“For abook?” I repeat.
“Yes,” Stefano replies. “And that’s not the most expensive piece in the room.”
Skip straightens. “Oh, now I’m interested.”
“We also own a first edition ofThe Great Gatsby,” Maverick says. “Original 1925 printing with the dust jacket intact. Near pristine.”
“That’s worth what?” I ask.
“Depending on condition,” Stefano answers, “four to six hundred thousand. The dust jacket is what makes it rare.”
Skip whistles low.
“Is it even good?” he asks.
Maverick gives him a look.
“It’s Fitzgerald,” he says flatly.
Stefano gestures casually toward the house. “There’s also a first edition ofHarry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stonefrom the original 1997 print run. One of the first 500 copies printed for libraries.”
“That one I know,” Skip says, nodding. “Forty bucks, right?”
“Close,” Stefano laughs. “This one is closer to one hundred thousand now. Some have sold for more depending on condition.”
“You got ripped off,” Skip sighs dramatically. “I could have saved you thousands of dollars and taken you to Walmart, where I got mine.”
“Yours,” Maverick says dryly, “is not a first-state printing with the ‘Philosopher’s’ typo.”
“Rude,” Skip mutters.
“And,” Stefano adds mildly, “we have a first edition ofThe Birds of Americaby John James Audubon.”
I look at him blankly.
“That,” Maverick says calmly, “is worth several million dollars.”
I stop walking.
“Severalmillion?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a book about birds.”
“It is a hand-colored, double-elephant folio collection from the 1800s,” Stefano corrects. “There are fewer than 120 complete copies known to exist. One sold for over ten million dollars.”
“For abook,” I can’t help but repeat.
“For art,” Maverick says. “For history. For rarity.”
Skip shakes his head slowly. “You could buy a small country.”
Maverick adjusts his cuffs. “Some men collect cars. Some collect watches. I collect pieces of civilization.”
Bones glances toward the house.
“I’d like to visit your library,” he says.
