CORRECTED: Fine Books & Collections: $65 Million in Books; Fine Books & Collections Ranks 2004 Auction Results for Book Collectors

DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 15, 2005--Fine Books & Collections magazine has released its annual ranking of the top-selling rare books and manuscripts of 2004 at auction houses worldwide. The results: known as the "Fine Books 50," will be featured in the March/April 2005 edition of the magazine. The full list of 296 books and manuscripts that sold for more than $100,000 will be available on the magazine's web site at www.finebooksmagazine.com on March 1, 2005.

Topping last year's sales was the Macclesfield Psalter, an English illuminated manuscript from the 14th century, at $3.1 million. Coming in second at $1,576,000 was William "Bill" Wilson's hand-corrected manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous's Big Book. Wilson was the co-founder of that organization.

Twentieth century authors with household names garnered remarkably high prices. Books by Joyce, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald sold for more than a 12th century manuscript by the Venerable Bede, which fetched a "mere" $123,000.

While these auction results represent healthy numbers, Brown points out that rare books are still remarkably affordable. "It is worth noting that the biggest story of the 2004 auction season was Sotheby's sale of Picasso's painting, Boy with a Pipe, for $104 million. It is sobering to think that you could have bought all 296 book items we describe and still had $40 million to spare."

Fine Books & Collections serves the book-collecting market. To receive a PDF of the complete story and listing of 296 items, email Scott Brown at "scott@finebooksmagazine.com"