Have mercy on the n00b...

[jack.the.hat]

Dear all,

thanks for bothering to read so far. I am in need of some help and direction - on a recent trip back to see my parents i noticed that tucked away amongst the other numerous books on their shelves, they still have one which my father picked up on his travels as young man, it is VERY old and seems to be what we would probably term as a snapshot of society/government/economy etc at the time it describes (in what we now call the United Kingdom)

i am intrigued to find out more about this book and would be grateful if anyone could recommend an online source(s) which would help - im sorry if that seems unspecific but whilst googling "antique books" might bring a lot of results not many are helpful.

your help and time much appreciated

dave

 

[funes]

Dave,
You might be able to find out something at www.abaa.com. Or maybe www.alibris.com. They are certainly good enough starting points with enough links to other resources to keep you busy for a little while.
However, I must also warn you that there is "VERY old" and then there is "Very old". If memory serves, for a Continental book to be of value simply by virtue of it's age (assuming it's printed), it should be, at a bare minimum, 300 years old.
Hope that helps.

 

[Privatjokr]

Just find a dealer nearby and have them appraised. Don't worry about getting screwed...a good dealer knows the cannon of ethics forbids them to buy the lot they appraise so you'll get an honest price.

 

[mr_michel]

im pretty sure i have seen a book like that mentioned in the forum, but cant remember in which thread.
im sure somebody else will reconigze it, so give it a couple days so other members can see your question.

update

nope, bad luck i thought it may be the one litany and lady morgan were discussing in this thread but i doubt it

 

[jack.the.hat]

Hello again all!

many thanks for your suggestions and help so far, i intend to follow them up as appropriate. As far as i can remember the book is titled "The Annual Registry 1764" - what interests me the most is the details contained within, there are hugely knowledgebale facts and figures on things such as the price of gold and other commodities, trade, political developments (i really need to read it again to give you the full run-down) etc - it is most surprising because i doubt your average Joe in 1764 would have had any need or want of what this book contains? Which leads me to believe that it was either commissioned by or published for someone with power but also someone with use for this intricate information - has anyone heard of/seen another book such as this?

i will update when ive next been home and may try to take some pics to post (is it possible to post pics in these forums?)

cheers and thanks again

dave

edited once to make a bit more sense