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rare Heinlein books and global prices 
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Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:00 am
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Post rare Heinlein books and global prices
I was walking down santa monica blvd here in l.a. today and I stumbled into a quaint little shop with the words "Rare Science Fiction" -- I went in and a nice old man named Barry showed me bunches of heinleins, all first ed. and many signed.

here's what I don't get: he's selling some of them for $4,500 etc. Is this for real? Do small bookshops still set the global price in the age of eBay?

a few listed on his website. he has lots more.
http://www.raresf.com/bcat3.html

For reasons that elude me (signed books don't contain the soul of the man!), I would LOVE to have signed first editions, and I'm sort of glad that RAH didn't go in for the "meat-market" mass signings authors do today. I have 8 or 9 first editions myself, and a cute little signed softcover of Menace. None of them cost me much at all.

(by the way, the shop owner said he just started reading your book, Bill.)


Sun Oct 10, 2010 9:43 pm
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Barry Levin is a well-known name in rare books. Most of those prices are in line with my experience, although I have only passing interest in firsts. (I long ago discovered that a ratty $1 paperback has all the same words, in the same order.) :)

Firsts of the big three can easily hit $4,000.

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Sun Oct 10, 2010 10:07 pm
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Mon Oct 11, 2010 6:40 am
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Mon Oct 11, 2010 9:12 am
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Mon Oct 11, 2010 6:55 pm
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I have exactly one autographed RAH --the trade paper of NOTB. Some people don't like that book, but I am fond of it on several accounts.

It's actually a somewhat famous story, as I bought it from LOCUS. Charlie Brown liked to tell the story of how RAH offered to sign a whole bunch of those for him to support LOCUS. And in the archives there are some pictures of RAH visiting LOCUS in Oakland for one of their periodic parties (probably a fold/staple/stuff party).

We had a second one (CAT), but in a moment of financial weakness some years ago sold it at a handsome profit. I still regret that, but it seemed needful at the time, and I suspect the Old Man would actually appreciate that he contributed to the family budget at such a juncture, and that I was willing to pull the trigger on that basis.

I'm sitting on the original first six volumes of The Virginia Edition. Well, I'm not the only one. Mine are different, tho. Mine have identifying markings from the Butler Public Library (Robert's hometown library that he and Ginny have endowed in multiple ways. . .) as having been part of their collection. One of these days I'll likely contribute them to a Worthy Cause for auction.

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Tue Oct 12, 2010 6:54 am
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I looked at the website and confirmed that my copy of Cat is worth something.

My copy has the mistake on pg 300 and I still have the correction strip. Concidering I bought it new probably for the
cover price that is all for the good.

Too bad its not really worth something big, but nice to know.


Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:15 am
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I have signed books from:

Jack Williamson: Demon Moon and The Humanoids

The Humanoids is the 80's re-release in Hardcover. I found it at the used bookstore I visit often and paid 40 cents for it. Near new condition too. They applied their credit scheme to the price so i paid 5 cents on the dollar. Even at $8 it would of been worth it. It is also the only one I have that is just a signature, all the others have a little something inscribed as well.

WIlliam Gibson: Idoru and Zero History

Bill Patterson: Robert A. Heinlein : In Dialogue with His Century: Volume 1 (1907-1949): Learning Curve

For me the value of the signature comes from the value the writer has to me. If it ends up being worth something, bonus.

I would like to own, at some point, works signed by RAH and Frank Herbert.

Rob


Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:24 pm
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Wed Oct 13, 2010 9:52 am
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Wed Oct 13, 2010 5:04 pm
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Thu Oct 14, 2010 6:03 am
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why would sombody buy used books now when you can dowenlaod it from bitronet ? on the e ink or tablet pcs?


Mon Nov 01, 2010 2:32 am
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In the end, I found Heinlein is finite. Thus, finite analysis is needed.


Mon Nov 01, 2010 9:21 am
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Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:12 pm
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I love this thread, and I love collecting RAH. I have two books signed by RAH:

Entre Planetas (Between Planets) a paperback edition in Portuguese, probably signed when he was cruising around South America on tramp steamers. The year
is right.

Il Numero della Bestia (The Number of the Beast) in Italian. This was purchased from a friend of RAH's, and came with documentation.
It may have been his agent; I don't recall.

And best, a warmly inscribed 3x5 card, that RAH sent to me when I was 12, in response to a fan letter that I sent him.

I have an original Dell 10 cent book of Universe, which I particularly like.

I have half a dozen first editions, and I also branched out into collecting "first appearance" of RAH works, which were often in the form
of serialized magazine articles. I also have multiple copies of some early paperback editions. Love the art work. Some day, I'd like to
add some original cover art, but I suspect the cost would be prohibitive.

I've also collected half a dozen copies of his works in Italian, Spanish, German and other languages, picked up while I traveled.
I don't know why. I'm seeking counseling for this habit.

I have been thinking of working on a website that will track the values of first editions, and of signed books. Maybe this will push me into doing
that.

Would anyone buy a poster of an early paperback? I wonder why they've never been reprinted.

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Wed Nov 27, 2013 10:56 am
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I lucked out this weekend, I was in Half-Price books and found a Book Club
editon of Farham's Freehold for $8.00. This was one of 2 Heinlein books
I didn't have in hardback. Now if I could find a cheap hardback of Sixth Column.
LOL, I know don't hold my breath. :lol:


Mon Dec 02, 2013 7:46 am
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Heh. Reminds me of the time that a spiffy bookstore had a special event - some author signing I believe - and I went along for the heck of it, and walked out with just a couple of Heinlein paperbacks. The sales dude made some snide comment about priorities that I didn't care about.


Mon Dec 02, 2013 4:20 pm
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One thing you can tell for sure: He never read Heinlein, or he wouldn't be saying that.

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Mon Dec 02, 2013 10:12 pm
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Tue Dec 03, 2013 10:12 am
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Well said.

I was obviously speaking from the point of view of a fan. I think someday Hollywood will take note, and then the value of our first editions will go up.
I picture Citizen of the Galaxy as a four part movie series... Thorby as a beggar, as a free trader, as a guardsman, and then as the Rudbek of Rudbek. Citizen may be my favorite work, even though it is classed as a juvenile work.

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Tue Dec 03, 2013 11:36 am
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Tue Dec 03, 2013 12:39 pm
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I am a writer. Ask him if he needs someone do a screenplay. Biggest issue is, are the rights available?

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Tue Dec 03, 2013 1:01 pm
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I would *love* to see a miniseries based on Citizen of the Galaxy! :-)

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Tue Dec 03, 2013 9:12 pm
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Thu Dec 05, 2013 2:03 pm
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Likewise, hence my appellation. I discovered Citizen in my school library at age 12; there was no other way for me to read it - the Ballantine paperback editions of the "juveniles" were about a decade away.

The Heinlein Archives manuscript bears the same relation to the published version of Citizen that the 1990 Stranger in a Strange Land bears to the 1961 version - that is, the same sorts of tightening up on a sentence-by-sentence basis.

Some day I'd like to own one of those 1957 hardcovers, but other priorities await.


Fri Dec 06, 2013 6:57 am
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