tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157530669780468545.post1204303603418652205..comments2024-03-21T21:37:03.772-05:00Comments on Series Books for Girls: Scarcity of Nancy Drew Lilac Inn First PrintingJennifer Whitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10405593758228423001noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157530669780468545.post-9496228298998635282015-04-13T17:52:22.542-05:002015-04-13T17:52:22.542-05:00Run a search on eBay for the titles of the books. ...Run a search on eBay for the titles of the books. Click on "sold" in the left sidebar. Sort the results and then look for books like yours. If you find books that look like yours, that will tell you the value.Jennifer Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10405593758228423001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157530669780468545.post-50540355330483771982015-04-13T17:33:17.101-05:002015-04-13T17:33:17.101-05:00I have the "Mystery At Lilac Inn" "...I have the "Mystery At Lilac Inn" "The Mystery at the Moss Covered Mansion" and "Nancy's Mysterious Letter" please contact me so we can discuss the value of these books, it would be appreciated. robert.story86@gmail.comRoberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12149188594588924574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157530669780468545.post-61988704334994767872015-04-13T17:30:15.193-05:002015-04-13T17:30:15.193-05:00I have the mystery at lilac inn book, can someone ...I have the mystery at lilac inn book, can someone contact me to help me identify the value of the book in its current condition, I am open to buyersRoberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12149188594588924574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7157530669780468545.post-10989935494500582752010-12-11T10:05:19.967-06:002010-12-11T10:05:19.967-06:00In Alger collecting there are three or more biblio...In Alger collecting there are three or more bibliographies with slight variations. Some collectors are likely to favor the bibliography that gives their collection the greatest number of first printings.<br /><br />As stated before, we know that the jackets were printed separately from the book page printing and binding. In some cases these may have been made by entirely different companies.<br /><br />Since print runs are always estimates to account for spoilage, it is normal, even today, to print more copies than ordered. It's pretty easy to imagine how an old jacket might get left at the bottom of a pile with newer fresh ones stacked on top. Eventually that oldest one would be reached at the bottom.<br /><br />Between binding orders the printed jackets would be stored with the printed page blocks to await the next order for more copies.<br /><br />While the publishers, and especially the printer/binders did not care much to maintain the ideal association between book and jacket that the guides try to document, the publishers did have a financial interest in having the newest jackets and post-text ads in books to promote all of the volumes available in the listed series. In the first year of a new volume the book has its highest sales.<br /><br />In the bookstores there are reports of jacketless books being displayed on the tables and shelves. When a book was purchased, the jacket for that title would be placed on the book from a storage drawer. Hence there is ample opportunity for mismatches under this unusual but not unique situation.<br /><br />Getting to the book at hand, the copyright for The Mystery at Lilac Inn was dated 24 Oct 1930. This is quite late in the season. Recall that publishers of this era sent out traveling salesmen (probably some women but mostly men for these publishers at this time) to meet with the bookellers in bookstores and book departments of large department stores. This was done in the late summer and early fall so probably many of the orders for 1930 were placed before this title was available. As a new series in a rough economic period, orders for any of the books were probably very limited.<br /><br />On some books I have seen books that were technically copyrighted in a certain year but not actually available until late in December, sometimes after Christmas, which means that most copies would be purchased in the following year, sometimes a full year later for the families that only purchased book gifts for birthdays and Christmas, especially if their local bookseller only ordered books once or twice a year from a given publisher.<br /><br />In Tom Swift the 1932 title is Giant Magnet. It came out in January in the gray-tan quadrant cloth format. Few of these are available because by May 1932 the publisher had issued a new format with orange cloth and illustrated endpapers (sound familiar?). The majority of sales were between May and December and by that point the new format was the main one being filled. The publisher tried to avoid binding up too many copies before they were needed.<br /><br />James Keelinekeelinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006640946874012637noreply@blogger.com