Book Collecting: Book Printed Upside-down.

Depends on the author, I reckon. Now if it was a stamp that had been printed upsidedown [not all of it obviously or how would ya know? I mean the price the right way up but the image upsidedown]...

this is the famous U.S. 24 cent 'upside down' airplane stamp .
don't try to turn it back again
wish i had one of them in my collection
hbg

If you did I think you could retire right now HBG.

Sometimes I think the world is mad!

casino joe wrote :
"Sometimes I think the world is mad!"

well perhaps ... but i don't think anyone has been killed yet in the process of collecting stamps .
personally , i collect old postcards and envelopes (with letters enclosed , if possible) and it is a great deal of fun (for me ) to read what people wrote to each other a hundred and more years ago - some really fascinating and at times funny stuff .
hbg

Reminds me of the novel Possession by AS Byatt.

Those beautiful love letters found by the would-be biographers hiiden inside cushions and teddy bears after they followed clues in the poetry.

Sorry, that's irrelevant, I know, but that's what it made me think of...

Okay that really doesn't help much for my question.
Does anybody have a good answer for me?

sorry , IVIr : we got carried away .
if it's just a 'run of the mill' book , it's probably the result of a production error . i doubt that anyone would want to pay a premium for it . i remember some time ago a local bookstore had a bunch of books with uncut pages - they were sold for half-price .
you might want to check with a local second-hand bookstore .
btw i've found that it's almost impossible to even give away used hardcover books - even charity shops frown on them .
hope this helps .
hbg

Re: Okay that really doesn't help much for my question.


If the pages of the book are in fact printed upside down it may be valuable. If, however, just the cover is printed upside down while the rest of the book is printed correctly, it's worth much less.

A lot depends on the edition of the book A first edition would be more valuable than a 24yh edition.

Hey - my daughter has a Sponge Bob book that is printed upside down - maybe I can turn it in and make some money!

Go for it!

I have a book where the cover AND the pages are all printed upside down... is that worth even more than just the pages being printed upside down?

I'd see what you can get for it on ebay, if I were you.

Should I take the picture of it rightside up so it looks upside down or should I take it upside down so it looks rightside up?

Upside Down Book Value
In almost all cases the book with the cover on upside down, and all other books with production errors, are worthless. There are vast numbers of such books.

There are notable exceptions. Take for example the adulterer's Bible wherein the 7th commandment reads "Thou shalt commit adultery." If you have one of these you might gain a premium.

If your book were collectable for some other reason, then your special copy might be considered valuable; but then again it might be considered junk because it is imperfect. It's a funny world.

I'd say take it to a reputable rare book dealer and ask him or her. That way you'll know.

corkey wrote : "Take for example the adulterer's Bible wherein the 7th commandment reads "Thou shalt commit adultery."

is there a great demand for it :wink: .
i can just see the fellow explaining to his wife : "...but it says so in the bible ..." - the wife might use said bible to deliver a quick thump .
hbg

Adulterer's Bible
You are right, hamberger. If it's in the book...

The Hotel Honolulu by Paul Theroux (paperback) that I just read had the cover cattywampus from the text. In the last year I've seen more and more books with sort of a tall narrow shape, in paperback, being badly printed, though usually not this bad. May be a cheapo trend.



Welcome to a2k, Corkey..

I have a book that was printed in 1838 entitled "Voyage Au Japon - Execute Pendant Les Annees 1823 a 1830" written by Philipp Franz Von Siebold and published by Arthus Bertrand. I have it on an ebay auction currently and I just discovered (I can't believe I didn't notice sooner) that 2 of the plates (plances) were inserted upside-down (planche number 76 and 78). This book is very valuable. However, the actual value remains to be seen. Does the simple face of this volume's scarcity (6 remaining in the entire world, I think) make it more valuable or does it dimish it's value? Anybody??? Additionally, any information with regard to this volume would be greatly appreciated.