What book was it?

A first edition, limited edition of 250 copies, from 1909, of Synge's poetry, published by Yeats at the Cuala press.

No, didn't mean much to me at first either.

Wow, where did you pick that up? And how did you find out what it's worth??? You must be pretty chuffed!

You should make buying books that are secretly expensive your new job, you're really good at it!

good hunting, dude

Just picked it up in a second hand shop- looked on Abe books and this edition is on sale for up to $1691.77. Hopefully I could get a coupla hundred at least. Not bad for a day's work, sadly, I don't think there are enough rare first editions going for nothing to make a viable living from!

You know, anushka, I think it's all the daytime tv that did it

He's the original Guido

That's the kinda shit that cheers me up on a wet thursday.

Haha- It is a horribly wet thursday isn't it? It does mean that I can maybe put off going to the 'Hot Tempers' or whatever agency for another couple of weeks. Which is a cheering prospect

If you really aspire to be a hobo, you'll be ripping out the pages to use as rolling paper...

I feel every hobo needs to have a greasy first edition of Irish poetry secreted somewhere about his person, which he occasionally pulls out to read to strangers in bus shelters. Something like The Waste Land might be better though

Are you gonna flog it, or do you have some sort of attachment to it?

You make a good point, there's something of the fantastic about learned tramps. One of my favourite hobos was at a bus stop in Oxford, he ambled up to me stinking of alchohol and rambling something about Oliver Cromwell...I ran away though...

You can't read directly from the book, you'll have to memorise some passages and shout them at the top of your voice, pausing occasionally to laugh like a fool. All the best Hobos do it.

Actually my actual favourite tramp was probably the one who spat at me and then yelled "Here's something for you lass", but I'm sure he was a scholar just taking a day off...

I thought I had found a first edition of George Orwell's 1984 once. It looked just like a 1st edition but it turned out to be the book club first edition, not worth a fraction of the real deal. Anyway, I'm off to work. blah. :/

nice find btw! congrats.

That is true anushka; though perhaps the volume could be wielded for dramatic effect when accosting unsuspecting audiences on street corners. Mattoid, Oxford definitely has the best hobos; I think it's all the old philosophy dons who go mad, renounce all worldly things and take to the Tennant's super strength.
Tonteau- I'll see. I could really use some money, though I wouldn't sell it unless it's for a good price, cos it's a lovely edition. If I don't need to sell it, I'll definitely keep it.

whoa! that's awesome!

can you show us a pic of the cover??

Cheers-The cover is actually completely uninteresting, which is quite often the sign of a rare book
Take a look HERE

thanks

get searching the charity shops

All you need is a sucker willing to buy it. Well done.

haha- well I used to work for Blackwell's bookshop, and they have a big rare books dept, so I'll see if I can flog it to them

hey dude- i think some of your luck spread to me (std luck virus???)

i just found out that this jumper which i've wanted for ages has been put in the sale!

yay!

that is indeed an awesome jumper-buy it!

Congrats on the find BVM, that's awesome! I'm not sure how much 800 quid is but that sounds like a lot. I used to collect antique marbles and often got amazing deals because many people can't distinguish between the old and the new ones.

Oh, and I got a steal on these vintage snowglobes! Although it's hard to gauge the value of vintage snowglobes when I'm probably the only person collecting them...