On 28 September 2023, Winnie-the-Pooh: Tales from the Forest hit UK bookshops for the first time.
An official sequel to the original tales of AA Milne – Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928) – these new authorised tales arrived just shy of Winnie-the-Pooh’s 100th birthday.
And while Pooh fans have been quick to snap up the new collector’s edition hardback (RRP £25), the book has also reignited a love for the honey-loving bear’s original adventures.
So much so, that a first edition Winnie-the-Pooh (original price seven shillings and sixpence), could fetch as much as £3,500 today – or 10,000 times its original price.
With returns like this, it’s no wonder the market in modern first-edition books is thriving. Whether you think you have a collectable hiding in your attic or you’re looking to start collecting, keep reading for everything you need to know, and the books to look out for.
Condition is key even with the oldest books but newer releases could prove a good investment
If you’ve recently found a first-edition Ian Fleming or Fitzgerald in your loft space or a local antique shop, the first thing to do is consider the book’s condition.
A book is a fragile object and many factors can influence how well its original state has been preserved. Damp conditions can lead to mildew while overexposure to sunlight can turn pages yellow.
Dustjackets are even more prone to wear and tear, and some can be lost altogether. The existence and condition of the dustjacket can greatly affect a book’s value. Take, for example, Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. A fine condition copy without the dustjacket might fetch £8,000. With the original dust jacket, though, that price soars (see below).
As with any collecting venture, it’s important to collect what interests you. Where your interests align with those of others, you could find the market becomes competitive.
People generally love and collect what they know. Sentimentality won’t always lead to value, but books read during childhood, and those later made into much-loved films often become collectable. Depending on your reasons for collecting, you’ll need to decide whether sentimentality trumps prospective value.
3 modern first editions you’d be glad to find in your attic
1. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
When the musician Charlie Watts died back in 2021 at the age of 80, he left behind the legacy of more than half a century as part of one of the world’s biggest rock bands. The Rolling Stones drummer also left behind a vast collection of sought-after literature, including a signed copy of The Great Gatsby.
Inscribed by the author, to “the original ‘Gatsby’”, the presentation edition of Fitzgerald’s iconic novel fetched £226,800.
Fitzgerald’s third novel is now seen as a distillation of the Roaring 20s and the dark underbelly of the American Dream. But it largely failed to capture critics’ or readers’ imaginations on release. An initial print run cut short (from 75,000 to just 20,000 copies) and its re-appraisal in the years that followed have helped to cement its high price tag and its modern standing as a true classic.
Other literary highlights from the Christie’s auction included Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles, which achieved £214,200. Two Agatha Christie novels also raised impressive sums, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (£56,700), and The Thirteen Problems (a record-breaking £60,480).
2. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Tolkien’s The Hobbit (1937) has captured the imagination of generations of readers, alongside its follow-up The Lord of the Rings.
Recent adaptations from filmmaker Peter Jackson, and the Amazon series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power based largely on that book’s appendices, have ensured Tolkien’s works remain highly collectible.
Back in 2015, a first edition copy of The Hobbit sold at Sotheby’s in London reached a world record price of £137,000.
As well as being a first edition, this copy was especially unique as it was inscribed with a handwritten note from the author, in Elvish!
3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling
JK Rowling’s tales of the “Boy Who Lived” and his entry into the wizarding world of Hogwarts’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are a worldwide phenomenon.
The series has spawned video and board games, theme parks, and a franchise of spin-off films that started with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2016.
Rowling’s wasn’t an overnight success, having battled for years to complete the book, it was then rejected by 12 publishers.
When it was released, only 500 first editions were produced, 300 of which went to libraries. During a subsequent sell-off, one library in Wolverhampton let go of an ultra-rare copy for just 30p.
It went on to sell at auction for £10,500, despite being in a “well-loved” condition and still having the library’s stickers attached.
In 2007, meanwhile, a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard (one of only seven handwritten copies) sold for a whopping £1.95 million. Well worth a look in the attic.
