Artunderwraps

First Edition Prices, Values and Auction Results

Nobel Prize winning writer William Faulkner brings forth one of several works reflective of his Mississippi origins. Intruder in the Dust rings of uncomfortable truths in American history and attitudes in the South. Focusing on a Southern family and their life in reaction to a black man's defense when wrongly accused of murdering a white man, Faulkner taps into raw nerves and pulls the reader deeply into the experience of racism. The first edition was published in 1948 by Random House (New York) and is lettered in gilt with blue stamped "I" and "D" in title and pictorial jacket.andnbsp;Copies can range as high as $850 but is usually dependent on crisp condition of the dust jacket. Copies with an intact dust jacket but in weaker condition are accessible for about $80.

We collected a sample of 31 auction results of Faulkner, William's Intruder in the Dust from 3 different auction houses. The lowest overall price realized in our sample was $87 and the highest overall price realized was $840. The overall average price was $289 and the median price realized for the book was $270. There were 17 auctions (57%) with a price realized below the low estimate, 3 auctions (10%) exceeding the high estimates, and 10 auctions (33%) within the range of the low and high estimates. Auctions of interest include: a PBA sale on April 25, 2002 of a 1948 - Random House edition for $660 that described as "a fine copy in about fine jacket which is bright and clean";