Rare books and famous books, explained simply

Bibliocity, a free guide for readers and collectors

Find out if an old book is worth money, how to spot a first edition and how to care for it. Then read the great classics in short: the story, the lessons and the best lines.

Is my old book valuable?Browse books in short

Famous books in short

The story in a few minutes, the characters, the lessons and real quotes.

All books in short →
Title page of the first edition of Pride and Prejudice, volume one, London, 1813Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen, 1813Frontispiece of the 1831 edition of Frankenstein by Theodor von Holst: Victor Frankenstein fleeing from the creature he has madeFrankensteinMary Shelley, 1818Title page of the first American edition of Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, Harper and Brothers, 1851Moby-DickHerman Melville, 1851Original 1925 dust jacket of The Great Gatsby by Francis Cugat: a face with eyes above a glowing city at nightThe Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925Title page of the first edition of Jane Eyre, edited by Currer Bell, 1847Jane EyreCharlotte Brontë, 1847An illustration from the first edition of Little Women, Roberts Brothers, 1868Little WomenLouisa May Alcott, 1868John Leech's 1843 illustration Marley's Ghost: Scrooge by the fire meets the chained ghost of Jacob MarleyA Christmas CarolCharles Dickens, 1843Title page of the first edition of Great Expectations, volume one, Chapman and Hall, 1861Great ExpectationsCharles Dickens, 1861John Tenniel's illustration of Alice holding a flamingo under her arm, from Alice's Adventures in WonderlandAlice’s Adventures in WonderlandLewis Carroll, 1865Title page of the first edition of Wuthering Heights by Ellis Bell (Emily Bronte), 1847Wuthering HeightsEmily Brontë, 1847

Rare and old books

Plain, checked guides for anyone holding an old book and wondering about it.

Rare books hub →
A pile of old hardback books with worn cloth spinesHow much is my old book worth?How much is my old book worth? Check edition, condition, demand and real sold prices in six steps, spot what...A first-edition title page from 1823, printed in two lines of large and small typeHow to tell if a book is a first editionHow to tell if a book is a first edition: read the copyright page and number line, spot book club copies and...Title page of Shakespeare's First Folio, 1623, with Martin Droeshout's engraved portraitThe most valuable books in the worldThe most valuable books in the world by real auction records: Codex Sassoon, Codex Leicester, Bay Psalm Book,...A small second-hand bookshop in a green wooden hut in a gardenWhere to sell old and rare booksWhere to sell old books for a fair price: used bookstores, rare book dealers, eBay, AbeBooks, Biblio and...An old library room with tall wooden bookcases full of leather-bound booksHow to care for old booksHow to care for old books, with Library of Congress advice: temperature, humidity, light, shelving, handling,...A worn old leather binding with rubbed corners and tooled decoration, beside a rulerBook condition grading, explainedBook condition grading made simple: As New, Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor, how dust jackets are...

Is my old book valuable?

Answer ten quick questions about your book: age, edition, signature, jacket, condition and more. You get a clear next step. It runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.

  • No sign-up
  • No prices invented
  • Links to the right guide for each answer
Start the checklist

Quote of the day

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 1

From our collection of famous book quotes, all copied word for word from public-domain texts.

Authors

Short lives of the writers behind the books.

All authors →
Portrait engraving of Jane Austen, after a sketch by her sister Cassandra AustenJane Austen1775 to 1817. Jane Austen wrote six novels about love, money and manners among English country...Portrait of Mary Shelley by Richard Rothwell, about 1840Mary Shelley1797 to 1851. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein before she turned 20, and with it helped invent science...Portrait of Herman Melville by Joseph Oriel Eaton, 1870Herman Melville1819 to 1891. Herman Melville went to sea as a young man and turned what he saw into Moby-Dick. The...Publicity photograph of F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1921F. Scott Fitzgerald1896 to 1940. F. Scott Fitzgerald became famous at 23 and wrote The Great Gatsby at 28. His stories of...

Browse by theme

Frequently asked questions

What is Bibliocity?

Bibliocity is a free reading and book-collecting guide. It explains famous public-domain books in short, with lessons and exact quotes, and gives plain guides to old and rare books: values, first editions, condition and care.

Can you tell me what my old book is worth?

We do not appraise books, but our guide to old book values and our free checklist show you how to judge a book yourself and when to ask a professional.

Are the book quotes on this site exact?

Yes. Every quote is copied from the public-domain text on Project Gutenberg and checked word for word, with the chapter it comes from.

Is this the old Bibliocity book marketplace?

No. In the late 1990s this address hosted a rare book marketplace that later became part of Alibris. This is a new, independent site that does not sell books, and it is not affiliated with Alibris or the original Bibliocity.

A note on the name: from 1997 to 2000 this web address belonged to an online marketplace for antiquarian booksellers. Today it is a new, independent reading and collecting guide. It is not affiliated with Alibris or the original Bibliocity. More about us.