That's the question I'm asking as I'm sitting here reading John Adam's 1835 Oration on LaFayette, which I checked out from the library earlier this week. Over at biblio.com, a seller's asking $15,000 for it. Seems a little steep to me, especially given that you can get the knowledge in there for free on books.google. Ok, this one isn't inscribed by John Adams, but still…. Makes me all the more appreciative of the going away present that the folks at Alabama gave me, of a copy of a Brown University address signed by Ralph Ellison.
It also makes me glad that I started collecting antebellum literary addresses some years ago, because back in the day you could get them for cheap. Of course, once people realize their importance as gauges of the antebellum mind, rather than just considering them as vacuous graduation addresses, they're going to skyrocket in value. Ahem. Sure.