Bookshop

Simon Who?

by Jeff Hill

I sold my first Simon Clark book in November 2000. It was only the fifth book I had sold as my fledgling business started to find its feet. The previous four books had raised the princely sum of $100 (£65) and here was a gentleman in the States willing to part with the same amount of cash for a single book as my first four book sales had made altogether.

The book? A First Edition of Blood Crazy.

In a way, it was the sale of that book that convinced me that bookselling was what I wanted to do having had to give up my "proper job" through ill-health.

Now I have to admit that, at that stage, Simon Clark was a new name to me but it soon became apparent that the demand for Clark books was a phenomenon for which I was woefully unprepared. Particularly when the next two books I sold – Firsts of King Blood and Vampyrrhic – generated an amazing amount of interest when I first advertised them on my website. I sold both those books to one buyer for – wait for it – $100 (£65) the pair! Talk about wet behind the ears.

If only I had known then what I know now.

But it was the requests from dealers and collectors from Carmarthen to California to let them have notice if I had more Simon Clark books to sell that made me think I had better do some research.

I picked up a paperback copy of Darker at a car boot sale (yes, I do visit car boot sales! Doesn't everybody?) and read it. A couple of things struck me. First, I couldn't put it down. But secondly, much of the action was taking place in my home town and in and around the area where I was brought up. I was hooked.

I started my own collection and in September, 2001, I was privileged to meet up with Simon through a mutual friend from the States and I learned that Simon not only came from the same home town as me but he actually lived in the next street as a youngster.

I have sold many Simon Clark books (and the odd manuscript or two) since then and at prices that reflect the demand for his work. This piece is intended to give you, the reader, my personal view of what your First Editions of Darker, King Blood, Blood Crazy, etc. might be worth and what you might expect to pay for other works by our Simon.

I shall refer to book condition and other bits and pieces that are common parlance in the bookselling world and I have included a few definitions at the end of the piece for those who perhaps are just starting to collect and also for completeness.

I intend to concentrate on Simon's novels rather than try to provide you with a complete bibliography. I would refer you to Paul Miller's excellent compilation – Simon Clark, A Working Bibliography – if you require a comprehensive listing (details at http://www.earthlingpub.com). I will not exclude all non-novel items as I think some examples, particularly where values are concerned, might be useful.

In all cases that follow, I am assuming a First Edition hardback and a FINE book in a FINE, unpriceclipped dustjacket. Almost invariably, the prices at the top end of a range are for books currently on sale in the USA. The estimated prices shown are based on actual asking prices as they appear on the Internet at the end of August 2002.

You should also look out for Collections (Blood & Grit), Chapbooks (such as Derelict of Death and Annabelle Says) and genre magazines (Scaremonger Skeleton Crew, Darklands and others) featuring Simon's short stories. (Don't dismiss these first appearances in print of Simon's short stories. A collector recently paid $75 (£50) for a magazine containing Simon's "Sacrifice" – and I think I underpriced it! Mind you, Simon had signed it! There are also a number of publications for which Simon has written an introduction or to which he has contributed as an essayist. Again I would refer you to Paul Miller's Working Bibliography.

Finally, the avid collector is bound to have an interest in the original manuscripts of Simon's novels and short stories. I have been fortunate to have several of these highly collectable items pass through my hands. Novel manuscripts are pricey, but unique. Less expensive but as equally unique are the original manuscripts of Simon's short stories. You could expect to pay between $620 (£400) and $1300 plus (£850) for a full-length novel manuscript amended in Simon's own hand and around $160 (£100) for a similarly annotated short-story manuscript.

There are a few things you should always remember:

  1. Like any other commodity, the value of a book is, for the most part, determined by its rarity and/or availability.
  2. A further determinant is how much you are prepared to pay. If a First Edition of Vampyrrhic is all you need to complete your collection, you might be prepared to pay "over the odds".
  3. You can find copies of Simon's books out there at prices much less than I have quoted if you are prepared or have the time to look. But this only demonstrates that the seller is not aware of the value of diamond he is holding. I picked up my first copy of a First Edition of King Blood in a "bring-it-back-and-get-another-one-half-price" bookshop for $7 (£4)!!! (However, I have also paid $210 (£140) for my own personal First Edition of Darker.)
  4. Always go for the best condition book you can afford. Many collectors (particularly of, say, "Golden Age" crime fiction) will take a "Reading Copy" of that elusive Agatha Christie if it fills the blank space on the bookshelf until something better turns up.
  5. Books can be an investment. (If only I'd bought a First of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone six or seven years ago for $25 £14.99 or whatever, I would now have an asset worth in excess of $23,000 (£15,000)!! Beats the old TESSA saving account into a cocked hat.

My last few words on the subject are these.

I leave you with this one final thought:

How can such a nice, charming man write such chilling and bloody novels?

All the best.

Jeff Hill
Jeff'n'Joys Quality Used Books
http://www.jeffnjoys.co.uk


Definitions

MINT (M):
The book is in perfect condition. It is complete with its dustjacket and is impossible to tell from a new copy. Dustjacket: As new.
 
FINE (F):
The book appears to be in excellent condition. Closer examination, however, will show evidence of ownership and storage. There may also be a small inscription to the previous owner but generally the book is in near perfect condition. Dustjacket: As new but with very slight rubbing at the corners.
 
VERY GOOD (VG):
Slightly less than fine condition. Apart from slight foxing (see "FOXING") or fading, the book has no faults. Dustjacket: Clean with excellent colouring but with slight rubbing to most edges and corners.
 
GOOD (G):
It is obvious that the book is second-hand. However, apart from minor faults, it must always be assumed that books in Good condition are complete in all respects, unless described otherwise. Dustjacket: Fairly clean with almost perfect colouring but suffering from marks, slight creasing and other signs of wear. Most of the edges are rubbed or have very small tears in them.
 
POOR:
A book in this category is in really bad condition. It may be warped, the preliminary pages may be missing and the spine irreparably damaged. The text is complete but the book is really only suitable to read (Sometimes referred to as a "Reading Copy"). Dustjacket: Tatty and grubby and may well be marked, creased and badly torn.
 
PRICECLIPPED:
the publisher's price (normally appearing at the bottom right-hand corner of the front inside flap of the dustjacket) has been removed.
 
FOXING:
Small brown spots that can appear on the faces of pages or along the edges – sometimes quite extensive (but not to be confused with tanning/browning).
 
TANNING:
This is an overall discolouration of pages starting at the edges but which in some cases can turn the whole of the pages brown. Books from certain publishers are particularly prone to tanning.

This page was posted on 9 October 2002.