1, hard copy. Some books, in addition to the cheap regular edition, also have limited edition hardcover edition or special edition. These books are worth collecting because of their exquisite ink printing, large format, good paper quality and limited quantity. For example, Paradise Lost translated by Zhu, published by Shanghai Translation Publishing House, has a first edition of 46,400 copies 1984, of which 3,400 copies are hardcover, which is quite elegant. 1989 Qilu edition Criticizing Jin Ping Mei with a New Carved Rust Image has been highly praised by experts at home and abroad, because it has reached a new height in the printing history of Jin Ping Mei. Of course, owning a hardcover book that is not for sale is even more precious. For example, The Legend of Charlotte translated by Fu Lei was first published in September, 1933, of which only 50 hardcover editions were printed, which attracted the attention of bibliophiles at home and abroad.
2, the first version. Most of the first edition books are printed and proofread by the author himself, which has always been valued by edition experts, so as to check the negligence of later editors. For example, the first collection of essays by Cang Kejia, a famous poet, was published by Shanghai Liangyou Fuxing Book Printing Company, with the first edition in May 1939. There is also a study of novels in the Tang Dynasty by Chen Yinque's disciple Liu Kairong, 1947 business edition. Harold Brent's The Wandering Story of an Orphan Girl, translated by Wu Guangjian, published by Shanghai Commercial Press in early September, 1935, has become a treasure in the collection field.
3. Wrong copy. Sometimes, a book is called a special edition because of printing or binding errors. This is like a stamp collector taking the wrong ticket, and things are rare. For example, Selected Modern Prose 1933 165438, which was published by Haibei New Bookstore in early October, was edited by Mr. Zhao and divided into two volumes. The second volume is wrong. There is a book seal at the beginning: "Three rooms and ten thousand volumes".
4. Collect books. The so-called book of collecting tickets refers to the book with collecting tickets posted on the copyright page. The rise of China book tickets was in the 1920s and 1930s. Ye Lingfeng once said: "Aside from the book itself, just collecting this thing is as endless as stamps." Overseas air tickets are extremely expensive. According to Dong, in the 1980s, a book ticket carved by EricGill for his wife was priced at 90 pounds! For more information, please refer to the article Booking Tickets.
5. Version of ancient books. As time goes on, the longer these books are, the more valuable they are for collection. During the Republic of China, the price of Song books was fried to fifty or sixty silver dollars a page. This is recorded in Jo Yeo-jeong Antique Guide of 1942. In the early 1950s, the market of ancient books in the Song and Yuan Dynasties was once depressed, and books in the Ming Dynasty were sold by the catty. This abnormal market is naturally a brief moment in the period of social change. Soon things changed. By the end of 1950s, books in Song and Yuan Dynasties had almost withdrawn from the open ancient books market. However, ancient books in Ming Dynasty are not uncommon. At that time, the price of the book catalogue showed that the price of an ordinary Ming edition was only about five yuan. Should this price be commensurate with the social purchasing power there? Quot During the "Cultural Revolution", the collection of books in society was greatly destroyed, and the collection activities fell into extreme atrophy, and there was no market for ancient books. After the 1970s, ancient books gradually moved from internal sales to the public, and few people were willing to collect them. Only in the era of reform and opening up, people's lives were rich, and appreciation and collection were restored. The price of ancient books is also rising year by year. Nowadays, people are lucky if they can buy a real Ming edition book at a price of less than 1000 yuan.
These are the most valuable old books I have introduced to you. Generally speaking, the circulation is small, the world is small, the printing quality is high, and the collection value is high, so if you own these old books, you will make a fortune.