While visiting my Grandpa and Grandma Anderson one day when I was just a young lad, I noticed that they had a copy of an old book entitled Story of the Wreck of the Titanic, Memorial Edition. The copyright date was 1912, which, at the time (late 50s), seemed like so very long ago to me. I was fascinated. When I was older my Grandfather gave the book to me. I was proud that he would trust me with it and I remember turning the tattered yellow pages to read the incredible story and look at the black and white photos.
I’m happy to say that after all those years I still have that book. In 2004 I took it to the Antiques Roadshow when that program came to Portland, Oregon. Would it be worth a million bucks, or maybe only a few thousand? No, I was told that several different books were published at the time and that large numbers of them were sold. Since the book is fairly common the appraiser estimated that it was only worth about $50.
As you probably know, today is the 100 year anniversary of that maritime tragedy. Out of curiosity I googled the title of the book and was surprised to find it listed on Amazon.com. This is not a reprint; it’s the original 1912 edition and the prices start at about $40. I’ve seen prices on eBay that range from $46 to $500. Seems like you’d be better off with the original from Amazon.
I don’t plan to sell the book, of course, because it reminds me of my Grandfather. Even though there are no pictures of Kate Winslet or Leonardo DiCaprio in it, it is still a nice memory. In case you’re curious, here’s what the cover and title pages look like.
