Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have volume 19 of the Book of Knowledge. It is in fair condition and I am wondering what its value might be.
What year is the book?
I can't find any examples of any that are sold which would give you a true value, and the asking prices (which people can ask what they want, if no one pays it the value is zero) run the gambit from $1 to $50 but it depends on the year and the condition.
Do you have a place like Half Price books around you? Perhaps they can help you value it and maybe take it off your hands. They pay cash on the spot!
Best wishes!
I have a complete set of 1923 Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge. Does it have any value?
Unfortunately, there are no sold auctions at the moment for this set. Someone has had, and currently has listed a set in the $600 range:
www.ebay.com/
If this is an exact match for yours, you may want to set up a watch on it to see if it sells and the selling price.
Value in today's world is what people actually are willing to pay for an item, NOT what they ask for something.
It's my preference to use eBay to determine value because it has a world wide pool. There are many other auction/antique sites out there to check, but often their base pool is smaller.
Hope this helps get you started on determining value.
In 2023 it will be 100 years old, and an antique. It is worth waiting until then to sell it.
I have a set of red colored Book of Knowledge with copyrights from 1868 -1923. This is The Children's Encyclopedia. Are they of any value at this time? Please advise
These books are 100 years old so they qualify as antiques. Take them to several book dealers to get estimates of what they are worth.
The value of these seems to fluctuate from one month to the next but most of the time these sell better than regular encyclopedias. Condition and actual publishing date are big factors in true value. If sets are listed at a higher price sellers many times will have books like this listed for weeks/months and many times years before being sold - if they ever sell. I know this sounds like fiction but it is true but then sometimes if books are listed at a decent price they will sell quickly.
www.ebay.com/
Here is a link to books recently sold on eBay:
www.ebay.com/
For just reading - Here is an interesting link about the history of this type of book:
messybeast.com/
I have a 20 volume set of the 1943 Book of Knowledge by Grolier, plus yearly annuals thru 1953. Any idea of the value?
Many people have old books they think are valuable and would like to sell. Most old dictionaries, references etc., have very little value, a few dollars at most. Encyclopedias dated after 1923 are essentially worthless but crafters may be interested for the old pictures. Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc., receive donations of tons of old encyclopedias but send them to recycling centers or dumps as they cannot use or sell them.
You can check online for old book collectors, on EBay, Craigs List and other retail sites for possibilities. Everything is now online and updated constantly so old books are just that-old.
I have a set of The Book of Knowledge, volumes 1- 20, with blue covers, in pristine condition. The Children's Encyclopedia Copyright 1937, 1938 by The Grolier Society Inc.
The first volume on the inside cover states "World's Fairs of 1939" I would be very interested in knowing the value of this set.This one wants $162. It is from 1962. Yours should be worth a bit more.
www.amazon.com/
I have a complete set of The Book of Knowledge the children's encyclopedia. They are cloth bound, blue in color with leather spine and corners, and gold writing on spine.
The editor in chief was Arthur Mee. Some of the copyrights are from 1868. Advice on value would be appreciated. Thanks.Many people have old books they think are valuable and would like to sell. Most old dictionaries, references etc., have very little value-a few dollars at most. Encyclopedias dated after 1923 are essentially worthless but crafters may be interested for the old pictures. Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc., receive donations of tons of old encyclopedias but send them to recycling centers or dumps as they cannot use or sell them.
You can check online for old book collectors, on EBay, Craigslist and other retail sites for possibilities. Everything is now online and updated constantly so old books are just that-old.
I have 20 volumes, in excellent condition, of The Grolier Society Book of Knowledge, Copyright 1931 by The Amalgamated Press (1922) Limited. What do these sell for?
By Lillian from Simpson, PA
If it's a complete set, hold on to it until 2031. It will be an antique then and have more value.
I have a set of Grolier Encyclopedias copyright 1955 volumes 1-10. What would be the value?
By Debbian E.
I have The Book of Knowledge Children's Encyclopedia, 2 volumes, 16 and 12. Copyright dates are from 1868 to 1919. They have leather covers, in fair condition. I want to sell them. Does anyone know the value of these books? I may have more volumes; I am still unpacking boxes.
By D. Israel
Usually encyclopedias are worthless, except for crafts purposes. But these are old enough that I would check with a bookstore that specializes in antiques.
I have the set of 21 books. They are mint and didn't get much use by the look of it. The cover is reddish and has a boy and girl stamped into the leather. I am looking for a price and how to find a buyer.
Thank you!
By Dale S
I can see one volume selling for $12 on eBay here: www.ebay.com/
I suppose that could put the set at over $200.
I have the Book of Knowledge, the children's encyclopedia 19 volume set, plus the index. I would like to know the value of this collection. It looks different than the ones I seen online. It has some water damage to some of the volumes. Does anyone know anything about this set? Thank you.
By Yassmeen
I also have been trying to find info on this set. I have 2 sets of them both from 1923. They appear to be full leather covers. They are in much better condition than cloth bound editions from this period. I hope somebody can enlighten us about them.
When cleaning out my parents' home after their deaths, I found a complete set of The Book of Knowledge (20 volumes), copyright 1935. All of the books are in great condition except the 20th volume (index) which was understandably used more than the others. It's spine needs to be repaired, but is intact on one edge. Can anyone give me an estimated value for this set?
By Susan C
Was this ever answered? I too have this set and so I'd like to sell.
I have a 1911-1912 Book of Knowledge. What is the value in US dollars of this set?
By Willis from Shirleysburg, PA
I have a 1929 Book of Knowledge, 20 volume set, with original bookshelf. The books are in excellent, little-used condition, with no damage. It has a green cloth hard cover with gold imprint. The volumes are slightly worn on bottom spine and corners from sitting on the shelf.
They were owned by an 83 year old woman whose father gave them to her when she was five years old.
What is it worth today to collectors?
By Mark from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Do you still have them? I may be interested in them.
edchou AT aol.com
I was wondering about the value of the New Book of Knowledge, 1 thru 20 or A to Z. They are white hard backs and copyrighted in 1967.
By Scott P.
I have a set of Grolier Encyclopedia plus, The Book of Knowledge for children and a set of The Book of Popular Science. They are all from 1951 (I believe) and all in excellent condition. I would like to sell them. Can you give any advice as to the value of the entire set?
By David
I am looking to sell my, The Book of Knowledge encyclopedia set, copyright starting from 1868 to 1912. How much are these books worth?
By Lynne
I would like to know how much these recently inherited encyclopaedias are worth. They are in fairly good condition with some fading to the spine. I have all 10 volumes, published by Waverley.
By M Staal
I have a set of 20 volumes of The Book of Knowledge Children's Encyclopedia copyright 1911. It is still in great condition. It is leather bound with an embossed "mother holding a child drawing" on the cover.
By Debra
I have a 1952 Book of Knowledge Set #1-20. I also have the individual annual books for 1953-54-55 and 56. Can someone tell me what these are worth?
By Ed S.
I have the complete set of the New Book of Knowledge encyclopedia collection (white and blue cover), in great condition. I was wondering if anyone knows what its value is? Thank you!
By chanel32 from Toronto, Ontario
I have a full set of 1939 Book of Knowledge in good condition with original bookshelves. I am interested in finding out the value and how I might sell them.
By RMB
I just found the whole set in my basement. They are in fair condition except for the first book. Do you know how much they are worth?
By Lindsey
I have a complete set of The Book of Knowledge Childrens Encyclopedia, 1911 copyright. It has a cloth cover and is in average condition. It came with Parents and Teachers guide.
By Kathy M
I've got a 10 book set of the 1935 Book of Knowledge in the original wooden box. They are in good condition. What is something like this worth?
By pcb from Edmonton, Alberta
I have the full 20 volume set of the 1931 Grolier Canadian Book of Knowledge. It's in excellent condition: no spine separation, no page tears, no water damage. They've just been sitting on a shelf for decades, so home shelf wear applies, but that is just yellowed pages (and nothing of the print has faded). I've seen versions from the 50s, in worse condition, selling for over $500. How much should I be thinking?
By Monica K.
