You can buy a signed copy of Obama’s new book for P20k—a fraction of other signed books’ prices
Fully Booked is offering a deluxe edition of Barack Obama’s new book, A Promised Land, a memoir of his political career from his grassroots activism to his two terms in the White House as the 44th President of the United States.
The hardcover edition is a signed copy and sells for P19,999 at Fully Booked, while the regular hardcover edition is P1,995.
Amazon.com also sells a signed edition in a slipcase for $599 (P28,8000).
Obama’s A Promised Land is a New York Times No. 1 Bestseller and named one of the Best Books of the Year by the Washington Post, The Guardian and NPR.
USA Today reports that it sold more than 887,000 copies (including preorders) on its first day. “By comparison, Bill Clinton’s My Life sold around 400,000 copies on its first day and George W. Bush’s Decision Points around 220,000, with sales for each memoir currently between 3.5 million and 4 million copies.”
Michelle Obama's memoir Becoming, published in 2018, “sold 725,000 copies on its first day and more than 1.4 million copies in its first week of release, becoming one of the fastest-selling nonfiction books in history.”
A Promised Land is the first of Obama’s presidential memoirs. Its introductory notes describe the book as “a riveting, deeply personal account of history in the making—from the president who inspired us to believe in the power of democracy…Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency—a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.
“Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of Nov. 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office.”
Bibliophiles are willing to pay millions for collectibles
Would Obama’s de luxe-edition book make for a great Christmas present? Absolutely! Bibliophiles live for these things—signed copies, first editions, and those with handwritten notes by famous people.
The most expensive book ever auctioned is the Codex Leicester, a 72-page journal containing the scientific writings of Leonardo Da Vinci. It was auctioned by Christie’s in 1994 and sold for $30.8 million (P1.5 billion).
Guess who owns the Codex Leicester now? Microsoft founder Bill Gates, the world’s second richest man (next to Amazon’s Jeff Bezos).
Signed books in the modern age are plentiful, according to rare books seller AbeBooks.com, largely because major authors like Salman Rushdie and Ken Follett like signing “massive” numbers of books when they tour.
“But authors are not always completely obliging. When Robert Heinlein appeared at the World Science Fiction Convention in Kansas City in 1976, he refused to sign any books unless the book’s owner presented their blood donor card. JK Rowling's signing events decreased as her fame increased.”
Most expensive signed books
Moby Dick by Herman Melville, $28,900 (P1.3 million). It’s a 1979 edition of and signed by illustrator Barry Moser. The book includes 200 engravings and 10 drawings.
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, $25,000 (P1.2 million). It’s a first edition (1963) with its first state dust jacket.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, $25,000 (P1.2 million). A first edition of Lee’s first and only novel and signed, “with best wishes Harper Lee.”
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, $17,500 (P841,000). It’s a limited edition of Hemingway’s second novel, one of 510 copies he signed.
Les Horribles et Espovantables Faictz et Prouesses by François Rabelais, $17,000 (P817,000). The copy is signed by the illustrator André Derain with 142 hand-painted woodcuts.
Books always make for great gifts all year round. Whether signed or not, new or pre-loved, grab one (or 10!) for yourself—and another to send to a loved one.