Experts reveal classic children’s books could be worth thousands

If you were a big reader when you were a child, your bookshelf could well be worth a fortune,’ according to experts. 

Oxbridge Home Learning has analysed the value of hundreds of classic books, from The Hobbit to The Tale Of Peter Rabbit.

The results found that if you have a True First Hardcover Edition (1997) of Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone lying around, it could fetch you up to £95,000, while a first edition of Dr Seuss‘s The Cat In The Hat (1957) could be worth £13,300. 

Oxbridge’s Head of Digital, Riman Verma, commented: ‘Books and stories can really shape us as children, and classic stories such as these hold a lot of really special memories for us as adults.

‘We often hold onto books like this well into adulthood, because of nostalgia, or not wanting to give away something that has such meaning. However, it can be fascinating to find out just how valuable these books can become over time.

‘If you think you may have one of these books, or any other classics, it’s worth seeing how much they could sell for with specialist sellers.’

THE HOBBIT 

Published in 1937, The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien is a children’s fantasy story which could fetch you up to £10,000 if you have a first, second or second revised edition of the story 

Published in 1937, The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien is a children’s fantasy story with wide critical acclaim. 

The book remains popular today and is regarded as a classic in children’s literature.  

If you have a first, second or second revised edition of the story, you could be sitting on a fortune as research shows that copies of this book can reach up to almost £10,000 in value.   

A second revised edition (1951) is valued at £5,000 while a first US edition (1938) is valued at £9,000. 

A first edition, fourth impression (1946) could get you £9,995.   

HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE  

JK Rowling's Harry Pottery series gained worldwide popularity, and if you have a true first hardcover edition (1997), you could have £95,000 sitting on your bookshelf

JK Rowling’s Harry Pottery series gained worldwide popularity, and if you have a true first hardcover edition (1997), you could have £95,000 sitting on your bookshelf

The first book of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, which spanned seven books and eight films, was released in 1997. 

It has since gained worldwide popularity, selling more than 500 million copies worldwide, having been translated into eighty languages. 

If you have one of the original versions, you could have up to a staggering £95,000 sitting on your bookshelf.  

The first paperback edition first impression, published in 1997, could be worth £30,000. 

A True First Hardcover Edition, also published in 1997, was valued to be worth around £95,000.   

THE CAT IN THE HAT 

Many adults will have happy memories of reading the Dr Seuss stories as children, while a hardback first edition (1957) could get you £13,300

Many adults will have happy memories of reading the Dr Seuss stories as children, while a hardback first edition (1957) could get you £13,300 

Most adults will have happy memories of reading the Dr Seuss stories as children, with their whimsical rhymes and magic illustration. 

It might be time to make a new memory, as a hardback first edition (1957) of Dr Seuss’s The Cat In The Hat could get you a staggering £13,300, depending on the condition of your copy. 

A first edition (1957) was valued at £13,300.   

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES 

The Hound of the Baskervilles is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's third of four crime novels written by the famous author featuring Sherlock Holmes - and a first edition of the tale could get you £9,000

The Hound of the Baskervilles is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s third of four crime novels written by the famous author featuring Sherlock Holmes – and a first edition of the tale could get you £9,000 

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Sherlock Holmes stories have been re-imagined numerous times to bring them into the modern day. 

The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of four crime novels written by the famous author featuring the detective. 

It was a household favourite for many families and it could be a good idea for anyone who read the classic stories as a child or as an adult to rummage for old copies of the books. 

The True First Issue (1902) could fetch you £2,750 while the First Edition, first impression (1902) could be worth £3,000. 

Meanwhile, the hardcover first edition of the tale was valued by Oxbridge Home Learning as £9,000. 

THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT 

Beatrix Potter's famous The Tale Of Peter Rabbit (1901) could fetch you £14,700 if you have a hardback first edition of the classic tale

Beatrix Potter’s famous The Tale Of Peter Rabbit (1901) could fetch you £14,700 if you have a hardback first edition of the classic tale 

Beatrix Potter’s The Tale Of Peter Rabbit (1901) follows a mischievous young rabbit called Peter as he gets into the garden of Mr McGregor. 

A lot of merchandise for both children and adults have been made since the release of the popular children’s classic, including toys, dishes, and clothing. 

Potter patented a Peter Rabbit doll in 1903 and then made a Peter Rabbit-themed board game. 

It has remained popular among children for more than a century and has seen many adaptions through new book editions, TV series and films. 

This beautiful classic from Beatrix Potter can reach almost £15,000 if you have a version sitting on your bookshelf. 

A first UK edition (1903) could be worth £1,500 while a first deluxe issue (1907) could get you £2,500. 

A first trade edition, deluxe issue, was valued at £12,500 while a hardback first edition, first printing, could be worth a whopping £14,700.    

THE WINNIE THE POOH COLLECTION  

Winnie-The-Pooh by AA Milne

The House At Pooh Corner by AA Milne

AA Milne’s Winnie-The-Pooh stories were some of the most popular stories to read to children and now a full collection of the well-loved classics (Winnie The Pooh, The House At Pooh Corner, When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six) could be worth £17,500 

A. A. Milne’s Winnie The Pooh stories were some of the most popular to read to children. 

The author wrote and published the books in the 1920s, with publications between 1924 and 1928. 

Do you remember reading the original stories and poems from the classic Winnie-the-Pooh collections, before Disney’s version became the more well-known image? 

If so, check your bookshelves as the full collection of the four books (Winnie The Pooh, The House At Pooh Corner, When We Were Very Young, and Now We Are Six) could be worth around £17,500. 

The first editions, published between 1924 and 1928, could get you up to £17,500, while a first edition, single book, published in 1926, could get you £5,000.   

A CHRISTMAS CAROL 

A true first edition of Charles Dickens's Christmas Carol, the tale of Scrooge and his three Christmas ghosts published in 1843, could be worth £33,000

A true first edition of Charles Dickens’s Christmas Carol, the tale of Scrooge and his three Christmas ghosts published in 1843, could be worth £33,000 

Charles Dickens’s Christmas tale of Scrooge and his three Christmas Ghosts is a classic which returns every festive season. 

A true first edition of the 1843 novel could get you up to £33,000 with specialist sellers.  

A second US edition (1844) could be worth £8,750 while a hardback first edition, first issue (1843) is estimated to be worth £12,500. 

Meanwhile, a true first edition, first printing, also published in 1843, is expected to fetch around £33,000.  

THE JUNGLE BOOK AND SECOND JUNGLE BOOK

The Jungle Book

The Second Jungle Book

The original stories that Disney based their well-loved Jungle Book movie on could be worth up to £6,650 if you have a first edition on your bookshelf 

The Jungle Book and Second Jungle Book, published in 1894-95, could also fetch you a lot of money. 

The original stories that Disney based their well-loved movie on are filled with magic and wonder. 

The first edition, first printing, published in 1984, could fetch you up to £3,500, while the hardback first edition, also published in 1984, is worth an estimated £6,650.   

SQUIRREL NUTKIN

Beatrix Potter's charming illustrations have been winning the hearts of children for more than 120 years, and if you have a first trade edition with deluxe binding (1903), you could have £4,500 sitting on your bookshelf

Beatrix Potter’s charming illustrations have been winning the hearts of children for more than 120 years, and if you have a first trade edition with deluxe binding (1903), you could have £4,500 sitting on your bookshelf 

Beatrix Potter’s charming illustrations have been winning the hearts of children for more than 120 years. 

Telling the story of a red squirrel called Nutkin and his escape from an owl called Old Brown, the book followed the hugely successful The Tale Of Peter Rabbit and was an instant hit. 

The story was published in August 1903 in a deluxe edition. It was published with illustrated end-papers and with a cloth cover.   

These days copies of her famous tale can be worth upwards of £1,500. 

A first UK edition (1903) could be worth £1,500 while a first edition first impression (1903) could get you £2,000. 

Meanwhile, if you have a first trade edition (deluxe binding), also published in 1903, you could have £4,500 sitting on your bookshelf.