Reference Works on Collectible Fiction
A curated list of price guides, bibliographies, and collectors' guides relating to collectible fiction. Most of these titles are out of print — search ABEBooks or Biblio for used copies.
Ahearn, Allen and Ahearn, Patricia — Book Collecting 2000: A Comprehensive Guide
Regular revisions. Putnam Publishing Group. 480 pages.
Prices listed are almost exclusively for authors' first books — generally the most valuable. Also has much additional material of interest to both collectors and booksellers.
Ahearn, Allen and Ahearn, Patricia — Collected Books: The Guide to Values
Regular revisions. Putnam Publishing Group. 832 pages.
A substantial price guide focused on modern first editions. While no price guide is perfectly accurate, the Ahearns are widely considered among the most knowledgeable in the field.
Ahearn, Allen and Ahearn, Patricia — Author Price Guides
Available as individual lists or complete sets. Contains sample signatures, brief biographical sketches, and information on identifying the first US and UK editions for each author.
Barlow, Ronald S., Reynolds, Ray, and Barlow, Ron — The Insider's Guide to Old Books, Magazines, Newspapers and Trade Catalogs: 21,000 Items Priced by Dealers and Collectors
1995. Windmill Publishing. 455 pages.
Bergen, James A. Jr. — A Price and Reference Guide to Books Written by Edgar Rice Burroughs
1999. The Golden Lion. 604 pages.
Blanck, Jacob (volumes 8 & 9 by Michael Winship) — Bibliography of American Literature
Generally known as BAL, and widely referenced by both booksellers and collectors. Nine volumes total. If you sell or collect American literature, this is an invaluable set.
Bleiler, Everett F. — The Checklist of Fantastic Literature: A Bibliography of Fantasy, Weird, and Science Fiction Books
1948. Chicago. Shasta Publishers. 455 pages.
Bradley, Van Allen — The Book Collector's Handbook of Values, 1982–83
1982. New York. Putnam's.
Largely superseded by the Ahearns' Collected Books: The Guide to Values.
Breese, Martin — Breese's Guide to Modern First Editions
1999. Breese Books. 304 pages.
Brown, Susan Windisch (editor) — Contemporary Novelists
1995. St. James Press. 1,173 pages.
Bruccoli, Matthew J., Clark, C.E. Frazer Jr., Layman, Richard, and Franklin, Benjamin V. (editors) — First Printings of American Authors: Contributions Toward Descriptive Checklists
1977–89. Detroit. Gale Research. Five volumes.
Burgess, Michael — Reference Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
Cole, Michael (editor) — Annual Register of Book Values: Modern First Editions; Literature
Published in England by the Clique. A good source of information on British imprints. No longer available in book form; a CD compilation of the entire ARBV series is available.
Collins, Richard L. (editor) — Mandeville's Used Book Price Guide
Regular revisions. An aid in ascertaining current retail prices of rare, scarce, used and out-of-print books.
Connolly, Joseph — Modern First Editions: Their Value to Collectors
1987.
A British publication with a heavy preponderance of UK authors and editions. Covers relatively few authors, but lists almost all titles for those it does cover.
Cooper, John and Pike, Barry A. — Detective Fiction: The Collector's Guide
1994. Scolar Press. 212 pages.
The original edition covered 105 authors; this expanded second edition covers 157.
Flanagan, Maurice — Paperbacks USA & UK, Vol. 1
1997. Zardoz Books. 44 pages.
Fogel, Al — Charles Bukowski: A Comprehensive Price-Guide & Checklist, 1944–1999
1999. Glenn Daniels Publishing Corporation. 228 pages.
Foord, Peter — Collins Crime Club: A Checklist of the First Editions
1987. Dragonby.
Gnarowski, Michael — A Concise Bibliography of English-Canadian Literature
1973. 127 pages.
Small but genuinely useful for older Canadian fiction. Also listed under Reference Works on Canadiana.
Hancer, Kevin — Hancer's Price Guide to Paperback Books
Several editions produced.
Howlett-West, Stephanie — The Inter-Galactic Price Guide to Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror
20,000 entries.
Huxford, Sharon and Huxford, Bob — Huxford's Old Book Value Guide
Annual. Many lower-priced items — useful for finding prices for more common titles.
Huxford, Sharon and Huxford, Bob — Huxford's Paperback Value Guide
1994. Collector Books.
Jaffery, Sheldon R. — Horrors and Unpleasantries: A Bibliographical History and Collector's Price Guide to Arkham House Publications
1983. Bowling Green State University. 145 pages.
Johnson, Merle (revised by Jacob Blanck) — American First Editions
Leab, Katharine and Leab, Daniel (editors) — American Book Prices Current
Annual. Bancroft-Parkman.
Lecker, Robert and David, Jack — The Annotated Bibliography of Canada's Major Authors
G.K. Hall. Multiple volumes. Also listed under Reference Works on Canadiana.
Lee, Thomas R. — 20th Century First Edition Fiction: A Price and Identification Guide
2000. Book Emporium Press. 252 pages.
Lefontaine, Joseph Raymond — A Handbook for Booklovers: A Survey of Collectible Authors, Books, and Values
1988. Prometheus Books. 612 pages.
Lefontaine, Joseph Raymond — The Collector's Bookshelf Value Guide
1991. Prometheus Books. 113 pages.
A companion volume to A Handbook for Booklovers.
Lepa, Jack — Price Guide to Collectable Books: First Editions, 1920 to Present
1994. Las Vegas: Amber Unicorn.
Lovisi, Gary — Collecting Science Fiction and Fantasy: Instant Expert
1997. Alliance Publishing. 130 pages.
McBride, Bill — Points of Issue: A Compendium of Points of Issue of Books by 19th–20th Century Authors
1996. McBride Publishing.
McGrath, Anne and/or McGrath, Daniel — Bookman's Price Index
Annual. Gale Group.
McGrath, Daniel (editor) — Bookman's Price Index: Subject Series: Modern First Editions, Vol. 1
1987. Gale.
Quayle, Eric — The Collector's Book of Detective Fiction
Russell, R.B. (editor) — Guide to First Edition Prices: 2000/1
Tartarus Press. 327 pages.
Details of over 20,000 collectible books by over 400 different authors and artists.
Reno, Dawn — Collecting Romance Novels
1995. Alliance Publishing.
Limited pricing information but contains much of interest to romance collectors: lists of pseudonyms, book care, histories of various imprints.
Riggs, Thomas — Contemporary Poets
1995. St. James Press. 1,336 pages.
Smith, Curtis C. (editor) — Twentieth-Century Science-Fiction Writers
1981. New York. St. Martin's Press.
Smith, Geoffrey D. — American Fiction, 1901–1925: A Bibliography
1997. Cambridge University Press.
Taylor, Elaine — Taylor's Science Fiction & Fantasy Price Guide
1998.
Tedford, Marie — The Official Price Guide to Old Books
1999. Ballantine Books. 480 pages.
More than 10,000 prices.
Toledano, Henry — Goreyography: A Divers Compendium of & Price Guide to the Works of Edward Gorey
1996. Word Play Inc. 196 pages.
Toledano, Henry — The Modern Library Price Guide, 1917–2000
1999.
Wade, John — Tomart's Price Guide to Twentieth Century Books
1994.
Ward, K. Anthony — First Editions: A Field Guide for Collectors of English and American Literature
Watters, Reginald Eyre — A Checklist of Canadian Literature and Background Materials, 1628–1960
Also listed under Reference Works on Canadiana.
Wright, Nancy — Books: Identification and Price Guide
1993. Avon Books. 299 pages.
Zempel, Edward N. (editor) — Book Prices: Used and Rare
Annual. Spoon River Press.