Old Books on Famous Women

After my parents died, I found a couple/few books in the garage that are
about famous women. These are from the late 1800's. The covers aren't in
great shape, but the books themselves seem to be complete and without bug or
other damage. Just wondering if there might be any value in them to others?
Else, any suggestions on other places to check?

Thanks,
--
Bill Splaine, Healdsburg, CA
Some Of My Woodcarvings: www.picturetrail.com/chips

"WeeWilly" wrote in message
...

After my parents died, I found a couple/few books in the garage that are
about famous women. These are from the late 1800's. The covers aren't in
great shape, but the books themselves seem to be complete and without bug
or
other damage. Just wondering if there might be any value in them to
others?

Any nudes?

Else, any suggestions on other places to check?

Thanks,
--
Bill Splaine, Healdsburg, CA
Some Of My Woodcarvings: www.picturetrail.com/chips

on Wed, 14 Jun 2006 12:53:39 -0700, WeeWilly stated:

After my parents died, I found a couple/few books in the garage that are
about famous women. These are from the late 1800's. The covers aren't in
great shape, but the books themselves seem to be complete and without bug or
other damage. Just wondering if there might be any value in them to others?
Else, any suggestions on other places to check?

If the covers aren't great, I'd bet the books aren't worth
much. Books from the late 1800's aren't generally worth
huge amounts unless there's something really special about
them. I've got four or five books on famous women from that
era, because they include entries for Clemence Lozier, a
woman who was one of the first female physicians and who
(according to some website somewhere; I haven't been able
to verify this) is a distant relative of mine.

(Titles of mine are "These were the women", "Daughters of
America", "Famous women"/Pictorial Review and "Eminent women
of the age.")

What you want to do is look your titles up at used.addall.com
You'll probably find several to many copies of each, with
a wide variety of pricing. Your copies would be worth about
what the lowest prices there are.

-Allison


--
..

After my parents died, I found a couple/few books in the garage that are
about famous women. These are from the late 1800's. The covers aren't in
great shape, but the books themselves seem to be complete and without bug or
other damage. Just wondering if there might be any value in them to others?
Else, any suggestions on other places to check?

I recall seeing a series like that. I doubt they are of much interest
today, mainly because the women they picked (Queen Elizabeth, Mary
Slessor etc) aren't considered very interesting themselves. We managed
to sell ours, I think, but only for a couple of pounds a volume.

If you like them or they are a keepsake of your parents, just hang on
to them.

============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ==============
Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760
http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/ for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975
stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557

Jack Campin - bogus address wrote:
After my parents died, I found a couple/few books in the garage that are
about famous women. These are from the late 1800's. The covers aren't in
great shape, but the books themselves seem to be complete and without bug or
other damage. Just wondering if there might be any value in them to others?
Else, any suggestions on other places to check?

I recall seeing a series like that. I doubt they are of much interest
today, mainly because the women they picked (Queen Elizabeth, Mary
Slessor etc) aren't considered very interesting themselves. We managed
to sell ours, I think, but only for a couple of pounds a volume.

If you like them or they are a keepsake of your parents, just hang on
to them.

Actually this is, of course. or could be, a part of a collecting
pattern It is a little late to be unique, since there are dealers in
most countries who specialize in this material. I can think of 3 in the
Northeast, 1 in Paris, and there are others in every country. But there
certainly are some sleepers and surprises out their for the initiated.
The same would be true for books about women, pro and con and by women.
If you have the bucks and the desire, either of those could go back to
the 16th century.

The number of early American woman physicians is not inconsequential.
There even was an early Mormon physician whose education was personally
approved by Brigham Young. I think she became an ophthalmologist. I
also knew a brain surgeon from peninsular Michigan who had some books
on his shelves which had been given him by a, by that time, very old
woman physician who specialized in his subject, when he was a little
boy. That would put her as practicing in the second decade of the last
century. That is not pioneering, but interesting, none the less.

Even though one of our two best poets of the 19th century was Emily
Dickinson, a collection of early American woman writers would include
quite a few not particularly pricey, but rare, volumes. Of course
leaving out Phyllis Wheatly would be a good idea, because she might
cost as much as your house. None the less there are still some sleepers
out there including a pro who only recently was discovered to be
legally "black." There are several interesting bibliographies including
one on English and American romantic woman poets, and others on
American "Black" poets and novelists. That is without getting lost in
the big bibliographies [like Spingarn or Work]. Of course there are
other slants too. Emigrant writers in English [like Nabokov, for
example, or Mary Antin]. Or members of one particular ethnic group,
especially a non English speaking one. There is a very bad bibliography
out there of Indians who published in English [I mean East Indians].
And I know one dealer who collects novels about India in English.

Best,
Gabriel
[sorry I have forgotten my pseudo]