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I am going to start this column with one of my favourite authors. Jules Verne has always fired my imagination with his tales of travel, discovery and adventure. Born in France, and author of famous works such as "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," "Around the World in 80 Days" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth," his books have been made into movies or have formed the basis for movies.
"80 Days..." formed the basis for a British BBC travel series as well as movie spin-offs and parodies. (Jackie Chan is currently filming a version due out in cinemas next year). "20,000 Leagues..." formed the loose basis for the Samuel L Jackson movie "Sphere" with Sharon Stone and Dustin Hoffman. So even to this day, Verne's work still influences the modern media.
Average Selling Prices
I have discovered that Verne is a well sought-after author in bookselling circles. For example, a quick scan at eBay.com shows a first edition starting at $100 (it will definitely finish at a higher price) and other volumes going for between $60 and $80. Mass-market editions start at $1 and don't sell well, but older versions are definitely worth a lot of money, depending on the condition of the book.
Tips
Avoid modern mass-market versions that seem to have flooded eBay and AbeBooks (especially the Penguin Popular Classic versions). Instead, concentrate on older hardback versions with illustrations, and if you can get all that in a French version, even better. It is very rare to find any signed copies of Verne's books, as they would be well over 150 years old, and I have heard from various sources that Verne rarely signed his books. He instead responded to autograph requests by letter. But I would imagine that a few signed copies probably exist somewhere, and if you find one with a genuine signature then you would be talking serious money.
Related Web Sites
There are thousands of Jules Verne Web sites. The best ones are in French, but a few good English-language sites are:
http://jv.gilead.org.il/biblio
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~mtp0f/flips/jules.html
http://www.julesverne.ca
Please feel free to write to me at camelotbooks@lycos.de and disagree with me, share your opinions, or nominate authors you think should be included. While not an "expert," I have a basic understanding of good authors, especially the kinds of authors to acquire or to avoid when it comes to reselling. By working together, perhaps we can compile a list of good-selling authors in the op market. Also feel free to post in the Book Forum at http://www.auctionbytes.com/forum/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=5.
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