Jerusalem by Emil and Daniel Wide w/signed letter

Hey there everyone! This is my first thread so take it easy on me. I’m new to the whole antique and collectible book thing, which is why I’m looking for advice on this book.

The book was found at a local thrift store (most of my books are) and when I got home, I flipped through the pages and found a letter inside from the Author that was also hand signed. Along with the letter there was an old life insurance bill and envelope that I’m guessing belonged to the owner. Obviously the bill is unrelated to the book but gives us an idea of who the owner of the book was. The book itself does not have a signature, the binding seems tight, no writing or tears in the pages from what I’ve seen, but the protective cover is a little worn out.

So I’m wondering if I found something that could possibly be valuable or if it’s worthless? I did some research on the book and it looks like it’s being sold for like 10 bucks on eBay (that doesn’t mean much because a lot of people sell stuff for cheap that they have no clue about value) but is unsigned. I have no found anyone selling without a signature. This tells me one of two things, either it’s a rare gem, or it’s just a book that nobody cares about. My guess is that it is related to what the letter says about them not being able to afford advertisement in the US.

Let me know your educated guesses!

 

Why doubt the evidence of eBay, especially if you see several sold (or worse, unsold) examples? It's true, there are bargains to be found there - sometimes. But not every cheap book is a hidden gem.

Two other places to look are Abebooks and Amazon - no sales rank on Amazon indicates EXCEEDINGLY low demand, especially when there are seven (some hidden) for sale there at reasonable prices, two offered by dealers I know to be sensible. Of the several listed on ABE, a few are unsigned, or their sellers can't be bothered to check, and all but one are moderately priced.

The letter is mildly interesting, detailing as it does this unorthodox sales method. The publisher is obscure - not one I recognize, not even as a 'subsidy' publisher - that is, one where the author pays the publisher to print the book, not the other way around; meaning that no publisher thought the book had much of a market - if that was true then, it's likely true now.

As for the provenance, meaning the history of ownership provided by the old bill, apart from the assumption that Mr. Tittensor probably had a HELL of a hard time in grade school, it adds no value - he appears to have led a quiet life as coach and carmaker at Chrysler after his time at the Tool plant.

 

Welcome! Interesting sales pitch. Unfortunately there seems to be little to no demand for your novel on internet book sites (which can be used as an indicator of collector interest.) It's my humble opinion that it has no resale value. Unfortunately, in the world of book dealing, old and interesting doesn't necessarily mean valuable.

Debora