Conrad for Sale: Some Wear at Extremities; Otherwise Fine

Abstract

In a recent issue of Rare Books & Manuscripts Librarianship, Allen and Patricia Ahearn published an article on the pricing of rare books and manuscripts. The advice they gave was circumspect and useful, clearly emanating from their long careers in bookselling. My own research has taken me into the world of the publication and sales of the works of Joseph Conrad; and while most of what the Ahearns had to say about pricing is excellent, I have found that in the particular case of Conrad, we can see how the market shifts from one pricing principle to another.

What I . . .