“[...] it is important to understand that booksellers make pricing decisions, while book buyers make valuing decisions.

Booksellers make pricing decisions based primarily upon the asking prices for comparable books currently in the market, sometimes research the history of comparable books sold, mixed with their experience associated with the book’s particulars (i.e. author, il

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30. Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Epilogue

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By: Stan Zielinski, on 3/11/2011
Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks –

A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each books’ inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre.

Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors.

Myopia, Objectivity & Self-Serving Interests

The list of Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks is my myopic perspective and not intended to be definitive, instead purposed as a vehicle for learning. Hopefully the vehicle fulfilled its purpose.

I am equally hopeful the reader has confidence in the objectivity of the books selected. While one cannot be entirely objective when rating subjective criteria, one can be entirely objective with motive for personal gain. Admittedly myopic, the Top 100 is not self-serving – I did not promote books which I own nor demote books I do not. Similarly I did not inflate or deflate the estimated market prices for first edition picturebooks I own or do not.

Of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks, after twenty years of collecting more than 4,000 first edition picturebooks, I have sixty-four of the chosen ones in my collection. It is doubtful I will ever attain first edition copies of every book on the list. Sigh … Simply put, I don’t have the resources available to purchase the high dollar books, and the days are long gone of finding loose books in the wilds of eBay. At today’s estimated market prices, it would cost between $184,000-to-$240,000 to purchase every book on the list in at least VG/VG condition.

Money can’t buy what it can’t find.

Since one-third of the books are not currently offered for sale, it would take some level of perseverence to acquire each book on the list. Bless the ones who try, may their treasure hunting lead to good fortune. If someone engages a book scout to acquire the books, please – PLEASE! – provide me with a running account of the results.

Wading Into The Tide

From the introduction to this series of articles:

“[...] it is important to understand that booksellers make pricing decisions, while book buyers make valuing decisions. Booksellers make pricing decisions based primarily upon the asking prices for comparable books currently in the market, sometimes research the history of comparable books sold, mixed with their experience associated with the book’s particulars (i.e. author, il Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 31. Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Part 10 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next Posted on 3/8/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children's Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each books' inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. A Cornerstone For Collectibility This series was not about selecting the most valuable or the scarcest, but instead the most collectible American picturebooks. To that end, the first article in the series began with a recap of the Factors Affecting Collectibility for a first edition children's picturebook: "Note the key factors that impact the collectibility of the books. Each is a high quality story with imaginative or inventive illustrations, therefore the reading public has recurrently purchased the books for decades. Because of this, the books have stayed in print since their original publication and gone into many, many printings. Many of the books have earned a children’s picturebook award, while many of the illustrators have won numerous awards. All of the illustrators have high esteem within the book publishing market place. Many of the book’s characters became franchise characters, where one or more sequels were published, and line extensions have been made into other consumer product areas (i.e. toys, games, dolls, costumes, decorations, etc…). Lastly, many of the books or characters have crossed over into pop culture, either via a TV or feature film adaptation." The eight major factors contributing to a picturebook's collectibility were reviewed, a rating scaled was introduced, then the journey commenced: selecting the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. The journey meandered through a "partially logical" selection process, rationales for various books were presented, scarcity discussed, and values assessed. And now fully equiped, the journey turns toward the final stretch, rating the collectibility of the Top 100. Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 32. Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Part 10 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Stan Zielinski, on 3/8/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each books’ inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. A Cornerstone For Collectibility This series was not about selecting the most valuable or the scarcest, but instead the most collectible American picturebooks. To that end, the first article in the series began with a recap of the Factors Affecting Collectibility for a first edition children’s picturebook: "Note the key factors that impact the collectibility of the books. Each is a high quality story with imaginative or inventive illustrations, therefore the reading public has recurrently purchased the books for decades. Because of this, the books have stayed in print since their original publication and gone into many, many printings. Many of the books have earned a children’s picturebook award, while many of the illustrators have won numerous awards. All of the illustrators have high esteem within the book publishing market place. Many of the book’s characters became franchise characters, where one or more sequels were published, and line extensions have been made into other consumer product areas (i.e. toys, games, dolls, costumes, decorations, etc…). Lastly, many of the books or characters have crossed over into pop culture, either via a TV or feature film adaptation." The eight major factors contributing to a picturebook’s collectibility were reviewed, a rating scaled was introduced, then the journey commenced: selecting the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. The journey meandered through a "partially logical" selection process, rationales for various books were presented, scarcity discussed, and values assessed. And now fully equiped, the journey turns toward the final stretch, rating the collectibility of the Top 100. Using an ‘A’-to-’Z’ rating scale, with ‘A’ being the most collectible, and confident knowing that every journey into the unknown has to begin somewhere, I began by giving a ‘D’ to the collectibility of each Caldecott Medal book. I have some familiarity with this somewhere, since it is the same somewhere I used in rating the collectibility of the 23,000 books listed in the Children’s Picturebook Price Guide. Setting Caldecott Medal books as the cornerstone for the ratings makes logical sense since their collectibility is relatively well understood. If the Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 33. Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Part 10 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Stan Zielinski, on 3/8/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each books’ inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. A Cornerstone For Collectibility This series was not about selecting the most valuable or the scarcest, but instead the most collectible American picturebooks. To that end, the first article in the series began with a recap of the Factors Affecting Collectibility for a first edition children’s picturebook: "Note the key factors that impact the collectibility of the books. Each is a high quality story with imaginative or inventive illustrations, therefore the reading public has recurrently purchased the books for decades. Because of this, the books have stayed in print since their original publication and gone into many, many printings. Many of the books have earned a children’s picturebook award, while many of the illustrators have won numerous awards. All of the illustrators have high esteem within the book publishing market place. Many of the book’s characters became franchise characters, where one or more sequels were published, and line extensions have been made into other consumer product areas (i.e. toys, games, dolls, costumes, decorations, etc…). Lastly, many of the books or characters have crossed over into pop culture, either via a TV or feature film adaptation." The eight major factors contributing to a picturebook’s collectibility were reviewed, a rating scaled was introduced, then the journey commenced: selecting the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. The journey meandered through a "partially logical" selection process, rationales for various books were presented, scarcity discussed, and values assessed. And now fully equiped, the journey turns toward the final stretch, rating the collectibility of the Top 100. Using an ‘A’-to-’Z’ rating scale, with ‘A’ being the most collectible, and confident knowing that every journey into the unknown has to begin somewhere, I began by giving a ‘D’ to the collectibility of each Caldecott Medal book. I have some familiarity with this somewhere, since it is the same somewhere I used in rating the collectibility of the 23,000 books listed in the Children’s Picturebook Price Guide. Setting Caldecott Medal books as the cornerstone for the ratings makes logical sense since their collectibility is relatively well understood. If the Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 34. Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Part 9 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next Posted on 3/6/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each books' inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. The Most Valuable Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks The previous article focused on the relative scarcity of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. Today's column provides various views of the Top 100 sorted and grouped along the value of the books. The following lists the Top 100 books by value, and includes the single line summary of the book's scarcity, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. To assist with printing the list has been split into two parts. Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks Sorted By Value Part A, 50 Books To view the list in high resolution, click on the graphic, below.   Part B, 50 Books To view the list in high resolution, click on the graphic, below.   Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 35. Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Part 9 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Stan Zielinski, on 3/6/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each books’ inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. The Most Valuable Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks The previous article focused on the relative scarcity of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. Today’s column provides various views of the Top 100 sorted and grouped along the value of the books. The following lists the Top 100 books by value, and includes the single line summary of the book’s scarcity, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. To assist with printing the list has been split into two parts. Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks Sorted By Value Part A, 50 Books To view the list in high resolution, click on the graphic, below. &nbsp Part B, 50 Books To view the list in high resolution, click on the graphic, below. &nbsp The most valuable book in the list is the first edition Curious George, with an estimated market value ranging from $16,000-$21,000, depending upon the book’s condition. The last recorded sale was in 2007, when a Near Fine first edition sold for $22,000 at a PBA Galleries auction. Even with the escalation in value of collectible picturebooks over the past couple of years, with only a sample size of one sale, I chose a conservative valuation. Another recorded sale would help to cement the market value. Twenty-one of the first edition children’s picturebooks have an estimated market value of at least $2500 in Very Good condition. Remarkably, as the following table shows, ten of the twenty-one books are wri Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 36. Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Part 9 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Stan Zielinski, on 3/6/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each books’ inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. The Most Valuable Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks The previous article focused on the relative scarcity of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. Today’s column provides various views of the Top 100 sorted and grouped along the value of the books. The following lists the Top 100 books by value, and includes the single line summary of the book’s scarcity, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. To assist with printing the list has been split into two parts. Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks Sorted By Value Part A, 50 Books To view the list in high resolution, click on the graphic, below. &nbsp Part B, 50 Books To view the list in high resolution, click on the graphic, below. &nbsp The most valuable book in the list is the first edition Curious George, with an estimated market value ranging from $16,000-$21,000, depending upon the book’s condition. The last recorded sale was in 2007, when a Near Fine first edition sold for $22,000 at a PBA Galleries auction. Even with the escalation in value of collectible picturebooks over the past couple of years, with only a sample size of one sale, I chose a conservative valuation. Another recorded sale would help to cement the market value. Twenty-one of the first edition children’s picturebooks have an estimated market value of at least $2500 in Very Good condition. Remarkably, as the following table shows, ten of the twenty-one books are wri Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 37. Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Part 8 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next Posted on 3/3/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks, Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each book’s inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. The Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks, Redux In the previous article I completed the selection of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks, and a list was provided with the books grouped along the selection strategies. The following lists the Top 100 books in chronological order, includes the ratings for the factors, a single line summary of the rationale for the book’s selection, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. To assist with printing the list has been split into two parts. Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks Sorted Chronologically Part A, 50 Books To view the list in high resolution, click on the graphic, below.   Part B, 50 Books To view the list in high resolution, click on the graphic, below. Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 38. Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Part 8 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Stan Zielinski, on 3/3/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each books’ inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. The Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks, Redux In the previous article I completed the selection of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks, and a list was provided with the books grouped along the selection strategies. The following lists the Top 100 books in chronological order, includes the ratings for the factors, a single line summary of the rationale for the book’s selection, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. To assist with printing the list has been split into two parts. Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks Sorted Chronologically Part A, 50 Books To view the list in high resolution, click on the graphic, below.   Part B, 50 Books To view the list in high resolution, click on the graphic, below.   In a later article I will provide the list sorted by market value, along with some summary statistics related to illustrator, author and such. Today’s topic is scarcity. The Precarious Balance: Scarcity and Demand for First Edition Picturebooks As most experienced book collectors and booksellers know, the scarcity of a book has a major impact on its value in the market. Scarcity in and of itself doe Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 39. Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Part 8 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Stan Zielinski, on 3/3/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each books’ inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. The Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks, Redux In the previous article I completed the selection of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks, and a list was provided with the books grouped along the selection strategies. The following lists the Top 100 books in chronological order, includes the ratings for the factors, a single line summary of the rationale for the book’s selection, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. To assist with printing the list has been split into two parts. Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks Sorted Chronologically Part A, 50 Books To view the list in high resolution, click on the graphic, below.   Part B, 50 Books To view the list in high resolution, click on the graphic, below.   In a later article I will provide the list sorted by market value, along with some summary statistics related to illustrator, author and such. Today’s topic is scarcity. The Precarious Balance: Scarcity and Demand for First Edition Picturebooks As most experienced book collectors and booksellers know, the scarcity of a book has a major impact on its value in the market. Scarcity in and of itself doe Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 40. The Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next Posted on 2/27/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks, Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each book’s inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. The Late Great Debatable Eight In the previous articles I've selected ninety-two of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. Today, the last eight books are selected. As expected, there has been a lot of internal strife concerning each of the eight, what with so many other books to select from, therefore this group of books is affectionately referred to as the Late Great Debatable Eight. The following chart provides a single line summary of the rationale for the book’s selection, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. The list is sorted in chronological order.   The value of several of the 'Late Great Debatable Eight' is higher than many of the books previously selected. To reiterate, value was not the penultimate attribute for a book's inclusion in the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. Since the selection of each of these was so contentious, I'll provide some commentary on each book: Danny And The Dinosaur (1958) is one of Harper & Brothers first books in the 'I Can Read' series, published a year after the Sendak/Minarik's Little Bear. Syd Hoff wrote and illustrated a number of the early 'I Can Read' books, including Julius (1959), Sammy The Seal (1959), Oliver (1960), Stanley (1960), Albert The Albatross (1961), Chester The Horse (1961), and Little Chief (1961), each of which was published prior to Harper & Brothers 1962 merger with Peterson Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 41. Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Part 7 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Stan Zielinski, on 2/27/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each book’s inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. The Late Great Debatable Eight In the previous articles I’ve selected ninety-two of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. Today, the last eight books are selected. As expected, there has been a lot of internal strife concerning each of the eight, what with so many other books to select from, therefore this group of books is affectionately referred to as the Late Great Debatable Eight. The following chart provides a single line summary of the rationale for the book’s selection, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. The list is sorted in chronological order.   The value of several of the ‘Late Great Debatable Eight’ is higher than many of the books previously selected. To reiterate, value was not the penultimate attribute for a book’s inclusion in the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. Since the selection of each of these was so contentious, I’ll provide some commentary on each book: Danny And The Dinosaur (1958) is one of Harper & Brothers first books in the ‘I Can Read’ series, published a year after the Sendak/Minarik’s Little Bear. Syd Hoff wrote and illustrated a number of the early ‘I Can Read’ books, including Julius (1959), Sammy The Seal (1959), Oliver (1960), Stanley (1960), Albert The Albatross (1961), Chester The Horse (1961), and Little Chief (1961), each of which was published prior to Harper & Brothers 1962 merger with Peterson & Row (becoming Harper & Row). I think these early I Can Read books are under appreciated by the hobby. Inch By Inch (1960) and Swimmy (1963) each won Leo Lionni a Caldecott Honor award. I debated between each of these and ground breaking illustrations in Lionni’s first children book, Little Blue and Little Yellow (1959), but thought the Caldecott Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 42. Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Part 7 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Stan Zielinski, on 2/27/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each book’s inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. The Late Great Debatable Eight In the previous articles I’ve selected ninety-two of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. Today, the last eight books are selected. As expected, there has been a lot of internal strife concerning each of the eight, what with so many other books to select from, therefore this group of books is affectionately referred to as the Late Great Debatable Eight. The following chart provides a single line summary of the rationale for the book’s selection, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. The list is sorted in chronological order.   The value of several of the ‘Late Great Debatable Eight’ is higher than many of the books previously selected. To reiterate, value was not the penultimate attribute for a book’s inclusion in the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. Since the selection of each of these was so contentious, I’ll provide some commentary on each book: Danny And The Dinosaur (1958) is one of Harper & Brothers first books in the ‘I Can Read’ series, published a year after the Sendak/Minarik’s Little Bear. Syd Hoff wrote and illustrated a number of the early ‘I Can Read’ books, including Julius (1959), Sammy The Seal (1959), Oliver (1960), Stanley (1960), Albert The Albatross (1961), Chester The Horse (1961), and Little Chief (1961), each of which was published prior to Harper & Brothers 1962 merger with Peterson & Row (becoming Harper & Row). I think these early I Can Read books are under appreciated by the hobby. Inch By Inch (1960) and Swimmy (1963) each won Leo Lionni a Caldecott Honor award. I debated between each of these and ground breaking illustrations in Lionni’s first children book, Little Blue and Little Yellow (1959), but thought the Caldecott Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 43. Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Part 6 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next Posted on 2/26/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks, Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each book’s inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. Almost Nearly No Brainers In the previous articles I've selected nearly seventy of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. The first group of books selected was the Marquis 25, landmarks within the genre, so called 'No Brainers' since they would be on nearly everyone's list of classic American picturebooks. Subsequently, a group of 'Nearly No Brainers' was selected, a description that is self-defining. Another logical step in the process is selecting the books that almost made the group of 'nearly no brainers', which, much to the readers surprise, is fittingly called the 'Almost Nearly No Brainers'.  The 'Almost Nearly No Brainers' have many of the qualities of No Brainers and the Nearly No Brainers, however by comparison, did not have all their brethren's credentials. The following chart provides a single line summary of the rationale for the book’s selection, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. The list is sorted in chronological order.   The value of several of the 'Almost Nearly No Brainers' is higher than many of the books previously selected. To reiterate, value was not the penultimate attribute for a book's inclusion in the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. Some comments on specific books: Wanda Gag's The Funny Thing (1929) was the follow-up book to Millions of Cats (1928), and was very similar in form and format with dynamic double page spreads, black and white, and handwritten te Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 44. Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Part 6 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Stan Zielinski, on 2/26/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each books’ inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. Almost Nearly No Brainers In the previous articles I’ve selected nearly seventy of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. The first group of books selected was the Marquis 25, landmarks within the genre, so called ‘No Brainers’ since they would be on nearly everyone’s list of classic American picturebooks. Subsequently, a group of ‘Nearly No Brainers’ was selected, a description that is self-defining. Another logical step in the process is selecting the books that almost made the group of ‘nearly no brainers’, which, much to the readers surprise, is fittingly called the ‘Almost Nearly No Brainers’.  The ‘Almost Nearly No Brainers’ have many of the qualities of No Brainers and the Nearly No Brainers, however by comparison, did not have all their brethren’s credentials. The following chart provides a single line summary of the rationale for the book’s selection, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. The list is sorted in chronological order.   The value of several of the ‘Almost Nearly No Brainers’ is higher than many of the books previously selected. To reiterate, value was not the penultimate attribute for a book’s inclusion in the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. Some comments on specific books: Wanda Gag’s The Funny Thing (1929) was the follow-up book to Millions of Cats (1928), and was very similar in form and format with dynamic double page spreads, black and white, and handwritten text, helping to establish the picturebook genre. Gag’s ABC Bunny (1933) was another early book in the genre, and in 1934 received a Newbery Honor award from the American Library Association, a couple of years before group initiated the Caldecott Medal to honor this new picturebook form. Alexander The Gander (1939) was Tasha Tudor’s second children&rsq Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 45. Top 100 Collectible Picturebook - Part 5 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next Posted on 2/13/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each book’s inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. A Quick Recap In the previous articles in this series sixty of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks have been selected. As a recap, books have been selected grouped along the following three areas: The Marquis 25, or no-brainers, representing twenty-five of the classics within the picturebook genre The Nearly No-Brainers; books which almost made it into the Marquis 25 Twelve key Caldecott Medal winning books Today's article adds nine Beginner Books to the mix. Beginner Books' Beginnings Up until the mid-1950s, there was a degree of separation between illustrated educational books and illustrated picturebooks. That all changed, dramatically and with much national fanfare, with the 1957 publication of Dr. Seuss’s The Cat In The Hat. Here was an early reader, full of 220 madly rhyming words, which made its way into our elementary school classrooms. The Cat In The Hat is a tremendously important book. Not just an important picturebook or an important children’s book, but an important book without any qualifiers! The publication of the book in 1957 forever changed the way in which children would learn to read and be educated. Reading COULD be fun! Random House published The Cat In The Hat. However, because of its success, Beginner Books was formed as an independent publishing company, with Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, as the president and editor. Beginne Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 46. Top 100 Collectible Picturebook – Part 5 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Stan Zielinski, on 2/13/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each book’s inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. A Quick Recap In the previous articles in this series sixty of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks have been selected. As a recap, books have been selected grouped along the following three areas: The Marquis 25, or no-brainers, representing twenty-five of the classics within the picturebook genre The Nearly No-Brainers; books which almost made it into the Marquis 25 Twelve key Caldecott Medal winning books Today’s article adds nine Beginner Books to the mix. Beginner Books’ Beginnings Up until the mid-1950s, there was a degree of separation between illustrated educational books and illustrated picturebooks. That all changed, dramatically and with much national fanfare, with the 1957 publication of Dr. Seuss’s The Cat In The Hat. Here was an early reader, full of 220 madly rhyming words, which made its way into our elementary school classrooms. The Cat In The Hat is a tremendously important book. Not just an important picturebook or an important children’s book, but an important book without any qualifiers! The publication of the book in 1957 forever changed the way in which children would learn to read and be educated. Reading COULD be fun! Random House published The Cat In The Hat. However, because of its success, Beginner Books was formed as an independent publishing company, with Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, as the president and editor. Beginner Books was chartered as a series of books oriented toward various stages of early reading development. The second book in the series was nearly as popular, The Cat In The Hat Comes Back, published in 1958. Springing from this series of beginning readers were such standards as A Fly Went By (1958), Put Me In The Zoo Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 47. Top 100 Collectible Picturebook - Part 4 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next Posted on 2/9/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks, Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each book’s inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. Key Caldecott Medal Winners In the previous two articles the Marquis 25 and Nearly No-Brainers were selected, accounting for nearly one-half of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. While the selections included several Caldecott Medal books, the award itself was not the crucial ingredient - other factors contributed to the book's inclusion. Given the weighty importance of the Caldecott Medal within the collectible picturebook genre, a low risk strategy is to add key Caldecott Medal books to the Top 100 list. Some might have started their list of Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks with the complete list of the seventy-odd Caldecott Medal winners, then supplemented the list with other key picturebooks. Undeniably this is a viable strategy. I’ve taken another tact, building most of the list without the first edition Caldecott books as the centerpiece. It will be interesting to see the Caldecott's impact once the entire list is completed. I've selected twelve key Caldecott Medal books to add to the Top 100. In most instances the books won the only Caldecott Medal award for a commercially successful children's book illustrator. The selections are a mix of illustrators who won the award at the dawn of their career, and illustrators who won the award toward the dusk of their career. For the former, it begs the question: Was winning the reason for their subsequent success? For the latter: Was their prior success the reason for winning? Consider these questions while reviewing the list. The following provides a single line summary of the rationale for the book’s selection, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. The list is sorted in chronological order.   Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 48. Top 100 Collectible Picturebook – Part 4 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next By: Stan Zielinski, on 2/9/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each books’ inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. Key Caldecott Medal Winners In the previous two articles the Marquis 25 and Nearly No-Brainers were selected, accounting for nearly one-half of the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. While the selections included several Caldecott Medal books, the award itself was not the crucial ingredient – other factors contributed to the book’s inclusion. Given the weighty importance of the Caldecott Medal within the collectible picturebook genre, a low risk strategy is to add key Caldecott Medal books to the Top 100 list. Some might have started their list of Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks with the complete list of the seventy-odd Caldecott Medal winners, then supplemented the list with other key picturebooks. Undeniably this is a viable strategy. I’ve taken another tact, building most of the list without the first edition Caldecott books as the centerpiece. It will be interesting to see the Caldecott’s impact once the entire list is completed. I’ve selected twelve key Caldecott Medal books to add to the Top 100. In most instances the books won the only Caldecott Medal award for a commercially successful children’s book illustrator. The selections are a mix of illustrators who won the award at the dawn of their career, and illustrators who won the award toward the dusk of their career. For the former, it begs the question: Was winning the reason for their subsequent success? For the latter: Was their prior success the reason for winning? Consider these questions while reviewing the list. The following provides a single line summary of the rationale for the book’s selection, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. The list is sorted in chronological order. In reflection, rather than focussing on the title, read through the list of twelve illustrators in the above list. From Slobodkin to Wiesner, top-to-bottom, an impressive group of illustrators!  Louis Slobodkin, Leo Politi, the Dillons, and David Wiesner won their first Caldecott fairly early in their career, while the rest of the illustrators won their lone Caldecott toward the end of their Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 49. Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Part 3 Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | Next Posted on 2/6/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks, Add a tag Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks - Overview A series of articles to select the Top 100 Collectible Children’s Picturebooks, providing the rationale for each book’s inclusion, with an objective of providing readers with the context for valuing first editions within the genre. Within the hobby value is a combination of scarcity and collectibility: very scarce and very desirable lead to very valuable. Scarcity is a function of the number of copies in the first printings and the subsequent attrition over time due to natural causes. Collectibility is more elusive, outlined heretofore as a complex intermingling of eight rated factors. Nearly No Brainers In the previous article the Marquis 25 was selected, the top 25 collectible American picturebooks. Looking back at the list, although some readers might argue whether a book or two belongs in their personal top 25 list, few would quibble with any of the Marquis 25’s inclusion in the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. With the end game in mind, this is good first step: 25 books named, 75 more to go. The next logical step is selecting the books that almost made the Marquis 25. I’ve labeled this next set the 'Nearly No Brainers' an homage to their proximity to greatness. The 'Nearly No Brainers' have many of the qualities of Marquis 25, however by comparison, did not have all the necessary credentials. The following chart provides a single line summary of the rationale for the book’s selection, along with the estimated market price. The market price is for the first edition book with the corresponding first edition dust jacket, both in Very Good or VG+ condition. The list is sorted in chronological order.   The value of several of the 'Nearly No Brainers' is higher than several of the Marquis 25. To reiterate, value was not the penultimate attribute for selection in the Marquis 25 or the Top 100 Collectible American Picturebooks. Some comments on specific books: Angus And The Ducks (1930) was the first of five books in the Angus series, written and illustrated by Marjorie Flack. Flack al Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag 50. Comment on Top 100 Collectible Picturebooks – Part 2 by Christy Add/View Comments | Previous | Top | By: Christy, on 2/6/2011 Blog: Children's Picturebook Price Guide (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags:  Add a tag Hello, I am trying to find some information on rough estimation value of a book I have “Make Way For Ducklings” by Robert McCloskey it is a 1941 Viking Press Date with Robert’s signature under the duck on the main page. The next page has first publish date 1941 second print November 1941 Third print May 1942. The book is rust cloth with a duck in the right hand corner and is in beautiful shape, the comers sleeves of the cover has about an inch torn on two of corners and wearing all around. It has two of the medals off to the left of the book cover. I can not find any of these for sale, I have found one in a preserved library but that is it. Can you help me please? 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