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Golden Days Series (Series 97)
This series of 11 books were all initially published in 1906. Book #11- Bobbie- was published slightly after the first 10 in 1906. All of the books can be found without great difficulty with a diligent search. It is noted that many of the books have been seen with the same picture but different colors on the front cloth cover.
With dust jackets the books are more desirable. Without jackets they are worth only nominal dollars and one should never pay more than $5-10 unless there is something special about the collector's needs.
I have found two unbelievably bizarrely priced ads.
First:
With an asking price of $129.99 here is an ad which is out of touch with reality. This is especially noted based on the book and its poor condition.
An EASTER LILY 1906 HB Amanda Douglas,Gonzalez,Altemus
US $129.99
An Easter Lily, by Amanda M. Douglas, with illustrations by A. D. Gonzalez, Philadelphia, Henry Altemus Company, Copyright, 1906. I believe it is a first edition but it is not stated as such. This is a small 5 1/8" x 7 1/4", hard cover book. It is one of the Amanda Douglas children's books. This one must be extremely rare, because I have been unable to find any other copy. This one is a group of five short stories, they are listed below. There are 115 numbered pages. The cover has wear, is dirty and faded; the gilt trim is mostly gone. It has very dark page edges. You can see the webbing between the pages and cover in front and back. The pages have yellowed. There is a 1/2" rip on the title page. The folded piece, pages vii-ix are held by only one of the three staples. Page 13 has a big corner missing, not involving the text. There are some folded corners, some small marks here and there, etc. There is evidence of corrosion around the staples throughout. This is not a pristine copy, but very readable. It may be the only copy of this you will find any time soon.
Second:
This one asks $100. Well beyond reasonable.
An Easter Lily
Douglas, Amanda M.
Description: Altemus, Philadelphia, 1906. A.D. Gonzalez (illustrator). 1st, decorated white cloth (gilt, green and orange), good plus, no dj. Covers soiled, corners bumped, book slt. cocked; rear hinge starting. Front endpapers have an ink inscription and notes. 115 pp. + 4 pp. ads.
Comments: I think what happens is one seller sees another's ad and determines a price from it. The problematic part of this is that it perpetuates overpricing in the market. Remember that many books- such as these two- may very well stay on the market for years without selling. But the next seller may see these two prices and list their copy in a similar price range.
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