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Goddammit. I'm starting to get into these now too. Just picked up this nice Phillip Dick 1st edition and now I've got my eyes on an OG 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'. I'm dreadfully afraid this could spiral out of control like a certain other wallet killing hobby of mine. 
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But I ride.
Alibris.com is pretty good for browsing, John King in Detroit rules, and my favorite book spot is Jumel Terrace in NYC.
but they are BCE's ... still, the only difference is that it
says BCE on the flap. I have a true 1st of Galactic Pot Healer.
Oh see, I'm a total noob. How are BCEs different from true 1sts? The 'Man in the High Castle' I nabbed says BCE.
it is the equivalent of a scorpio reissue, even though
it is usually fairly contemporary to the first edition.
Man In the High Castle, 1st Edition: $300-$1200
Man In the High Castle, BCE edition: $10-$30
And again, the only real difference is the BCE marking.
I have that BCE of Man in the High Castle, and of
A Scanner Darkly as well. When I was first reading PKD,
I was getting them from the library, having copies
shipped from libraries around the state to my local one,
and they kept having these amazing first edition hardcovers
with dustjackets, books I have never even SEEN in those editions
again: Flow My Tears, Do Androids Dream, The Three Stigmata, etc ...
I would never steal from a library, but DAMN it was tempting!
where are you schooling?
b/w Check ubu.com.
I'm not sure if I've seen any BCEs as old as the ones yawl are talking about, but: when I was getting trained at the store I work at I was told to watch out for BCEs and that eventually I would be able to tell the difference w/o even looking inside, and it was true: at least for the past 30-40 years they've all had a similar size, feel, and lightweight paperstock/cover that I can generally pick up on immediately. The warning was due to the fact that collectors have no interest in them, and unless its a book that would sell quickly regardless of pressing I pass on them...
But how does it smell?!
Its sorta weird how relevant this conversation has become in relation to the PDK book in question. There's a strong theme throughout the story dealing with exactly what gives things as worthless as collectables their value and importance. Whats he call it?? "Historicity" or something.
haha it's true
... and I was thinking, after I wrote that, about how the cover
stock is probably cheaper and the binding not as quality on BCE's,
at least in some cases. Like Scorpios, though, they are a nice way
to have "the object" without giving blood.
I've already thrown it in the garbage.
I'm selling off my library and just loading everything onto my Kindle???
WHY IN THE HELL HAS THIS NOT BEEN REPRINTED?
It is a government conspiracy. ???The man??? does not want you to have this book.
the three volumes of "the children of captain grant" the two volumes of "20 Thousand Leagues" and the three volumes of the "Mysterious Island" all comprise a single story.
Don't feel bad. Years ago when I lived in Vegas, I found a pristine Stephen King 'Carrie' in hardcover w/dustjacket, that I thought was a first edition. It turned out to be a BCE, so it plummetted from $1600 to $30. Still good for a dime's investment at the local Salvation Army.
I have a couple of PKD hardcovers, 'The Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch' and one other that I cannot remember the name of off hand, and they are both BCEs.
I love books in much the same way I love records....I am thrilled to find raers, but am really more interested in building a library that I can go to and always find something of interest. Library sales and used book stores now interest me as much as record stores.
Found this hardcover last week, and was surprised to find it was raer
an illustrated 'Frankenstein', by Bernie Wrightson (best known for Swamp Thing)
Picked it up because I have always liked his work and it was $3, looked it up and it books between $75-250....I was surprised.
It was, in the mid 90s, and those quality paperbacks routinely go for $99 and up online.
I kick myself for not picking it up at the Borders I worked at when it was available.
Yeah, the Futurist Cookbook is great reading. Impress your lady friend with a perfect simulation of her erect breasts in two molded mounds of sweetened ricotta with strawberries. Or ladies, why not stuff shredded chicken into a hollowed-out banana, then sew the whole thing back up for a special surprise for your man?
They had one at the used book store I hit a few times aweek by my job, think it was going for $300.
They are the type of joint though that would be selling the 1st ed for $300, and still let the valuable paperback slide for $8. You just can't tell.
On that topic, last year I found a copy of this
but it was SIGNED by Huey p. Newton, and had a sort of long inscription to this guy and even had a red metal star glued next to his name. I obviously can't say with certainty it's Huey authentic autograph, but it seems an unlikely thing to fake. I see this book ('Seize the Time') in DC on the regular in at least 2 versions, and still can't figure out why it's so much harder to come across 'Revolutionary Suicide'. Someday I will find it at a library sale for $2 or less....I have faith.