The Value of First Edition Dust Jackets

Trolling ne plus ultra Gatsby in the Original Jacket

Even those with but a passing familiarity with the rare book trade will likely be aware of the fabulous sums obtained by a copy of The Great Gatsby in its original dust jacket. A nice first edition without the dust jacket will still net a couple of thousand dollars these days; however, add that pretty piece of paper without any major trauma to it as it first appeared and you can add two zeros to the selling price. Right. But plenty of other modern first dust jackets are more furtive even if they might not claw their way into six figures.

So eager are some collectors to set the hook into these, and so difficult they are to land, that allowances must occasionally be made for the condition in which one finds them. But, to continue my peculiar angling metaphor, that Gatsby is easily out there if you’ve got the bait. The following, in contrast, are coelencaths, unseen and mostly known by rumor until some unknown clamor brings them forth.

If the condition of some of these has you underwhelmed, remember what sage Dr. Zaius warned in The Planet of the Apes: “Be careful what you wish for Taylor, you may not like what you find.” And so with expectations properly adjusted, we present a small handful of rare paper we’ve caught and released over the last few years at Swann.

Robert Louis Stevenson & Lloyd Osbourne, The Ebb-Tide. A Trio and Quartette, 1894

Robert Louis Stevenson & Lloyd Osbourne, The Ebb-Tide. A Trio and Quartette, first edition in the exceedingly rare original dust jacket, unopened copy, London, 1894. To be offered in our October 28, 2021 sale of Fine Books & Autographs. Estimate $5,000 to $7,500.

George Orwell, Burmese Days, 1934

George Orwell, Burmese Days, first edition of Orwell’s first novel, in scarce dust jacket, New York, 1934. Sold in our June 2013 sale of 19th & 20th Century Literature for $16,800.

H.G. Wells, The First Men in the Moon, 1901

H.G. Wells, The First Men in the Moon, first english edition, first printing in the first state binding and in an entirely unrestored and exceedingly scarce dust jacket, London, 1901. Sold in our June 2013 sale of 19th & 20th Century Literature for $26,400.

Ellery Queen, The French Powder Mystery, 1930

Ellery Queen, The French Powder Mystery, in the virtually unobtainable original dust jacket, New York, 1930. Sold in our November 2014 sale of 19th & 20th Century Literature for $8,750.

Jack London, The Sea-Wolf, 1904

Jack London, The Sea-Wolf, first edition, second issue, in the extraordinarily rare dust jacket, previously known only by rumor if at all, with just one other copy thought to exist, New York, 1904. Sold in our November 2018 sale of 19th & 20th Century Literature for $6,250.

Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera, 1911

Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera, first American edition, first printing, in original dust jacket, New York, 1911. Sold in our November 2015 sale of 19th & 20th Century Literature for $35,000.

Do you have a rare book in its original dust jacket we should take a look at?

Learn about how to consign to an auction, and send us a note about your item.

October 26, 2021
Author:
Category: 19th & 20th Century Literature
Tags: