I guess I collect differently than you, Garm. Unless the book is valuable or a different edition, it seems superfluous to have 10 or more copies of the exact same thing, except perhaps if you are a book seller. Having 10+ copies of various editions of The Silmarillion makes sense, but ten of the first British edition to me seems like a waste of space. That is what I was trying to get at.

How many copies of the first British edition Silmarillion do you have, Garm?

Very nice. One question, though. Why do you have so many copies of The (British) Silmarillion?

I think ultimately, as someone once said on this forum(?), a book is only worth how much someone is willing to pay for it.

I am a pretty avid Tolkien book collector myself, but I don't own any of the Super-deluxe editions, though may eventually in the future. Personally (with no offense to other collectors on this forum), if I'm going to spend that kind of money on a Tolkien book, I'd rather spend it on a book that was published in Tolkien's lifetime (1st/1st). That is not to say you shouldn't buy those books or they are not worth collecting.

In addition, I think as collectors we should not always (not that it is bad) focus purely on monetary value. For me, both the quality of an item and its rarity make it equally desirable, though not necessarily valuable. For example, I have a near fine copy of the American edition of SoWM; probably not worth a ton but it is both hard to come by (in this quality) and of superior quality.

Also, for me, one of the funnest parts of collecting is finding the deal. I know all of you have found those deals before, and would love to hear about your finds.

I knew a bookseller that once found a first edition, first printing of The Hobbit (American edition) with the dust jacket in very nice condition at a thrift store in the 1980s for something like a dollar. Now that's a deal.

Here is a signed copy from our favorite seller. When will the madness end...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Book-Signed-J-R-R ... t=Antiquarian_Collectible

Already reported it.