T.S. Eliot is a poet of great renown, a historical figure of such stature that despite his acclaim and success during his lifetime that led to a huge number of his books being printed, prices for Eliot collectibles are still very high, and so he is usually collected by the very devoted and investors with deep pockets.
Entry-level Eliot signatures are, while more reasonable than the higher-end options, still not cheap. Anything with T.S. Eliot's signature on it is unlikely to sell for less than $300, no matter what condition it's in. First editions, however, are plentiful enough that these can be obtained for substantially cheaper, though prices will vary wildly depending upon the condition and popularity of the book in question.
Serious collectors looking to make a large investment in a T.S. Eliot piece will have no trouble finding several to choose from. While there have been no auctions or recovered pieces in recent years, there are several for sale at prices somewhat prohibitive to the casual collector. First edition copies of The Waste Land can, even without a signature, sell for anywhere from $30,000 to $55,000 if they had a notable previous owner or a typing mistake. Other valuable first editions include Prufrock and Four Quartets. Many of Eliot's signed copies are numbered, which can help collectors verify the authenticity before buying, an important detail when making a sizeable investment.
Eliot, T. S. Prufrock and Other Observations. The Egoist, London (1917). 500 copies.
Eliot, T. S. Ezra Pound: His Metric and Poetry. Knopf, New York (1917). 1000 copies. Frontis piece portraying b/w facsimile photograph of a somewhat abstract ink sketch of Ezra Pound by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska.
Eliot, T. S. Ara Vus Prec. Ovid Press, London (1920). 264 copies. ContainsSweeney Among the Nightingales,Portrait of a Lady, andPreludes.
Eliot, T. S. The Sacred Wood: Essays on Poetry and Criticism. Methuen, London (1920).
Eliot, T. S. The Waste Land. Boni and Liveright, New York (1922). 1000 copies.
Eliot, T. S. The Waste Land. Leonard and Virginia Woolf, Richmond (1923). First UK edition. 460 copies hand printed by Leonard and Virginia Woolf at The Hogarth Press.
Eliot, T. S. Poems: 1909-1925. Faber and Gwyer, London (1925). 1460 copies.
Eliot, T. S. Poems. Knopf, New York (1927).
Eliot, T. S. Journey of the Magi. Faber and Gwyer, London (1927). 350 numbered copies. With illustrations by E. McKnight Kauffer.
Eliot, T. S. A Song For Simeon. Faber and Gwyer, London (1928). 500 copies signed by T.S. Eliot. Drawing by E. McKnight Kauffer.
Eliot, T. S. Of Dramatick Poesie. Etchells and Macdonald, London (1928). By John Dryden. Preface (A Dialogue on Poetic Drama) by T.S, Eliot. 580 copies, of which 55 signed. Printed on Millbourn hand-made paper.
Eliot, T. S. The Sacred Wood. Essays on Poetry and Criticism.. Methuen, London (1928).
Eliot, T. S. Dante (The Poets on the Poets #2). Faber, London (1929). 125 copies signed by the author. Dust jacket design by Rex Whistler
Eliot, T. S. Ash Wednesday. Faber, London (1930). 2000 copies. 600 numbered copies printed on handmade paper at the Curwen Press and signed by the author.
Eliot, T. S. Marina. Faber, London (1930). Drawings by E. McKnight Kauffer. 400 copies printed on English hand-made paper and signed by T.S.Eliot. Color frontis.
Eliot, T. S. Anabasis. Faber, London (1930). Poem by St.-J. Perse. Translated by T.S. Eliot. 350 numbered copies, specially printed and bound, and signed by Eliot.
Eliot, T. S. Triumphal March. Faber, London (1931). Two illustrations by E. McKnight Kauffer. 2000 copies. 300 signed large paper copies.
Eliot, T. S. John Dryden: The Poet, the Dramatist, the Critic. Terence and Elsa Holliday, New York (1932). 110 numbered copies, specially printed and bound, and signed by the author.
Eliot, T. S. Selected Essays 1917-1932. Faber, London (1932). 115 numbered and signed copies. Collects thirty-three essays of literary criticism, includingTradition and the Individual Talent andThe Function of Criticism, as well as pieces on the Greek classics; Shakespeare, Ben Johnson, and other Elizabethan dramatists; Dante; William Blake and other Metaphysical poets; and modern authors such as Dickens and Baudelaire.
Eliot, T. S. Selected Essays 1917-1932. Harcourt, Brace, New York (1932).
Eliot, T. S. Sweeney Agonistes. Fragments of an Aristophanic Melodrama.. Faber, London (1932).
Eliot, T. S. The Uses of Poetry and the Uses of Criticism thudies int eh relation of criticism to poetry in england. Harvard University Press (1933). The Charles Eliot Norton lectures for 1932-1933.
Eliot, T. S. The Rock: A Pageant Play. Faber, London (1934). 2000 copies.
Eliot, T. S. After Strange Gods : A Primer of Modern Heresy. Harcourt Brace, New York (1934). First American edition. 1500 copies. The Page-Barbour Lectures at the University of Virginia from 1933.
Eliot, T. S. After Strange Gods: A Primer of Modern Heresy. Faber, London (1934). 3000 copies. The Page-Barbour Lectures at the University of Virginia from 1933.
Eliot, T. S. Selected Poems. Faber, London (1935). Selected poems by Marianne Moore. Introduction by T. S. Eliot. 1000 copies.
Eliot, T. S. Murder in the Cathedral. H. J. Goulden, Canterbury (1935). Acting edition for the Festival of the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral. 750 copies.
Eliot, T.S. Murder in the Cathedral. Faber, London (1935).
Eliot, T.S. Collected Poems 1909-1935. Harcourt Brace, New York (1936). First American edition. Designed by Robert Josephy.
Eliot, T.S. Essays Ancient And Modern. Harcourt Brace, New York (1936). First American edition.
Eliot, T.S. Collected Poems 1909-1935. Faber, London (1936).
Eliot, T.S. Anabasis. Harcourt Brace, New York (1938). First American edition. Poem by St.J. Perse. Translated by T.S. Eliot into English.
Eliot, T.S. The Family Reunion. Faber, London (1939).
Eliot, T.S. The Idea Of A Christian Society. Faber, London (1939).
Eliot, T.S. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Harcourt Brace, New York (1939). First American edition. 2000 copies.
Eliot, T.S. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Faber, London (1939). First UK edition. 3005 copies.
Eliot, T.S. East Coker. Faber, London (1940).
Eliot, T.S. The Dry Salvages. Faber, London (1941).
Eliot, T.S. Little Gidding. Faber, London (1942).
Eliot, T.S. Four Quartets. Harcourt Brace, New York (1943). First American edition. 788 copies escaped the publisher's recall for poor printing quality. Includes poems Burnt Norton, East Coker, The Dry Salvages, and Little Gidding
Eliot, T.S. The Four Quartets. Faber, London (1944). Includes poems Burnt Norton, East Coker, The Dry Salvages, and Little Gidding
Eliot, T.S. What is a Classic?. Faber, London (1945). An Address delivered before the Virgil Society on the 16th of October 1944.
Eliot, T.S. The Cocktail Party. Faber, London (1950). A three-act verse play with one Appendix.
Eliot, T.S. The Cocktail Party. Harcourt Brace, New York (1950). First American edition.
Eliot, T.S. Poetry and Drama. Faber, London (1951). The Theodore Spencer Memorial Lecture, Harvard University, November 21, 1950
Eliot, T.S. The Complete Poems and Plays. Harcourt Brace, New York (1952).
Eliot, T.S. The Confidential Clerk: A Play. Faber, London (1954). First UK edition.
Eliot, T.S. The Confidential Clerk. Harcourt Brace, New York (1954). First American edition.
Eliot, T.S. Religious Drama: Mediaeval and Modern. House of Books, NY (1954). 300 signed copies.
Eliot, T.S. The Elder Statesman. Faber, London (1959).
Eliot, T.S. Four Quartets. Faber, London (1960). 290 copies printed on Magnani paper using the Dante typeface on the hand-press of the Officina Bodoni in Verona and signed by the author.
Eliot, T.S. The Waste Land. Faber, London (1961). 300 copies hand printed in Verona by Giovanni Mardersteig at the Officina Bodoni and signed by Eliot.
Eliot, T.S. Geoffrey Faber 1889-1961.. Privately printed, London (1961). 100 copies printed for private distribution on the occasion of Sir Geoffrey Faber's memorial service at St Giles-in-the-Fields, Holborn, 10th May 1961.
Eliot, T.S. To Criticize the Critic and Other writings. Faber, London (1965). Essays and lectures by T. S. Eliot from 1917 to 1961.
Eliot, T.S. Poems Written in Early Youth. Faber, London (1967). First trade edition.
Eliot, T.S. The Waste Land: A Facsimile and Transcript of the Original Drafts, Including the Annotations of Ezra. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York (1971). 250 copies. With portrait and three plates.
Eliot, T.S. The Waste Land. Faber, London (1971). 500 copies. A facsimile and transcript of the original drafts. Edited By Valerie Eliot with annotations of Ezra Pound.
Eliot, T.S. Pensees. Franklin Center, Pennsylvania (1979). By Blaise Pascal. Introduction by T. S. Eliot