I was browsing my library and realized I have a few books with typos and a few of them are quite considerable and one of the books lacks a page in a classic novel. I have always been told that any mistake made in printing a book can make it worth more, particularly in the case of a first edition, but I am not aware whether the same thing holds with the present day paperbacks, or only with older hardcovers. As an illustration, is a typo on page 50 a significant rare find in a book that the publishing house should be proud of or simply a bad batch of paper? I wonder whether there are people in this crowd who majors in book collecting and what exactly sorts of errors the hobbyists seek and where I can find these editions evaluated.
Are first edition books with errors actually more valuable to collectors?
- Thread starter WalterWah
- Start date
It really depends on if the error is a "point of issue." For example, in the first edition of The Great Gatsby, there’s a typo on page 205 where it says "sick in tired" instead of "sick and tired." If you have that, you have a true first state! But if your book is just missing a page because the machine coughed, it’s unfortunately just a broken book. 
Missing pages are a death sentence for value 99% of the time. Collectors want "fine" condition, which means complete and intact. Unless it's a famous case like the Wicked Bible (which left out the word "not" in "Thou shalt not commit adultery"), a missing page just makes it a reading copy, not a collectible. 
Otherwise, it's just a "unique" quirk for your personal shelf.captainghost
Member
Condition is king! 
Even a first edition with the "right" errors won't sell for much if the spine is cracked or the pages are falling out. A "perfect" copy of a second printing is often worth more to a casual collector than a "trashed" copy of a first printing. 
Even a first edition with the "right" errors won't sell for much if the spine is cracked or the pages are falling out. A "perfect" copy of a second printing is often worth more to a casual collector than a "trashed" copy of a first printing. rebeccareed
Member
If you want a real evaluation, look for an ABAA (Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America) dealer. They won't charge you to tell you if it's worth a professional appraisal. Just don't get your hopes up too high true "valuable" errors are pretty rare! 
GaleGaytan
Member
The value of first edition books with typographical mistakes can increase, depending on the rarity of the mistake, the well documented nature of the mistake and the corrective measures in subsequent issues, such that the erroneous copies become desirable to collectors.