UKC

Hi,

I'm looking to find a first/early edition of a book for a friend's birthday - I'd rather not say the book here, just in case, but it's a partly historic, partly engineering treatise.

Can anyone recommend a source for such things? I've found it on AbeBooks, but seems quite expensive there and all copies listed are in the US - I was wondering if I could get it somewhere UK based.

Many thanks,

In reply to LastBoyScout:
Try Hay on Wye The town is full of book shops Google for info.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

A trip to Hay on Wye ?

May not be relevant but I spent years looking for an out of print ecological textbook before finding that CUP now offer a print on demand service - still expensive but cheaper than importing from the USA

In reply to LastBoyScout:




If it's an American book, it may be that the book was never actually published in the UK, in which case you'd be very lucky to get a UK sourced copy.

In reply to tony:


From enquiries in my local bookshop, it seems I can get a paperback re-print fairly easily - I'm after a hard-back early/first edition, ideally, as he's a bit of a book collector.

Part of the problem seems to be that it's not a mainstream book and seems to have had a number of "special editions" apart from re-prints of the original, so it's a bit of a minefield.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

ABE is pretty good for tracking books down, I think. But sometimes you'll find things on Amazon that aren't there, and vice versa.

Prices: some books are surprisingly valuable, but some are mispriced on ABE, and others then copy cat. I'd try to keep an eye on the webpages for some time so as to get an idea of what's reasonable – eg, I saved ca. £100 (Yes!) last week by not buying too hastily. But I did wait several years!

It might be worth giving Geoff Cram or Glacier Books a ring.

In reply to LastBoyScout:


That still doesn't mean the hardcover was ever published in the UK. It's less of an issue now, but hardback and paperback rights can be sold separately. I know of a couple of engineering textbooks which were originally published in hardcover in the US, with subsequent paperbacks published by different publishers in the US and UK.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

Quite often with ABE the only copies listed are those that are over-priced so nobody wants them, plus those who don;t know the true value so base it on the other (over-priced) copies.
Try registering on ABE and creating a "want". You'll get a notification of any new listings by email so can respond quickly if there's one that's a bit cheaper.

Amazon marketplaces can also be worth a look. Or try Ebay.

In reply to Simon Caldwell:


Yes. There was a book I was mildly interested in getting (The Puggy Line). Over time ABE sent several emails alerting me to copies, all £30-40, I wasn't that interested, then one turned up at 62p, mint condition it was too.