Dumb question about out of print books

If I find a book I want to add to my collection, how can I find out if
it is out of print or not? Go to the publisher's Web site?
Thanks!
Foggy

Foggy wrote:

If I find a book I want to add to my collection, how can I find out if
it is out of print or not? Go to the publisher's Web site?
Thanks!
Foggy


Hi Foggy,

Where to start. 42. Perhaps, you asked the wrong question. I will try to
redirect you.

Begin by reading the essay and information at this site:

http://www.trussel.com/books/lucas01.htm
http://www.trussel.com/f_books.htm

Try this as well: http://www.abbookman.com/

And every collector needs this resource: http://used.addall.com

Now to your specific question. Most books are out of print and most of them
will remain out of print forever. But "out of print" is not a frame of
reference for collectors. On the other hand, there are some books that seem
perpetually to be "in print". For instance, you can always find in a bookstore
that deals in new books a copy, in paperback for certain, and probably in
hardcover, of Robert L. Stevenson's "Treasure Island". But what does that get
you? Not much in terms of collectibility. Why?

1. Paperbacks ("PB") come in two flavors: trade paperbacks and mass market
paperbacks. The former are taller and use a better quality paper and cover than
the latter. In general, though, PBs are not collectible items except in rare
circumstances. For the most part, PB books are printed on acid paper (trade PBs
aside), or at least much cheaper paper than that used in hardcover ("HC") books.
The binding is obviously much cheaper. Unless you find some of the rare cases
in science fiction and pulp mystery novels where the first (or only) edition of
the book was in paperback AND the book has since become desirable, then PBs are
not worth the quarter you can get them for at tag sales. Exception to rule:
you just want to read or own the book and cannot get it any other way. I had
that situation recently, when I broke down and bought a used trade PB of Paul
Micou's "The Death of David Debrizzi". (Actually, I had already read it and
just wanted to possess it.)

2. Later printings of a book, even in HC, are not worth much at all. An HC of
"Treasure Island" printed in 1981, for instance, will not be worth much either.
It is likely to be a reprint of the 1911 Scribners edition with the plates
from paintings by N. C. Wyeth. (It was reprinted in 1926, 1928, 1956 and 1981
if I am correct.) You can get it for $20 or so, and that is only because they
reprinted the plates carefully and took care to duplicate the original, famous
edition. If they continued to print this version each year right up to 2005,
the value of it would have sunk like a rock. Scarcity is important. Now, if
you had the 1911 Scribners edition, the first to contain the Wyeth prints, then
you would have a book worth some hundreds of dollars, provided it was in very
good or better condition. Still, however, you would not have a first edition of
"Treasure Island", only a "First Thus". To get a true first edition, you would
need to find the 1883 Cassell and Company (London) edition, which runs about
$6,000 and up. In addition to the Wyeth illustrated editions, there are many
other illustrated editions of "Treasure Island". Most of them are worth little
or nothing. Only the Wyeth edition became famous.

I have used, perhaps, an extreme example here, but only because the long
printing history of this novel illustrates well the various categories of
printings that you should keep in mind when evaluating a purchase.

Publishing practices: In the case of the vast majority of books, an HC edition
comes out for the first 12 months only. In that time, it may have only a first
printing, or may have several printings. If the book has sold well in HC, it
will get a PB contract, and the PB will remain in print for about a year. Then,
it too will die, unless the book becomes famous. Example: William Goldman's
"The Princess Bride" came out in 1973 and flopped badly. No collector was
interested. After the movie came out years later, the first printing became
collectible and prices skyrocketed. An anniversary HC edition came out in 1998.
No other HC edition exists.

On the other hand, a book can become famous overnight and be reprinted for
years. "Gone With The Wind", "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's [Philosopher's]
Stone", and "The Da Vinci Code" have been reprinted over and over again in HC
without pause. The first printings have collectible value. A second printing
may have some. The rest have none. The fact that the latter two are currently
in print in HC does not make them collectible. "Harry Potter and the Half Blood
Prince" just came out with a first American printing of 10,800,000 copies. Yes,
I bought one and read it and enjoyed it. But it will never, ever, be
collectible. There are just too many copies in the first printing.

When you think of collecting books, you first have to decide why you are
collecting them. Is it to have a resource to consult (as in the case of a
university professor who needs to be able to put a hand on texts quickly for
professional purposes)? Is it to keep track of what you have read (a notebook
would do the same job)? Is it because you have the fever, the collecting fever,
and appreciate the beauty of the item itself, from the blind stamped cover to
the gilt printed spine to the texture of the paper and the font used in the text?

If the accessibility of the text is all that matters to you, then ignore
everything I have said so far. But if wanting to possess something of aesthetic
or historic value, something memorable, is what matters, if you empathize with
the various characters in A. S. Byatt's novel "Possession", then read everything
you can about collecting and stay tuned to this newsgroup. And read John
Dunning's "Bookman" mystery novels. He teaches the reader a lot about books.


Francis A. Miniter

Wow! Thank you so much for all of the good information. I very much
appreciate the time you took to answer and appreciate your sharing
your knowledge with a rookie. Its people like you who make being
involved with books fun.
Thanks again.
Foggy

On Thu, 04 Aug 2005 23:15:58 -0400, "Francis A. Miniter"
wrote:

Foggy wrote:

If I find a book I want to add to my collection, how can I find out if
it is out of print or not? Go to the publisher's Web site?
Thanks!
Foggy


Hi Foggy,

Where to start. 42. Perhaps, you asked the wrong question. I will try to
redirect you.

Begin by reading the essay and information at this site:

http://www.trussel.com/books/lucas01.htm
http://www.trussel.com/f_books.htm

Try this as well: http://www.abbookman.com/

And every collector needs this resource: http://used.addall.com

Now to your specific question. Most books are out of print and most of them
will remain out of print forever. But "out of print" is not a frame of
reference for collectors. On the other hand, there are some books that seem
perpetually to be "in print". For instance, you can always find in a bookstore
that deals in new books a copy, in paperback for certain, and probably in
hardcover, of Robert L. Stevenson's "Treasure Island". But what does that get
you? Not much in terms of collectibility. Why?

1. Paperbacks ("PB") come in two flavors: trade paperbacks and mass market
paperbacks. The former are taller and use a better quality paper and cover than
the latter. In general, though, PBs are not collectible items except in rare
circumstances. For the most part, PB books are printed on acid paper (trade PBs
aside), or at least much cheaper paper than that used in hardcover ("HC") books.
The binding is obviously much cheaper. Unless you find some of the rare cases
in science fiction and pulp mystery novels where the first (or only) edition of
the book was in paperback AND the book has since become desirable, then PBs are
not worth the quarter you can get them for at tag sales. Exception to rule:
you just want to read or own the book and cannot get it any other way. I had
that situation recently, when I broke down and bought a used trade PB of Paul
Micou's "The Death of David Debrizzi". (Actually, I had already read it and
just wanted to possess it.)

2. Later printings of a book, even in HC, are not worth much at all. An HC of
"Treasure Island" printed in 1981, for instance, will not be worth much either.
It is likely to be a reprint of the 1911 Scribners edition with the plates
from paintings by N. C. Wyeth. (It was reprinted in 1926, 1928, 1956 and 1981
if I am correct.) You can get it for $20 or so, and that is only because they
reprinted the plates carefully and took care to duplicate the original, famous
edition. If they continued to print this version each year right up to 2005,
the value of it would have sunk like a rock. Scarcity is important. Now, if
you had the 1911 Scribners edition, the first to contain the Wyeth prints, then
you would have a book worth some hundreds of dollars, provided it was in very
good or better condition. Still, however, you would not have a first edition of
"Treasure Island", only a "First Thus". To get a true first edition, you would
need to find the 1883 Cassell and Company (London) edition, which runs about
$6,000 and up. In addition to the Wyeth illustrated editions, there are many
other illustrated editions of "Treasure Island". Most of them are worth little
or nothing. Only the Wyeth edition became famous.

I have used, perhaps, an extreme example here, but only because the long
printing history of this novel illustrates well the various categories of
printings that you should keep in mind when evaluating a purchase.

Publishing practices: In the case of the vast majority of books, an HC edition
comes out for the first 12 months only. In that time, it may have only a first
printing, or may have several printings. If the book has sold well in HC, it
will get a PB contract, and the PB will remain in print for about a year. Then,
it too will die, unless the book becomes famous. Example: William Goldman's
"The Princess Bride" came out in 1973 and flopped badly. No collector was
interested. After the movie came out years later, the first printing became
collectible and prices skyrocketed. An anniversary HC edition came out in 1998.
No other HC edition exists.

On the other hand, a book can become famous overnight and be reprinted for
years. "Gone With The Wind", "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's [Philosopher's]
Stone", and "The Da Vinci Code" have been reprinted over and over again in HC
without pause. The first printings have collectible value. A second printing
may have some. The rest have none. The fact that the latter two are currently
in print in HC does not make them collectible. "Harry Potter and the Half Blood
Prince" just came out with a first American printing of 10,800,000 copies. Yes,
I bought one and read it and enjoyed it. But it will never, ever, be
collectible. There are just too many copies in the first printing.

When you think of collecting books, you first have to decide why you are
collecting them. Is it to have a resource to consult (as in the case of a
university professor who needs to be able to put a hand on texts quickly for
professional purposes)? Is it to keep track of what you have read (a notebook
would do the same job)? Is it because you have the fever, the collecting fever,
and appreciate the beauty of the item itself, from the blind stamped cover to
the gilt printed spine to the texture of the paper and the font used in the text?

If the accessibility of the text is all that matters to you, then ignore
everything I have said so far. But if wanting to possess something of aesthetic
or historic value, something memorable, is what matters, if you empathize with
the various characters in A. S. Byatt's novel "Possession", then read everything
you can about collecting and stay tuned to this newsgroup. And read John
Dunning's "Bookman" mystery novels. He teaches the reader a lot about books.


Francis A. Miniter

Wow! That was a great response to that question. It answered some of my
own questions on that very same topic.