BOLO - A Game of Thrones 1st Edition

The other day I was doing some research in the Anitquarian and Collectibles Books category on ebay. One thing I want to learn more about is how to correctly describe a books condition. When you sell books and you are asking a good amount of money for a book you need to be able to accurately describe its flaws.  In order to do that you need to know the parts of a book, how books are rated and what the terms are which are used to describe flaws…some I've learned are 'bumped', 'foxing', 'rubbing'. 

The most I've ever made on a book was $100 on an early edition Walt Whitman that I chanced upon in a very small thrift store. The buyer left feedback and said the book was better than I described. I think I was so afraid of not representing it accurately that I probably overstated its flaws. I'd rather do that than the other way around. 

It's fascinating to read the descriptions written by experienced collectible book sellers. And it is amazing the books that are sold on ebay. Very rare books that go for thousands of dollars. So the other day I decided to spend a little time perusing the category and quickly noticed a BOLO which surprised me, A Game of Thrones (my brain always reads this as A Game of Thorns). I've heard of the tv show Game of Thrones and I know it is really popular but that's as much as i know. I can't even tell you what it is about. Well it's based on a novel of the same name written in 1996. A first edition goes for $400+ dollars. You can bet I'll be looking for that from now on. It's got a silver dust jacket that should be easy to spy on a shelf of books and then a look inside will tell you if it is a first edition.

Here is a pic 

from this listing

and the sold listings. If it's signed you've really hit gold but either way a definite BOLO. Do any of you watch the show? Read the book? Maybe you have a first edition sitting on your own shelf?!