Memoriors of the Court of England

Found a book at a rummage store called Memoirs of the Court of England, Reign of the Stuarts by John Heneage Jesse, Westmister Editon. The jagged edges of the pages caught my eye, but i asssume its a reproduction because of the perfect condition. I was able to find info online about it, but nothing that matched exact or has the same cover. I dont see a copyright date but the front cover has a logo saying Hannah Penn House. It says limited to 800 copies in England and America, this is #130. Any info is greatly appreciated.

 

Here's everything you wanted to know (or didn't) about the Hannah Penn House.

https://hiddencityphila.org/2012/11/building-and-preserving-a-house-of-wisdom/

That's a bookplate attached to the page, designed to identify the owner normally, this one appears to have been placed in the book by the organization running the "House" with the intent to identify the donor.

 

I have a copy of the Pangloss Edition of Voltaire's Candide (that was my late father-in-law's, probably in college.) Many older works have been reprinted in special "limited editions" (available by subscription.) The deckle-edges are an old-fashioned way to make the paper look handmade.

 

There appears to be a comparable copy to yours here.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Se...+of+the+court+of+england&cm_sp=pan-_-srp-_-fe

Debora

 

You have only one volume from a set that should number six books.

Here is a listing for the set
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Se...by=1&sts=t&tn=memoirs+of+the+court+of+england

145 divided by 6 = roughly 26.

I have a retail store. Because it is only one and not the complete set, I would price the book about $12 -15 and take the first reasonable offer.

 

IMHO, the value of your book is "decorative," which commonly means "good luck finding a buyer." Most old books have low/no resale value and that is especially true of non-fiction history because modern research techniques and analysis is much more rigorous. There are, however, collectors of book plates.

Debora

 

This might have been rebound. The parts of the cover that I can see sort of have that look about them. And you mentioned this being in perfect condition. Perhaps the pages are, but the cover boards look rather worn to me, as does the title label that is glued to the spine.

 

In book collecting terms, that's called a "label" and is an original feature to the book. Here's another example on an antiquarian book and its case.

Debora

 

Yep, I called it a label in my post. I still think this one looks pretty battered. The example you posted has a very different set of boards, as the labels are not attached to the basic cloth. I think you are right, though. I rarely give my opinion here, not backed up by some evidence. Anyway, it's not worth the time to look for other photos of this edition. It's been pretty well established by the other posts here that this volume has minimal value.

 

If u like books and want to resell them to make $, go to antiquarian book shows, shops, etc to see what books are collectible and talk to the dealers. The books posted here lately are the kinds that sit for years in used book booths in antiques malls with prices like $5. Books for which there is no real “market” will stay with you until your estate is sold off.

My brother used to make a subsistence living by arriving early at college library used book sales and being selective, then selling the books on Eboo.

 

Or go to eBay and do an Advanced search for Sold listings. That gives one a general idea of what types of books have resale value in the internet age.

Debora

 

Interesting coincidence ... I just (10 minutes ago) opened an email from Oak Knoll books announcing a sale on many books for bibliophiles, including that title! However the photo I saw in the email was different from that one, as the book and case were close together. And the label on the case is rather chipped up, compared to the one in your image.

Not to take this thread too off track, but here is a link to the many books on sale, if you haven't seen the list:
https://www.oakknoll.com/searchResu...Off+Titles&utm_campaign=Book+Collecting+-+20%