A VERY SPECIAL Carl Sagan Collection!!
The Dragons Of Eden.
Speculations On The Evolution Of Human Intelligence.
Up for sale are TWO, Very Rare copies of this Early Title by Carl Sagan.
ONE of these copies is a SIGNED Book Club Edition, (BCE).
Boldly by the legendary Carl Sagan!!
NOT inscribed to anyone, simply SIGNED!!
SIGNED titles by the celebrated Author/Astronomer/Scientist/Icon are Scarce and Becoming Increasingly Hard to Find!!
This copy is NOT a First Edition/First Printing!!
It is a BCE.
Essentially, an Early Reprint of this Title.
Once again, please remember this is NOT the First Edition/First Printing of this title!!
The other copy is NOT SIGNED, but is a TRUE First Edition/First Printing/First State with ALL First Edition Points present!!
Once again, only ONE of these books is SIGNED and it is NOT a First Edition/First Printing.
The other book is a TRUE First/First but it is NOT SIGNED.
The buyer will receive BOTH books!!
Both books are hardcovers with their original dust jackets.
The True First has its' original price of $8.95.
The original price is present and unclipped!
Both books were published by Random House: New York, 1977.
Please note that while "1977" is clearly stated on both copyright pages, we believe the BCE may have been published/released sometime after that date.
Exact date unknown.
Both books have varying degrees of wear, but are still in Highly Desirable, Highly Collectible condition!
The wear, however, is considerable and VERY clearly visible!
All of the wear to both books should be carefully examined/considered BEFORE buying.
1. The Dragons Of Eden.
Book Club Edition, (BCE).
Please remember this is NOT a First Edition/First Printing!
Boldly SIGNED on the title page by the great Carl Sagan!
NOT inscribed to anyone, simply SIGNED!
The book appears gently read and other than some partially erased pencil marks on the first/illustrated page, has no internal writing, no remainder marks, no missing pages and is NOT Ex-Libris.
The binding is holding tight and the pages are still surprisingly crisp and clean!
Some general/shelf wear along with creases/scuffing/marks/discoloration/wear to the spine/corners/boards, marks/wear to the edge/fore pages and creases/discoloration/wear to the pages, NOT affecting the text!
Please note the wear to the spine/corners/cloth boards, particularly noticeable near/along the edges, and the wear that is present on the pages, particularly noticeable on certain pages.
All of the wear previously mentioned is considerable and very clearly visible!
The wear should be carefully examined/considered.
As mentioned before, there are some partially erased pencil marks on the first/illustrated page!
The marks/page has been closely photographed for your consideration.
The original dust jacket is fully intact but has substantial wear!
Some general/shelf wear along with creases, scuffing, scratches, marks and rips resulting in some loss of paper.
Please note the wear on the spine, at the corners and near/along the edges!
In particular, please note the numerous, large rips.
All of the wear previously mentioned, particularly near/along the edges, is considerable and very clearly visible!
The wear is extensive and should be carefully examined/considered.
2. The Dragons Of Eden.
NOT SIGNED!
A TRUE First American Edition/First Printing/First State with ALL First Edition Points present!
The book appears gently read and other than a previous owner name and date written on the front pastedown, has no internal writing, no remainder marks, no missing pages and is NOT Ex-Libris or a BCE.
The binding is holding tight and the pages are still surprisingly crisp and clean!
Some general/shelf wear along with creases/wear to the spine/corners/cloth boards, marks/wear to the edge/fore pages and creases/wear to the pages, NOT affecting the text!
Please note the wear to the spine/corners/cloth boards, particularly noticeable near/along the edges, and the wear that is present on the pages, particularly noticeable on certain pages.
The wear is very clearly visible and should be carefully examined/considered.
As previously mentioned, there is some internal writing!
There is a previous owner name and date written on the front pastedown, (inside front board).
The writing/page has been closely photographed for your consideration.
The original, First State dust jacket is fully intact and NOT price-clipped!
Some general/shelf wear along with creases, scuffing, scratches, marks and rips.
Please note the wear on the spine, at the corners and near/along the edges!
The wear, particularly near/along the edges, is very clearly visible!
The wear should be carefully examined/considered.
We tend to grade the condition of our books rather harshly and took into consideration any and all wear when determining the value of these two VERY RARE books.
Our asking price reflects that consideration and if these books, (especially the Signed BCE), were in better condition our asking price would be considerably higher.
We purposely and closely photographed what we consider to be the most obvious and egregious wear.
Once again, we want to reiterate that the wear to both books and both dust jackets is VERY clearly visible!
The wear is considerable and should be carefully examined/considered BEFORE buying.
Numerous photographs from various angles were taken for your consideration/inspection.
Please closely and carefully view ALL the pictures for further clarification!!
Payment must be received within three days or the book will be re-listed.
Please feel free to contact us with any and all questions. We are very proud of our 100% positive feedback/ranking and offer an easy, no questions asked return policy so you can buy with confidence! Thank you!!
Regarding the signature, we feel compelled to provide you with a bit of information.
These two books were purchased at a Library Fair/Sale a while back. They were part of a rather large Sagan/Hawking collection. Included in this sale were numerous Firsts and some interesting ephemera. Most of the books were not signed, but a few of the Sagan's were.
Our intention was to keep this signed BCE for our personal collection, (I happen to big fan of Carl Sagan and have amassed a decent collection of his).
When the opportunity to purchase a Signed Hardcover First of this title came my way, however, I made the purchase and justified the rather exorbitant cost by agreeing to sell a few other valuable Sagan's, this signed BCE principal among them.
I want to reiterate that I did not personally witness Carl Sagan putting pen to paper and I am not a professional signature authenticator. I am, however, an avid collector and rare book dealer who has been buying, selling and handling such books for over twenty years. I am quite familiar with Signed Sagan's and have both sold and collected his works for quite some time.
Prior to buying this copy, I did my due diligence and felt confident in the signatures' authenticity. When I, rather reluctantly, decided to sell this copy, we again carefully examined the signature. Of course we believe the signature is genuine and wouldn't dare consider selling it if we had any doubts pertaining to its' legitimacy. As is the case with all of our "Signed" titles, we do our research and approach each and every title as "guilty until proven innocent". In other words, we assume each signature is a forgery/fake and then begin the examination.
Sadly, there are so many fakes/forgeries out there, each and every customer should approach any supposedly "Signed" copy with a healthy dose of skepticism. Such should be there case with this copy!
If you have any doubts regarding the authenticity of the signature, I would kindly suggest not buying this book. If you do end up making the purchase, congratulations, you have a wonderful book, one that I personally cherished for many years.
I would also kindly suggest one considers having it authenticated by a professional. We've had nothing but lovely experiences with the good people at JSA. They are well respected professionals whose opinions we trust.
If, and again I do not think this will occur, but if the signature comes back as anything less than 100% authenticate, simply send us a message. Of course you can return the book and will receive a FULL refund the moment we get it back.
I strongly considered having this book authenticated myself but elected not to for the simple reason that procuring a COA from a reputable company costs a decent amount of money and would then result in us having to raise the asking price accordingly. At that point, the asking price would exceed what I believe a fair value is. I'm in this business to make a living, not a killing and we always make a concerted effort to price our books fairly.
I also understand how some customers simply do not trust a COA. There are times when I tend to agree with that sentiment and always remind customers that a COA can sometimes be more easily faked than an actual signature!
One must be cautious and mindful of where the COA comes from, (what company/professionals), exactly who signed the COA, is there a number to contact them directly, does the COA actually relate to the book being considered etc.
Of course, the well known, established signature authenticators are the exception to the rule and we absolutely trust their professional opinions. I say all this simply to be as transparent as possible with this book.
I am aware that we could easily print a COA out ourselves, stamp it and sign it. We know that is what quite a few rare book sellers do.
My belief, however, is that I am NOT a professional signature authenticator and to do so would be unprofessional and would make the COA, in my opinion, utterly pointless.
In conclusion, yes we believe the signature is genuine.
No we did not personally witness the author putting to pen to paper.
Yes we always offer an easy return policy including a FULL refund.
No we do not have a COA for this book.
You should know exactly what it is you are buying so if you have any questions or would like some more photographs of the books, just let us know!
Thank you again!!