Gold In Your Attic

New York: Fleet Publishing Corporation, 1958. Cloth. Good/good. Octavo, pp. [6], 3-277, [5]. Second printing. Navy cloth-covered boards with gilt accents and light bumping. Tanned edges with light foxing, plus some foxing inside covers. Tanned pages, some unevenly tanned. Dust jacket with rubbing, chips and tears; now encased in a clear, protective cover. Van Allen Bradley (1913-1984) was a rare book collector and dealer, and an American journalist literary editor of The Chicago Daily News for 23 years. He also wrote a syndicated column, "Gold in Your Attic," about rare books. He authored several books about books, including Gold in Your Attic (1958), More Gold in Your Attic (1961) and The Book Collector's Handbook of Values (1972). Born on August 24, 1913 in Albertville, Alabama, Bradley graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor in Journalism degree in 1933. After working for several newspapers, he began writing for The Chicago Herald and Examiner, The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun, and The Chicago Daily News, where he served as literary editor from 1948 until 1971, when he retired. Bradley was president of the Heritage Book Shop, Inc. in Chicago from 1964-1972. Gold in Your Attic is in three parts and includes chapters "A Primer for Book Hunters"; "Forty-two Fabulous American Books and How to Recognize Them"; and "Price Index and Guide".