New Asian Hemisphere by Kishore Mahbubani
2. Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy
3. Lupus Q&A by Robert Lahita
4. The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg
5. Signposts to the Past by Margaret Gelling
6. At Last Comes Love by Mary Balogh
7. True Professionalism by David Maister
8. Then Comes Seduction by Mary Balogh
9. Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward
10. Planet Narnia by Michael Ward

Top 10 Most Expensive Sales on AbeBooks for April 2009

1. Imre: A Memorandum by Xavier Mayne - £7,974 ($12,000)
One of the first openly gay love stories in America, first edition published 1906.  Written by Edward Irenaeus Prime-Stevenson under a pseudonym the book is one of the most important in LGBT literature because it is considered the first novel where homosexuals are portrayed in a positive light.  This copy was one of 500 limited first editions, inscribed by Stevenson’s alter-ego "From X.M --/ Florence -- March / 1922." 

2. Encyclopaedia of Language and Linguistics edited by Keith Brown - £5,330 ($8,020)
The complete 14 volume set of this standard linguistics Encyclopedia. New copy

3. Work from the Same House: Photographs & Etchings by Lee Friedlander and Jim Dine - £5,195 ($7,817)
Limited edition of 75 copies, published in soft cover by Petersburg Press in 1969.  Friedlander and Dine’s work helped shape New York’s avant-garde photography scene in the 1960s, the pair collaborated for seven years on this book.

4. The Dispatches of Field Marshal The Duke of Wellington, during his famous campaigns in India, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, the Low Countries, and France, from 1799 to 1818.  - £3,680 ($5,537)
Published in 1838, this second edition fourteen volume set was combined with The General Orders of Field Marshal The Duke of Wellington.

5. Indigenous Flowers of the Hawaiian Islands by Isabell Sinclair - £3,655 ($5,500)
First edition published in 1885, and inscribed by the Sinclair.  The Book includes 44 beautiful colour plates dedicated to the flora of the Hawaiian Islands.  In the book Sinclair warns of coming threats to the native flora from non native species brought on by fires, animals, and human intervention.

6. Winston S. Churchill, 1874-1965 by Randolph S. Churchill and Martin Gilbert - £3,404 ($5,124)
A first edition set of 24 volumes, the most complete set of Churchill`s biography consisting of the 8 volumes of the Life, the 13 companion volumes and 3 volumes of The Churchill War Papers, the last one Inscribed and signed by the Martin Gilbert.  Published 2000.

7. Sartoris by William Faulkner - £3,321 ($5,000)
First edition published in 1929, limited to fewer than 2000 copies.  Sartoris was the first of his 15 novel Yoknapatawpha series about the fictional Mississippi county that Faulkner would often refer to as his "my apocryphal county."

8.  Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Botter - £2,923  ($4,400)
This later printing of the Tailor of Gloucester was signed by Potter on the half-title page.  Tailor of Gloucester was first published in 1903.

9. Physico-Mechanical Experiments on Various Subjects by Francis Hauksbee - £2,657  ($4,000)
Hauksbee was a student of Robert Boyle and worked as a demonstrator at the Royal Society.  Hauksbee made discoveries that helped lead to Neon lighting as well as working on a two-cylinder vacuum pump which remained in use for two-hundred years.  Physico-Mechanical Experiments on Various Subjects is a published summary of much of his work. First published 1709, this is a second edition.

10. An Early Arabic Manuscript of Sharh Alfadh Al Tanbih by Abu Zakariyya Muhiyiddin Yahya Bin Mirri Al Hizami Al Haurani Al Nawawi - £2,657 ($4,000)
An unbound manuscript duplicated from the author's copy a few years after his death.  Originally penned in 1272 AD by a well-known Islamic Law scholar from the Shafi’ite School.  This copy was lacking the first three to five leaves.