What MyVolumes does
MyVolumes helps you answer three questions about a book on your shelf: which edition and printing it is, what it is worth, and what else you need to complete a set. Every book in the catalogue has its own page, and the books collectors care most about carry point-by-point identification guides, values by condition and a record of real sales.
Members can keep a private record of their collection, grade each copy, see an estimate of what the collection is worth and keep a wantlist of the books they are hunting.
How we check facts
A first edition is usually told from a later printing by small details: a date on the copyright page, a number line, a misprint, a jacket price. We publish one of these points of issue only when at least two independent sources agree, such as a descriptive bibliography, an auction house catalogue or an established dealer's description. Every identification page lists its sources.
Where only one source makes a claim, we keep it off the public page until a second confirms it. Identification text is written in our own words.
Where values come from
Values are estimates built from recorded sales of the same printing in a similar condition, from auction results and from dealer prices. They are guides to help you understand the market, not formal valuations for insurance, probate or sale. For a valuable book, ask a specialist dealer or auction house.
Where the catalogue comes from
The catalogue starts from open bibliographic data, including Open Library and Wikidata, with author portraits and guide images from Wikimedia Commons, credited wherever they appear. We add our own research on top: printings, issue points, values and the collecting guides.
Who runs it
MyVolumes is an independent site, based in the UK. It is not connected to any publisher, auction house or bookseller. We earn a small commission from some links to booksellers, which never affects the values we show.
Corrections
If something is wrong, or you know the points that identify a book we have not yet researched, please tell us. We credit contributors once a second source agrees.
Last updated 17 October 2026.