The Rarest Books From Around The World

1. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland

Image source: The Guardian

Also known as "Alice in Wonderland", this famous story by Lewis Carroll was first published in 1965. A young girl falls through a rabbit hole and enters a fantasy world inhabited by unique characters. You would have to come up with at least $2 million to even get amongst the bidding war, if you wanted a first edition on your bookshelf!

2. Ulysses

Image source: Biblico.com

James Joyce penned this modernist novel in 1922, all 730 pages of it!  Ulysses is one of the rarest books in the world right now, being over a hundred years old. Shakespeare and Company published it. It was set in Dublin, in Ireland, between 16–17 June 1904 and divided into four parts, each containing several episodes. It is thought to be worth around $300,000.

3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Image source: The Verge

The very first edition of this Harry Potter book was printed by Bloomsbury Press in 1997. Only 500 hardbound copies were made and experts estimate that only 200 of those copies exist today. An error on Harry's school supply list, corrected in later editions,  made this version very valuable at $82,000.

4. Shakespeare’s First Folio

Image source: The British Library

Published in 1623, this 900 page masterpiece contains 25 plays selected by Shakespeare’s friends and his business partners. Of course Shakespeare is one of the greatest English playwrights, poets and actors ever and his works still have a lot of influence in the world  400 years after his death. If you have $5 million dollars, why not invest in the book?

5. The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Image source: Mythoughtsonwriting

J K Rowling published this limited edition, handmade, with seven copies handwritten by the author herself. A copy is worth $3.98 million. Six copies were given to people who were close to the author, whilst one copy was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in December 2007.

6. El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha (Don Quixote)

Image source: HundredBooks

This novel is regarded as being the greatest fiction ever written by Miguel de Cervantes, written by one of the most talented Spanish writers to have lived. He is believed to have written the novel when he was in prison after the Spanish Armada locked him up. A thick novel of 863 pages, it is worth $2.6 million.

7. The Tale of Peter Rabbit

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"The Tale of Peter Rabbit", the Beatrix Potter classic, was first published in 1902. It was originally written for Potter’s former governess Annie Carter Moore’s 5 year old son. It has been reprinted many times in 36 different languages with 45 million copies being sold.  Original editions are constantly increasing in value.

8. Ptolemy’s Geographia Cosmographia

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

The book compiled the author's geographical knowledge of the world in the 2nd Century Roman Empire. This was a revelation to the readers of all 8 volumes. Unbelievably, Claudius Ptolemy wrote the book by hand and he also drew all the maps by hand - a remarkable man.

9. The Gutenberg Bible

Image source: The Guardian

The Gutenberg Bible is as old as the printing press. It is one of the earliest books ever produced with movable metal printing machines in the whole of Europe. There were about 180 copies of the bible, which Johannes Gutenberg printed in Mainz, Germany,  Only 10 remain in the U.S., each worth about $150,000.

10. Tamerlane and Other Poems

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The author, Edgar Allan Poe, died a pauper although his work is celebrated today as one of the greatest printed works in American literature.  It is a collection of poems mainly inspired by George Gordon Byron, the 6th Baron Byron.  All the poems in the book have themes centered on love, pride and death.  Estimated monetary value is $662,500.

11. The ABC with the Pater noster, Aue, Credo, and .x.co[m]maundementes in Englysshe newly translated and set forth, at the kyngs most gracyouse commaundement

Image source Digital Collections

This is the oldest known children’s book and the rarest. Only one copy of the book was made and believe it or not, that copy is still in existence!  It was printed by Richard Lant in the Old Bailey, London between 1537 and 1542. This educational issue is just 8 pages long, but a bit of a mouthful to pronounce.

12. Bay Psalm Book

Image source: BBC

Holding the record as being the first book to be printed in North America, the Bay Psalm Book, originally in Hebrew, was published in 1640 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As its name suggests, it is a religious book used by settlers in the Massachusetts Bay colony in their church.

13. In Our Time

Image source: Print Magazine

Ernest Hemingway’s "In Our Time" is a collection of short fiction stories about Nick Adams' character in the 1920s. The 32 page publication appeared in 1924 where 300 copies were made. Only 170 copies were released for sale. Each copy is worth $75,000.

14. The Codex of Leicester

Image source: Business Insider

Codex Leicester is a leather-bound notebook containing the scientific writings of the Italian polymath of the High Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci. De Vinci wrote the book somewhere between 1504–1508. He made scientific observations about astronomy, water, fossils, air and celestial light. It's worth a staggering 53 million.

15. On the Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres

Image source: Ziereis.

Unlike other books in our list, where the authors were well and truly alive and energetic, Nicolaus Copernicus published and released his Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres when on his deathbed. He did this to avoid being punished because his book proposed a heliocentric universe that many would find hard to believe.

16. Birds of America

Image source: Wikipedia

This rare book came from John James Audubon’s desire to paint every single bird in North America!  He embarked on the project in 1827 and collected specimens himself and others were sent to him by John Kirk Townsend. A total of 1,037 birds were hand colored. The publication is valued at $11.5 million.

17. On The Origin Of Species by Means of Natural Selection

Image source: AbeBooks

Darwins' "On The Origin Of Species" was hugely popular with its readers when it was first published. Approximately 1,250 copies were printed, with Mudie's Library managing to obtain 500 of those copies for distribution. One copy surprised everyone when it sold for $170,569!

18. Pride and Prejudice

Image source: Daily Express

The first edition of Jane Austen’s "Pride and Prejudice" was originally released as three volumes and sold for only 18 shillings (about $1.16 today) in 1813. 1,500 copies were printed and sold, maybe as it was considered to be a fashionable, yet disposable novel. The book went on to gain literary status throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. An original copy would cost in the region of $150,000.

19. Casino Royale

Image source: Birmingham Live

Author Ian Fleming wrote "Casino Royale", the first novel in the James Bond book series, in April 1953. The title’s initial run was an outstanding success with British publishers, Jonathan Cape printing more than 4,700 copies. The book sold out in months and demand grew for further adventures with James Bond.

20. The Canterbury Tales

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A first edition of Geoffrey Chaucer’s "The Canterbury Tales" sold in 1998 at Christie's auction house in London. The billionaire, Sir Paul Getty, bought the English masterpiece for $4 million (around $11.2 million today). Book printer William Caxton made the first edition of "The Canterbury Tales" in 1477 and there are only 12 rare books still in existence.

21. The Hobbit

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Before J.R.R. Tolkien released the epic trilogy "The Lord of the Rings", he wrote a smaller fantasy novel for kids called "The Hobbit" in 1937. It would be the blueprint and precursor for what would become the trilogy, with its first instalment, "The Fellowship of the Ring" being released in 1954.

22. The Great Gatsby

Image source: Rarety

The first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s "The Great Gatsby" with its original dust jacket, is a rare book to track down.  It was not a best seller when it was released in 1925 and only 25,000 copies had sold at the time of the author’s death in 1940.  However, a first edition with the dust jacket can now fetch at least $194,000.

23. The Catcher In The Rye

Image source: Quora

This was the only novel by the reclusive author, J D Salinger. The first edition of "The Catcher In The Rye" is worth much more with its original dust jacket fully intact.  In mint condition, first editions of this American Classic can fetch between $40,000 and $75,000.

24. Great Expectations

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Publishing house Chapman & Hall released the first edition of  "Great Expectations" in three volumes during 1861. A complete set by author Charles Dickens, in pristine condition, is very hard to come by. The last time a first edition was sold at Sotheby's was in 2008 and it raised $137,500.

25. Action Comics#1

Image source: NZ Herald

If you’re a comic book fan, this is definitely one for you!  The original "Action Comics#1 saw the world being introduced to The "Man of Steel: Superman." It is thought that there are only between 50 and 100 copies still in existence.  One copy sold for over $3.2 million!

26. Don Quixote

Image source: The Guardian

When Miguel de Cervantes’  "Don Quixote" was published in 1605, it became an internal hit and a best seller. A second volume followed in 1615 and the classic became one of the most important books ever in the Spanish literary canon. Centuries later, the popularity has not waned. The first printing has been extremely hard to come by, with only 18 known copies in the world.

27. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

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There have been many, many reprints of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" but only two signed, known original first printings. Because there have been heated debates regarding multiple variations of the first edition, this has affected the price it would be worth. It's thought to be around $87,000.

28. Christianismi Restitutio

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This very rare book describe the human circulatory system but also includes Servetus’ personal theories on predestination (the theological belief that all things are pre-ordered). This did not earn Michael Servetus any popularity points with the Calvinists, who promptly burned both him and his books at the stake. Only 3 copies survived.

29. The Sarajevo Haggada

Image source: The Times of Isra

This stunning 14th century work is the only one of its kind. It tells the story of the Jewish Passover and Seder and is currently living at the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Haggadah always gains lots of interest and attention to those who visit the museum.

30. St Cuthbert Gospel

Image source: NPR

“St. Cuthbert Gospel” must be one of the most outstanding vintage books for sale in the world of antique investment books. The seventh century gospel came from a saint’s coffin, St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne and it is the oldest European book to be found entirely intact.  It is worth over $14 million.