1,000 Years Of Proofs

[poohcarrot]

Uncorrected Proofs

Love 'em. Love searching for 'em. Love haggling for 'em. Love reading 'em and finding mistakes.

The Challenge :dance:

To get a collection of uncorrected proofs by the world's most famous authors (TP excluded) with a combined age of 1,000 years.

Rules :dance:

- The author must be world famous
- One book per author
- time limit = 1 year

Problem

A lot of books don't have proofs and those that do tend to be a bit pricey - way out of my price range.

Solution :dance:

Instead of getting hold of a major work by a specific author, I'll try for an obscure book, the tattier and more battered the cheaper.

Update

I have two so far.

George Orwell - 66 years old
Arthur C Clarke - 50 years old.

I have paid for another two and am watching a further two.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Is that on Ebay UK or the USA one Pooh.

 

[poohcarrot]

The two I'm watching are on abebooks. :dance:

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Which Ebay do you put your books for sale on. :

 

[poohcarrot]

Usually UK. :dance:
Is US better?

 

[raisindot]

Global listings routinely show up in search on the U.S. Ebay site if you have your settings set to show international sellers, so you may not have to double post on the U.S. site. I did a search for "Johnny and the Dead" and most of the listings are for UK sellers. I didn't look through all of them to see if yours showed up. If you want to give me a full time of your auction listing that might help me find it I can see if shows up in the immediate list or whether you have to click on "Show more international results" to see a larger list.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

I don't know as I've only viewed them.

 

[Quatermass]

Okay, I have to ask, what's the point?

Seriously. I can understand getting a first edition, especially if it's signed and all. And maybe having the original manuscript the author wrote is a major collectable. But a proof? It seems like the sort of collectable only an extreme masochist would collect. Now, I'm both a collector and a masochist (or else I wouldn't be posting in a thread with Pooh in it), but this is like collecting Terry Pratchett's hair and toenail clippings, only significantly less creepy. :|

 

[poohcarrot]

First editions are boring. There are usually thousands of 'em. :dance:
Manuscripts are way too expensive. :dance:
Proofs strike a happy medium between the two. They are much, much rarer than first editions and they contain mistakes that you'd find in a manuscript. :dance:

It's the thrill of the chase.... :dance:

...and I'm a masochist. :dance:

(If I weren't a masochist, why would I be replying to such an inane comment?)
:dance: :dance: :dance:

 

[poohcarrot]

...let me give you an example of their rarity. :dance:

On abebooks, search for Enid Blyton, there'll be 64,272 books.
Now search for Enid Blyton first edition, there'll be 6,605.
Now search for Enid Blyton proof, there'll be 6, of which only one is an uncorrected proof.
A proof which I have already paid for, so there are in fact zero Enid Blyton proofs on abebooks.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Quite a few people I know collect proofs or in the States they are known as ARC's (advanced reading copies) a few people collect them as they regard them as the true 1st edition.

 

[poohcarrot]

Shhhhh! Don't tell Q. He thinks they're toe nail clippings! :dance:

 

[Quatermass]

.......

:|