Westlake score: Philip

There are a number of elements to successful book collecting. This score can be chalked up to persistence and luck.

Above is my copy of Philip, Donald Westlake’s only children’s book and among the rarest, possibly the rarest, of all of his titles. The cheapest copy I can find, one in slightly lesser condition than this one (which is in quite nice shape other than library markings and missing the dust jacket) goes for $150. They go up quickly, and copies with dust jacket are listed at $1500. I got this for $8.95, postage paid.

My guess is that the seller didn’t make the connection that “D. E. Westlake” was Donald E. Westlake, and figured it for just an unremarkable children’s book from the 1960s. So after years of searching using the title “Philip” and author “Westlake” (realizing that a copy not listed as by Donald was my best bet for an affordable copy), I finally got a hit, and finally got a copy.

I’ll have more on Philip at a later date. I wrote this post solely to brag.

  • Philip at Donald Westlake’s official site