Book question for Max and others

[mjkm90]

How can you tell if a book should/did have a dust jacket at some point? I've seen books without dust jackets that had attractive graphics, but always wonder if they are incomplete.

[slidekellyslide]

I don't think there is any way you can tell for sure, but I think most hardback books came with a dust jacket....Do you have a certain book in mind?

One way to tell might be to look for surviving copies of a certain book on this sight:

www.abebooks.com

You can do specific searches on this sight for books that still have the dust jacket or you can search by the highest $$$ amount wanted for a book - usually those books are in the best condition and still have the DJ.

[mjkm90]

Thanks for the link. I didn't have anything specific in mind, but I see a fair number of old books without the jackets.

[baseballart]

Let me know if you have a specific question about a book and its dust jacket. I've been collecting baseball books since 1989, so I've seen a number of surprises where people thought "no dust jacket" but one is subsequently discovered. While the presence of a dust jacket can be noted from a listing on www.abebooks.com, many dealers there will state definitively "no dj issued", but are simply wrong.

Aside from checking on-line sources, auction catalogues and the like, I often look for advertisements in old magazines--sometimes they will picture the book with or without a dj, or describe it.

One of my (long term--very) projects is to get a scan of all pre-WWII baseball books and dust jackets to set up on my web site. If anyone wants more details, shoot me an email at art@ettinger.ca or weder@shaw.ca I've got a large number of images from my own collection and a number from other collectors, but there are always more I am looking for.

Hope this helps.

Max



I also noted Joe's affinity for Cornell in the great pictures of his memorabilia room; thought you might enjoy the dust jacket of this (non-baseball) 1922 book on Cornell rowing

[slidekellyslide]

Hey Max, I was looking through an old auction catalog and noticed your White Sox mirror. Does your mirror have "hooks" on it for hanging hats? The one in the auction catalog does and I couldn't remember if your did.

[baseballart]

No, there are no hooks on my mirror. I couldn't tell from the Mastro auction whether those hooks were original. Here's a close up shot of my mirror; as you can see, it looks like something was removed but it's not clear whether hooks were there originally, or just a place to put them.

Max

[mjkm90]

Max. I do a lot of digging for vintage sports items. My job in sales takes me to many shops, shows, and flea markets. I almost never find nice old baseball books, let alone those with dust jackets. Do you believe they are exceedingly rare? I love the graphics on many examples (your second base slone is beautiful). I hate to speak in terms of dollars since that isn't what I (we) are in this for, but they may be a good investment considering scarcity. What are your thought? Are there a lot of collectors out there? Any reliable value reference guides? I have a nice copy of Frank Graham's The Brooklyn Dodgers with the dj. What value would you place on it? Thanks for your feedback.

Mike H

[slidekellyslide]

Mike, Graham's book can be bought on Abebooks for between $100-200 depending on condition. There is one on there listed as VG with VG dustjacket for $125.

I see this book every once in a while usually lotted up with other team history books from the 1940's in Mastro and other auction house auctions.

[mjkm90]

That is amazing to me. My $5.00 purchase is looking pretty good

[vintagesportscollector]

Thanks for the picture of the Courtney dust jacket Max. That was nice. I may have to try to pick up a copy of the book. Charles Courtney was a rowing (coach) legend in the late 1800s and early 1900s winning more than a dozen collegiate championships. I have many programs picturing him and his crews. Thanks again.