Whats the Most Anyone has Spent on a Book?

[barkalotloudly]

i have never regretted buying a book only not buying a book, most expensive? Union of south africa in the great war £350.00

a nearly complete official history {western front} including the scarce transportation volume, £1100 , worth every penny!

[Michael Lowrey]

About $225 (US) for a new copy of Lloyd's War Losses: The First World War, Casualties to Shipping through Enemy Causes 1914-1918. Four years later, it's in nowhere near new condition!

Would be willing to buy a lot more for portions of the German naval official history series Der Krieg zur See complete with maps, but good luck finding that!

Best wishes,

Michael

[Ferret_uk]

Not WW1 related but i paid £120 for "Men of the Battle of Britain" with signed bookplate.

Mick.

[Martyn Gibson]

Not WW1 related but my wife bought me a 3rd Edition of Darwins "Origin of the Species" a few years back for about £400.

Martyn

[rob carman]

Ciaran,

I think you got a bargain. I'm jealous.

Harvey's Norfolk Yeomanry goes for only slightly less but it is not that rare. There are always one or two on Abebooks. I have never ever seen Harvey's 1/4th Norfolks or his 5th Lancer histories for sale.

According to the WorldCat database there are 12 other copies of his 5th Lancer book in addition to the three you already know of. They are all in the US and the UK, often in college libraries. WorldCat credits Herbert Andersen Cape as a co-author, and gives 1923 as the publication date and Gale and Polden, Aldershot as the publisher.

Harvey was an interesting man. Born in 1861 he was the eldest son of Colonel John Edmund Harvey (36th and 41st Foot) of Thorpe, Norwich. Harvey started his military life as a Lt in the East Norfolk Militia. In 1882 he enlisted as a gentleman ranker in the 16th Lancers. Three years later he was commissioned into the 5th lancers and was adjutant in India during 1888-89. He rode to hounds and kept his own pack. He was a successful amateur jockey,a yachtsman and a bit of a well to do adventuerer. He left in 1890 to raise, in Norwich, two squadrons of Yeomanry. He commanded one of them in South Africa and was awarded the DSO. He was mayor of Norwich in 1902 and a Lt Col in the Norfolk Yeomanry (a unit that included the son of Duleep Singh). By 1914 was CO of the 1/4th Norfolks. He was at Suvla Bay though he did not land with the Norfolks. By 1916 he was OC Troops on the Lines of Communications at Rinxent-Marquise, France. In 1921 he was found dead of gun shot wounds in his front garden in Norwich. Harvey;s son Robert Parsons Harvey was also a 5th Lancer attached as a pilot to 10 Squadron, RFC. On one mission, Robert's observer was thrown from the plane at 10,000 feet. Robert made a successful and against the odds landing, he was awarded the MC and CdeG and so far as I can tell saw no further action and lived through the war.

If you are at all interested I can track down a fine on-line portrait of John Robert Harvey in dress uniform.

Does JRH appear in your book?

Regards,

Rob.

[Muerrisch]

Here is an author's perspective! Mine! I have never made a net profit from writing any of my five or six major projects, indeed fewer than 100 writers in the UK are said to make a full living.

So the amount I spend on [writing] books is unquantifiable but huge, in terms of research, reference book purchases, travel, telephone, memberships, PC ownership, AOL fee, paper, ink, postage, plus an infinite number of hours at so many pounds and hour. When I retired in 1998 my hourly rate was about £100 an hour, so that suggests a vast net deficit. I dare not begin to estimate it in case she-who-must-be-obeyed hacks in.

Would I stop? Do I learn?

No.

[Ciaran Byrne]

i have never regretted buying a book only not buying a book

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wise words indeed and something that I can relate to. I let a complete two volume history of the 16th Lancers slip through my fingers for just £50 and have since found to my despair that it is quite a rare series of books.

Ciaran,

I think you got a bargain.  I'm jealous.

Harvey's Norfolk Yeomanry goes for only slightly less but it is not that rare.  There are always one or two on Abebooks.  I have never ever seen Harvey's 1/4th Norfolks or his 5th Lancer histories for sale.

According to the WorldCat database there are 12 other copies of his 5th Lancer book in addition to the three you already know of.  They are all in the US and the UK, often in college  libraries.  WorldCat credits Herbert Andersen Cape as a co-author, and gives 1923 as the publication date and Gale and Polden, Aldershot as the publisher.

Harvey was an interesting man.  Born in 1861 he was the eldest son of Colonel John Edmund Harvey (36th and 41st Foot) of Thorpe,  Norwich.  Harvey started his military life as a Lt in the East Norfolk Militia. In 1882 he enlisted as a gentleman ranker in the 16th Lancers.  Three years later he was commissioned into the 5th lancers and was adjutant in India during 1888-89. He rode to hounds and kept his own pack.  He was a successful amateur jockey,a yachtsman and a bit of a well to do adventuerer. He left in 1890 to raise, in Norwich, two squadrons of Yeomanry.  He commanded one of them in South Africa and was awarded the DSO.    He was mayor of Norwich in 1902 and a Lt Col in the Norfolk Yeomanry (a unit that included the son of Duleep Singh).  By 1914 was CO of the 1/4th Norfolks.  He was at Suvla Bay though he did not land with the Norfolks.  By 1916 he was OC Troops on the Lines of Communications at Rinxent-Marquise, France.  In 1921 he was found dead of gun shot wounds in his front garden in Norwich.  Harvey;s son Robert Parsons Harvey was also a 5th Lancer attached as a pilot to 10 Squadron, RFC.  On one mission, Robert's observer was thrown from the plane at 10,000 feet.  Robert made a successful and against the odds landing, he was awarded the MC and CdeG and so far as I can tell saw no further action and lived through the war.   

If you are at all interested I can track down a fine on-line portrait of John Robert Harvey in dress uniform. 

Does JRH appear in your book?

Regards,

Rob.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the info Rob. I always wondered if Robert Parsons Harvey was related in some way to the author of this book. It does mention him in there being visited by the King in hospital so I would imagine he was injured quite severley so as he could not fly again.

The reason H A Cape is listed as co-author is that he carried on with the writing of the book after J R Harvey died. I did n't know he was shot in his own front garden though. Any idea who did it? I was also unaware of his connection with the Norfolk Yeomanry too. He is mentioned in the previous history written by Walter Temple Wilcox though not extensively.

[barkalotloudly]

i am sure i sold a copy of the Norfolk Yeomanry about 3 years ago for about £50.00 a little dampstained but good never the less complete with original invoice

[John_Hartley]

£95 for my History of the Cheshire Regiment (2nd edition - updated and better than a 1st). Bit of a Bu**er that Naval & Military now do a repirnt for about £21.

Now, if ever another copy of the 6th Cheshire's History comes up.......I bottled out of a Speedbid auction at £75.

Still 10p for a Manchester City Battalions Book of Honour is my cheapest WW1 purchase.

[Ciaran Byrne]

Thats probably the next title for another thread....

Whats the best bargain your've picked up in terms of a WWI book.

[barkalotloudly]

original copy "the war the infantry knew" £15.00!! all my christmases at once

[Ciaran Byrne]

original copy "the war the infantry knew" £15.00!! all my christmases at once

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Its on special offer at Naval and Military Press at the moment for about a fiver. I've just got myself a copy.

[Guest JeremyScott]

It may not have to do with ww1, but I bought an origonal copy of Audie Murphy's To Hell And Back for around $200.00 and it was signed by him. I bought it at a gun show one year

[dewey]

I spent $65.00 US for a copy of My Bit By George Ashurst, a great book and well worth the money, though it can be found for cheaper. I placed a bid on a rare copy of The Distant Drum By: Frederick Noakes at around $100.00 but sadly my computer froze and I did not get that one, I still regret that. Bill

[rflory]

I can't top the high prices some of you have paid for a single volume but I think that I can probably match most of you on the cost per page of a book or manuscipt. I paid £140 for a typewritten draft copy of a "Brief History of the 31st Divisional Artillery" which is 7 pages long or £20 per page. According to a hand written note on the first page, there were only 5 copies made. Well worth the price because it lists the names of all the battery commanders and HQ officers with dates of their service in the 31st Division Artillery. Dick Flory

[Steven Broomfield]

And well worth it, I'd say. Is there a Mrs Dick to keep a eye on this sort of extravagance?

[bernardmcilwaine]

i paid £200 for the official 1914-15 star ledgers in mint condition for the 16th,17th,18th and 19th batts manchester regiment,the information from them has saved many people a lot of money,in the bargain basement was a regimental copy of the 1914 star medal roll for the kings own royal lancaster regt for £2.50 and the 1914-15 star roll for a fiver,if you get a great deal of pleasure from them,then they are bargains,but i agree with angie,if you buy a book for £5.00 or £500 pounds and it turns out to be rubbish,then thats expensive,the value of a book is can only be measured by what value the contents are to you personally,if you really want a certain book,buy it and ****** the price,bernard

[Guest JeremyScott]

I agree with Bernard. But try to explain that to my girlfriend Stephanie. She holdsa very tight fist on my wallett. If I didnt have her, Id surely go crazy with all the books and movies I buy. I went to a gun show last year and spent about 400 dollars on several U.S. Army field manuals. When I came home, she nearly beat the crap out of me God love her though

[bernardmcilwaine]

WOT A GAL,at least you got your books jeremy,and a bloody good hiding off a pretty girl,you lucky man,bernard

[Guest mythago]

The most I've spent on a book was £120 on an antiquarian book about Edinburgh, long out of print. I think the max I would pay for a modern, new hardback is about £25 - there would have to be a very good reason for me to need it to pay more.

Cas

[Tom Morgan]

The most I ever spent on a book was just over £1,250.00 about a year ago, but I did get nearly 400 copies.

Tom

[Bob Coulson]

Tom,

Bob.

[barkalotloudly]

"A distant Drum" it had a dustwrapper as well, very collectable !

[rflory]

Steven Broomfield wrote:

And well worth it, I'd say. Is there a Mrs Dick to keep a eye on this sort of extravagance?

Yes, and I hope she never reads anything on this forum!!!

[Steven Broomfield]

Same applies to Mrs Broomfield