Can You Judge a Book By Its Cover?
A Step-by-Step Guide.
Here’s an example of how to evaluate a book keeping these different features in mind. Consider The Yosemite Guide-Book first published in 1969. Stephen Blumberg managed to steal at least two copies of this book, that are now in the Creighton Rare Books Library. As one of the books that Blumberg stole in multiple editions, The Yosemite Guide-Book gives an insight into what Blumberg valued. It also allows us to evaluate a book to determine its rarity and value. Using this book, we can see how the history, perceived significance, and book features play roles in determining a book’s value.
Physical Features
The book itself is a geological survey of California’s Yosemite Valley, a region adjacent to the Sierra Nevada and the Big Trees of California. While at first, this may seem unremarkable, The Yosemite Guide-Book was the most comprehensive geological review at its time and contains the largest and most detailed map of the Yosemite Valley produced in the nineteenth century. Further, it includes photographic images that were unusual for its time and that enhanced appreciation for Yosemite’s beauty. Aesthetic qualities play a role in enhancing a book’s value. For example, Fred Robinson lists Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the Gutenberg Bible as examples to explain how historical significance as well as the beauty of a book play a role in determining its rarity and significance (Robinson, 2012). The first edition of The Yosemite Guide-book was not just beautifully decorated with life-like drawings of nature but it was also gilded. Gilding a book meant that the page edges were gold, which made its mere presence on a shelf stunning.
Cost
Only 250 copies of The Yosemite Guide-Book were produced during its first print run and these originally cost $10 each. While this seems inexpensive, a book that cost $10 in 1869 would cost $220 today, according to Officialdata.org’s inflation calculator.
Scarcity
Another component of rarity is often—though not always—the scarcity of the object. Try looking for the same hand-held first edition of The Yosemite Guide-Book which Blumberg stole. As of April 25th, 2023, it cost $788 on biblio.com, a rare books online store, and there is only one copy available. Scarcity has added to the book’s value, making it a good investment for an avid book collector.
Association Value
Creighton’s Yosemite Guide-Book holds greater value due to its history and relationship to Stephen Blumberg’s notorious crimes. Not every Yosemite Guide-Book was handled (or perhaps licked) by Stephen Blumberg. This adds to its a value and significance as a historical artifact.
Overall Condition
The physical features of the book play a role in its rarity. As in other cases, objects in mint condition are worth more. The same applies here: the condition the book is adds to the overall value. Creighton’s Yosemite Guide-Book is in good condition with minimal tearing along the spine. The attached map and protective sleeves for the images are perfectly intact as well, adding to the overall value.
In some cases, imperfections can increase a book's value. “Imperfections” such as marginal notations, doodles, and other signs of readers interacting with the book can add value to it, especially if the marginalia were written by a famous or significant person.
As of April 25th, 2023, a republished 2012 version of The Yosemite Guide-Book can be found on Amazon for $4.42. The newest version is a photocopy reprint of an earlier edition. The sellers note that they purposefully reproduced all blemishes to enhance authenticity and a sense of the book’s historical significance.
Some aspects of rarity or value – like the book’s contents and physical features – are concrete, while some are up to the eye of the beholder. This makes determining whether a book is rare or not difficult, allowing libraries, sellers, and collectors some freedom in determining what they think makes a book valuable.