American Book Prices Current

Annie -
Depends on what you plan to use it for. I find that it works ok for
really rare stuff, material for which there is a strong auction record.
Since they only record "real" sales from mostly major auction houses,
the nature of the material is the high end of the market. There very
little in the midrange ($100-$500)at least in my specialty (technology).
Some items I would expect to be there aren't. You have to extrapolate
prices a lot since many of the matched records are old, and cryptic.
Here is a typical listing:

"Main Entry : Agassiz, Louis, 1807-73
Entry : Etudes critiques sur les mollusques fossiles. Neuchatel,
1840-45. In 4 orig parts. 4to, orig wraps; worn, stitching def. With 106
plates.
ID : Inscr. Honeyman copy.
Sale Record : Sotheby's, Oct 30, 1978, lot 17, £240 ($480.00), to
Israel
Note : 72."
(the above quote copyright ABPC)

How you interpret the above is everything. Items in the Honeyman
collection in some cases sell at a premium because of the association.
Prices in technology have gone up a LOT in the last 25 years, where
some older items haven't peaked as much. Grading, etc for most entries
is close to non-existant. And what does 72 mean???? The manuscript
stuff I don't do much with.

So it has it's shortcomings, but it is certainly faster than polling 300
auction catalogues trolling for useful information. I use it as a tool
in conjunction with a ever growing collection of old auction catalogues
in my specialty area - the CD helps me determine how much time I'll put
into it, and it serves as a fast index to the right catalogues. Anyone
who wants to sell great old catalogues in science, technology, or
scientific instruments (dealer or auction catalogues) feel free to
contact me.

Hope this helps,
Best,
John Kuenzig
Bookseller

Annie Winkler wrote:

 >I'm curious to know opinions of people who have purchased the CD. Do you
 >feel it is worth it?
 >
 >Regards - Annie
 >
 >
 >
 >

--
Sincerely,

John Kuenzig, Bookseller

Kuenzig Books
PO Box 452, Topsfield, MA 01983
978-887-4053 9am-7pm Eastern Standard Time
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