Author
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Topic: Finding signed secondhand space books
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p51 Member Posts: 1642 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
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posted 01-22-2015 12:22 PM
Last week I ordered a copy of Bill Nelson's book, "Mission" off Amazon and got it yesterday. I was surprised to see it was signed and not inscribed. Not bad for less than five bucks, including postage! It was a little beat up but not badly, and had a pretty decent dust jacket on it.I was never a fan of his politics (I was officially a voting Florida resident until 2001 and never voted for him) but I recently heard that his book was pretty good, and now that I have a signed copy, I'm sure I'll be keeping it. |
bunnkwio Member Posts: 113 From: Naperville, IL USA Registered: Jul 2008
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posted 02-08-2015 10:17 PM
I travel quite a bit for work, and when the free time presents itself, I always try to find used bookstores. Last week in Texas, I went to a Half Price Books and found "Last Man on the Moon" signed by Gene Cernan and "Failure Is Not An Option" by Gene Kranz, both inscribed and with their normal inscriptions (i.e., 'Aim high' for Kranz). Both were $7.99 each! I wish I were always this lucky!! |
bunnkwio Member Posts: 113 From: Naperville, IL USA Registered: Jul 2008
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posted 02-19-2015 07:28 PM
Another lucky work trip! I had a couple of hours to kill, so I went to two used bookstores. Luckily, my suitcase was only half full, because I bought 5 books with the most expensive being 7.99!I found softcover, signed editions of Apollo 13 by Jim Lovell and Failure Is Not An Option by Gene Kranz, both uninscribed (I now have two copies of each). I also picked up Off The Planet signed by Jerry Linenger, and Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane, signed to Suzanne with his mission numbers and dated 6/13/12. And finally, a mint condition copy of Relics of the Space Race (3rd edition). Unsigned, but I finally have a copy! I did pass on Flight, signed by Chris Kraft, because that was in a glass case for $100. |
Aztecdoug Member Posts: 1405 From: Huntington Beach Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 03-02-2015 01:24 PM
I just picked up a 1st printing copy of "Pilot" by Tony LeVier for about $34. Not a rock bottom price but still a sweet book and a good price. This is my second copy of the book now. The inscriptions are dated about 2 years apart but they are both lengthy and about 90% indentical.This book was published in 1954 making it 61 years old! |
fredtrav Member Posts: 1673 From: Birmingham AL Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 05-29-2015 04:06 PM
I finally, after years of looking, found a copy of Milt Thompson's "At The Edge Of Space" signed by him, no. 15 on Boggs' Holy Grails of signed books. It is also a first edition/first printing. I found it on a Amazon for the princely sum of $15. including shipping. Made my weekend when it got here today and was what the description said it was. |
Jurg Bolli Member Posts: 977 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 07-17-2015 12:11 PM
On my most recent trip to Switzerland I went into a used bookstore that was going out of business. I found a copy of "Wir waren die Ersten", the German version of "First on the Moon." To my absolute astonishment it was inscribed by Collins to a Swiss test pilot and signed by Armstrong who added Apollo 11. It also has a photo laid in of the Kincheloe Award ceremony for the Apollo 11 crew. The Swiss test pilot was also a member of SETP, so I assume that the book was signed when the award was given to the crew.Needless to say I took it, the price was Fr. 80, which is about $90, and when I went to pay I got a 50% discount. I still cannot believe my good luck! |
jtheoret Member Posts: 344 From: Albuquerque, NM USA Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 07-17-2015 09:05 PM
Great find Jurg! |
gareth89 Member Posts: 298 From: Ireland Registered: May 2014
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posted 07-18-2015 02:10 PM
Wow Jurg, excellent find! That's the holy grail of secondhand shop finds! |
bunnkwio Member Posts: 113 From: Naperville, IL USA Registered: Jul 2008
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posted 10-14-2015 08:14 PM
I love when I get an hour traveling for work to hit a used bookstore. Scored yet another copy of Apollo 13 signed by James Lovell on a Salvation Army bookplate from D.J.'s Hero Award Luncheon, and finally found a copy of "Way of the Explorer" signed and inscribed by Dr. Edgar Mitchell. Both for less than $10 each.They also had a copy of "Apollo EECOM" by Sy Liebergot, not signed, that I haven't seen before in person, but they wanted $40 so I passed. |
mikepf Member Posts: 441 From: San Jose, California, USA Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 10-23-2015 04:55 PM
If we can count fiction, I just found a Douglas Adams signed copy of Mostly Harmless for $4.99 at a local used bookstore. Yeah, I'm a hoopy frood! |
SpaceyInMN Member Posts: 355 From: Andover, MN Registered: Dec 2013
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posted 07-05-2016 07:37 PM
After finishing reading a tattered paperback copy of Chris Kraft's "Flight," I purchased a used 1st/1st in pristine condition for $12 to (hopefully) have signed by him. I didn't get around to sending it right away, but when I did, I found a signed approximately 5x3 color photo inside the book. The book is now in the mail, so hopefully Mr. Kraft is still signing and I'll get back a book I'll be sure to treasure forever. Fingers crossed! |
Wehaveliftoff Member Posts: 2343 From: Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 07-07-2016 10:18 PM
With Half-Price Books now online with most of their stock, it will be harder to find any there for a bargain... |
onesmallstep Member Posts: 1310 From: Staten Island, New York USA Registered: Nov 2007
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posted 07-11-2016 01:34 PM
Well, I did get lucky with an online book dealer and received a signed copy of Mae Jemison's autobiography Find Where the Wind Goes. On the brick-and-mortar bookstore hunt, I found a well-read copy of 10:56:20 PM 7/20/69 by CBS News signed by Walter Cronkite. |
Daugherty54 Member Posts: 591 From: Cabot, Arkansas, USA Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 10-12-2017 12:36 PM
I just scored a signed copy of Milt Thompson's "At The Edge of Space" for $14.95. It has a lengthy inscription to "Al" who he worked with on some shuttle projects. |
Daugherty54 Member Posts: 591 From: Cabot, Arkansas, USA Registered: Sep 2010
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posted 10-19-2017 11:34 PM
Also I just found a signed first edition "Men From Earth" by Buzz Aldrin on Amazon for $17.47. |
Aztecdoug Member Posts: 1405 From: Huntington Beach Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 10-20-2017 10:33 AM
I recently located my second copy of William Bridgeman's "The Lonely Sky." It is a very rare signature of an early test pilot who flew the D-558-2.The signature was mildly different than my first version. This one employed printed lower case in his name versus printed upper case in my first copy. But the inscription and style were spot on. I forgot what I paid but it was below Blue Book. |
dss65 Member Posts: 1156 From: Sandpoint, ID, USA Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 10-21-2018 08:03 PM
I thought I would never be able to contribute to this string, but I recently returned from a road trip that included a stop in West Seattle, where my wife and I visited a bookstore. I reached up and pulled down a copy of Jim Lovell's (and Jeffery Kluger's) book "Lost Moon" and mentioned to my wife that "This is the kind of place where people find surprise signed books... like this one..." It had a bookplate with a beautiful Lovell signature. I already owned a signed copy of this book, so the new find is now being kept for my 2-year old grandson, who already has a great interest in the planets. In fact, that very night I took him outside and pointed out Mars in the sky. He now very much wants to go to Mars. How cool is that? On edit: I forgot to mention that the price for the book was $10. That's a lot less than what I paid for my first copy. |