"Electronic books are a bad thing because they cannot be accumulated on shelves to remind you of your past, to impress your neighbors and colleagues, and to help prevent divorces thanks to the sheer bother of arguing over who owns what."
- J.P. Donleavy
Authors
make their living primarily from royalties on the sale of new, in-print books,
and this site encourages those interested in the work of J.P. Donleavy to
purchase new books from bona-fide book dealers; however, when one wishes to
obtain titles that have gone out of print, there is no choice but to purchase
used copies.
Both new and used sources are given on this page with no endorsement of any
particular bookseller or dealer group. While intentional fraud and mislistings
are rare, care must be taken when transacting to ensure that you know which
edition you are getting, its condition (if used), shipping & payment details
and so forth. When contacting a seller, get as much specific information as
possible on the edition. Often important details such as condition of the
dust jacket, whether or not the edition is price clipped, and even which printing
the edition is may be omitted from a seller's listing.
A so-called
"first edition" that is a later printing is not as collectable as a first
printing and should not be priced as high. Also, know how true first editions,
limited editions, and first printings of new editions differ. For example,
the first true edition of The Ginger Man
is the Olympia Press ed., published in Paris in 1955. The Franklin Library
edition is a limited, signed edition, not a true first edition. The Delacorte
Press edition, NY 1965 is the first US and first hardcover unexpurgated edition,
and so on.
It's a simple fact
that copies of any book that are signed by the author are more valuable than
copies of that edition which are not signed. Forgeries of Donleavy signatures
do happen, and well-meaning book sellers may not know they are offering fakes.
Fortunately, Donleavy's signature has not varied much over the years and it's
not hard to identify. Click here for a sample of a genuine
JPD signature.
Links to Purchase New, In-print US Edition Donleavy Books
Links to Purchase New, In-print UK Edition Donleavy Books
E-books
Amazon Kindle Books
Sony Ebook Store (using their "reader" hardware)
Compendium E-book Page (check out the new line of JPD e-books by Lilliput Press)
Links to Purchase Used & Out-of-Print Donleavy Books
ABE (Advanced Book Exchange)
Antibook.com
BookFinder.com
Powels Books
Bibliofind
Greenfield Books Ltd. J.P. Donleavy Collection: Member: ABAC/ILAB, 217 Academy Road, Winnipeg, MB R3M 0E3 Canada. Collection is available as a whole or by individual book. Many rare and signed items. Contact Michael Park, Toll-free: 866-263-BOOK (2665).
Links to Book Pricing Comparison Searches
Links to Online Book Auctions
Helpful General Book Trade Links
Bookwire (a division of Bowker, Inc. who publishes the Books In Print directories)
Links to Primary Information on Book Collecting
JPD bibliography, illustrated (all known printings, including foreign language editions)