Sci-fi books are taking off again

In his 2018 book A Conversation Larger than the Universe: Readings in Science Fiction and the Fantastic 1762-2017, antiquarian bookseller Henry Wessells outlines a history of science fiction through his personal book collection. Spotlighting stories of other planets, fantasy utopias, gothic and dystopian fiction by authors including HG Wells, Philip K Dick, Joanna Russ, James Tiptree Jr, and William Gibson, Wessells highlights how the genre has always predicted the most exciting and, indeed, terrifying developments on the human horizon.

Perhaps for that reason, and as the events of our time grow ever weirder and scarier, collecting first-edition sci-fi novels, once considered a niche trend, is becoming more mainstream. “Science fiction is a fascinating area to collect in, and there are a number of authors whose works have weathered particularly well,” says Anna Middleton of specialist Peter Harrington Rare Books. She namechecks “Iain M Banks’s Consider Phlebas, the first title in his Culture series, which can fetch around £1,750 for an inscribed copy, JG Ballard’s The Drowned World, which retails at around £3,000 for a first-edition hardback, and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, which will set you back around £2,000.” From here, prices can soar. “Inscribed copies of Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot or a full set of his Foundation series are high spots, around £20,000 apiece,” she adds. “Other notable modern authors to collect are Ursula Le Guin, William Gibson and Dan Simmons.”

Iain M Banks’s Consider Phlebas, inscribed by the author, £1,750, peterharrington.co.uk

The Drowned World by JG Ballard, sold for £3,000 at Peter Harrington

Unsurprisingly, values are often affected by screen adaptations. First editions of Neuromancer increased in value after The Matrix. Frank Herbert’s Dune, thanks to the recent film versions, continues to ascend in price. (Last autumn, a rare storyboard for Dune sold for £350,000 at Peter Harrington.) Conversely, a badly received screen retelling can sink the desirability of the original text — Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials suffered after the release of The Golden Compass in 2007.

A badly received screen retelling can sink the desirability of the original text

If collectors were inclined to predict the future in the same way as their sci-fi heroes, they might do well to watch Nora K Jemisin, whose Broken Earth trilogy, published between 2016 and 2018, became the first to win the prestigious Hugo Award for best novel with each book in three successive years. Jemisin is at the forefront of a growing area within sci-fi of collecting books by women and BAME authors. Carol F Kessler’s Daring to Dream: Utopian Fiction by United States Women Before 1950 is a good reference point, as is Rebecca M Marrall’s Women of Color in Speculative Fiction: An Annotated Bibliography of Authors. Another writer beloved by collectors is Octavia Butler, the first black woman to receive both the Nebula and Hugo Awards, and the first sci-fi author to be granted a MacArthur fellowship. An inscribed first edition of Fledgling, her 2005 novel, is £950 at Peter Harrington. 

Dr Futurity by Philip K Dick

Nora K Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy, which became the first to win the Hugo Award for best novel in three sequential years

Dawn by Octavia Butler, sold for £1,250 at Peter Harrington

Les Premiers Hommes dans la Lune by HG Wells, £15,000, from Peter Harrington

While trends in collecting sci-fi often dovetail with broader issues, the genre also loves to play by its own rules. Hardbacks are usually considered the industry standard when it comes to first editions, but since many of the genre’s novels first appeared in paperback, these editions hold special value. “Signed first-edition paperbacks by Philip K Dick — aka the Prince of Pulp — can retail at between £1,500 and £2,000,” says Simon Finch of Voewood Rare Books, citing Dr Futurity and The World Jones Made, which were published “dos-à-dos” by Ace Books.

The genre’s jacket art can also play a role. “Exclusive art finishes can have a big impact on how valuable a book is as they are generally produced in a limited quantity,” says Harveen Khailany of Goldsboro Books. “Having numbered editions adds further value.” Martin van Maële created the cover art for HG Wells’s popular 1901 “science romance” Les premiers hommes dans la lune (The First Men in the Moon); a first edition is available for £15,000 at Peter Harrington.

The Invisible Man inscribed to WW Jacobs, £12,500, from Jonkers Rare Books

Octavia E Butler’s Patternmaster, sold for £3,000 at Peter Harrington

The sci-fi community has always been close knit, and there is a tradition of sharing and exchange; a meaningfully inscribed book can add huge value. Recently, a presentation copy of The Invisible Man inscribed by HG Wells to WW Jacobs — Wells’s friend and author of The Monkey’s Paw — came on the market for £12,500 at Jonkers Rare Books.

Likewise, large-scale sci-fi events — such as MCM Comic Con or Worldcon — can offer rich opportunities to meet dealers affiliated with trade organisations such as ILAB, the ABAA and ABA, which offer protections when it comes to authenticity, and who are invaluable guides for collectors.

As Nicholas A Basbanes wrote of book collecting in A Gentle Madness, “However bizarre and zealous collectors have been through the ages, so much of what we know about history, literature and culture would be lost forever if not for the passion and dedication of these driven souls.” What a gang to join . . .