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 His Dark Materials· The Golden Compass · The Subtle Knife · The Amber Spyglass · The Book of Dust · Movie · Characters · Commentaries Philip Pullman · Author's Bio · Interviews · Other Books Fanstuff · Message Board · Chat Room · Polls · E-mail Group · HDM RPG · Other Books · Dark Materials E-mail · FAQ · Fanfic/Fanart · BTTA Staff · Guestbook |
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By Kyrillion, Staff Writer Philip Pullman’s popularity has become international since His Dark Materials was published, and critical acclaim has been lavish. With a stage production, a New Line Cinema adaptation and The Book of Dust, that popularity is likely to sky-rocket. For the collector-minded, a question is raised by all this: how does it affect the value of the books? The first thing you will need to know is how to check if your edition is worth anything. This generally means checking if it is a first edition (a copy from the first run of publishing). A number code is employed. First editions have the numbers 1 to 10 on the page of publishing details, printed ‘2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1’. With each new run, the lowest number is dropped. Other clues can be found on the dust-jackets of hardback copies: first editions of Northern Lights have Scholastic’s Oxford Street address inside the flap. First editions of The Subtle Knife are priced at £12.99, also printed on the inside flap. So what prices can you expect if you do have a first edition? A first edition hardback has gone from averaging £25 (£50, signed) to £50 (£75, signed) since the Whitbread was awarded to The Amber Spyglass. At the top of the price range, signed hardbacks of Northern Lights have sold for up to £3,500, The Subtle Knife for £1,000 and The Amber Spyglass for £60. Since first editions of the Subtle Knife are rare, these sell for up to £600. Later impressions are also making money: a third edition of Northern Lights recently went for £80, and second editions of The Subtle Knife, which are rare, can be expected to fetch £75 - £100. Paperbacks are selling as well: a signed set of first edition paperbacks recently sold for £185. Non-His Dark Materials items selling include Philip Pullman’s first novel (really second, but he disowns the first novel) Gallatea, a hardback first edition of which recently went for £175. American firsts of this book sell for less - one recently went for $212. The young adult novel the White Mercedes (since renamed The Butterfly Tattoo) averages £50-£75 for a first, and a first edition of a Sally Lockhart book can be expected to fetch £300-£400. Apart from the books, there are a few other items likely to sell very well. One of the most in-demand items is a pamphlet/flod-out poster produced, for a lecture Philip Pullman gave, to explain Lyra’s alethiometer. It features the ‘Black Sheep’ artwork fromt he British hardback. An image of the pamphlet can be seen at the His Dark Materials fansite, ‘Dark Adamant’. No estimates are currently offered, but the price is likely to be high since it is a very unique item. Other unusual items include rare editions of His Dark Materials such as those produced by book-clubs and posters from the original release of Northern Lights, particularly signed.
Advice for buying is to aim for perfection in the copy, since the series is so recent. If you have an item to sell or would like to buy a particular item, visit Ebay.com or Zshops on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.
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