Best second hand book find ever?

JJewel

JJewel

Douglas Morrison
Joined
Sep 22, 2020
Messages
385
Location
Cheshire UK
When I was 13 or 14, nearly 40 years ago I used to go to jumble sales a lot and buy albums and books. Later of course second hand / antique and junk stores became a passion. My best find though was not my most valuable in terms of money but it was at the Mountains of Madness by H P Lovecraft, the book that started the love affair with his writings and the Cthulhu Mythos. Anyone else remember that book that changed everything for them?
 
Jo Zebedee said:
Best find a signed limited edition Isabelle Allende for a pound in a remainder bin. Most cherished a little old Snow Goose by Paul Gallico
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It is always the unexpected finds that are most cherished, I recently discovered a collection of Asimovs paperbacks from the 60`s at a Car boot sale for 10p each, which isnt a lot for those outwith the UK. Brought a flood of memories back on first reading them as a kid while listening to Deep Purple`s the Mule and thinking they were connected.
 
Probably the one I've re/read the most is an old, cheap omnibus edition of Dashiell Hammett's novels.

Randy M.
 
too many to list, but a year or two back I found an 1880s medical text that had been the personal property of the coroner who handled the most famous crime case here - The Black Donnellys case - and it had the right town, signature and rubber stamp in it, a one-of-a kind-thing, so I contacted the right bookseller and a few hours later I let him have it for a paltry 200$. It was found in a cardboard box on the sidewalk with a few other objects and some hardcovers, reader's digest junk, and, 20 min. later it was pouring rain and it would have been dee-stroyed. An out of the blue find, never tire of talking about it. )
 
Ian Fortytwo said:
I have only one second hand book...
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o_O
I have hundreds and hundreds. Half of my SFF collection, I would hazard. But I've not yet come across a rare or signed copy of something old for silly cheap money. Maybe one day- I spend about 7% of my waking life browsing used books stores, so odds are in my favour.
 
Bick said:
o_O
I have hundreds and hundreds. Half of my SFF collection, I would hazard. But I've not yet come across a rare or signed copy of something old for silly cheap money. Maybe one day- I spend about 7% of my waking life browsing used books stores, so odds are in my favour.
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My hubby found a first edition Dickens which was pretty cool and worth a bit. Also some Irish poetry - Seamus Heaney in particular.
 
I know someone who searches for first editions at rummage sales.

This store specializes in first editions:

Mystery Pier Books, Inc

Welcome to the website of Mystery Pier Books, Inc
www.mysterypierbooks.com www.mysterypierbooks.com

Trivia: Owned by the husband and son of Pamela Franklin from The Legend of Hell House.
 
Nothing too great, but I did read Dune as a used book and the thrift store lady saved the Little fuzzy trilogy for me because she knew I read S.F. Without that I would never have read those and they are close to classic S.F.
 
Found Running with the Demon by Terry Brooks about ten years ago in a small town bookstore. An amazing find since I was huge Shannara fan since my early teens and was worried that this gross deviation from that setting would be too much. Brooks pulled it off and is now one of my favorites. And for $2.99. Priceless!
 
Last year I bought a first edition of Iain M. Banks’s The Player of Games. It’s my favourite book, so I didn’t mind paying the money for it.

I’m looking for a hardback copies of Consider Phlebas, State of the Art and Against a Dark Background so that I have all of his books in hardback.
 
Bick said:
o_O
I have hundreds and hundreds. Half of my SFF collection, I would hazard. But I've not yet come across a rare or signed copy of something old for silly cheap money. Maybe one day- I spend about 7% of my waking life browsing used books stores, so odds are in my favour.
Click to expand...
I did find a Murray Walker autographed book and also a Paperback from John Wyndham with his autograph in, at least I presume it was his, as he died many years ago.
 
So far I’m not coming up with THE best secondhand find. But I’ll say I had numerous happy moments in southern Oregon used book stores in the early to mid 1970s finding copies of releases in the Ballantine Fantasy series. One of these was George MacDonald’s amazing LILITH. Various fantasy and sf classics came my way at a cost of less, even much less, than a dollar, e.g. a scrubby Ace paperback of W. H. Hodgson’s THE HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND.
 
Extollager said:
So far I’m not coming up with THE best secondhand find. But I’ll say I had numerous happy moments in southern Oregon used book stores in the early to mid 1970s finding copies of releases in the Ballantine Fantasy series. One of these was George MacDonald’s amazing LILITH. Various fantasy and sf classics came my way at a cost of less, even much less, than a dollar, e.g. a scrubby Ace paperback of W. H. Hodgson’s THE HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND.
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Thats weird you say that, I found a ripped and badly treated Ace paerback of The house on the borderland in Edinburgh, I was going to a Iron Maiden concert in the 90`s and popped into a second hand store first and ended up with about 50 books, all horror and sci-fi. Including a pile of Clark Ashton Smith and related.
 
I remember helping to run a second hand book stall raising money for the Sealed Knot regiment I was in. I came home with at least three carrier bags full of paperbacks.
 
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