Did you know that some of your favourite books can fetch thousands of pounds at auction?

Original copies, called first editions, are very rare and sought after by collectors. They’re so valuable that buyers can pay thousands of pounds more than what the book originally cost!

Check out some of the most pricey kids’ books, below!

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

This tale about the adventures of a group of woodland animals was so successful that even the president of the United States at the time, Theodore Roosevelt Jr., said how much he loved it. A near-perfect condition copy would cost you £5,000 today!

rare-childrens-books-the-wind-in-the-willows-grahame

The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter

This story about a family of mice who rush to help a poor tailor finish sewing a suit for the mayor has to be one of our favourites! You can see this very copy on sale at rare booksellers, Peter Harrington in London for £6,750 – yikes!

peterharrington.co.uk

rare-childrens-books-the-tailor-of-gloucester-beatrix

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

If you’ve got an old copy of this hiding in the back of your wardrobe, hurry up and dig it out! First edition copies of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy’s adventures in Narnia are worth as much as £7,500!

rare-childrens-books-the-lion-the-witch-the-wardrobe-lewis

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

Pooh bear would be able to buy a lot of honey if he could get his paws on a first edition copy of this much-loved children’s tale… A near-perfect copy will fetch £7,500 – now that’s bear-illiant!

rare-childrens-books-winnie-the-pooh-milne

The Peter Pan Portfolio by J.M. Barrie

The Scottish writer penned the much-loved character, Peter Pan (a little boy who can fly and never grows up!) as part of a play in 1904. It was so popular that he later wrote a novel called Peter and Wendy. You’d need more than a sprinkling of fairy dust to get your hands on a first edition copy, though, as they’re valued at about £9,000!

peterharrington.co.uk

rare-childrens-books-the-peter-pan-barrie

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

The book series that follows the boy wizard’s adventures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has broken records for the best-selling kids’ books ever, so it’s no surprise that a first edition of the first book will cost you a spellbinding £15,000!

rare-childrens-books-harry-potter-and-the-philosopher’s-stone-rowling

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Did you know that this was the original title of what’s now simply known as The Wizard of Oz? An original copy of the story, which follows the adventures of Dorothy, who lands in Munchkin Land after being caught up in a cyclone, can fetch as much as £15,000 – now that’s blown us away!

rare-childrens-books-the-wonderful-wizard-of-oz-baum

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien 

Hobbits may be small but the price tag of this book certainly isn’t! A first edition, pristine copy of this 1937 adventure story will set you back a whopping £25,000, and the famous tale has since become a major film trilogy.

peterharrington.co.uk

rare-childrens-books-the-hobbit-tolkien

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

You’d have to be as mad as a March Hare to part with a first edition copy of this childhood tale. Published in 1866, it’s 150 years old, and valued at £57,500!

peterharrington.co.uk

alice’s-adventures-in-wonderland-carroll

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

This story about the world’s best-loved rabbit commands a hefty price tag! It’s over 100 years old and was one of the first books in Potter’s children’s book range. If you’d have bought this book when it was new it would have cost you 1s 2d – that’s about 14p in today’s money. Today it”s worth a hopping-mad £75,000!

peterharrington.co.uk

 rare-childrens-books-tale-of-peter-rabbit-by-beatrix-potter

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling created seven extra-special versions of this storybook. They were decorated with silver and moonstones and featured her own illustrations. When one went to auction, it was expected to sell for £50,000, but ended up selling for a record-breaking £1.95 million – now that’s magic!

rare-childrens-books-the-tales-of-beedle-the-bard-rowling

Wow what a collection! Which book is your favourite? Let us know by leaving a comment, below!

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COMMENTS

  • I have the Alice in Wonderland book, exactly the same.

  • BELLEGRANGER

    Harry Potter in my opinion is by a LONG way the best! Expelliarmus!

  • Kipling Evans

    My favourite book is Harry Potter I have a collectors edition

  • Cool

    COOL

  • Cool

  • wow

  • WOW!

  • animal-star

    Wow!

  • wow!

  • So Expensive

  • Mching

    Fun

  • harry potter

  • maira

    My fav is Harry Potter!

  • Ruth

    I have heard some of those books but my favourite one was Harry Potter

  • gloria

    cool!

  • Zara

    AMAZING!

  • zoe!

    i have got that harry potter book!!!!

  • Emma

    WOW!!!!!!!!

  • megan

    my favourite books are the wind in the willows the faraway tree stories the girl with the silver eyes enid blyton the secret seven and also the Bible

  • Ashlyn&alfie

    my favourite book is Alice's adventures in wonderland!

  • Daniel

    This is the best website

  • I have the Harry Potter book

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