Lucky Find

[Almaron]

A few days ago I was wandering through a Salvation Army store looking for discounts, and I saw an old edition of Dragonsinger for $2. At first, I thought it could be cool to buy it, because then I would have the entire harper hall set in the same binding (I already have Dragonsong and Dragondrums in the old binding, but Dragonsinger in the newer edition). I was about to put it back, when I opened the cover...

...and saw that it had actually been autographed by Anne McCaffrey! So I bought it, and it is now a new part of my collection!

(Anybody else found something like that before? Something rare or hard-to-find for really cheap?)

[Hans]

That is a lucky find indeed! Congratulations! What a nice way to come into possession of a signed copy like that.

I guess we all have things like that? Mine are often not really cheap, although I have bought signed copies for even less than $2 (ex postage). My lucky finds were more books that usually go for a couple of hunred dollars that I was able to snatch or find for a fraction of that price.

Come to think of it I don't think I had any surprises but that's maybe because I buy/bought the majority of my books over the internet as there are hardly any English language AMC books offered in my own country/on markets etc.

Some of the rarest stuff I have came as a gift from Anne herself, does that count?

[P'ter]

That counts!!!

[Becky]

Before eBay was really popular I used to do my own book searches by searching book store web pages and found a listing for Dinosaur Planet and Survivor hardcover editions. So I bought them fairly cheap. Then when I got them I found out that both were signed! Finding that the books were signed was very special, sadly I needed money and had to sell them. I recently purchased both books in hard cover again, but they're not signed.
Another surprise signed set of books was the Brandywyne set of The Kilternan Legacy, The Mark of Merlin and Ring of Fear. I bought the three and when I got them one was still in shrink wrap! I checked out the other two copies and found they were signed and so just had to open the third one and it too was signed! Later on I found out that they were sold signed and unsigned. So those were lucky finds too!
Your find is so cool too! I had a friend who pulled a copy of Damia from a book store shelf just to look at it (she already had a copy) and when she opened it she was surprised to find it signed! She paid $5 for it. So your deal was even better! Congrats on your find, Almaron!!!

[Hans]

Becky's response brought back other great memories: those of getting books in shrinkwrap. It's always very special to be the first to unwrap a book (and smell it!)

The most special of those cases wasn't even my own book but a signed and limited hardcover edition of the three graphic novels (actually it was the #1 signed copy). Why it was special? Well, I unwrapped it in the attic of Anne's house after having had the permission to avail me of anything in Dragonhold if I needed it for my research!

Handling books of Anne's own collection is pretty special anyway

[Becky]

Hans, that's the ultimate dream! To visit Anne's place would be heaven and then to get to go up into the attic...... well....WOW! Makes one speechless! I feel that way every tiime I think about your super special visit!

[Cheryl]

Congrats on the lucky find, Almaron!

What edition is it? The Atheneum hardcover, or the paperback with art by Elizabeth Malczynski (looks like this)? Or something different?

[Brenda]

My copy of The Kilternan Legacy is the Brandywyne edition, which I found on the sale table at the library and only later realized it was signed!