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Originally Posted by
Howdy -I have copy of John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The copyright page has no number line. It is copyright @1994 by John Brendt. ISBN 0-679-42922-0. Manufactured in the United States of America. There is no price on the cover, or anywhere else. 388 pages. Published by Random House. Dust cover on back has a small white rectangle at the bottom right with the number 05013. Can you tell what edition this copy is? Thank You, alan olson.
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I've been collecting books a short time and I gotta say... the BCE thing really tripped me up. And yes, I've learned the hard way (I have a couple BCE's in my collection).
Book Club editions are worthless in most cases but they still need to be discussed for the following reasons:
Completists, those who want to own a copy of every edition, do purchase these to add to their collections.
Many sellers do not know or understand the value of these books and sell them as if they were worth something.
How to identify a BCE......
The following list are all indications (though not all definitive) of a BCE. If one or more of the non-definitive items appear further investigation is necessary.
(Some of this has already been address in the previous post)
1.Smaller size non-definitive
2.Edited copyright page non-definitive
3.DJ matches pbk cover non-definitive
4.BC number definitive
5.BCE statement definitive
6.Poor binding (glued w/o cloth) non-definitive
7.No date non-definitive
8.No ISBN non-definitive
Exceptions.....
In very limited cases some BCEs can have limited to significant value.
If the BCE is the only hardcover edition.
and/or
Specialized book club editions, such as the "The Dean Koontz Book Club", when they are available only through subscription.
and/or
If the BCE includes additional material, such as a new introduction or afterword, only available in that edition.
An additional note on BCEs and ISBNs: Some of the newer book club editions include the ISBN of the non-BCE edition that they were based on. The appearance of this ISBN does not make a BCE a non-BCE. One clue is the appearance of a mass-market paperback ISBN on a hardcover book. In that case, it's probable a BCE.