Q: Hello! I am working at vetting some books for a local organization, and I was hoping you could help me. Attached is a picture of the cover of one of the Altemus publications of Hawthorne’s Mosses From and Old Manse.

I can make an accurate judgement of value based on condition and, interestingly (see attached) the fact that this book was the personal volume of our local writer, August Derleth, but I am having a little harder time determining exactly which Altemus edition this is and thus basic value from that. I have seen another version of this that looks identical but with a green/red coloring, so this makes it even a little harder to determine.

Also, if you could give me publication date for this edition – I cannot find it in the book – that would be wonderful.

Thank you for your help!

A: Your book is part of the Beauxarts Series and was published in 1897. All of the books in this series are reprints and originally came in a labeled slipcase box. The covers of the Beauxarts’ books in this year have been seen in a number of different colors.

No one color is scarcer or more valuable than any other.

http://henryaltemus.com/series/series47.htm

Because of its reprint status it only has nominal value unless the Derleth provenance is significant to a buyer.