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What constitutes a “rare” book?

My focus for this discussion is not so much on rare books in general, but rather on rare signed books. However, I thought that perhaps defining the former might bring perspective to the latter.

So how few copies of a book must there be in order to bring on the adjective “rare”?

I know that some rare books can be worth thousands of dollars regardless whether or not they’re signed by the author.

Basically, I’m looking at the possibility of buying a book that is limited to 2500 copies, or rather 2500 First Edition hardback SIGNED copies.

So...is that rare? I’m just curious, and I’d really like to get our knowledgeable members’ opinions on this topic. Thanks in advance.

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Permalink Reply by James on August 22, 2019 at 2:36pm

Here’s some discussion from the National Library of Scotland.

“A well-known rare book

The Gutenberg Bible is one of the best-known rare books in the world. Only 180 copies were printed, so it is rare. Only around 50 of these 180 copies survive, which makes it even rarer. And of these copies, only about 20 are complete, i.e. they contain all printed pages. The National Library of Scotland owns one of these complete sets. Of course, in terms of numbers the Gutenberg Bible is not exceptionally rare, but in terms of the value of a complete copy it certainly is.”

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on August 22, 2019 at 2:42pm

The demand for that particular book and what it represents is absurd (in a good way).

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Permalink Reply by James on August 22, 2019 at 3:06pm

Yes, and the value of a complete copy of The Gutenberg Bible is today estimated at $25-$35 million.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Cyrkin, Admin on August 22, 2019 at 3:15pm

Is that for a signed or unsigned Gutenberg?

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on August 22, 2019 at 3:23pm

Steve or? ;)

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Permalink Reply by James on August 22, 2019 at 6:18pm

Lol. His autograph value has depreciated as his career has stalled. ;0)

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Permalink Reply by James on August 22, 2019 at 6:44pm

Steve Guttenberg was actually one of the stars of my favorite made-for-TV movie, The Day After (1983). Just a random thought. I’m full of them.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on August 22, 2019 at 11:34pm

Ah. I also like that film, but I love Threads(1984) and When the Wind Blows(1986), being one of the few - perhaps only - specialist dealers in radioactive Hiroshima artifacts and such. You can see some of the items I have sold at Early Atomic Artifacts. I supplied the glass window fragment, the glass bubble with atomic ash, and the fused debris on a ceramic tube and knob wiring bit from a home. I have also sold complete roof tiles and other items. I have some truly superb items in my personal collection.

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Permalink Reply by James on August 23, 2019 at 6:19pm

I don’t believe I’ve seen the movies you mentioned. But Eric, thank you so much for providing the link to the website. I looked through it a bit last night (actually around 3 or 4 am I think it was). I plan to give it more time tonight. I was getting tired then.

It’s quite fascinating material really. I would like to see these items in-person provided they didn’t make me start glowing! Who knows maybe holding such an item would cure my disability. I only jest, of course (although I am disabled), but that is an interesting topic and the resulting items provoke thoughts of a dark period in history whether or not one thinks the bombing was necessary.

I wrote a term paper about Truman’s decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and concluded (as a high school student) that it was the right decision. I’m not exactly sure how I feel today. The bombing of Nagasaki just three days later was probably not justified. All I know is...I’m glad I wasn’t in Truman’s shoes. And I know I couldn’t have been Paul Tibbets...even if it had to be done. How many dead? What...close to 200,000 children, women, and men. I couldn’t live with those thoughts.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on August 23, 2019 at 6:23pm

Hi James,

I am glad you enjoyed the materials and link :) There is another thread here where I show some my artifacts and autographs from 1945-1955 Hiroshima. I hope it is equally interesting :)

Hiroshima Link

Permalink Reply by James on August 23, 2019 at 7:14pm

Thank you, Eric. I will definitely explore some more with the second link as well.