Rare Book Monthly

Articles - January - 2007 Issue

BookFinder Lists Top 10 Used and Out of Print Books for 2006

What is commonly called the "Madonna Sex Book" is BookFinder's most sought after title.

What is commonly called the "Madonna Sex Book" is BookFinder's most sought after title.


By Michael Stillman

Internet book finding website BookFinder has released its top 10 list of the most sought after used and out of print books for 2006. Being a site where buyers can search many bookselling websites at once for used and old books, BookFinder knows exactly which books searchers want. What emerges is an unusual collection. There are no great classics of literature or notable works of history, but there is self-help, pop interest, a book related to a successful film, and -- surprise, surprise -- sex. The one thing these books have in common is they are hard to find. That, undoubtedly, is why they are so heavily searched. They are not readily available, and where they can be found, the prices are quite high for books of this sort. Now, as to why these books are so sought after, we'll let you reach your own conclusions. For the most part, they seem to lie in that netherland, popular enough to have a devoted following, but not quite popular enough to reprint. Now, here we go, and with a thanks to BookFinder for compiling this interesting list.

10. The list starts with a very hard to find obscurity, One Way Up, a story about helicopter development by John Straubel, published by the Hiller Aircraft Company in 1964.

9. Once a Runner, the 1978 cult classic by John L. Parker that has been praised by many of the great distance runners. A lot of people must be long-distance runners, at least in their dreams.

8. The Secret of Perfect Living, a re-discovered 1963 self-help obscurity by James Mangan, shows how focusing on words can help you achieve everything you desire, or something like that.

7. The Lion's Paw, an out of print children's adventure story about a search for a lucky seashell by Robb White.

6. The Principles of Knitting, a 1988 book by June Hemmons Hiatt which will tell you everything you want to know about needlework, and perhaps a lot more.

5. Treasury of Great Recipes by Mary and Vincent Price, published in 1964. Vincent Price was the great horror movie actor, making you wonder whether these recipes are horrific or good for poisoning people (actually, Price was an accomplished cook and gourmand too).

4. Man in Black, a 1975 autobiography by legendary country singer Johnny Cash, whose life story was made into a film this past year.

3. Touch Me Again, a 1978 collection of poetry from weight loss, skin care, jewelry, food, apparel, and anything else she can sell guru and one-time "Three's Company" star Suzanne Sommers.

2. Football Scouting Methods, a 1963 book by longtime Navy Assistant Football Coach Steve Belichick, who died shortly before 2006 began. One person who undoubtedly learned from this book is his son, three-time Super Bowl winning New England coach Bill Belichick.

1. Sex, a 1992 book by Madonna, BookFinder describes as a "perennial favorite." This book, filled with photographs that could be called either art or pornography, depending on your point of view, was published to accompany her 1992 CD "Erotica." The controversial item has not been republished since, leaving used copies the only source for this strange classic from the ultimate pop queen of music, film, and now books.

Rare Book Monthly

  • Bonhams, Dec. 17: Kelmscott Chaucer: The Finest Book Since the Gutenberg Bible. $60,000 - $90,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 17: Inscribed by William Morris to Edward Burne-Jones. Poems Chosen out of the Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. $10,000 - $15,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 17: Morris's Original Manuscript Title-Page Design for Rosetti. Ballads and Narrative Poems. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 17: Printed on Vellum: The Founding of the Kelmscott Press. $30,000 - $50,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 17: Inscribed by William Morris to Edward Burne-Jones. Voragine, Jacobus De. The Golden Legend. $10,000 - $15,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 17: Inscribed by William Morris to Edward Burne-Jones. Lull, Ramon. The Order of Chivalry. $10,000 - $15,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 17: Inscribed by William Morris to Swinburne. Morris, William, translator. Tale of King Florus and the Fair Jehane. $4,000 - $6,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 17: Printed on Vellum: One of Only 15 Copies. Morris, William, translator. Of the Friendship of Amis and Amile. $15,000 - $25,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 17: Inscribed by William Morris to Rudyard Kipling. The Book of Wisdom and Lies. $10,000 - $15,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 17: William Morris Association Copy in Fine Binding. Morris, William. Child Christopher and Goldilind at the Fair. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 17: Morris, William. 1834-1896. The Earthly Paradise. $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 17: Nuremberg Chronicle. Schedel, Hartmann. 1440-1514. $30,000 - $50,000
  • Dominic Winter Auctioneers
    Printed Books, Maps & Ephemera
    Printing Woodblocks by Thomas & John Bewick
    12 December 2024
    Dominic Winter, Dec. 12: Gell (William). The Topography of Troy, and its Vicinity, 1804. £2,000 to £3,000.
    Dominic Winter, Dec. 12: Low (David). The Breeds of the Domestic Animals of the British Islands, 1842. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Dominic Winter, Dec. 12: North America. Moll (Herman)..., This Map of North America..., circa 1725. £1,000 to £1,500.
    Dominic Winter Auctioneers
    Printed Books, Maps & Ephemera
    Printing Woodblocks by Thomas & John Bewick
    12 December 2024
    Dominic Winter, Dec. 12: Bible [English]. [The Holie Bible conteynyng the Olde Testament and the Newe, 1568]. £3,000 to £5,000.
    Dominic Winter, Dec. 12: Chaucer (Geoffrey). The Workes of Our Ancient and Learned English Poet, newly Printed, 1602. £1,500 to £2,000. £1,500 to £2,000.
    Dominic Winter, Dec. 12: Cuffee (Paul). Memoir of Captain Paul Cuffee, A Man of Color, Liverpool, 1811. £300 to £500.
    Dominic Winter Auctioneers
    Modern First Editions & Illustrated Books, Playing Cards, Toys & Games
    13 December 2024
    Dominic Winter, Dec. 13: Milne (A. A.) The House at Pooh Corner, signed limited edition, 1928. £3,000 to £5,000.
    Dominic Winter, Dec. 13: Huxley (Aldous). Brave New World, limited signed edition, 1932. £2,000 to £3,000.
    Dominic Winter, Dec. 13: Orwell (George). Animal Farm, 1st edition, 1945. £2,000 to £3,000.
    Dominic Winter Auctioneers
    Modern First Editions & Illustrated Books, Playing Cards, Toys & Games
    13 December 2024
    Dominic Winter, Dec. 13: Rowling (J. K.). Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1st edition, 1st impression, 1997. £30,000 to £50,000.
    Dominic Winter, Dec. 13: Tolkien (J. R. R.) The Lord of the Rings, 3 volumes, 1st edition, 1954-55. £2,000 to £3,000.
    Dominic Winter, Dec. 13: Wells (H. G.) The War of the Worlds, 1st edition, 1st issue, 1898. £1,000 to £1,500.
  • Sotheby's
    Fine Books, Manuscripts & More
    Discover Upcoming Auctions
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 9: Coronelli, Vincenzo Maria. "Epitome Cosmografica." With the 6 circular celestial and terrestrial charts. 7,000 – 10,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 9: Hurley, Frank. Collection of 69 photographs taken during Ernest Shackleton's Endurance Expedition. 80,000 – 120,000 USD
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 10: Sendak, Maurice. Original artwork for the inaugural "New York is Book Country" poster, 1979. 300,000 – 600,00 USD
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 10: [Brontë, Emily, and Ann Brontë] — Ellis Bell and Acton Bell. An outstanding survival of the sisters' debut novels Estimate. 90,000 - 130,000 USD
  • Bonhams, Dec. 18: A Very Fine Composite Atlas Magnificently Illuminated and Heightened with Gold in a Fine Contemporary Hand Throughout. $300,000 - $500,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 18: Saint-Exupéry's Revised Ending for Wind, Sand and Stars. $40,000 - $60,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 18: Edith Wharton's Gold Medal from the National Institute of Arts and Letters, 1924. $20,000 - $30,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 18: Salinger on the Glass Family and on Detachment. $10,000 - $15,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 18: Fanny Burney's Groundbreaking First Novel. Evelina, Or a Young Lady's Entrance into the World. $10,000 - $15,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 18: Kafka's Earliest Extant Piece of Writing. Autograph Note Signed ("Franz Kafka"). $10,000 - $15,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 18: Wagner Signed "Ride of the Valkries." $6,000 - $9,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 18: Dickens on the Death of Little Nell. $5,000 - $8,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 18: Sylvia Plath's Copy of Joy of Cooking. $4,000 - $6,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 18: Walt Whitman and Friends: Whitman to James Russell Lowell. $8,000 - $12,000
    Bonhams, Dec. 18: Walt Whitman and Friends: The Genesis of his Lincoln Lectures. $6,000 - $9,000
  • Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 11-12: A Rare Complete Run of the Cuala Press Broadsides. €5,500 to €7,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 11-12: Rare First Edition of a Classic Work. [Stafford (Thos.)] Pacata Hibernia, Ireland Appeased and Reduced…, 1633. €1,500 to €2,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 11-12: Yeats (W.B.) The Poems of W.B. Yeats, 2 vols. Lond. (MacMillan & Co.) 1949. Signed by author, limited edition. €1,250 to €1,750.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 11-12: Fishing: Literal Translation into English of the Earliest Known Book on Fowling and Fishing, Written originally in Flemish and Printed at Antwerp in 1492. London (Chiswick Press) 1872. €1,500 to €2,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 11-12: Fishing: Blacker's - Art of Fly Making, etc., Comprising Angling & Dying of Colours..., Rewritten & Revised. Lond. 1855. €250 to €350.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 11-12: Joyce (James). Finnegans Wake,, London (Faber & Faber Ltd.) 1939, Lim. Edn. No. 269 (425) copies, Signed by the Author (in green pen). €3,000 to €4,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 11-12: Synge (J.M.) & Yeats (Jack B.) illus. The Aran Islands,, D. (Maunsel & Co. Ltd.) 1907, Signed Limited Edn. €4,000 to €5,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 11-12: Meyer (Dr. A.B.) Unser Auer -, Rackel-Und Birkwild und Seine Abarten, Wien (Verlag Von Adolph W. Kunast) 1887. €2,500 to €3,500.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 11-12: Carve (Thomas). Itinerarium R.D. Thomas Carve Tripperariensis, Sacellani Maioris in Fortisima iuxta…,, Moguntia (Mainz) impriemebat Nicolaus Heyll, 1639. €1,500 to €2,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 11-12: Grose (Francis). The Antiquities of Ireland, 2 vols. folio London (for S. Hooper) 1791. First Edition. €3,000 to €5,000.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 11-12: Heaney (Seamus) & Le Brocquy (Louis) artist. Ugolino, D. (Dolmen Press) 1979, Signed Limited Edition No. 87 (125) Copies. €3,500 to €4,500.
    Fonsie Mealy’s, Dec. 11-12: Heaney (Seamus). Eleven Poems, Belfast (Festival publications - Queens University) [1965], First Edn., (First Issue) Signed. €2,500 to €3,500.

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