Q: Hopefully this will be a quick one for you: can you help me identify this copy of Cranford?

I spent some time on your fantastic site and figure that it’s part of the Altemus Series, but I would be so grateful if you could confirm this and give me even a ballpark estimate of its value. I have looked around all the usual book selling sites, but every copy I’ve found seems to be dated a few years later than mine.

I’m contacting you because I’m a book lover who has been lucky enough to inherit a nice collection that my family has built up over the past 150 years or so. I’m currently in the earliest stages of planning my own book shop, and while I would not part with most of my personal collection, I’m considering selling off a few volumes that I’m less attached to, if it would bring in enough of a contribution to my startup costs.

In other words, your expertise will help me decide the fate of Cranford!

Thanks so much for your time and your great website!

A: Great book. It is part of the Altemus Library. This is the first Altemus edition of this title although still a late reprint.

The Altemus Library was the first of the Altemus publisher’s series. What makes it a bit more interesting than some is that each title has its own unique cover. These books came in dust jackets although the jackets are quite hard to find. Some are pictured on the website.

I think it is a nice book but that is because I am into Altemus stuff. Price can be pretty tough to predict. It will either not sell at all or go for less than $20. But you never know…

Below is a picture of another Cranford with an example of a dust jacket.