Book collecting

We kick off the year with early American artifacts, poetry which delighted Victorian sensibilities, an occult handbook that delighted in its opposition, and first editions of all kinds: a 16th century map found in modern-day classrooms, Sylvia Plath’s life-imitating-art, as well as the Hemingway work that would help put him down in history.

Literary masterpieces, fantasy, poetry, a comic strip, and more.

A spectacular, 1,200 year old manuscript, iconic works by Oscar Wilde, T. S. Eliot, Aldous Huxley, and George Orwell, and more fantastic books sold by expert sellers.

Welcome to our most expensive sales in April, May and June 2023. Our list features illustrated books, signed books, autographs, original art, a manuscript, and a rare facsimile.

Our list includes a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which became AbeBooks’ second most expensive sale of all time.

Discover collectible editions of famous children's books with this list of first editions from authors who either won a Newbery Medal or received Honors.

The list includes a book about Italian architecture and a landmark book about the stock market. There is also an illustrated poetry book and a famous novel about time travel.

You don't need to purchase expensive first editions of famous novels or books signed by Nobel Prize winners to have an outstanding rare book collection. If you want to collect books on a budget, here are five ways to acquire affordable collectable books.

Cosway bindings are beautiful books with miniature paintings inset into fine leather bindings. They are named after miniaturist portrait painter Richard Cosway. Bookselling firm Sotheran's invented the concept with Miss C.B. Currie providing the art.

Books of Hours were medieval bestsellers. Sandra Hindman, an expert on medieval manuscripts, explains why these books were, and still are, so important.

Discover AbeBooks' most expensive sales in 2021. This list includes a rare illustrated book from the Wild West containing a grim reminder that crime doesn’t pay, an autograph letter from a German author whose writing inspired one of the great ballets, and life advice from Yoko Ono.

Incunabula, also known as incunable and incunabulum, are printed materials, primarily books, created before the start of the 16th century. The printing era began with the creation of moveable type and the Gutenberg Bible in 1455. Discover more about these early printed books which mark the start of mass communication.

A list of the best books about book collecting including guides for beginner and experienced book collectors. Discover John Carter’s classic ABC for Book Collectors, modern guides to book collecting in the Internet age, and how to identify first editions.

Countless books about conflicts, soldiering and warfare have slipped into obscurity. This selection of forgotten gems includes a regimental history, memoirs from combatants, books from guerilla fighters, five-star generals and an Apache warrior, and even a contribution from Mrs. Custer.

Penguin Books was founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with the purpose of inexpensively producing high quality, but affordable, paperbacks. One of Penguin's strategies was to implement standardised designs for book covers.

Book club editions often receive short shrift from booksellers and collectors. Written off as mass market reprints, they are very low on the literary pecking order. But consider the Companion Book Club for a moment… if only for the feast of beautiful cover art that is displayed on this page.

In no particular order, we present a selection of iconic book covers that we love. If you saw these particular editions in a bookshop window, then we believe you would stop and stare.

It’s the most famous yellow book in the world. Published every year since 1864, Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack is a sporting institution and it’s still going strong as influential and essential as ever.

It’s a story you may have heard before but the tale surrounding the birth of Penguin is always worth retelling. Step back to 1935 and the publication of the first 10 Penguin books. Each one cost just six pence at a time when hardcovers were priced at seven or eight shillings – those 10 books revolutionized publishing.

Biggles has been fighting off bandits at 2 o’clock since 1932. He’s legend of children’s literature and one of the great adventure heroes.

AbeBooks has compiled a list of the most collectable books published between 2000 and 2009. Classify these books as hyper modern first editions. It usually takes a long time, sometimes decades, for a book’s value to be determined but these treasures became collectable in a hurry.

Pelican Books is the non-fiction imprint of Penguin Books. While the Penguin umbrella may be best-known for fiction and for keen design, the Pelican imprint was brought about with an eye on education over entertainment.

Move over Hemingway, Steinbeck and Twain. Humble cookbooks have become highly desirable in the book collecting world.

The first edition of Salem's Lot with its original dust jacket is the Holy Grail for collectors of Stephen King books.

Our glossary was designed to help visitors to our website understand unfamiliar book-related terms.

Our directory offers an A to Z list of booksellers who specialise in rare, collectable and antiquarian books.

A popular way to narrow down a particularly broad area of interest is to focus on a specific time period.

Books are good but signed books are better. An autograph from your favourite author can turn a book into a collectable item and increase its value and desirability. Many collectors based their collections around signed books and they are a staple of the rare book business.