What is/are your most valuable book(s)?

Do you own a signed first edition book(s) or some very old (vintage) writings that you highly prize? If so, tell us about it.

Well, I've just got two books autographed by Chuck Palahniuk. Nothing else of much interest, though.

I have a few first edition Richard Adams books; Watership Down, The Girl in The Swing, The Plauge Dogs, Shardik. I'm still looking for Maia and Traveller signed firsts.

I also have a really cool, totally broke the back, signed leather bound edition of Watership Down with original signed watercolors also signed by the artist.

My husband and I dabble in book-dealing, so we have acquired a few favorite items for ourselves too.

I have an autographed copy of Eloise. Oooh, I just love, love, love it. It's an early edition--Eloise likes grass instead of dandelions.

I also have a first edition Huckleberry Finn, but it's in poor condition.

My husband's prized possession is the tin can edition of Moby Dick.

I love antiquarian books, and it's probably my worst vice (there are others as well, unfortunately!). These are the ones that probably are worth the most these days:

First London edition of Darwin's "The Descent of Man", published by John Murray in 1871, in 2 volumes, beautiful condition.

First American edition of "The Origin of Species" - unfortunately, the first British edition goes for about $80,000 these days, so it's a bit out of my price range! Even so, this one is a treasure that I'm lucky to have.

1674 edition of Francis Bacon's "Of the Advancement and Proficiencie of Learning: Or the Partitions of Sciences". This is printed on rag paper that has held up amazingly well, with almost no foxing. It's in a half calf binding that was re-done about 100 years ago, with the original boards. This copy was owned by Thomas Henry Huxley, and it has his signature to the front page.

An edition of "The Tempest" with illustrations by Arthur Rackham, signed by the artist.

Good thing books aren't fattening...

probably a signed hardback harry potter and the philosophers stone

I got my copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire two days before it was actually released...which makes me one of the first Americans to read it...but there's nothing special about it.

First edition - English translation of Thomas Mann's novel Doctor Faustus, from 1948.

First edition of Bertrand Russell's A History of Western Philosophy.

Also, ooooold copy of Baudelaire's poetry collection Les Fleurs du Mal.

The Works of Alfred Lord Tennyson printed in 1889. Bound in red leather and with gold leaf on the cover and the page edges.

I doubt it's worth much in the way of hard currency, but it's definitely worth more than all those paperbacks on my shelves. And it's the book I value the highest.