If a book is autographed or was written before the author became famous, its price usually shoots up

November 6, 1999
Web posted at: 1:33 a.m. EST (0633 GMT)

From CNNfn's Hala Gorani

LONDON (CNN) -- Book lovers discovered what their lifelong passion was worth in cash Friday when they put about 3,000 titles on the famous auction block at Christie's.

"It is very representative. There's a bit of everything -- detective fiction, poetry, literature, adventure. In a way, I think it's a fun collection," book collector Peter Bologna said. "It's not a terribly literary or pompous collection. There's just a bit of everything."

First editions are the initially published hardback version of a book. A copy of "Lucky Jim," by Kingsley Amis, sold for more than $4,000, for example.

A mint condition dust jacket can double the value of a book. If the first edition was written before the author became famous, its value is likely to increase.

Even the way a book is autographed by the author could increase its worth.

"Particularly if it's autographed to a friend of the author, or to the mother of the author, or the sister, or to a fellow writer perhaps," said Nicholas Worskett, of Christie's. "It can increase the value by say, 10 times."

According to some experts, the time to invest in contemporary fiction could be now, while the books are still affordable.

Auction bidders seemed to agree. The sale yielded a larger- than-anticipated $200,000.