Rare Stephen King book with just 26 copies in the world is worth enough to secure a house deposit if you have it
Rare copies of books can be worth a lot of money - and one such book written by Stephen King could see you pocket enough cash to be able to secure a house deposit.
People who have books that you can't find anywhere else often don't even realise it; just take this Antiques Roadshow guest who was left stunned after receiving a stunning valuation on the BBC show.
It's not just restricted to books either, with rare DVDs recently selling for a small fortune in a world where digital releases are the way we consume media.
In the case of Stephen King, there's a few books he's written that have added value to them.
Advert
One such case is due to one particular novel being pulled from shelves before a decision was taken to never print it again.
A collection of four of King's other novels have also been rated as being worth a small fortune, some copies selling for thousands of pounds.
Well, it seems that more of King's works sell for a lot more than a few thousand.
Over in the States, we're talking about just short of $24,000.
With one copy of this book selling for £23,867.50 (£19,560), it is an edition of one of King's novels that only has 26 copies of its kind.
We're talking about the 1980 book Firestarter.
The novel follows a young girl called Charlie McGee who has the ability to control fire and heat AKA pyrokinesis.
Making the New York Times' Best Sellers list, it was turned into a film with then child star Drew Barrymore.
But the copy we're talking about isn't your run of the mill book. Rather, it is the signed limited edition from Phantasia Press.
As reported by the LitReactor website, there are only 26 lettered copies of the edition in the world which has also come to be known as the 'Asbestos Firestarter'.
"Ironically, rumour has it one was lost in a fire. In any case, this is the one time in my life I've wished I had asbestos in my house," it says.
Other Stephen King books that have sold for close to that amount include a signed first edition of The Dark Tower, published in 1982.
The Donald M. Grant edition in particular, they are incredibly rare.
But one copy which was signed and in perfect condition sold for $23,500 (£19,260).
If you've got them lying around - or you think maybe you know someone who does - it might be worth looking into selling up if you want to make a few bob.
Topics: Stephen King, Books, Money, US News, Horror, Celebrity
Tom Earnshaw