"Aldrich's Poems" help

Hi all,

could anybody help me identifying the book in the pictures below?

Thanks

 

Welcome to Antiquers!

What kind of information about the book are you looking for?

 

Looks familiar....

 

Having a look in AbeBooks or other specialized networks, I've not been able to find this edition. I was interested in understanding if it is common, or not.....

 

Oh, okay, now I understand. I'll see what I can find.

 

Looking at the binding, I'd suggest it may have been rebound for a home library.

I don't know why you couldn't find it in Abebooks - I found plenty of them. Don't get excited by the high prices - there is a huge difference in price ranges and you'd need to go to a bookseller to find out where yours fits in.

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Sea...ds=30&recentlyadded=all&sortby=1&tn=The+poems

 

There are a lot of book's like this, but not with the same binding. The only place where I have found something similar, is here:
http://www.rulon.com/Catpages/online2014aug/
Is it the same book?

 

It looks very similar, but they don't have many photos. You should collate yours... this means you should check the pagination against what they list. It would also be good to find another listing for the same edition. I notice that their listing says, "BAL 315 making no mention of the box, but mentioning tree calf as the most deluxe of several binding styles offered."

BAL is an abbreviation for Bibliography of American Literature, compiled by Joseph Blanck. This is one of the authoritative bibliographies that booksellers use to verify information about the books that they sell. Are you anywhere near an academic library or another place that might have it? Although the pagination that is listed by that bookseller doesn't indicate anything is missing, it would be good to look at the entry in BAL if you can. -- I do work at a library, and we have it. I could look but it might be a few days until I have a chance.

Another thing I would say is that the bookseller in that link has a box for it, which adds value to the sale. Do you have a box? I should say that the box may not be original to the book, and may have been made later. They mention that BAL does not mention the box. I still think it would add value.

 

Thank you very much for the very useful informations and suggestions. I'm in Detroit area and will try to find the BAL work. Regarding the box, I don't have it. What I more like of the book, is that it is in very good shape. It doesnt seem at all a 130 years old item.

 

Oh, and another thing -- I see you are a new member. Welcome to Antiquers!

 

Thanks!

 

Another element to look for (since there seem to have been in excess of a dozen variations of this book copyrighted between 1865 and 1885) is the illustrations having been provided by members of the Paint and Clay Club. The Club itself was established in 1879 in Boston and the membership included a number of prominent artists of the time.

 

In the title page there's written: "ILLUSTRATED BY THE PAINT AND CLAY CLUB". Is this you were referring to?

 

Yes, that's what I mean. Other editions had illustrations provided by other artists.

 

Ok, thanks for the info!

 

Sorry for the delay in my getting back to the thread... had a system problem shortly after my last post.

If the binding on your copy is truly unique, it's possible it was rebound, which could possibly negatively impact its value.

Using vialibri.net, I found 18 copies published in 1882 by Houghton Mifflin. The two highest priced copies were a special edition in a vellum dust wrapper, which is why they are priced so high. The next highest-priced copy is bound in full leather and in very good condtion. Eliminating those three highest-priced books leaves 15 copies, ranging in asking price from $8 to $125.

This link will take you to the 15 copies (I removed the three highest priced books from the list). If you compare the condition and features of your book with what's noted for each copy, you may be able to get a rough idea of how to price your book.

 

Hope that was with your computer....................

 

LOL! Yup, with my laptop.

 

Pat, I've found this link to a copy that has a binding very similar to my one:
http://www.rulon.com/Catpages/online2014aug/
Do you think it could be the same book?

 

That does look like the same edition, with the same binding. I'm not sure if you're trying to determine a fair asking price for your copy?

The other copy has the following things going for it... it appears to be in better condition, it has what may be the original box, and the seller is a rare book dealer who belongs to the most-esteemed professional organizations. All of these factors would significantly affect the retail price.

By the way, I'm not an expert in this area, but have a lot of 19th century books that I'm gearing up to sell, so have been educating myself.