This is topic Ender's Game on Ebay in forum Discussions About Orson Scott Card at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by hatrkr81 (Member # 9317) on :
 
WOW! Just found this on EBay. What I wouldn't give to own this. However, I don't have that much to give. Here's the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140004305257&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=004
Signed copy of Ender's Game, 1st Edition, currently at $1900.00 with 10 bids. A little over a day left.

Out of curiousity, anyone on here have a first edition Ender's Game? I'm trying to get first editions of everything for my OSC collection but I don't think I'll be able to afford this one anytime soon.

By the way, I love that apparantly you can now finance things on Ebay, including this book.

[ July 11, 2006, 02:19 AM: Message edited by: hatrkr81 ]
 

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Posted by Vadon (Member # 4561) on :
 
I can't be postive but it seems like that $1,900 bid might not be real. Considering it jumped from &80 to that number is... a wee bit much.

I mean, I can understand being a large enough fan to for over a lot of money, but not more than you need to.
 

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Posted by hatrkr81 (Member # 9317) on :
 
That's what I was thinking too. $1900 is ALOT of money. And the reserve hasn't even been met yet. Anyone know what the going price actually is for a signed 1st Ender's Game?
 

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Posted by cheiros do ender (Member # 8849) on :
 
My guess is they got one of their friends to bid that, to speed things up. They don't even have to sell the book if the reserve isn't met (which it's not yet), so it seems a smart enough strategy.
 

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Posted by CRash (Member # 7754) on :
 
Ditto. Interesting seller, though. In its store there is:

USA DECLARATION INDEPENDENCE 1776 PRINTING $RARE$
COMES WITH CUSTOM LEATHER CLAM CASE AND CONSTITUTION
$450,000.00

All the same, I think eighty dollars is a far more reasonable bid than two thousand. No matter how much I'd want the book.
 

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Posted by docmagik (Member # 1131) on :
 
Several years ago, OSC was at a signing at the BYU bookstore. The general book buyer had run out of certain titles, and was searching everywhere for the last hardcover Ender's game they had in stock for a lady.

He got it for her, and then was suprised to see OSC's reaction when he saw it. He pointed out that it was an original first edition, and ask when she'd got it. She told him she'd just paid cover price for it.

When the woman asked him to personalize it to someone, he asked her if she was really sure, because that book, with just his signature, was worth hundreds of dollars, but it would be worth much less if he put someone's name on it.

At least until he died. For some reason after authors die, then books that are personalized become more valuable.

But he assured her he was not planning to extend her that courtesy.

The general book buyer in the story, a good guy who was a friend of mine, still kicks himself for giving up the book.

Now, I rarely see them for less than $1,500.
 

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Posted by RunningBear (Member # 8477) on :
 
not even signed!?
 

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Posted by docmagik (Member # 1131) on :
 
Unsigned is around $800-$1000, believe it or not. Signed, $1,500 to $2,000.
 

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Posted by xray (Member # 9553) on :
 
i have first editions on every book :-D
 

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Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
 
I find it interesting that the inside cover of the book talks about Ender being the result of a "Genetic Experiment," of which Peter and Valentine are also products. I guess the copywriter didn't feel a need to read the book himself?
 

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Posted by cheiros do ender (Member # 8849) on :
 
the high school i used to go to had over 3 dozen first edition enders game's. i doubt theyre nearly as valuable in australia, though.
 

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Posted by xray (Member # 9553) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Orincoro:
I find it interesting that the inside cover of the book talks about Ender being the result of a "Genetic Experiment," of which Peter and Valentine are also products. I guess the copywriter didn't feel a need to read the book himself?

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haha yea
 

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Posted by TheGrimace (Member # 9178) on :
 
well, I think it's a bit of a stretch to call it that, but the basic principle could be sound:

I always got the feeling that the government was trying to breed geniouses. Ender at least could be considered as much since he was a third.
Otherwise you could say that Ender's parents were in a way participating in their own genetic experiment even if the government wasn't. They seemed very aware that they would be breeding incredibly smart offspring.

But maybe I'm reading too much into that.
 

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Posted by Jeesh (Member # 9163) on :
 
Probably

I still can't find my copy of Ender's Game. I want to reread it. Of course, we have every other Ender/Bean book on the shelf, besides SotG. Which I still need to read. *sigh* Looks like I need to start asking who has a copy.
 

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Posted by Puppy (Member # 6721) on :
 
I have the most valuable copy. Nyah nyah nyah. First edition, signed to the kid it was dedicated to
 

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Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Puppy:
I have the most valuable copy. Nyah nyah nyah. First edition, signed to the kid it was dedicated to

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I'll give you a Wal-Mart gift card with $3.70 on it.
 

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Posted by Jeesh (Member # 9163) on :
 
Puppy, do me a favor. Go to the nearest coppy machine and copy every page. Then send it to me. Or I'll top Steve with a $10.00 Target
 

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Posted by odouls268 (Member # 2145) on :
 
I'll go you one better:

I own an original copy of the August 1977 issue of Analog that the Ender's Game short story was printed in.

...signed by OSC.

You may kiss my ring now.
 

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Posted by neo-dragon (Member # 7168) on :
 
It's too bad that OSC does so many book signings. Signed copies of his newer books would be worth more in the future if there weren't many floating around to begin with. I only have a signed first edition of SotG... I would NEVER sell it, but it would make me feel good to know that it was worth a lot.
But of course he must have signed a ton of them during the tour when it first came out.
 

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Posted by docmagik (Member # 1131) on :
 
Actually, the fact that he ANNOUNCED he was going to be doing less signings helped the value of his signature, even if he has done a few more after that . . .
 

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Posted by hatrkr81 (Member # 9317) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by odouls268:
I'll go you one better:

I own an original copy of the August 1977 issue of Analog that the Ender's Game short story was printed in.

...signed by OSC.

You may kiss my ring now.

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quote:

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Originally posted by cheiros do ender:
I think I've seen that picture before. It's on this site, right?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Puppy:
I have the most valuable copy. Nyah nyah nyah. First edition, signed to the kid it was dedicated to

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Hmmm...the kid the book was dedicated to...how much would YOU go for on Ebay?
 

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Posted by Jeesh (Member # 9163) on :
 
!!!!!!!!!!!
 

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Posted by neo-dragon (Member # 7168) on :
 
He's probably picked up some wear and tear over the years. He would no doubt be worth more if he had been kept in a thin plastic coating all his life.
 

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Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
 
But he's still a limited edition...and I imagine we could convince the author to slap an autograph on him.
 

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Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Puppy:
I have the most valuable copy. Nyah nyah nyah. First edition, signed to the kid it was dedicated to

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quote:

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Originally posted by Javert:
But he's still a limited edition...and I imagine we could convince the author to slap an autograph on him.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Orincoro:
I find it interesting that the inside cover of the book talks about Ender being the result of a "Genetic Experiment," of which Peter and Valentine are also products. I guess the copywriter didn't feel a need to read the book himself?

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Actually, if you read the first meetings collection, that description is not that far off.

In the Polish Boy, Graff said that they were moving Ender's father out of Poland and to the USA so that he could grow up in a place that didn't hate the government...and then marry a smart person and have a kid that could fight.

Then in Teacher's Pest, Ender's Parents speculated that the government arranged their meeting since the only class that Ender's dad could take was the one taught by Ender's mom.

It was never proven...just suspected, but if he was true it would be a sort of artificial selection.
 

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Posted by Joldo (Member # 6991) on :
 
Whoa . . . think Geoff was a genetic experiment, too?
 

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Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
 
And if he is...is he a success or a failure? heheheh
 

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Posted by Orson Scott Card (Member # 209) on :
 
All children are genetic experiments. Let's see what happens if we combine THESE sets of DNA.

But authorizing a third child in order to see if a third attempt at combining the same gene set led to better results - that'a a genetic experiment!

Signatures: It all depends on what KIND of collector you are. If you're a "serious" collector, interested in the financial value, then you want straight signature, NOT personalized. I've had collectors who make the distinction quite clearly. "Please just sign all of these except this one, which I'd like you to personalize - it goes into my personal collection, which I'll never sell."

That's because AFTER I'm dead (and presumably so is the collector), then my signature TO a known collector actually has cachet. The possible increase in value after I'm dead partly depends on whom the book is signed to. For instance: A copy signed to an astronaut - that's going to have some extra cachet. But a signature simply to "Bob"? Not so much.

And remember that signed books are a VERY BAD INVESTMENT. Here's why: It depends solely on demand. And demand can evaporate when an author dies - whereupon even the collectable books have less and less value. It's raw free market - perceived value is the only value. So it's absurd, in my opinion, to spend exorbitant amounts for signed firsts in perfect condition. If you collect because you like the books, then ANY hardcover will complete your collection. And if it's for resale, you're betting that EG will be a true classic - i.e., continuing to sell after the author no longer is pumping out new books to spur sales of the old ones.

Have I written a "Huckleberry Finn"? Or just "Tom Sawyer, Detective"? Twain certainly didn't know that one sequel would be called the greatest American novel ever, and the other would be regarded as a sad little exercise in hackery. And he couldn't have guessed that it would be Huckleberry, and not the original Tom Sawyer to which it was a sequel, that became the literary classic (though Tom Sawyer still sells just fine as a classic "boy's book.")

There's Moby Dick - but it was one of the LEAST popular of Melville's books in his lifetime; his other books were far more popular. Who knew?

The greatest likelihood is that twenty minutes after I'm dead, all my books will plummet in value and within ten years nobody will ever say the name of any of my characters out loud again. Period.

But if they endure, there's no guessing which ones will be the collectible ones. Ender's Game, while at the moment it is still my most popular, is not my best novel. I've learned a few things since writing it <grin>. Indeed, after working on the screenplay, I'm soooooo tempted to create a completely new version of Ender's Game that includes some of the really cool stuff that I've come up with for the film script. (While still not be a movie novelization - for instance, I still like having Ender meet the hive queen on another planet, not on the asteroid Eros, but for the film there's just no way.)

Then again, some of that really cool stuff can come out as Ender stories in IGMS ...
 

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Posted by Brian J. Hill (Member # 5346) on :
 

quote:

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But if they endure, there's no guessing which ones will be the collectible ones. Ender's Game, while at the moment it is still my most popular, is not my best novel. I've learned a few things since writing it <grin>. Indeed, after working on the screenplay, I'm soooooo tempted to create a completely new version of Ender's Game that includes some of the really cool stuff that I've come up with for the film script. (While still not be a movie novelization - for instance, I still like having Ender meet the hive queen on another planet, not on the asteroid Eros, but for the film there's just no way.)

Then again, some of that really cool stuff can come out as Ender stories in IGMS ...

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quote:

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Originally posted by Orson Scott Card:
Indeed, after working on the screenplay, I'm soooooo tempted to create a completely new version of Ender's Game that includes some of the really cool stuff that I've come up with for the film script. (While still not be a movie novelization - for instance, I still like having Ender meet the hive queen on another planet, not on the asteroid Eros, but for the film there's just no way.)

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quote:

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Originally posted by Lupus:

quote:

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Originally posted by Orincoro:
I find it interesting that the inside cover of the book talks about Ender being the result of a "Genetic Experiment," of which Peter and Valentine are also products. I guess the copywriter didn't feel a need to read the book himself?

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Actually, if you read the first meetings collection, that description is not that far off.

In the Polish Boy....

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