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Book Collecting Guide

Do you love staring at beautiful books? You're in the right place!


We are all here bound by our shared love for Brandon Sanderson’s works. We love them so much, we love the books the words are printed in. Maybe you have a handful of beat up paperbacks or all the books in first edition, first printings, there is no wrong way to collect Sanderson. All who love the works of Brandon are welcome. 

The hunt, the thrill of the find, the simple love of how the books look on the shelves, collector's motivations are as varied as Brandon's magic systems. Decide what sounds interesting to you, and go for it. There's no wrong way to collect!


What do you want to collect?

To start actively collecting, you first need to decide what you want to collect. Brandon has written 30+ novels and numerous novella's, there are literally hundreds of versions in different languages and formats.

You can go the "completionist" route and try to get one of everything, or you can focus on a specific type of book, like his leather bound editions, or even a single title in different editions and formats (PB, HC, LB, numbered, different languages).

Some collectors like books from certain publishers (Subterranean Press, Goldsboro), or in various languages. Others like to focus on artwork and even non-book items like cards, figurine's, prints, etc.

What you decide to collect can greatly affect the number of books you may need to acquire and the investment you will have to put into your collection. Collecting can get extremely expensive very quickly remember there's always another book so try and stick to a budget…. or don’t, we’ve all been there :p

There are a few things you will want to decide first before plunging in. We highly recommend you view the glossary of terms commonly used. Like everything in life, there is a secret language to collecting books and learning it may save you some heartache and funds when purchasing.

Examples of what you can collect;

  • Do you want to collect his main bodies of work? or everything?

  • Do  you want to collect signed versions of his books? Signed just by Brandon or artists as well?

  • Do you want to collect 1st Edition/1st Printings?

  • Do you want to collect "numbered" or "lettered" editions?

  • Do you want to collect versions from different languages/publishers?

  • Do you also want to collect the swag, art or other licensed materials?

  • Do you want to collect Advanced Readers Copies (ARC’s), Manuscripts?


Casual

Most people start off as causal collectors. They just want a copy of Brandon's main body of works (novels and maybe novellas where possible). This is of course the easiest and cheapest route to go, as you can purchase his books from any book store or even from his own website. This type of collection typically has little monetary value. Generally these will contain a mix of formats (Paperback and Hardcovers), will be later printings, and most of them will be well used. If purchased from Brandon's site, they may be signed.


1st Editions,1st printings (1/1)

The next tier of collector still typically wants the main body of works, but desires a collection with a little more value to it. This is where you will start to see people starting to collect signed hardcover 1st edition, 1st printings. These look great on a shelf, and are usually in Very Good or better condition. The older the edition the harder to find.


Numbered and lettered editions

A portion of the first printing is often set aside to be numbered or lettered. They are significantly rarer than just a 1/1’s and can be significantly more expensive. 


Different languages

Brandon's works have been translated into many languages and re-published in other countries. Many Collectors enjoy collecting these versions as well, even if they can't read the language. These foreign editions may have new beautiful artwork or swag that goes into them unavailable in other language editions.


The ultimate collector

Is someone who wants every book in every format possible (even down to different editions, printings or states of the same book). This also includes anything else created by the author, such as copies of magazines where they printed short stories or performed interviews. This requires true dedication and a very significant amount of patience, and of course, funds.




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