The world's most valuable children's books

14 Apr.,2024

 

Several options for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The first appearance of this book in print (2,000 copies) in 1865 was short-lived as illustrator John Tenniel disliked the print quality. Those '1865s' are like hen's teeth and have seven-figure price tags. The next edition (4,000 copies) was released in December of 1865 but dated 1866. They are also expensive and scarce.

Current demand on AbeBooks is all about Salvador Dali's illustrated limited edition (just 2,500 copies) from 1969 and no (sane) parent would give their child this version of Carroll's famous tale. Published in 1969 by Maecenas Press/Random House, the book was issued with 12 loose color illustrations by Dali. If Dali's surreal artwork isn't your cup of Mad Hatter's tea, Alice Liddell (later Hargreaves, the real Alice that inspired Carroll) signed 500 copies in 1932 for the Limited Editions Club and a handful are still available for anywhere from $3,000 to $7,000.

Most expensive copy to sell on AbeBooks - a Dali copy signed by the artist sold for $20,000 in 2014.

Affordable alternative - Princeton University Press republished Dali's Alice in 2015 and used copies start at around $10. The book include a contribution from Carroll expert Mark Burstein, who examines what was going through Dali's mind when he did these illustrations.

Search for Alice

London: Bloomsbury, 1997.

First edition, fourth printing of the rarest book in the Harry Potter series, a cornerstone of young adult literature, and one of the best-selling books of all time. Octavo, original illustrated wrappers. Presentation copy, "For Jenny, who does believe in magic (I do too, really) (but don’t tell anyone) J.K. Rowling." Also, with an original drawing of Harry Potter by jacket illustrator Thomas Taylor. The recipient, was the vendor's daughter Jenny, who was seven years old at the time, at the Edinburgh Literary Festival in August 1997. Jenny's mother wrote in her journal for that month "We all went to…

Price:

$

35,000.00

   

Item Number: 133799

The world's most valuable children's books

Fine Rare and Antiquarian First Edition Books for Sale