Sometimes it is wise to take a breath from dusty volumes and catalog entries, and look around the field at some of your contemporary authors at who are producing collectible items right now. There are, of course many to choose from, but as ever in this business it is always hard to judge just which authors are destined to be truly collectible.
One author that I have currently got my eye on is the suspense and thriller novelist John Grisham, author of The Pelican Brief and many more. This is not only just because I love his fiction (although I do) but also because of the way that I have seen his catalog grow and maintain its steady value over time. He hasn't suffered from the 'too much, too soon' syndrome that we can associate with other contemporary authors who successfully flooded the market with their works. Instead, John Grisham has always achieved solid best seller status for the last twenty or so years in his genre, and has quietly become a master of his craft.
If considering buying Grisham, then perhaps now is the time to invest in his first edition works while they are still not completely out of the price range of most people. Even though the Pelican Brief (Doubleday, 1992) is only twenty or so years old, it is already worth over a hundred dollars, and easily triple that if signed. If these books are already worth this much, what will they be worth in another twenty or thirty years?
Search out the rarest, first edition signed copies of The Pelican Brief, The Runaway Jury and The Client and add them to your collection now!
Grisham, John. Time to Kill. Wynwood Press, New York (1989). A Novel of Retribution; Jacket Design and Illustrations By Suzanne DeMarco; 5000 copies.
Grisham, John. The Firm. Doubleday, New York (1991). First Edition (First Edition stated with April, 1991 only); 50,000 copies.
Grisham, John. The Pelican Brief. Doubleday, New York (1992). First printing with full number line: 13579108642.
Grisham, John. A Time to Kill. Doubleday, New York (1993). 350 limited edition copies signed by Grisham.
Grisham, John. The Client. Doubleday, New York (1993). 350 signed, numbered copies.
Grisham, John. The Firm. Doubleday, New York (1993). Limited edition of 350 copies.
Grisham, John. The Pelican Brief. Doubleday, New York (1993). Limited edition of 350 copies signed by Grisham.
Grisham, John. Grisham. University of Mississippi Libraries (1994). An Exhibition; Compiled by Thomas Verich.
Grisham, John. The Chamber. Doubleday Publishing, New York (1994). 350 copies signed by Grisham
Goldsman, Akiva. A Time to Kill. Los Angeles Regency Enterprises,Warner Bros (1995). Screenplay by Akiva Goldsman, Based on the Novel by John Grisham,directed by Joel Schumacher, starring Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConaughey, Samuel Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Oliver Platt, Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, Charles S. Dutton, and Ashley Judd.
Grisham, John. The Rainmaker. Doubleday, New York (1995). 350 copies signed by Grisham
Grisham, John. The Runaway Jury. Doubleday, New York (1996). 350 copies signed by Grisham
Grisham, John. The Partner. Doubleday, New York (1997). Limited edition of 275 copies signed by author.
Grisham, John. The Street Lawyer. Doubleday Publishing, New York (1998). 350 copies signed by Grisham
Grisham, John. The Testament. Doubleday, New York (1999). 500 copies signed by Grisham
Grisham, John. The Brethren. Doubleday Publishing, New York (2000). 500 copies signed by Grisham
Grisham, John. A Painted House. Doubleday, New York (2001). 350 copies signed by Grisham
Grisham, John. Skipping Christmas. Doubleday, New York (2001). Christmas With The Kranks; 350 copies signed by Grisham.
Grisham, John. The Summons. Doubleday, New York (2002). 350 copies signed by Grisham
Grisham, John. Bleachers. Doubleday, New York (2003). 350 copies signed by Grisham
Grisham, John. The King of Torts. Doubleday, New York (2003). 350 copies signed by Grisham
Grisham, John. The Last Juror. Doubleday, New York (2004). 350 copies signed by Grisham
Grisham, John. The Broker. Doubleday, New York (2005). 350 copies signed by Grisham
Grisham, John. The Innocent Man. Doubleday, New York (2006). Murder and Injustice In A Small Town; 250 copies signed by Grisham.
Grisham, John. Playing For Pizza. Doubleday, New York (2007). Illustrated by Matthew Cook; 250 copies signed by Grisham.
Grisham, John. The Appeal. Doubleday, New York (2008). 350 copies signed by Grisham
Grisham, John. Ford County. Doubleday, New York (2009). 150 copies signed by Grisham.
Grisham, John. The Associate. Doubleday, New York (2009). 200 copies; Limited edition signed and numbered by author John Grisham.