I know a good deal about Texas literature, both fiction and nonfiction, but I have far less knowledge as to what classic and historical Texas books in good condition are worth.
Larry McMurtry once claimed that he was mostly a book-hunter who used his side hustle as a writer to finance his love of books and reading. He proved that point well with his 8,500 sq. ft. bookstore in Archer City, Texas.
My knowledge of that market, by comparison, would have amounted to about 5 sq. ft.
So, during a recent visit to Dallas I stopped by to see my friends, James Gannon and Blake Johnson, to get some help in pricing Texas Lit. James and Blake operate a fine antiquarian bookstore in North Dallas called InkQ Rare Books. I wanted their insights about the value of Texas collectibles so you might see if you have wealth on your shelf.
They know the Texas market well. For instance, they have a great deal of McMurtry’s personal library and a good deal of Bill Wittliff’s, too, among many others. I believe they have books from all genres of antiquarian collectibles from all the continents in the world. It’s a magical library to browse.
They told me that there are many, many caveats to determining a valuable collectible in antiquarian books — things like first edition or limited edition, signed by author, pristine condition, spotless, unfaded dust jacket, and so on.
So, I’ll pass on some of their guidance with general values, but they hesitate to say what a book is worth because there are so many variables involved. Keep in mind that I’m going to give you retail prices, which is the top-dollar price you might get from a collector who very much wanted your unique volume.
As you might imagine, Larry McMurtry’s “Lonesome Dove” in hardback, first edition, signed by Larry, is worth a good deal, about $500 to $1,000 depending on provenance.
“Blood Meridian,” Cormac McCarthy’s apocalyptic, anti-Western opus, if signed by McCarthy is worth much more because he didn’t sign very many books. His signature in a book is rare. Some say that a signed first edition of “Blood Meridian” may be worth as much as $10,000.
“No Country for Old Men” and “All the Pretty Horses,” if first editions and signed, might bring in something in the high hundreds or low thousands. For hard backs, the dust jackets matter. Clean, sharp, no tears or worn spots are important.
Elmer Kelton’s critically acclaimed novel, “The Time it Never Rained,” hard cover, first edition, signed — may be worth $600.
What about Edna Ferber’s “Giant”? First edition, perfect dust jacket, signed: $800.
“Empire of the Summer Moon” by S. C. Gwynne? It has been a mega bestseller for years now. But there are many, many copies out there in the world, so to have a version of value, you need a first-edition, hard copy, signed by Gwynne and you might get $300 to $500 for it.
As always, these are estimates. The market may be willing to pay a bit more or a bit less, depending on matching want and need between seller and buyer.
A two-volume box set of books I’ve seen in dozens of homes in Texas are the famous histories “The King Ranch” by Tom Lea. Common editions in good condition may be worth $80 to $100. But, if you happen to have the Saddle Blanket edition that had only 3,000 copies printed for the ranch, and not sold commercially, that set might be sold at auction for as much as $1,800. A simple first-edition box set signed by Tom Lea might bring in $200 or $300.
The John Graves classic, “Goodbye to a River,” signed, in good condition, is worth as much as $300 to $600, depending on the mood of the buyer.
And then there are these rare, older books, less known by the general public, but still wonderful because they captured snapshots of life on the frontier when no one else was doing it.
For instance, “The Trail Drivers of Texas,” about cattle drives, is worth perhaps $1,000 to $2,000 retail. And “The Adventures of Big-Foot Wallace,” published in 1870, could fetch $3,000 to $5,000 at auction and perhaps double that in the retail trade.
If you have Charles Siringo’s “A Texas Cow-Boy,” published in 1885, you could have a little gold mine on your shelf. In 2022, that book sold at auction for $94,500.
Beyond books, there are items in Texana collecting that are much sought after: rare letters, maps, paintings and even photographs.
I asked James and Blake about what they figured was the most valuable Texas artifact of all and they said, “probably Travis’s victory or death letter written at the Alamo.” It’s not for sale as it’s housed at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission but, if it were for sale, it would bring in at least $10 million, and probably much, much more than that.
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