Non-fiction/informational book signed by author and other queries

Hi guys,

I was going through my semi-recent book aquisitions to put them on our local auction site here in South Africa when I found the one book was actually signed by the author. The book in question is Flora of Malaya Vol 1 - Orchids and was signed and inscribed by Richard E Holttum in 1960.

My question is thus: does a signature by a mostly unknown professor in botony add any value to the book, or does the value remain mostly in line with other non-signed sales?


Second question, amongst these books was also a reference/law book, called Henochsberg on the companies act. This appears to be the first edition, dated 1953. Upon doing some research I found the book is still being reissued with currenr and recent additions, but I have not found a single first edition listed online. Will it be better to donate this book to a law faculty (I paid next to nothing for it) or could there be some interest in it in a broader market. I realise this book is heavily dependent on the South African market - but what has your experience been with similar law/books on legal acts in other countries? Ps. The binding is very poor so that should detract from value as well.

Lastly, I also have a first edition hardcover of the book Working With the Law by Raymond Holliwell. This seems to be selling for over 500 USD on amazon? Why? What makes this book printed in 1964 so valuable? Ps. I can't find any info on dust covers. This one doesn't have dust cover but is otherwise in fair to good condition.

 

I have many antique and vintage books and similar questions, so will be interested to see what others say.

 

abebooks.com is the best site for getting comparative values. A well designed search page allows you to enter detailed information about the edition you have.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchEntry?cm_sp=TopNav-_-Results-_-Advs

As you have to pay a subscription fee to be on abebooks, the dealers tend to be more experienced and knowledgeable.

The value of an inscription and signature does depend on the importance of the author, as you suggest. In the case of an obscure botanist (although he does merit a wikipedia page), it might increase the value by about $15-20, all other things being equal. You would have to wait for a buyer who actually cares, though.

As for old law books, at least here in the U.S., they are generally worthless. Lawyers are interested in the most recent information, and few people are interested in the older texts as historical sources.

As for pricing on Amazon, it is sometimes completely out of touch with reality. The prices you found are what I would call "hail Mary" prices - just somebody hoping someone is dumb enough to pay way more than a book is worth. On Amazon you can check the sales rank, to see if such a book is actually selling. But you can't tell what the last copy sold actually sold for. On ebay, look at the prices actually realized, rather than what somebody is asking.

 

Working With the Law by Raymond Holliwell is not about legislation/law/jurisdiction. but generally spoken philosophy. first printed in 1939. and when you look a bit around easily for for free on the net as pdf.

 

As you have only Volume 1 of Flora of Malaya and both it and author obscure, signature unlikely to affect value. abebooks.com has a number of (unsigned) copies listed in the $20-$40 range. (Bear in mind that these are not "sold at" prices.) Your copy appears to be inscribed. If to someone well known, that could impact value (but unlikely.) Generally, old law & reference books are worthless as they no longer serve any purpose and tend to have been updated annually.

Debora

 

Thanks Debora. Much appreciated.


Kind regards.