Goodbye, Columbus: A look into the dwindling world of rare books

The market for signed and first-edition books doesn't see a lot of spikes - until the author dies or something unusual turns up

In a mere eight days, we lost two titans of American letters: first, the dapper Tom Wolfe on May 14 and then the acerbic Philip Roth on May 22. As is customary with the passing of any great artist, within the void they leave behind is born a renewed interest in their work — and an ever-decreasing supply of signed first editions.

For the next three days, highlights of the Western canon will be displayed, appraised and haggled over at the Antiquarian Booksellers Association Rare Book Fair London. Held in the city’s sparkling new Battersea Evolution, it’s one of the largest