Up for sale is a Very Rare, SIGNED/INSCRIBED, Book Club Edition, (BCE), of Comet by Carl Sagan.
SIGNED/INSCRIBED Copies of this Title are Scarce and Becoming Increasingly Hard to Find!!
Hardcover with its original dust jacket.
Published by Random House: New York, 1985.
Please note that while "1985" is clearly stated, we believe this copy may have been published sometime after that date.
Exact date unknown.
Profusely illustrated.
Boldly SIGNED and INSCRIBED by the legendary Carl Sagan!
SIGNED/INSCRIBED on the title page by the celebrated author/astronomer/scientist/icon!
Book Club Edition, (BCE).
American Edition.
Please remember this is NOT the First Edition/First Printing of this title!
This is a BCE, essentially an early reprint.
Once again, we want to repeat that this is NOT a First Edition/First Printing.
We understand that some people might think that this book is a TRUE First Edition/First Printing.
"First Edition" is clearly stated on the copyright page and the number line ends with "2".
These are two key identifiers when determining the edition and printing of this book.
TRUE Firsts of this title will have the First Edition statement and the number line will end with "2".
Yes, Random House, during this time period, would have their First Editions/First Printings end with a "2", NOT a "1".
So, this book does have the TWO important First Edition Points which has led to some individuals messaging us telling us that this book is a TRUE First.
It is not.
This is NOT a First Edition/First Printing.
If it was a TRUE First, our asking price would be considerably higher!
This book is, most assuredly, a Book Club Edition.
We know this for two reasons.
The Book Club Edition circular indentation is present and clearly visible on the rear board and the dust jacket has no price listed.
Only BCE's have these circular indentations, a TRUE First would not.
The First State dust jacket has its' original price, this dust jacket does not.
One last time, we want to clearly state that this book is NOT a First Edition/First Printing.
It is a Book Club Edition.
This rare treasure has some very clearly visible wear, but when considering its' scarcity and desirability, is still in Highly Desirable, Highly Collectible condition!
The wear, however, is considerable and should be carefully examined/considered BEFORE buying.
The book appears gently read and has no internal writing, no remainder marks, no missing pages and is NOT Ex-Libris.
The binding is holding firm and tight!
All of the pages are present, fully attached and still surprisingly crisp and clean!
Some general/shelf wear along with creases/marks/scuffing/wear to the spine/corners/boards, marks/wear to the edge/fore pages and creases/marks/wear to the pages, NOT affecting the text.
Please note the wear to the spine/corners/cloth boards, particularly noticeable near/along the edges, the marks on the edge/fore pages and the wear that is present on the pages, particularly noticeable on certain pages!
The pages have a noticeably "wavy" appearance which can be a bit difficult to articulate in words so we closely photographed them from various angles to give you a clearer idea of the wear.
All of the wear previously mentioned is very clearly visible and should be carefully examined/considered.
The original dust jacket is fully intact but has considerable wear.
Some general/shelf wear along with creases, scuffing, scratches, marks and rips.
Please note the wear on the spine, at the corners and near/along the edges!
The wear, particularly near/along the edges, is very clearly visible and should be carefully examined/considered.
We tend to grade the condition of our books rather harshly and took into consideration any and all wear when determining the value of this rare book.
We purposely and closely photographed what we consider to be the most obvious and egregious wear.
Once again, we want to reiterate that the wear to both the book and the dust jacket is considerable and very clearly visible!
All of the wear should be carefully examined/considered BEFORE buying.
Numerous photographs from various angles were taken for your consideration/inspection.
Please closely and carefully view ALL the pictures for further clarification!!
Payment must be received within three days or the book will be re-listed.
Please feel free to contact us with any and all questions. We are very proud of our 100% positive feedback/ranking and offer an easy, no questions asked return policy so you can buy with confidence! Thank you!!
Regarding the signature, we feel compelled to provide you with a bit of information.
This copy, along with a few others, was purchased at a Library Fair/Sale a while back.
Our intention was to keep all of them for our personal collection, (I happen to be a big fan of Carl Sagan and am always looking for more valuable titles and/or ephemera to add to our little library).
There were quite a few valuable Sagan titles there and I enthusiastically bought them all!
When the opportunity to purchase a Signed Hardcover First of this title came my way, I made the purchase and justified the exorbitant cost by agreeing to sell a few other valuable Sagan's, this one principal among them.
I want to reiterate that I did not personally witness the author putting pen to paper and I am not a professional signature authenticator. I am, however, an avid collector and rare book dealer who has been buying, selling and handling such books for close to twenty years. I am quite familiar with Signed Carl Sagan's and have both sold and collected his works for quite some time. Prior to buying this copy, I did my due diligence and felt confident in the signatures' authenticity.
When I, rather reluctantly, decided to sell this copy, we again carefully examined the signature/inscription.
Of course we believe the signature is genuine and wouldn't dare consider selling it if we had any doubts pertaining to its' legitimacy. As is the case with all of our "Signed" titles, we do our research and approach each and every title as "guilty until proven innocent". In other words, we assume each signature is a forgery/fake and then begin the examination.
Sadly, there are so many fakes/forgeries out there, each and every customer should approach any supposedly "Signed" copy with a healthy dose of skepticism. Such should be there case with this copy!
While Sagan forgeries are not as common as some others, (Stephen King and J. K. Rowling quickly come to mind), they do still exist. We actually bought one for our personal collection many years ago only to find out later that it was "most likely" not authentic. We never got our money back so we simply kept the book, (still a nice reading copy).
Now, if you have any doubts regarding the authenticity of this signature, I would kindly suggest not buying this book. If you do end up making the purchase, congratulations, you have a wonderful book, one that I personally cherished for many years.
I would also kindly suggest one consider having it authenticated by a professional. We've had nothing but lovely experiences with the good people at JSA, they are well respected professionals whose opinions we trust.
If, and again I do not think this will occur, but if the signature comes back as anything less than 100% authenticate, simply send us a message letting us know. Of course you can return the book and of course you will receive a FULL refund the moment we get it back.
I strongly considered having this book authenticated myself but elected not to for the simple reason that procuring a COA from a reputable company costs a decent amount of money and would then result in us having to raise the asking price accordingly. At that point, the asking price would exceed what I believe a fair value is. I'm in this business to make a living, not a killing and we always make a concerted effort to price our books fairly.
I also understand how some customers simply do not trust a COA. I tend to agree with that sentiment and always remind customers that a COA can often times be more easily faked than an actual signature. One must be cautious and mindful of exactly who signed the COA, is there a number to contact them directly, does the COA actually relate to the book being considered etc.
Of course, the well known, established signature authenticators are the exception to the rule and we absolutely trust their professional opinions. I say all this simply to be as transparent as possible with this book.
In conclusion, yes we believe the signature is genuine.
No, we did not personally witness the author putting to pen to paper.
Yes, we always offer an easy return policy including a FULL refund.
No, we do not have a COA for this book and while I could easily print one out myself, stamp it and sign it, I am not a professional signature authenticator and to do so would be unprofessional and would make the COA, in my opinion, utterly pointless.
Thank you for your time and please message us if you have any questions or would like more pictures of this book.