One of Powell’s current Great Deals is the trade paper edition of “Cryptonomicon” by Neal Stephenson for $6.98. Not bad, considering they list a used copy for $10.95. I’m still kicking around a hardcover copy in the stacks by my bed and I was surprised to find that it’s worth in the ballpark of $70. Powell’s is listing a first edition, first printing, standard condition hardcover at that price. I’ve verified that the one we have matches those parameters. That means this book has increased in value more than certain stock purchases made in the same timeframe. Eeek! For a contemporary (modern? current?) author, Neal Stephenson seems to have pretty decent resell value on recent first editions. Alibris has a useful article: “Identifying First Editions for Beginners”.