1888 The National Farmer's and Housekeeper's Cyclopaedia

[azzaro]

Hiya all. Found this book and paid $5 after negotiating. Google search says no copies were ever auctioned or on sale anywhere at the moment. Only electronic copies available in archives and you have to pay to download the images!!.

It is a First Edition which I am told in book value terms is a major value booster and makes it extremely collectible.

Pic#2 (Date of printing of this book: 1888) and pic#3 (Copyright: 1888; It's the pic of the page after title page in pic#2) have the same date which tells me it's a First Edition. A great find..I think.

[waywardangler]

Sounds like a good buy if it interests you. I bet it has some great illustrations. Not sure of the value on the secondary market. A new copy is $33. if there is a demand for a new copy, there must be collectors that want a first edition.

[azzaro]

It has some FANTASTIC illustrations!. A 125 year old book; A newer copy won't necessarily be this exact version, I think. When it first came out in 1888, I bet all the farmers everywhere wanted one of these and tried to get one I am sure!.

[waywardangler]

Personally, I would be inclined to keep it for reference and to read, but that is just me. I love books, especially with lots of illustrations.

[azzaro]

I have a small library at home with over 5000 fiction and non-fiction books from 1910-Present, on almost every subject imaginable except Harlequin Romance ones....lol!. This book would be the oldest one in my collection for the moment..till I find one older than this one. I will see if I can get it appraised after a few months. I am gonna read through some of the interesting stuff in here till then.

[sapphire]

Ditto on wayward's post!! Amazing reference book. You absolutely MUST keep it.......cause there'll be a lot of "what is it's" showing up here that might be found in it. 

[waywardangler]

Yes and some of those "what is it?" just never seem to be identified because the right reference has not been referenced...yet.

[KC]

Totally agree with waywardangler!  I would keep it!  What a find!!!!!!!!

[azzaro]

Ok, I will keep it. It is worth about $250 I am told. Paid only $5 for it. Let me know if anybody needs any info from it.

[Skinny]

There are three copy's of this edition by this publisher on abebooks.com . They range in price from $20 to $116. The lowest priced is a copy in "Poor" condition, the highest priced is a copy in "Very good" condition. Your copy's worth about $15 to $20. These type of books were very popular in the late 1800's. They were usually meant to be be your one source for all the practical information you would ever need. I have something similar that I picked up for $5 at a flea market, in a similarly well used and rough condition. It has info on everything from how to make your own soap to how to raise livestock or cure disease's ( I wouldn't try any of these cures). They are fascinating pieces of history!

[talesofthesevenseas]

Pre-1900 cookbooks are also often loaded with really interesting household and medical information. They packed all kinds of practical knowledge of the time into these books so that they are part cookbook, part home remedies and part almanac. I have been having the best time collecting old cookbooks and trying out the recipes. (not the medical stuff though!) I've got one cookbook that was co-authored by a medicine show pitch man and another I just ordered that was put out by Hood's Liver Pills. Although these mass info books were common, they are a fascinating glimpse into society and are very telling about what life was like then. Personally I think the real value in these books is not monetary, but historical.

[azzaro]

I agree. The book has more historical value than monetary value. Here is a link to find info on just about any book anywhere:

http://www.bookfinder.com