Bookseller Digest UK

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

1.Untamed by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
2. Hunted by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
3. My Child Won't Eat! by Carlos Gonzalez
4. The Alchemy of Growth by Mehrdad Baghai
5. Masters of the LIving Energy by Joan Parisi Wilcox
6. Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini
7. Planet Narnia by Michael Ward
8. The Mask of Command by John Keegan
9. Answers from the Heart by Thich Nhat Hanh
10. Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook by Tarek Malouf

New Reviews and Recommendations on Book Detail Pages

On AbeBooks.com, you can have a sneak-peek at what we hope to offer soon on our "Book Detail" pages for books with provided ISBNs.

The following information, supplied by a reliable third party source, will be added to the bibliographic information of a book:

• A synopsis
• Customer Reviews
• Recommendations from other buyers of this book
• Other reading suggestions

Click here to see how these pages have been enhanced.

Furthermore, the structure of these pages has been updated to meet the criteria of the main search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc.) Thanks to this redesign, the pages will appear higher in the search results gaining more online visibility for the books on the site and helping you to sell more books!

Top 10 Most Expensive Books Purchased on AbeBooks - March 2009

 1. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein -  £6,627 ($9,730)
Written in 1966 and set in 2075 where a lunar colony revolts against Earth.  This copy was a first edition (sixth printing) signed by both Robert and Virginia Heinlein.
2. Early Italian Engraving by Arthur Hind - £5,109 ($7,500)
Published in 1938, this collection (2 parts in 7 volumes) was limited to 375 copies (part I) and 275 (part II).  Volumes one and five signed by the author.
3. Album Pintoresco Isla de Cuba by Pierre Toussaint Frédéric Miahle - £4,600  ($6,752)
First edition printed in Havana in 1848.  Illustrated with 30 lithographs from Miahle. The book depicts daily life in Cuba and its capital in the mid-19th century. 
4. Pison, das erste Theil by Leonhard Thurneysser - £4,298  ($6,309)
First editions of two complementary alchemistic works bound together in one volume by the Basel born goldsmith, alchemist and Paracelsist Leonhard Thurneysser (1531-1596). In Pison he introduced quantitative methods, solubility tests, crystallographic evidence, and several flame tests in a more advanced procedure.  In the second title he describes the method of water analysis by specific gravity and by distillation and weighing the residue, the specific apparatus for analyses, and treats the systems of various rivers, such as the Danube, the Rhine, the Spree, The Weser etc.
5. Ulysses by James Joyce - £4,258  ($6,250)
Published in 1935 by the Limited Editions Club of New York, this edition of the Joyce classic was number 855 of 1500 and was signed by Henri Matisse who contributed the illustrations for the work. Ulysses chronicles the passage through Dublin by the protagonist, Leopold Bloom.
6. Thesaurus Graecae linguae by Henry Estienne - £2,973  ($4,365)
First edition of the The Thesaurus linguae graecae, or Greek thesaurus, published in 1572 by the Parisian printer Henry Stienne.  The book served as the basis of Greek lexicography up to the nineteenth century.
7. Encyclopaedia of Sensors by Craig A. Grimes - £2,383  ($3,500)
Published in 10 volumes in 2005 this is the first encyclopaedia ever published in the field of sensors.
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell - £2,231  ($3,275)
First edition, First printing of Orwell's 1949 dystopian classic.
9. Let Us Compare Mythologies by Leonard Cohen - £2,043  ($3,000)
First edition copy, 1956, of the author’s first book, published when he was just 22.  This was a presentation copy inscribed by Cohen to the Principal of McGill University.
10. The Luttrell Psalter - £2,008  ($2,950)
A facsimile edition of the famous illuminated manuscript containing psalms, a calendar, canticles, mass, and  an antiphon for the dead.  Illustrated circa 1325-1335 and commissioned by Geoffrey Luttrell. 

AbeBooks in the UK - April 2009

In addition to attending the London Book Fair on 22nd and 23rd April, AbeBooks will host a meeting and presentation in London on Monday 20th April. The details of the meeting can be found below and all member booksellers are invited to attend.

Location: Grange Strathmore Hotel
41 Queens Gate Gardens, London. SW7 5NB
Room: The Library Room
Date: Monday 20th April 2009
Time: Starting at 2.30pm
Map & Directions: Grange Strathmore Hotel

As well as broaching your questions and discussing current topics of interest, we will be demonstrating how you can increase your book sales through the addition of pictures to your book listings. After a step by step guide to the process of uploading images, we will show you how pictures are used for promotional purposes on the site and how they can direct buyers to your titles and help you to sell more.

If you would like to attend, simply submit our Online Contact Form, specifying the number of guests you will be bringing and any questions that you would like to submit in advance for discussion on the day. Please include the heading "LBF Meeting - April 2009".

If you are unable to attend the event but would like to meet up at the London Book Fair, please Contact Us providing a suitable time to meet on either Tuesday 21st or Wednesday 22nd April.

AbeBooks in the Media - March 2009

Following the appearance of AbeBooks in a variety of national newspapers in January, we now have further media mentions to report. Spreading the word about AbeBooks in the UK and Ireland is very important and helps to increase the number of potential buyers visiting our site and looking at your titles. The most recent media hits have covered a wide readership which is particularly beneficial for promoting AbeBooks in more specialised fields and attracting buyers from all corners of the world.

Most recent appearances:

• The Guardian ( approx. 400,000 readers)

Robert McCrum writes about AbeBooks' latest promotion on the most impressive book covers of all time and explores past titles and cover designers that have left their imprint on the industry. McCrum also invites readers to leave messages about their favourite book covers.

To read the full article, click here.

• New Media Age (approx. 6,600 readers)

The top 10 book sites according to their market share is featured in the offline edition of this magazine. AbeBooks achieves a high position with 8.2% of the market, surpassing among others Alibris, Waterstones, Borders UK and Barnes & Noble.

• The Irish Independent (approx. 160,000 readers)

The Bookworm column in the offline edition of this newspaper's Weekend Review covered the most recent marketing campaigns run by AbeBooks, including the "join the Barack Obama book club", the 30 novels worth buying for their cover alone and the 10 funniest books according to British readers.

• The Daily Express (approx. 730,000 readers)

AbeBooks was discussed in an antiques valuation article as a source to go to when wanting to assess the value of a copy of The Children's Golden Treasure Book of 1939.

• Essentials (approx. 93,000 readers)

This general consumer magazine recommended that readers go to AbeBooks.co.uk in order to look for second hand books and to purchase on a marketplace with a reliable system which will help if anything goes wrong.

Top 10 Bestselling Books on AbeBooks.co.uk for February 2009

1. Superjuice by Michael Van Straten
2. The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
3. The World We Have by Thich Nhat Hanh
4. The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
5. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
6. Behold the Lamb of God by Simon Peter Iredale
7. Couples by John Updike
8. Coyote's Mate by Lora Leigh
9. The Prayer Ministry of the Church by Watchman Nee
10. In Search of England by H.V. Morton

Top 10 Most Expensive Books Purchased on AbeBooks - February 2009

1. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - $11,000 (£7,761)
First edition, first printing from 1951.  Fine copy of the true first printing.

2. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama - $8,500 (£6,000)
First edition, first printing of this 1995 book, signed by Obama. 

3. Summa Theologiae, pars Secunda by Antoninus Florentinus - $6,218 (£4,389)
Published in 1496, these two volumes attempt to describe the fields of ethics and economics in and around Florence.

4. Peter Beard: Art Edition by Owen Edwards - $5,495 (£3,879)
Limited edition elephant folio photobook from Tashen, published in 2006.  Each of the 2,250 copies were signed by Beard.

5. Forever Odd by Dean Koontz - $4,550 (£3,212)
One of 26 signed lettered copies (this copy was E) of the second book to feature Koontz’s character, Odd Thomas.

6. De Urbibus, Arcibus, Castellisque Condendis, ac Muniendis Rationes Aliquot, Praesenti Bellorum Necessitati ac Commodatissimae by Albrecht Dürer - $4,200 (£2,965)
Published in 1535, this work includes 12 woodcut illustrations on 10 folding leaves.  This copy is the first Latin edition.

7. Persian Hunting Manuscript - $4,004 (£2,826)
No exact printing date on this hunting manuscript from the late 18^th or early 19th century.  Decorated with 10 paintings attributed to  Muhammad Sadeq or her school.

8. Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing - $3,999 (£2,823)
Twenty one volumes containing 80 issues of the famous scientific quarterly journal. 

9. Le Maitre-d'Hotel Francais, Traité des Menus a servir a Paris, a St-Pétersbourg, a Londres et a Vienne. Tome premier et second by Marie Antonin Carême - $3,588 (£2,533)
A book of menus served in Paris, St. Petersburg, London and Vienna. Carême (1784-1833) cooked for King George IV, Czar Alexander I and Emperor Francis I of Austria.

10. The Colonization Scheme Considered, in its Rejection by the Colored People by Samuel E. Cornish & Theodore S. Wright - $3,500 (£2,471)
Published in 1840, this pamphlet sets forth the objections of two African Americans to the plans of colonization schemes.

Tailor-made Bookseller Promotions on AbeBooks

AbeBooks are looking for booksellers who would be interested in taking part in our exclusive promotional campaigns. If you would consider offering a discount on your titles (for example, 20% off) for a period of one month or longer, we will be able to feature your bookshop on the UK homepage and, for larger promotions, send out a promotional email advertising the offer to our subscribers.

These targeted promotions give our member booksellers an opportunity to significantly increase their sales. Our Marketing team are currently planning the campaigns that will be launched in 2009 and if you would like to promote your bookshop by taking part, you simply need to contact us. We will be happy to work together with you to set up your promotion.

Edinburgh Book Fair - March 2009

The 5th joint PBFA - ABA Edinburgh Book Fair will be held on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th March 2009 in Edinburgh's Assembly Rooms on George Street.

I hope to be there on both days to take in the atmosphere, marvel at some impressive titles and speak to booksellers who wish to discuss any aspect of their AbeBooks account. If you would like to address a particular issue with me or arrange a time for me to pass by your stand, please contact us and I will be happy to respond to you.

Wishing all booksellers a successful fair, whether you will be there as an exhibitor, a buyer or an inquisitive browser!

 

Making it easier to shop on AbeBooks...

In the interests of improving the buyer experience we have launched a new and improved buyer account menu, designed to make the functions available clearer and more user-friendly.

With a more structured layout it is easy for users to navigate the various different sections of their account; whether they wish to read their emails, manage their shopping basket and orders or to update their account details or search for books. 

To ensure that buyers are always able to find what they need quickly and efficiently, we have also introduced a Quick Link section. This section contains the most frequently asked questions that buyers have, along with the links to the appropriate answers on our Online Buyer Help pages.