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Dear John: I recently acquired an autographed copy of Dark Watch by Clive Cussler, but it was inscribed to the original owner. I know that inscribed books are usually worth much less than a regular autograph, but is there any sort of exception to this rule?" (Will, Portland) John responds: You are correct - inscriptions typically negate the value added to a signed book, unless the inscription does not refer to a specific individual (i.e. "To Mary - "). Inscriptions of historical significance, either to the author or to the book subject, will enhance the value of the book. For example, "To Dad on Christmas - Clive Cussler." Or, if the person it is inscribed to is equally or more famous than the author: "To John Travolta - Nelson Demille." While personal inscriptions are generally avoided by the collector community, upon the death of the author, or as a book becomes more scarce, such inscriptions become tolerated. Ask John! customerservice@vjbooks.com Read articles about book collecting Read John's answers to book collecting questions Receive our Book Collecting PDFs and newsletters Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Watch our Videos