Lizzie Borden Society Forum

Please check out this eBay item..is this worth $750?? What is the history of this item? I am guessing because it is signed the seller is putting the price where it is at.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MRS-BELLOC-LOWNDES- ... 286.c0.m14

Thanks guys!!

To find a copy of this book is not too hard to do. To find a copy with the dust jacket is rare.

The book was printed in 1939 and to the best of my knowledge it has never been reprinted. The author died in 1947. So a book signed by the author might be considered rare.

The signature has been added to the book on a separate piece of paper so I don't know how that would affect the signed value of the book.

I have 2 copies of this book, neither one is signed by the author though. One copy has no dust jacket and the other copy has a dust jacket. I don't recall what I paid for the copy with the dust jacket but I remember that it was $100 and something. The copy without the dust jacket was less than $100.

I don't think the seller is being quite fair when he represents the book as a "signed copy." although he does indicate it has a laid in signature in the detailed description.

I think the book is way over priced; a copy can be had for about one hundred dollars (with no signatures) It would cost more with a dust jacket.

A signed copy has greater value than one with a laid in signature -in essence you would be paying several hundred dollars just for the laid in signature, which can be purchased for a lot less money.

:smile:

Yes, right you are William, a tad expensive.

Marie Belloc Lowndes little book has held its own over the years. I purchased my copy almost 30 years ago for 35 dollars from a book dealer in Lizzie Borden's home town. That was WITHOUT a dust jacket. Since then I have seen several copies on the market, very seldom with its jacket.

There is no doubt that it is scarce with its dust wrapper but 750 dollars?

There's a copy on the market for 100 dollars without its jacket as we speak.

If One waits long enough, a copy can probably be had on ebay for 40 to 60 dollars. Though that may be a guess on my part, taking copies I have seen for sale over the years it would be a fair price to pay for a copy in very good condition.

:smile:

Oh Yes, one more thing.

Right again William. A signed copy is always worth more than a laid in signature.

To place my personal twist on it...................As a serious collector a laid in signature means "0", that is "Zero" to me. This means that the book was never handled by the author.

Sometimes you will find that the signature is just laid in, like in some of Flynn's book, other times it is pasted/glued in and labeled as "laid in". Either way, to a serious collector she/he will insist that the book is flat signed, that is, handled by the author and signed without presentation of any sort. (Unless it is presented to someone famous, another author, or family member)

Also, we must note that a signed copy of a book does not always add extra value to a title; like if the author is unknown.

As for the copy we are are talking about a signature by Ms Lowndes would be of value only to the most discriminating collector.

Below is my personal dingy copy of Lowndes "Lizzie Borden, A Study In Conjecture."

Has anyone ever had a chance to read this book to see if it is any good as far as information?

Yes Angel, I read it awhile back. It's written as it says, in conjecture, in theory.

It's written in what I guess is the way novels are written with the words of the conversations making it seem first hand, like Engstom's book.

It goes through a theory of Lizzie's European vacation and continues until the day of the murders. It has Lizzie and her female friend meeting 2 male friends while on vacation.

The basic facts are there but of course most of the book is theory. I really should take notes when I read these books to keep a record of the acuracies and mistakes.

Our Eugene wrote on the subject in The Hatchet, Aug/Sept 2007, Vol 4, #3, pages 98-100.

"The Cutting Room," a word on the true nature of theories: A Study In Conjecture by Mrs. Belloc Lowndes, By Eugene Hosey.

Angel @ Mon Nov 10, 2008 7:22 am wrote:Has anyone ever had a chance to read this book to see if it is any good as far as information?

CAUTION -- SPOILER ALERT! But here's a copy of an old forum post of mine from 2004 which summarizes the plot

"Hiram Barrison, the suitor in Belloc Lowndes's book is from Boston. He meets Lizzie in Paris when they are both travelling in Europe. Lizzie falls in love. She contacts him after they come back from the trip. Hiram is not well-off -- he inherited some money from his mother -- but that is nearly gone -- so Lizzie knows he will never be "eligible" in Andrew's eyes. The two have secret trysts after they come home from Europe -- meeting at night in the Borden barn. Abby sees them there one night -- and threatens to tell Andrew -- so Lizzie kills both her and Andrew because she knows she cannot be with Hiram until they are out of the way.

In this version, Lizzie has no accomplices."

The Lowndes book was one of the Lizzie books in my collection that seemed to take the longest to find.

Mine is a red (no dustcover) Hutchinson edition -- which I'm guessing is the 1940 British reprint of the Longman 1st. It's a little banged up, the pages are 'foxed', and I paid about $60 for it in 2000.

Obviously rare books appreciate in value. Rebello and the Knowlton papers are prime examples; but both of these are research tools and consequently provide a lot of value to a student of the Borden case. I wouldn’t pay top dollar for the Lowndes, though because it’s truly a work of fiction.

You guys are amazing. Thanks so very much for the posts.

This same book gets relisted over and over with no buyers. Five offers have been made with none being accepted, of course I don't know how high the offers were.

I was seeking this book to add to my Lizzie collection, until I read Eugene Hosey's excellent examination of it in The Hatchet that Kat posts of above. I had only known it was a collectible book and with the word "Study" in the title thought it to be non-fiction. I figured it would be quite a read.

Fortunately I was too cheap to want to pay that much for it, and glad I was after I read Mr. Hosey's article.

If I found one for $20, I would buy it just to put in my collection. I probably wouldn't even read it.

I saw the listing for this $700+ book on eBay and was not aware that the signature was written on paper not of the book. I am a great lover of books and collect some, but not in the scope that mb does. I enjoy reading his tips on book collecting.

I especially like autographed books, and all but one (David Kent's Lizzie Borden Sourcebook) are signed in the book itself. Mr. Kent's is on a square paper not attached to the book. But I don't mind this because I purchased it from Robert Flynn and know it is legit.

I just have a distrustful feeling of a signature that is not on the book itself. I'm not saying this "..Conjecture" book has a fake signature at all. I just have an instinctive non-trust when it's like that. And I'm sure mb is right in that it would not be as valuable that way. I do think that copy was way over-priced and am happy to hear that so far as is posted, no one bit. That is the only way we can stop sellers from over-pricing Lizzie books.

I also agree about Rebello's book and The Knowlton Papers, in that they are exceptions. I think they are essential to a Lizzie library but still I would not pay the $400 or thereabouts that some sellers demand.

Thank you, Diana, for giving us a synopsis of the "..Conjecture" book. I had forgotten, from reading Eugene's article, exactly what it was about. I love Lizzie fiction - I think it gives readers a chance to speculate how the people were and how the crime happened. I think it fleshes out the characters involved and helps to believe that these were really living people. I loved Evan Hunter's book. I liked Elizabeth Engstrom's book, except for a few things in it. Did not like Sattherwaite's and gave it away. But reading Diana's post, I know I could not get into that book at all - too far-fetched for me.

Well, The Lowndes book, Lizzie Borden A Study in Conjecture has had the price drop by $75 to $675, but it hasn't sold yet.

I almost can't believe that the seller is still trying to sell this thing after 2 years.