The older books get the more valuable they become. This is what happens with the Roald Dahl books you got as a child. If you were a big reader as a child you may have a secret goldmine sitting on your bookshelf, thanks to the skyrocketing value of early editions of popular kids’ books.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – The movies remain popular, and memorabilia from the franchise is still in demand, like Wonka’s top hat which was signed by Gene Wilder. This is on the market for £1,173, as well as the Golden Ticket announcement from the 2005 version of the film, currently on sale for £300. A first US edition, from 1972, which has been signed and inscribed by the author could fetch £4,250.
- The Big Friendly Giant – Danny, Champion of the World – and follows an orphan named Sophie as she goes on an adventure with the BFG. As of 2009, the novel has sold 37 million copies of its UK editions alone, with more than 1 million copies sold around the world every year. For a 1982 first edition and first impression copy of the book, collectors are willing to splash £3,250.
- James and The Giant Peach – First editions and first printings of these books, which have the five-line colophon, the publisher’s imprint on the last page, could fetch £3,000 The plot centres on a young orphan boy who enters a gigantic, magical peach and has an adventure with the garden insects he meets along the way.
- The Magic Finger – This fantasy story was written in 1962 about an unnamed eight-year-old girl growing up on an English farm. Her Magic Finger gets activated when she is angry, and it shoots out beams of energy, but the outcomes are not always predictable. The first UK editions, as well as first impressions which are inscribed, could bag £3,750.
- Someone Like You – Dahl first wrote this collection of short stories, including works like Dip into the Pool and Poison, in 1953. A first printing from the first edition of the collection, which has been inscribed by the author, could be worth £3,750.
