Locals literally find value in old books at talk

LYNN – It was a literary “Antiques Roadshow” Thursday at the Lynn Public Library when nearly 50 book lovers turned out for a quick appraisal and to hear stories by Brattle Book Shop proprietor Kenneth Gloss.”I feel silly, it’s probably worth nothing,” said Pat Worcester, holding a copy of “Theodore Roosevelt, The Boy The Man,” by James Morgan.The book, which was written by a former Lynn Public Library trustee, was worth more in sentimental value than monetary value, and that, Gloss said, is often the case.Gloss told the small crowd, many of whom sat with books on their laps or in bags, some even wrapped in protective brown paper, that age doesn’t necessarily make a book valuable.”The real value of a book is the knowledge they disseminate,” he said.That said, the first book ever printed is the Gutenberg Bible, which rolled off the presses in 1456.”If any of you have a Gutenberg Bible, let me assure you it’s valuable,” Gloss said.A book that was considered boring in the 1500s is likely to still be considered boring today and, as a matter of course, not worth much, Gloss said. However, a first edition Harry Potter book in pristine condition, while not old, could sell for $30,000 to $40,000, he added.A signed book does not always up the value either, but it could. Gloss said if the author is unknown, their signature means little, but if the author is Ernest Hemingway, that’s another story.Helen Casey brought along a copy of “Yankee Doodles,” by Milton Gross, a book about the 1947 World Champion New York Yankees, and it was signed by more than a dozen team members, including Joe DiMaggio, Phil Rizzuto and Larry Berra, better known as Yogi Berra.Gloss said he didn’t think the book included all the team signatures and estimated it to be worth about $100. But, the stories that Casey had to go with the book, about her mother the baseball fan and her uncle, known to many as Xaverian Brother Gilbert, who discovered Babe Ruth, are priceless.Many were surprised to hear that old magazines, such as Life, and newspapers with noteworthy dates, such as Nov. 23, 1963, are not particularly worth much.”In all honesty, a couple of dollars each,” he said. “Though some might be higher.”A copy of Life magazine from November 1963 with quarterback Roger Staubach on the cover is actually one of the rarest, Gloss said. He said only a few were issued before Kennedy was assassinated and the edition was pulled back to be replaced by a copy dedicated to Kennedy.Following his talk, where he also regaled the audience with stories of estate sale finds and visiting homes to find in some cases wonderlands of books and in other instances just wonderful people, Gloss gave verbal appraisals to everyone who brought a book.Marilyn Marsello brought an old Guide To Paris and “The Prisoner,” by Alice Brown. Gloss said the latter wasn’t in the best condition, but it wouldn’t hurt the value because the book wasn’t particularly valuable anyway. It was line he would repeat often.When Mark Cohen offered up a 1947 World Book Encyclopedia, Gloss said if he could give it away he’d be lucky, only because people no longer use encyclopedias. There were books, like Casey’s “Yankee Doodles” and a second that she proffered, “Soundings from the Atlantic” by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., that Gloss said could be worth about $100. But he also urged anyone to get a second opinion.”Everything I say is subjective,” he said.When asked if he saw anything of interest, Gloss said yes. There was a copy of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and some World War II books that were of value, but he also said when someone receives an appraisal for $100,000 or $200,000 on an item during “Antiques Roadshow,” they actually get a security escort to their car.”Let’s just say that didn’t happen here tonight,” he said with a smile.He does urge anyone who has a question about the value of any book to give him a call or visit his shop on West Street in Boston.”I would rather have 100 people call with nothing special than have th