Hello, As you can see I am a newbie. I went to my local thrift store to buy some stuff and came away with a copy of Fahrenheit 451. When I opened it I could tell it was something special. It says number 39 of 200 signed by Ray Bradbury, and it is made of abestos. I was wondering what it would be worth? I have read that it is rare from the list on this site, but how rare? I have always loved Mr. Bradbury's books and thought it was time to give a copy to my kids but I do not think I will give them this copy. Thank you for your input in advance.
Hello, again. Do you know if it came in a box or something? There is no Dust jacket. Being a white book you would think it would have some cover. Thanks, again.
Can it be that 224bbaker is just pushing Goodwill Stores and Wednesday dollar days? Or did he really find a FIND at Goodwill? We may never know. And then again, some of us are still a little nervous after seeing the walls of the old site collapse from the barrage of spammers. ee 00ooooooo eOoO eeeooo..oo...
Sounds like the police are leaving...
Posts: 3954 | Location: South Orange County, CA USA | Registered: 28 June 2002
Hmmm, could be. Though knowledge of the fabled asbestos-covered F451 is somewhat arcane; and 224 b baker is close to the famed Holmes abode (221 B Baker St.), thus indicating a literary bent, someone could gather such info from these very archives...
To quote Thomas "Fats" Waller, "One never knows, do one?"
Posts: 3167 | Location: Box in Braling I's cellar | Registered: 02 July 2004
224bbaker, the signed, asbestos bound edition of FAHRENHEIT 451 did not come with either a box or a dust jacket. The asbestos binding was, as you say, white. And if you found a copy in a thrift shop, and if it is in decent condition (the asbestos binding is quite fragile and is prone to wear and cracking, especially at the hinges), you did make an amazing find. And even if the condition of the book is less than perfect, you probably still got an incredible bargain. There are six copies listed on the Advanced Book Exchange and they range in price from $8500 to $18,500, epending on the condition. Here is a link to the ABE website:
Looks authentic to me. And that is Ray's signature. Copy number 39, Wow!. Although the slip cover is missing and there is some damage to the asbestos cover, the value has to be up there.
Posts: 1525 | Location: Sunrise, FL, USA | Registered: 28 June 2004
Well just got back from the Book binder. He said He might be able to repair it, but he had never worked with asbestos before. It could crack worse. So in the end he thought a slip case might be the way to go. $150 to have one made. I wish it had come with one. What to do, what to do.
