Presidential Books

As soon as Barack Obama's victory was realized and the world knew he was to be the 44th President of the United States, demand for a piece of Obama history generated huge interest in signed copies of his books.  In the week after his triumph at the polls, AbeBooks.com sold 20 books autographed by the President-elect priced at $500 or higher, with one buyer shelling out $5,500 for a signed copy of Dreams From My Father.

Before the election, the most expensive Obama book sold by AbeBooks.com – a marketplace for used, rare and out-of-print books – was a signed copy of Dreams From My Father for $1,798. Twelve of the 20 signed copies sold in the week following Obama’s victory were priced over $1,000.

The most desirable Obama books are the signed 1995 first editions of Dreams From My Father. Originally published when he was still working as a lawyer and lecturer, the book went out-of-print and had a small print run. Asking prices for these scarce editions stretch well past $10,000.

Even prior to his moving into of the White House, prices for Obama's signed books were already comparable to previous presidents: AbeBooks.com sold a signed copy of Bill Clinton’s My Life for $3,450 and a signed copy of Ronald Reagan’s An American Life for $6,325. And the prices just keep rising - in January 2009 AbeBooks.com sold a signed copy of Dreams From My Father for $12,500.