Autographs

[dudley]

There's a lot of fly fishing books out there and a lot of fly fishermen like to get their books autographed.
Most authors will incribe your book with something like:

To Joe Fisherman,
hope that nymph works out for you,
Tight Lines,
Charlie Author

... or something like that
Unless the book belonged to another famous person, I doubt this does much to increase the value.
A plain signature would be worth more for resale.


Do you collect author's autographs? Do you do it for your own satisfaction, or do you think it increases the books value?
What one would you like to have?

[Gramps]

I'd like to have one by Joan Wulff. She's a nice person that I respect.

[Jerry]

I have an autographed copy of "Fly Fishing for Trout in Missouri" by Chuck Tryon.
I think everyone that has a copy of that book is autographed too.

[J Castwell]

When I was young I read a (fly fishing) book from my hometown library and was nearly astonished to see the author had signed it. I'm sorry to confess that my first thought was to keep the book and just offer to pay for it, saying I had lost it. I returned it, of course, but did check on it later on. It had been borrowed again and not seen since. I am not at all sure why, but I value my signed copies more than the unsigned ones. I think this is proper. I know I value the folks who have signed them very highly.

[GrayGhost]

I like to have my copy signed, It is my way of showing the author that I liked the book enough to seek out him/her and have it signed.
Ghost.

[NderdaFilm]

My favorite signed book, is never sniff a gift fish by Patrick McManus.

[Normand]

One of the best autographers is Dave Whitlock. It takes him 15-20 minutes to autograph your book and the art work he draws with it is priceless.

[Bamboozle]

I get as many of books signed AND inscribed as possible. I was fortunate to get many of my old fishing idols to inscribe my copies because I have no intention of selling them, (I hope). It means a lot more to ME if it says: To Bamboozle...

I will seek out the author when possible or if impossible; I will buy a signed copy IF the author means something to me or if I met them before they died but didn't get a book signed.

I recently purchased a signed book where some parties involved are dead and I inquired if it was inscribed or signed since I didn't want someone else's name on it. The seller asked me why I asked this question because in many cases; "inscribed" copies fetch more money because it's more personal than just a signature.

I told him I was told the opposite by no less than Ed Zern when I asked him to inscribe all of my copies of his books many years ago.

In any case I still purchased the signed copy for my reasons but the modern attitude about inscriptions surprised me.

[MontanaMoose]

It never occured to me but now that you mention, it, I'd have felt 'generic' had the authors of the few books I've had signed only wrote their names.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[DARKSTAR]

I collect fishing literature as well as baseball memorabilia(I live dangerously close to Cooperstown!) and I prefer inscriptions that are specific to me and prefer inscriptions that I have sought in person(obviously authors/players who have passed excepted). Resale value is the farthest thing from my mind. Sentimental value has no pricetag, imho.