QUESTION: I have a misbound book I’d like to sell: “The Shaker Experience in America” by Stein, ISBN 0300059337. Lots of copies of this 1992 paperback are available from $6 to $28. But none of the descriptions mention that pages 405 to 420 are bound upside down, like mine.
With coins and stamps, printing and engraving errors can make a collector’s item — is this true with books?
ANSWER: Printing and production errors can add value to a book, but only when the book was a collectible to begin with.
It’s not uncommon for a book to be misbound — I’d estimate that one every 1,000 books has some noticeable binding mistake. I hear from a few customers every month who have found an upside-down or missing page in a book I’ve sold. Most book buyers regard these irregularities as defects that mandate a refund or replacment, not as curiosities to be treasured.
Your paperback isn’t one collectors would be searching for, so the production error adds no value. There’s not much demand for the original hardcover edition of this book either.
It might be worth e-mailing some of the other sellers to see if their copies have the defect. Depending on the situation, you might might need to discount your copy to sell it with the defect. Let’s just hope the buyer reads your description.
Nevertheless, many sellers handle oddities. Here’s an auction for a First Edition of “Cold Mountain” where the books is supposedly more valuable because it has a single typo on page 25. This First Edition regularly goes for under $10, so before paying $200 for the misprint, I’d want to know how rare it is.
And here’s an eBay listing for a incorrectly bound children’s Golden Book. The listing has a buy-it-now price of $1.
To be sure, a misprint or binding mistake can bump up the value of a rare book by as much as 50 percent. When book collectors are looking for “one of each” of their favorite author or genre, some will pay premiums for misbound or misprinted rarities.
Last year, some young readers of the fantasy novel “Eldest” noticed that 32 pages were accidentally replaced with text from the upcoming novel “Inkspell.” Random House offered free replacements for the misprints, which made up about 2 percent of the 1.3 million-copy first print run. Whether the misprinted copies become valuable depends on future demand for the First Edition.
The first printing of Bill Clinton’s “My Life” has a famous typo at the end of the acknowledgement (“failure of my life” should be “failures of my life”). Signed copies go for more than $1,200.
Used bibles are hardly ever worth any money, since so many have been printed. But there are some rarities from the 16th and 17th centuries — such as the “Breeches” Bible, the “Vinegar” Bible, and the “Wicked” Bible — that are highly collectible because of misprinting or odd word usage.
Collectors love to find misprints in all sorts of things, including baseball cards, record albums, and money. Usually, the more glaring the error, the more highly prized it is among collectors. In January, collectors went nuts over a $20 bill that somehow was printed with a Del Monte banana sticker next to Andrew Jackson’s portrait. The note sold for $25,300.
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11 Comments
IMNSHO! In general a misbound book is unsaleable and bad, pages upside down that sort of thing. They occasionally work on ebay to a new sort of collector (Potter and Snicket) but they will probably cotton on eventualy; misbound = defective. Printer’s errors as you say often determine the state of the book and can be a very valuable thing. Button Winnett.
I have a gold and beige edition of Black’s Readers Service The Poems of Alfred Lord Tennyson with a 1932 copyright date in unread Fine condition. The cover says William Blake instead of Tennyson.
This has not been rebound. The book in this condition under normal circumstances is worth about 8 – 10 dollars. Is this book worth anything more?
I have a first edition, first issue copy of Kidnapped by R.L.Stevenson. This is with the map. Is this worth anything? I alsao found a lot of first edition first copy booksdating back to 1844. I have the Pilgrim’s Progress, it is Replica of First Edition by John Bunyan 1678 was the original. Is this worth anything?I also have Browning’s Poetic and DramaticWorks. Copy
write 1895 in perfect condition.
I have a book by E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web and its printed upside down, Can you tell me if its worth anything. Thank You
I have a copy of “How to be Your Best” by Norman Vincent Peale in which the text is bound upside down. Seems like it should be an interesting addition to a collector of amusing contradictions. Any thoughts on how to reach that collector? Thanks
Ive a Dark Tower book (book VI) from Stephen Kings epic Seven book novel, that skips from page 80 to 105-125 then when you reach page 125 it returns to page 105-125 and then the story goes on as normal, do you know how much a book like this would be worth?
he person who provided the information about mis-bound books probably won't do research on what you all have questions about. It's all about talking to the right person. Someone out there might think these books hold true value and rare treasure. Today, as the economy is crashing.. EVERYONE and their dog is selling "valuable" things they're finding no use for. People might actually be making a heap load off of them that you don't know about. So it's all up to you to do your research and homework. Someone could tell you the item you carry is worth one U.S. dollar, buy it from you for five bucks, and resale it for nine thousand eight hundred thirty three dollars. Who knows. My advice however, hold on to it. Keep it around.. what? one lousy book lingering to your shelves? big whoop. Explain to someone close to you: spouse, partner, child, etc. the "value..or possible value" of the item and live it out. Hold it until our economy sorts out to your favor. If you're comfortable with money and where you stand… heirloom it. If you may not reap the benefits of what it may hold someone in your family might.
The* (first word). yeah.. a typo.. at the beginning.. imagine that.
I have a Dr Suess "And to think I saw it on Mullbuerry Street" copyrighted in 1937. The book was missbound. The pages are upsidedown from the binding. I'm woundering what it is worth? The book is in mint condition. Can anyone help?
I have a Dr Suess "And to think I saw it on Mullbuerry Street" copyrighted in 1937. The book was missbound. The pages are upsidedown from the binding. I'm woundering what it is worth? The book is in mint condition. Can anyone help? please email barbalu7@yahoo.com
I have a mis-bound book by Dr. Suess pulished by Random House in 1973. The title is “Did I ever tell you how lucky you are?” When open it is upside down and backwards….Does this have any value?