Some consider this the greatest scientific book ever written: The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. Translated into English by Andrew Motte. This is the first English language edition of Isaac Newton's Principia, published in 1729, two years after he died. In it, he set down the laws of motion. Copernicus and Galileo had observed how celestial bodies moved, but Newton gave an explanation why, and showed that the force of gravity which determines the motion of the planets was the same force that operated on Earth. $68,000.
Here's a book with nothing in common with the previous one: Peanuts, by Charles Schulz. Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang appeared in newspapers for half a century, from 1950 through Schulz's death in 2000 (reruns continue to appear but Schulz did not permit anyone to continue the strip after him). It is undoubtedly the most successful comic strip ever. Its popularity was already sufficient to justify this compilation in 1952, the first Peanuts book. This copy has been signed and contains a drawing of Snoopy added by Schulz. $4,500.
