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  • #1

    second hand book question

    I've been searching t'interweb for a used copy of The Pirate Queen by Diana Norman, as a gift for an old lady I used to work for, and am astounded at the prices - anything from £35 up to a couple of hundred

    What is it about this book that makes it so valuable? I know it's out of print, but so are lots of 2nd hand (my favourite kind!) books. This one must be almost worth its weight in gold! Why???
    Location - Leicestershire - Chisit-land
    Endless wonder.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Do you (or your lady) read German? Green Metropolis

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    • #3
      School German only, but I've managed to bag the one English copy off the German Amazon site for a trifling £11.46 - hurrah! Tried the US, Australian, Canadian, French, and Italian sites, but their copies were in the hundreds. What is it about this book?
      Location - Leicestershire - Chisit-land
      Endless wonder.

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      • #4
        Guess it is the author as a similar one by Judith Cook - Pirate Queen the Life of Grace O'Malley - on Amazon is £11.50.

        So it has to be down to the author, why I have no idea.

        Amazon

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        • #5
          But all her other books sell in the region of a tenner or less. As far as I know it's not the last book she wrote either. I know she was hugely popular in her day. Why doesn't the publisher re-issue it?
          Location - Leicestershire - Chisit-land
          Endless wonder.

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          • #6
            I was after a book that was over £100 online. I kept it in my wish list, that I look at from time to time. Lo and behold, some copies appeared for less than £20.
            No idea how the pricing structure works, but I'll always wait awhile rather than buy at stupid prices.
            All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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            • #7
              I am guessing it was a short print run and that the author has a hardcore fan base. I have a big collection of craft books and belong to a couple of somewhat nerdy online groups. The money some of my fellow members will pay for an OOP book of knitting patterns is astounding (I'm talking 200 quid and more!). Like TS says, unless you're absolutely desperate, the waiting game works very well. My greatest triumph in the field was spotting a book that at the time was selling for over 100 pounds on a site where the owners literally bought books by the skipfull and sold them all at a penny each
              I was feeling part of the scenery
              I walked right out of the machinery
              My heart going boom boom boom
              "Hey" he said "Grab your things
              I've come to take you home."

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              • #8
                Originally posted by mothhawk View Post
                I know she was hugely popular in her day.
                Still is - she currently writes Mediaeval murder mysteries under the name Ariana Franklin - Mistress of the Art of Death series.

                I remember reading a book about Grainne O'Malley called The Pirate Queen but I think it was Morgan Llewellen who wrote it.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Plot10 View Post
                  Still is - she currently writes Mediaeval murder mysteries under the name Ariana Franklin - Mistress of the Art of Death series.
                  .
                  Don't think she's writing much these days! Diana Norman obituary | Books | The Guardian

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by veggiechicken View Post
                    Don't think she's writing much these days! Diana Norman obituary | Books | The Guardian
                    Oh no, I really enjoyed her recent series, such a shame there'll be no more.

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                    • #11
                      There is an Author, often co-author, of several astronomy books. Stephen James O'Meara.
                      His book "The Caldwell Objects" is going for just over £500, the others that he has produced are what most would call normal price, £20-30. There is no real difference in the books in a general sense that I can see so why the cost difference is another puzzle in the astronomy area.

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                      • #12
                        Pessimist that I am, I knew it was too good to be true. Amazon.de have refunded the money because the book was wrongly priced at 9.96 euros instead of 99,96 euros. Bummocks
                        Location - Leicestershire - Chisit-land
                        Endless wonder.

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                        • #13
                          What a swizz, MH! If ever I see this book in a charity shop I shall be snapping it up (and you can have first dibs on it )
                          Perhaps we should start listing books that are worth buying at the right price

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