FINCHforum

There is a copy of Derek Goodwin's "Estrildid Finches of the World" on sale at EBay for a pretty good price. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Estrildid-Finch ... SS:US:1123

If you haven't heard about this book, it is an old classic - one of the best IMO and still very relevant today. It is also very rare and doesn't often come up for sale. I paid well over $100 for my copy. The $59. price on EBay is excellent.

Wow! Thank You!

You think a library copy that is slightly worn and browned is still worth $60? I was thinking that most books like an old library book would be cheaper, but I don't know how rare this book is to find....Hmmmm.

finchmix22 wrote: You think a library copy that is slightly worn and browned is still worth $60? I was thinking that most books like an old library book would be cheaper, but I don't know how rare this book is to find....Hmmmm.

Hi Deborah,

Perceived value would certainly be different depending on whether you are looking to invest in an antique out-of-print book - or if you want to read it for the information.

I did a quick perusal of the net for these to see how many I actually could find and was surprised to find several offered. They are all used, of course, and I found prices as low as $48.00 - and as high as $160 - and seemed a good range (no bias one way or the other and seemed most were somewhere in the middle). I didn't stop to check condition on any of them.

So if you (or others) are interested in this book, the one on EBay is definitely not out of line price-wise - and free shipping makes it more attractive (This is a large heavy book). You should definitely also google and see if you might get a better price and/or a quality level acceptable to you.

Martie do you still like this book?
I just found some on amazon for around 60.00 plus another on eBay for 68.00.

Charlie, this book is a classic and will always have an honored place on my shelves. It's a lot of money, though, so maybe you could find a copy at the library to skim through and see what you think.

Thank you for the heads up on this book, Martie. I found a brand new one that indeed sells for more than $100 but as I approach everything I do with LOTS of reference books, I appreciate your recommendation on the subject. Clearly, my Australian grass finches will benefit from my increased knowledge from Mr. Goodwin.