As a child I attended many auctions and antiques fairs with my mother looking for stock for her small antique shop near Ilkley. I soon decided I would like to collect something, so I decided to buy a 1st edition Winnie the Pooh, Beatrix Potter and other children’s books. Back in the day these could be brought quite cheaply, and I soon had quite a collection!

I wish I still had then but I sold them through auction when I got married to help with the deposit on our house and made quite a profit on my investment!

Almost every home has a shelf or a bookcase of books but how do you know if they are worth anything? Well, that’s a difficult question to answer but here are a few pointers. Generally speaking, the older the better. People often collect a certain topic that they are interested in or a hobby such as gardening, natural history, fishing, needlework, cricket etc so books on these topics are always sought after and if they are well illustrated this often adds interest and usually value. Books on places are also collected often with fascinating early photographs of places or drawings of bygone days. Cookery books are another area which are sought after such as Mrs Beeton’s which is very large volume packed with fascinating recipes.

Here at Sheffield Auction Gallery we recently sold three really interesting recipe books dating from 1732 which sold for a fantastic price of £880. They were discovered in a local house clearance amongst other more ordinary books and the family were certainly very pleased with the outcome.

More modern books such as Ian Fleming “James Bond” series of books are very collectable if they are first editions and can fetch several hundred pounds at auction. The Harry Potter books are another example of books that sell well at auction if they are 1st editions and are signed by the author.

And here are few things to avoid. Generally speaking novels and literature were printed in large numbers so unless they are 1st editions or special editions they usually don’t have a great value, encyclopaedia’s and general knowledge books, ex-library or inscribed books are less sought after and condition is always key.

The hobby of book collecting is called bibliophila. Here are a few tips on how to start. Pick a topic that interests you and then narrow it down to specific author or period. Alternatively books illustrated by a particular artist such as Arthur Rackham or books about a particular railway line or place. Always buy the best you can afford; condition is very important try and find good clean examples. It is better to have a small collection of quality books rather than a larger inferior collection.

If you would like to collect modern books Folio society books are a good area for collecting. They usually come in a slip case, sometimes in a limited edition and often beautifully illustrated. These can easily be brought through book sellers and of course at auction.