Have you ever wondered what the marketplace is asking for a signed, hardcover copy of books by our leading political figures? Well, last night I browsed the collectible versions of a number of such books over at Amazon.com and the results are interesting and occasionally unexpected.
Turns out that no one can come close to President Obama. The average listing for a signed copy of The Audacity of Hope is a staggering $2,000, more than double Ronald Reagan's My Life, which itself remains all alone in second place, and by a considerable margin.
Here are the going rate of signed books by some of the more prominent political figures:
- President Obama (avg. $2,000): A signed hardcover copy of The Audacity of Hope remains in a class by itself. Presently on Amazon, there are six signed books for sale ranging in price from $1,500 to $2,441, with most listed just a few dollars under $2,000. No one else comes close. Interestingly, a signed copy of Dreams of my Father can be had for as little as $800;
Since Sarah Palin has not penned a book, we have no measuring stick. But given the right-wing excitement for her, I would suspect she'd be in the McCain category.
As for surprises, I was startled by the disparity between President Obama and President Reagan. Given the conservative love for Reagan, and the fact that he is no longer alive and signed books are much harder to come by, I suspected a lot more parity between the two men. It's not even close.
However, it was delightful to discover that signed copies of Bill O'Reilly's and Newt Gingrich's most prominent books sell for less than the books' list price. Love it.
Mark Nickolas is the Managing Editor of Political Base, and this story was from his original post, "Signed Obama Books Going For $2,000, Reagan $900, Clintons $400, O'Reilly Just $25... "