NP: GR=$$$

[D.]

Actually, I've seen a Denver bookshop online as
recently as a year ago selling what they advertise as
a pristine copy of GR for a retail price of $5000.00. 
A quick check on abebooks.com (a used and rare book
search engine) brings up several in the $3,000+ range,
though that Denver copy is no longer there.

GR had a first print hardcover run of 4,000 in 1973,
low by today's standards.  Given the novel's status
and the fact that several of those original 4000 went
into libraries and into collectors' hands over the
years, the relative availability of the first edition
in a collectible condition becomes less and less over
time. How they arrive at those dollar amounts is like
anything else--a mix of what the market will bear and
recent auction prices (see Christie's or
Sotheby's)--to arrive at a number.

Hope this helps,

D.

--- kelber at mindspring.com wrote:

> I was in the Strand bookstore in NYC the other day
> and noticed that they were selling a first addition
> of GR, hard-covered, pages looked kind of yellowed. 
> Price: $1500.  Hard to understand who would pay that
> much.  I don't get the impression that the people on
> this list could afford that.  Wonder how they
> arrived at that price.
> 
> Laura
> 


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com