The iconic film directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Roy Schneider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss told the story of a massive killer shark who unleashes chaos on a beach community off Long Island. It is based on the novel by Peter Benchley and we are lucky enough to have discovered a 1975 copy of the book which will be included in a forthcoming Antiques and Collectables auction. The dust wrapper is very dramatic depicting a shark with people on the beach shown in its open mouth against an eye-catching black ground. It is sure to create a lot of interest with film buffs and modern book collectors when it comes up for sale.

Almost every home has a shelf or a bookcase of books but how do you know if they are worth anything? Well, that’s a difficult question to answer but here are a few pointers. Generally speaking, the older the better. People often collect a certain topic that they are interested in or a hobby such as gardening, natural history, fishing, needlework, cricket etc so books on these topics are always sought after and if they are well illustrated this often adds interest and usually value. Books on places are also collected often with fascinating early photographs of places or drawings of bygone days. Cookery books are another area which are sought after such as Mrs Beeton’s which is very large volume packed with fascinating recipes. 

More modern books such as Ian Fleming “James Bond” series of books are very collectable if they are a first edition. Fleming was in the Naval Intelligence Division in World War II and drew from his wartime experiences and career as a journalist for much of his background, details and depth for his James Bond novels. His first James Bond novel was Casino Royale in 1953 and first editions of this book are very rare. Recently a copy sold at auction for an amazing £29,000!

And here are few things to avoid when starting a book collection. Generally speaking 19^th Century and early 20^th Century novels and literature were printed in large numbers so unless they are first  or special editions they usually don’t have a great value, encyclopaedia’s and general knowledge books, ex-library or inscribed books are less sought after and condition is always key.

The hobby of book collecting is called bibliophila. Here are a few tips on how to start a collection yourself. Pick a topic that interests you and then narrow it down to specific author or period. Alternatively, books illustrated by a particular artist such as 

Arthur Rackham or books about a particular railway line or place. Always buy the best you can afford; condition is very important try and find good clean examples. It is better to have a small collection of quality books rather than a larger inferior collection. 

If you would like to collect modern books Folio society books are a good area for collecting. They usually come in a slip case, sometimes in a limited edition and often beautifully illustrated. 

As always myself and my colleagues at Sheffield Auction Gallery are always delighted to assist you in any way we can.