This is the back cover blurb for Even the Dogs: “On a still and frozen day between Christmas and New Year, a man’s body is found lying in his ruined flat. Found, and then taken away, examined, investigated and cremated. As the state begins its detailed, dispassionate inquest, the man embarks on his last journey through a world he has not ventured into, alive, for years. In his wake, a series of fractured narratives emerge from squats and alleyways across the city: the short and stark story of the man, and of his friends who look on from the shadows, keeping vigil as the hours pass, paying their own particular homage. As they watch, their stories unfurl layer by layer; stories of lives fallen through the cracks, hopes flaring and dying, love overwhelmed by a stronger need, and the havoc wrought by drugs, distress and the disregard of the wider world. Intense, exhilarating, and shot through with hope and fury, Even the Dogs is an intimate exploration of life at the edges of society; littered with love, loss, despair and a glimpse of redemption.”

Even the Dogs, McGregor’s third novel, won the 2012 International Dublin IMPAC Literary Award.

The reviewers have mixed feelings about this book. Publishers Weekly said, “…the central mystery—how did Robert die?—goes nowhere, and the spliced-in set pieces that describe the stages Robert’s body undergoes on its way to eventual cremation don’t do any favors for this misfire.”

Joanne Wilkinson in her Booklist review said, “…McGregor succeeds in paying homage to the dispossessed and the hopeless, who live and die on the margins of society.”

Although it is hard to read about these shattered lives, I thought McGregor did a great job of laying out the story in a fragmented but lyrical way that draws the reader in and slowly reveals the voices telling the story. It is a challenging read, but well worth the effort.

This is a signed, placed, and dated true first edition in fine condition. These are unusual in that they are a hybrid between a hardcover and a paperback. The pictorial linen covered boards are slightly stiffer than a paperback and there is no dust jacket. Some sellers are calling it a “bendy hard cover.”

Prices for these signed first editions range between $50 and $225. This copy would be at the top of the range, being not only signed but placed in Hay on Wye, England, and dated in the month of publication.

Jon McGregor is a writer on the rise. He has won the Betty Trask Prize and the Somerset Maugham Award and has twice been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Get your signed copy soon, because having won the IMPAC Award, prices for this novel are sure to rise.

This beautiful novel by Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk uses the story of a rich Turkish man’s selfish love of a shop girl as a metaphor for the struggles of a Westernizing society that clings to its traditional view of women as chattel. In the main character’s obsession, he collects a museum full of artifacts of his love.

A novel for collectors about the psychology of collecting!

According to Wikipedia, Pamuk is opening a real Museum of Innocence, featuring Turkish everyday items from the era of the novel — specifically, 1975 to 2005.

Pamuk holds many honours and doctorates and has won many awards, including the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature.

Also in 2006, Time Magazine listed Pamuk as one of the ’100 people who shape our world’ for having had the courage to speak out against the mass killings of the Armenians and the Kurds in Turkey during the Ottoman Empire (1299 to 1923) — comments for which he subsequently faced more than 20 criminal charges. The charges were eventually dropped.

I have two signed copies of this 600 page novel. The first one arrived slightly damaged, packed for international shipping in just a plain paper envelope with no padding. I bought that copy on eBay from someone who does not normally sell books. To be honest, I should have, but didn’t, tell them how I wanted it packed. They were nice though. They told me to keep that copy (return internationally shipping from Canada is prohibitively expensive) and they sent me this copy.

So, this is a true first English language edition in fine/fine condition. It is prominently signed, as you can see, and I even have a photograph of Pamuk at the signing event. The other copy is in very good/near fine condition, with bumped extremities on both the book and (less so) on the dust jacket. The former is worth about $150 to $275 today on-line. The latter, $45 to $100.

If an author really stands the test of time, however, and Pamuk almost certainly will, then the condition of their signed books makes less difference in the long run. If you look at Hemingway or Salinger right now, for instance, it is the signature itself which holds most of the value. Even a receipt signed by J.D. Salinger fetches thousands of dollars in today’s market.

Hemingway wrote A Farewell to Arms when he was thirty years old and it was an immediate success. Dubbed his bleakest novel, it was also his first bestseller.

When this novel, set during the Italian campaign of World War 1, came out, censors removed swear words such as shit, fuck and cocksuckers, and replaced them with dashes. The colourful language was never incorporated into later editions, however, there are at least two copies of the first edition wherein Hemingway re-inserted the censored language by hand. One copy was given to James Joyce and the other to Maurice Coindreau.

This edition is unique. It includes Heminway’s own introduction which originally appeared in the 1948 illustrated edition, as well as a foreword by the author’s son, Patrick Hemingway, and a new introduction by the author’s grandson, Sean Hemingway.

Hemingway famously said that he re-wrote the ending to A Farewell to Arms thirty-nine times, and this edition contains all thirty-nine endings, as well as earlier drafts of some of the most famous passages, giving readers a glimpse into Hemingway’s creative process.

This copy is in brand new condition. Even though it just came out in July of 2012, first printings are already selling on-line for over $100. It may still be possible to find these first printings new at your local independent book stores — it is well worth looking around for it.

A couple of other cool features of this edition are that the interior boards are decorated with images of Hemingway’s own handwritten edits of the original manuscript. Also, the back cover is the same as the true first edition from 1929.

All-in-all this is a very collectible edition of one of the greatest American works of fiction. Treat it carefully, though. One of the down sides to this edition is that the dust jackets are easily chipped and sun damaged. If you are adding this book to your collection it is best to protect the jacket in a mylar sleeve and put it away somewhere out of the light.

Although the original novellas that make up this book first came out in Britain in 1992 and 1994, this 2003 collection is the American debut of Edward St. Aubyn.

The collection came out in the U.K. in 1998 under the title The Patrick Melrose Trilogy.

Personally, I think that St. Aubyn is one of the best, most literate writers of our time.

This is  the true first edition of the collection under this title. Picador in England put out a mass market paperback of the trilogy under this same title in 2006. And of course the third novella in this collection is also titled Some Hope and was published in hardcover on its own in 1994.

I know, it is all a little confusing.

Recently, prices for this edition have risen a fair amount. Although there are none available on-line right now, I would expect an unsigned copy in fine condition to fetch $100+. There is one signed uncorrected proof listed today for about $225.

This copy is in very good condition; the only thing keeping it from being fine is some minor bubbling of the laminate at the bottom of the front cover. This is a very common problem with this edition. Because of this, I would price this copy at $60 — in other words, a little over half of the value of a fine copy.

Take note on the copyright page shown above that this American publication was printed in Canada, and uses a standard 1 to 10 number line. The 1 showing signifies that this is a first printing.

If you are interested, check out opencity.org for information on this unique, non-profit publisher.

St. Aubyn is worth collecting. Although prices are rising, his first editions right now are still relatively inexpensive, even signed. His books are destined, I believe, to become modern classics.

This is the advance readers edition of Mark Haddon’s most recent novel. These proof copies are sent to reviewers and book stores prior to the release of the true first editions.

For a number of reasons, there are many collectors of these uncorrected proofs. Uncorrected proofs are the first versions of a book to be released to the public, making them the’ true’ true first editions. They can often be found  for lower prices than the first editions which are sold in stores, but over time can become the most valuable of all the editions. And, there are far fewer proofs printed than any other edition of a book, making them the most rare edition.

The Red House came out to mixed reviews. Some readers expect all of Haddon’s books to be the same as his huge hit debut novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. In fact, Haddon’s range of writing styles has proven to be quite remarkable.

The Red House is constructed in a challenging stream of consciousness style, rapidly shifting focus through several characters in a way that I found brilliant. Like reading Faulkner, the depth of the story grows each time you read it.

In their starred review, Kirkus said, “Surprising and deeply moving… the set-up ensures that there will be revelations, twists and shifts in the family dynamic… sustaining suspense… while enriching the developing relationships among people… organic rather than contrived, the characters convincing throughout, the tone compassionate and the writing wise. A novel to savor.”

From NPR: “Haddon peers inside the messy dynamics of a group of relatives, each grappling with their own fears and trying to make sense of themselves as a family… braids together themes of sexual identity, parental insecurity and sibling rivalry, and no one gets away unscathed”

Proof copies can be found for as low as $20. Signed uncorrected proofs like this one range between $30 and $55, whereas signed true first hardcover editions sell for between $60 and $90. No matter which edition you choose, these are good prices for a novel which could well end up winning one or more prestigious awards.

Ocean of Words was originally published in 1996 by the American company Zoland Press. The true first edition is the Zoland paperback original. They did put out a hardcover edition, but only after the collection of short stories won the 1997 Pen/Hemingway Award.

Many people mistakenly believe that the Zoland hardcover is the true first edition. Indeed, the two highest priced copies I found on-line were signed copies of the later hardcover edition — both at about $300 — whereas the actual signed true first can be found for between $60 and $150.

This Vintage International trade paperback first edition and the Zoland hardcover both came out in 1998. This copy would be in fine condition if not for the ‘autographed’ sticker on the front cover. This doesn’t affect the value very much, though, for two reasons. First, the sticker actually gives provenance to the signature. Second, this mass market paperback is simply not worth very much in the first place. In similar condition, signed copies of this edition on-line  start at about twenty bucks plus shipping.

The Pen/Hemingway Award, by the way, is for a debut work of fiction from an American author.

A Chinese-American veteran of the People’s Army, Jin writes in spare and beautiful prose about military life on the Chinese-Russian border. The stories in this collection take place in the 1970′s when these two countries are at the brink of war.

I think Jin’s writing is timeless. His books are sure to become modern classics and should then rise in value. Because their value in today’s market is still quite low, however, now is the time to collect his signed first editions.

Having so far written about 300 posts about other people’s writing, now I am going to showcase my own fiction. Last year, Crack the Spine, an on-line literary journal, published 2 of my short stories.

Life Shrinkage, published in April, 2012, is a flash fiction piece which takes place in the near future. It portrays a character with an intellectual disability 20-odd years after his release from one of our draconian institutions, where he was held for decades. It is meant to show how far people with disabilities can come, living in the community and given caring and meaningful support — support with a focus on self determination and the building of unpaid networks of friends and family. It has been nominated for a Micro Award for Flash Fiction. The link to this story is here.

Life Shrinkage is now out in print! To buy a copy of ‘Crack the Spine’s Summer 2012 Anthology’ click here.

The New Guy was published in August, 2012. It shares the same protagonist as in Life Shrinkage, but takes place back in 1989, just a few short weeks after his release from institutional care. I hope that it shows, behind a veil of humor, the damage that the institutions did (and in some cases, are still doing) to our most vulnerable citizens. The New Guy can be read here.

If you like my website, I hope you will read these two stories. If you enjoy the stories, perhaps you will consider clicking on Crack the Spine’s ‘comments’ link under the cover art for each issue and leaving a comment.

Thanks!

The Mystery of Edwin Drood was Dickens’ final novel and was unfinished at the time of his death. The identity of the killer is, therefore, unknown and is the subject of debate. Like most of Dickens’ work, it was published in serialized format, in this case between April 1870 and September 1870. Only six of twelve segments were published before his death, but Dickens had written ten of the twelve and a summary of the entire novel — minus the ending.

In this version of the various Thomas Nelson sets available, The Mystery of Edwin Drood is paired with Pictures from Italy, a travelogue originally written in 1846.

As I have mentioned in previous posts about this collection, Thomas Nelson, for some strange reason, seems to have published three different versions of this set of leather bound softcovers. In another version, The Mystery of Edwin Drood is paired with The Uncommercial Traveler.

As you can imagine, these century old leather softcover books can have a number of condition issues. The leather can be dry and cracked, especially on the spine, the very thin India paper pages can be torn or missing, the sewn in bookmark can be missing, among other problems.

This copy is in excellent condition. There is no chipping or hardening of the leather, and the interior of the book is near perfect. This puts this copy at the top of a price range of about $20 to $100.

Complete sets can sometimes be found, and generally with complete sets the price per book goes down. As always, it is important to ask for clear photos and descriptions if you are buying on-line.

This is the first edition/first printing of the Fourth Estate Compact Classic edition of Postcards. It is in fine/fine condition and is signed in Proulx’s typical tiny autograph on the title page. At only 6″ x 4″, and with its wood grain patterned dust jacket, it is attractive and very collectible.

The true first edition of Postcards, Proulx’s wonderful debut novel, is the American Scribner’s first printing which came out in 1992. Signed true firsts go for up to $1300.

The British first editions, which were published in 1993 by Fourth Estate, are actually much less common than the true firsts. Even so, signed copies of these only go for up to about $500.

The least common of the lot are signed first printings of these 1996 Fourth Estate Compact Classics. There is only one signed copy for sale on AbeBooks right now. However, most likely because this compact edition came out four years after the true first, it is (a steal at) only $125.

It is conceivable that the value on these signed Compact Classics first printings will come close to, or even surpass the value of the U.S. and the British first editions.

With Postcards, Proulx became the first woman to win the Pen/Faulkner Award. This critically acclaimed novel takes a close look at man’s inability to escape his fate.

In a review from Frederick Busch of the Chicago Tribune: “[Postcards is] …a novel that feels like a fifth or sixth, not a first. This richly talented writer announces with Postcards that we had better, from now on, be listening for her voice…astonishingly accomplished.”

Her second and best known novel is The Shipping News which won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. I have featured The Shipping News, along with some of Proulx’s other fiction, in previous posts. Feel free to check them out.

This novel, to my mind, is Iris Murdoch’s masterpiece. The cover art is called The Great Wave off Kanagawa, a famous woodblock print done in 1831 by Japanese artist Hokusai.

The Sea, The Sea, which won the 1978 Booker Prize, is the story of a vain London theatre director who suddenly picks up and retires to the seaside to write his memoirs. It is one of my favourite novels of all time. It has a positively-depicted gay character; not bad for 1978.

This is an unsigned true first edition and it is in near fine/near fine condition. Today, the price range on these is between about $150 and $400, based almost solely on condition.

It is quite hard to find one is as good a condition as this one, so I would put it right at the top of the range.The only copy on AbeBooks worth more than this one is a true first edition that comes with a note signed by Murdoch – her signature is extremely rare — selling for about $1200

Common condition problems with these are: tanning to the pages, especially at the edges; scuffing, soiling and general disintegration of the dust jackets; and fading, especially along the spines. Be sure to ask for photos if you plan to buy one on-line.

Here are a couple of short reviews with which I totally agree. From the Daily Express: “Funny and poignant and arguably Murdoch’s finest hour.” And from Vogue Magazine: “A fantastic feat of imagination as well as a marvelous sustained piece of writing.”