1st Edition(?) A Vantage Ground and Other Stories by Florence WilFord

Picked this up at a antique store.. I want to get into old books, and came across this... Is this a valuable one? I know (even not as an expert) that the condition is AWFUL... But it seems to be one of the original books. It says 1879 in the front and printed by J. Master and Co in London... Also the date is not filled in on the library card i found in it... But the first 3 numbers for the date is 190.... so The library card is atleast from 1900-1909.... So the book may be even older... So whats it worth? Was it a good first book to collect?

 

Could you possibly post a photo of the title/author/publisher page(s)?

In the meantime I "think" I found out something about the young man/man whose name is written in cursive in the book.

"BENJAMIN OVERSTREET, JR., b. September 18, 1907; d. October 10, 1967, Middleground Baptist Church, Screven County, Ga.; m. WINNIE TREDWELL. Notes for BENJAMIN OVERSTREET, JR.: Buried at Middleground Baptist Church, Graduated from Mercer University Law School"

 

What page is that?

 

Wait just realized i had a picture of that but didnt post it...

 

Here is a link to one such book on-line. Does your book appear to be the same as the one in the link?

https://books.google.com/books?id=Hg0CAAAAQAAJ&pg=PP5&lpg=PP5&dq=a+vantage+ground+florence+wilford&source=bl&ots=16hJ8UJhHB&sig=2486fjSIGguC87sm4Eo7dKlcxCY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwik0fCPq73OAhWL1R4KHVUjBqkQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=a vantage ground florence wilford&f=false

 

Welcome!
Looks pretty hammered.

 

Look up the publisher and see how they denoted first editions. This is inconsistent and confusing at best as there has never been a standard.
Even they may have been inconsistent.

 

Well i know its atleast from 1909 based on the library card. What is the value difference between old book, and 1st edition?

 

Unfortunately Andrew that is a how much is a house or car question.
Unless there are extraordinary circumstances to the particular title books are all about condition.
There have been, literally, billions of books printed. Most are good to level furniture.
A book may be 10 years old and worth hundreds, even thousands. Or 100 years old and worth $1.
Search; Quill & Brush and ABEbooks.
And library editions or usage is typically a death knell unless it's an important person's library.

 

An ex-library book is less valuable when trying to sell than a book that has never been in a library is.

Whoops, just noticed that KingofThings already mentioned that.