Value of Herta von Stephanitz book? - Page 1

 Hello,

Wondering if anyone here has any idea what a book by Herta von Stephanitz,  titled" Der deutsche Schäferhund" might be worth. It is a paperback (called then a brochure) , in very, very good condition. The typeface is in old German script and the book has some great photos. It was a Lehrmeister Bücherei. As best I can tell, this was a book published in Germany around 1940 by Hachmeister & Thal, Leipzig. Herta was the daughter of Max von Stephanitz. What makes this copy unique and worth something is that it has the following inscription in it: " with compliments from the author" clearly written above the inside title page where her name is printed. This surely was written by Herta herself.

I bought it long ago and cannot remember what I paid for it. There are some later reprints around, in hard back I think, but I have never seen one like this except in Germany, and the few I saw were not in very good condition. This copy has all pages (about 90) and photos and charts and ads and an index in the back.

I also have a book called "Der Deutsche Schäferhund"  by Dr. Kurt Roesebeck from 1938. It has few photos, but has an interesting photo of Adolf Hitler about to throw something for his GSD to fetch at the Eagles Nest in Bavaria. It too is old German script

I have a third book of the same title by  A. Freiherr von Creytz published in 1928. It too has nice photos and is in very good condition. and almost 300 pages.

All these books are for sale. Please PM me if interested with an offer. I want to point out that probably the value of these books is more in the photos, and the inscription of Hertas' unless you can read German old script. I can, but it is tiring! So these really are more collectors items.

http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?binding=&mtype=&keyword=herta+stephanitz&hs.x=14&hs.y=13 you can search for similar books here.  I find a lot of out of print books on there  its a great site

Thank you Lief. I have the value of the book from Germany. But this one is inscribed by Herta von Stephanitz. I believe it is a collectors item. That makes the value more difficult to assign.

Hodie, this is for you and about  the book you sold me. I must say, as I gave this book as a family gift for Valentines Day, we had great fun with the pictures! No matter what the hardcore liners have to say, the German Shepherd Dog should always be safe with children.

My kids and I can't read a stitch of German, but we loved that the pictures that showed children just living with GSD's , having absolute playtime scenarios,( like the one where the GSD sits in a chair participating in a school classroom)  as part of the work ethic.  Where the dog jumped hoops over their head...And the author is ...guess who!

Or so it seems to me, until I get the English version! LOL>

 

Beetree,

Thank you. I am so glad that you are enjoying the book. Do be careful with it as it is fragile as you know. I still have you down for first dibs on the English collector's edition I have. I just don't know what box it is in!

The German script takes a bit of getting used to, even for me. But you will have all you need in the English version. I hate to part with these things, but must. It makes it easier knowing someone else will enjoy them as I have.

Happy Valentines Day!

www.abebooks.com -- it's another site for rare and out-of-print books. I find a lot of great stuff there as well as Alibris.

Thank you JC. I have many antiquarian sites already. The question remains, what is a book inscribed by Herta v. Stephanitz worth to someone as a curiosity or collector's item. That is the question and it is difficult to answer. 

Hodie, this might be a place for you to start....

reviews.ebay.com/How-do-you-determine-the-value-of-an-autograph_W0QQugidZ10000000000028523

 www.emptymirrorbooks.com/collecting/author-signatures.html

How Much Does an Author's Signature Increase the Value?

There's no rule. If a book is signed by the author, it may be worth more than an unsigned copy. The difference could be large, moderate, or negligible, depending upon the book in question.

Again, supply & demand comes into play. If the author is very popular, but signatures are scarce, the signature will be in demand. Factors to consider are whether the author is living or dead (and thus not signing any more books!), if the author signed many books or few, and of course the desirability & collectibility of the book in question.

Books signed by heavily-collected authors are much-desired. For example, every one of the thousands of collectors of Beat Generation literature would love to have a signed book by Jack Kerouac -one of the most influential & highly regarded writers of the 20th century - in their collection. Consequently, such books are in high demand and hard to find (Kerouac wasn't a very prolific signer of his books anyway), and they fetch grand prices.

For modern novels with authors still living, a signature will add somewhat to the price - perhaps ten to twenty-five percent. If the signature is very scarce, it may be worth more. The amount will vary depending upon the particular book & author and how easy that signed book is to find.

However, the cookbook your Aunt Jane wrote, self-published, and signed is worth little, if anything, more than an unsigned copy. That's because Aunt Jane's signature, and her cookbook, are likely not objects of desire for book collectors.

For more on book values, see our article On the Value of Books.