In case you should be so lucky out in the field today, tomorrow or the next day...
Many of the company histories you find out in the field are nothing more than fluffy PR pieces, written by a local author whom the corporation paid to make them look good.
Every once in a while, you come across a lavishly photographed and wonderfully researched comprehensive volume like this one, a history of the McIntosh audio company of Binghamton, NY.
Weighing in at over five pounds with a blue voltmeter illustration on the front, the McIntosh logo on the back and a gold ribbon page marker noticeable along the bottom edge, you'd have to be half-asleep to miss this one.
Any other booksellers with a good company history sale story of late?
I highly recommend becoming familiar with the local industry in your area, and which books are more scarce than others. I know Boeing and Cessna have a handful of ultra-common company histories, and I have learned the few that are worth bothering with. Another company local to Andover, Kansas is Vornado, and I have done well with just about anything mentioning their name.
6 comments:
I have begun leaving all company histories on the shelf as I think I have sold only one in several years. They often have nice prices on them, but dismal rankings. However, now I am thinking that I'll take a closer look in the future. I can't really think of a great way to bone-up on ones that are worth anything without resorting to the scanner each time. But why not? It only takes a second, and that's why I'm there, after all.
So, I went to Amazon and searched for company history books, and there ya go. Sortable list. I feel silly now.
Kind of sortable. Ok. Stopping now.
Thanks for your comments TC:)
I know exactly what you mean. I have typically had more luck with them in an Ebay store than I have had with them on Amazon and their 8 Million Sales Rankings. I have certainly culled several within the last few years.
I think the deciding factors are usually- did everyone in the company already receive a copy, and, did they manufacture any collectible products?
Did your research on Amazon turn up anything you'd like to share?
Just sold via Ebay "Make An Offer" to a customer in France for $370.
I know it has been a while, but I always think of this post when I actually DO sell one of these types of book, and I wanted to tell you that I just sold a copy of Change, Leadership, Mud and Why (How We Work and Why, Volume 2), an unprepossessing little volume about the railroad company CN. I had the only copy, priced it at $75, and sold it in two weeks. In these cases, I always wish I had priced a bit higher, but without any other examples, and knowing that it might be a difficult sale, I figure $75 was a pretty good return on the 25 cents I paid.
Here's an odd thing--I had a similar type of hyper-specialised company book sell a bit ago, and that one and this one were both rush jobs. On the other, the guy requested overnighting, and didn't blink at the $75 bucks I ended up having to charge him for that service. I guess these might be gifts or something? I don't know why someone would need such a volume NOW, but they seem to.
Anyway, I am a "long-tail" kinda gal, and since I still have a little room on my shelves, I believe that it is worth my while to pick up these volumes, so thank you for that. :)
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