Tuesday, August 2, 2016

If I had a Million Dollars - Top Ten Tuesdays (August 2, 2016)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish


August 2: Ten Books I'd buy right now, this second if someone handed me a fully loaded gift card.

Somehow I got the precise topic of this TTT wrong. I think I first read it on another blog. I will not incriminate the guilty party...though their blog name has something to do with a famous Lewis Caroll riddle.

So, I composed my list, on a slightly different theme than the officially sanctioned topic, and I'm not changing now. If I had a million dollars (hearing the Bare Naked Ladies singing as I respond to this)…If I had a million dollars, I wouldn’t spend it on books. But, to be true to the intent, I’ll assume I’ve inherited a million dollars with the stipulation that it be spent only on books. My choices:

1. 1611 King James Bible ($125,000 - $400,000)

2. Voynich Manuscript (I’m pretty sure it’s priceless, but since I don’t know the price, I’ll include it because I’m fascinated by this book.)

3. The Lord of the Rings, first edition (as in first British edition) ($28,000)

4. Tom Sawyer, first edition ($20,000)

5. To Kill a Mockingbird, first edition ($26,000)

6. Gone With the Wind, first edition ($8,000)

7. The Book of Secrets (free cuz ya gotta steal it, but I DO have a Library of Congress library card, so I’ve got a chance)

8. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, first edition ($1,000)

9. A Tale of Two Cities, first edition ($20,000)

10. Amazing Fantasy #15 (comic book) – The introduction of Spider Man ($280,000)

--#10 is depressing for two reasons. 1. I once owned it and 2. It’s worth more than all the classic novels on my list combined.

My total book haul, assuming a mid-range KJV Bible, would be approximately $645,000, but if I made a few of these autographed copies, I could probably bring it up to $1 million. Or just add Batman #1.

(shhhh,,,,it was Ravens and Writing Desks)

6 comments:

  1. I had to read A Tale of Two Cities in tenth grade for English and I didn't like it much. I should definitely give it another try. Great list!
    Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian

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    1. Yeah, you should give it another try. IMO, it's Dickens' best work.

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  2. #10 is depressing. My condolences.

    How funny that you'd like a 1611 KJV Bible. When my husband and I wanted to buy our first Bible, we walked into a Christian bookstore and asked for that edition. The owner's head was spinning. He's like, "Good luck finding one." We ended up buying a much more recent edition.

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    1. I'm sure you gave him a good story to tell.

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  3. I'm not so classy as you. I would be afraid to own all those first editions. But I think I would renovate my library so that it had very fine hardback editions of every quality book out there. Since more and more libraries, including university libraries are going electronic it would be my duty to preserve the hard copies.

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    1. On a smaller scale, I do that. Of the classics I read, I acquire a nice hardcover. Not a first, or even early edition...but I good quality binding. It's my trophy case. Thanks for the feedback.

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