23. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand — £6,891 ($8,500)
"Atlas Shrugged" is widely considered to be Ayn Rand's most important work. It tells the story of what would happen if industrial leaders went on strike. In an interview with the New York Times, Rand said her aim was to show "how desperately the world needs prime movers and how viciously it treats them" and "what happens to a world without them." A first edition, published in 1957, sold on AbeBooks for almost £7,000.
22. Malleus Maleficarum by Jakob Sprenger & Heinrich Kramer —£7,139 ($8,806)
This text dates all the way back to 1588, and is a complete guide to identifying, questioning, torturing and killing witches. The book sparked witch-hunts across Europe in the 16th century. This copy sold for just over £7,000 this year, but earlier editions printed in the late 1400s are even more expensive, according to AbeBooks.
21. The British Gazette (issues 1-8) — £7,965 ($9,825)
The British Gazette was a short-lived newspaper published by the Government during the 1926 General Strike. Only eight issues were printed of the paper, edited by Winston Churchill. The AbeBooks copy, which sold for £7,965 in 2016, was also signed by Churchill.
20. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne —£9,607 ($11,851)
This first edition of Winnie the Pooh's adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood is signed by the author himself, and also states his address. It is also inscribed by the book's illustrator Ernest H. Shepard, making it a valuable collectable for children's literature enthusiasts.
19. Down the Fairway: The Golf Life and Play of Robert T. Jones, Jr by Bobby Jones & O.B. Keeler — £10,010 ($12,348)
This is one of 300 limited edition copies signed by authors Jones and Keeler. Bobby Jones was an amateur golfer, and recognised as one of the best sportsmen of his time. He became a United States Open Champion at the age of 21, and was widely respected for treating golf as a pastime instead of a profession.
In the book, he describes how he prepared for a tournament: "I have a good dinner in the evening in my room, prefaced by two good, stiff highballs, the first taken in a tub of hot water; the finest relaxing combination I know; and then a few cigarettes and a bit of conversation, and bed at 9 o'clock."
=16. Poems. With: Poems: Second Series. With: Poems: Third Series by Emily Dickinson — £10,133 ($12,500)
These first edition copies of poetry by Emily Dickinson (pictured) were published in 1890 by Roberts Brothers. They even include the binding the original publisher used.
=16. An autographed letter where a desperate Winston Churchill responds after his marriage proposal is rejected — £10,133 ($12,500)
Winston Churchill famously proposed to society beauty Muriel Wilson — and was rejected — in 1904. In 1994, Wilson's descendants put up for sale letters written between the pair, which show just how heartbroken the future Prime Minister was. In this letter from 1904, a 29-year-old Churchill writes: "I can wait – perhaps I shall improve with waiting. Why shouldn't you care about me someday?"
=16. Alfred North Whitehead’s Mathematical Notebooks — £10,133 ($12,500)
English mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead is best-known for his work in process philosophy, which states that substances and the present do not exist, and only events and change are real. Two unsigned, undated notebooks containing mathematical equations thought to have been written between 1880 and 1890 sold for more than £10,000 on the website.
15. A drawing of a farm cottage by Jan van Goyen —£10,625 ($13,107)
According to AbeBooks, can Goyen was "one of the most important Dutch landscape painters of the 17th century." One of his early drawings is currently on sale on the website for £2,423, but another of a farm cottage sold for over £10,000 this year.
14. Troilus and Criseyde by Geoffrey Chaucer — £11,460 ($14,136)
This copy of one of the most famous works by Geoffery Chaucer was published in 1927 by Golden Cockerel Press. The epic poem, which tells the story of Trojian soldier Troilus' unrequited love for a soothsayer's daughter, is thought to be where the phrase "all good things must come to an end" first entered the public domain.
13. Joan Miró Lithographs — £11,654 ($14,376)
A lithograph is made by drawing on limestone with wax crayons, applying ink to the stone and printing the image on to paper. Spanish artist Joan Miró's lithograph collection sold for just over £11,500 on AbeBooks in 2016.
12. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams —£11,755 ( $14,500)
This 1922 first edition still had its dust jacket when it sold for almost £12,000 this year, and also included a five-page letter from Williams to a family friend.
11. A Set of F Scott Fitzgerald first editions — £12,238 ($15,096)
This set of literature includes first editions of Fitzgerald's most famous works such as "The Great Gatsby," "The Beautiful and Damned," and "All the Sad Young Men," as well as biographical pieces on the author himself.
10. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee —£12,971 ($16,000)
Harper Lee died in February 2016, so it is unsurprising that a first edition copy of the powerful novel from 1960 sold for nearly £13,000.
9. A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh — £13,355 ($16,450)
The satirical story of Tony Last, an English country gentleman who joins an expedition to find a lost city in the Brazillian jungle, was one of AbeBooks' most expensive items this year. Published by Chapman & Hall in 1934, this first edition includes a note from the author which reads: "Best love from Evelyn to Bertie & Diane."
8. The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde — £13,376 ($16,500)
Publisher Methuen & Co printed just 80 copies of an original compilation of Wilde's literature in 1908. The 14-volume piece sold for almost £14,000, but Wilde's works regularly sell for several thousand pounds.
7. Original drawing of Sam I Am carrying Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss — £14,456 ($17,832)
This rare original drawing of Seuss' iconic character Sam I Am in black felt tip is signed by Dr Seuss himself, and went for almost £15,000.
6. Abstraction Création Art Non Figuratif 1932-1936 — £15,646 ($19,300)
Abstraction-Création was an informal association of artists formed in Paris. The group published five yearbooks between 1932 and 1936. This reprint of those issues from 1973 sold for over £15,000.
5. Description Géographique Historique, Chronologique, Politique et Physique de l'Empire de la Chine (A Geographic and Political History of China) by Jean-Baptiste du Halde — £16,027 ($19,770)
This French book about China was first published in 1735. Du Halde never actually visited China, and wrote the entire work based on missionary reports. It covers topics like geography, government and rulers, military, science, religion, commerce, and crafts, and even includes contemporary maps of Korea and Tibet.
4. The Works of H.G. Wells — £16,855 ($20,792)
This compilation was published in New York by Charles Scribner's Sons between 1924-27. It is one of 1,050 copies signed by the H.G. Wells himself, making it extremely rare and valuable to collectors.
3. Eugene Field's copy of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens — £20,267 ($25,000)
This was the first edition of Dickens' "Great Expectations" published in book form (the novel was originally serialised in a magazine), and belonged to author Eugene Field, who was famous for his children's poetry. It also includes a letter signed by Reverend Chauncy Hare Townshend, who Dickens dedicated the book to.
2. Selectarum Stirpium Americanorum Historia by Nicolaus Joseph Jacquin — £20,817 ($25,679)
Jacquin travelled around the West Indies and South America between 1754 and 1759, gathering information for this definitive guide to the American natural world. This edition of the book, which dates back to 1763, contains 264 hand-drawn watercolor illustrations of plant species in the Americas.
1. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll — £29,184 ($36,000)
There are now only 22 copies of the first edition of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." This copy, which was published by Appleton in New York in 1866, was one of the first thousand copies printed for the US market and was the most expensive work sold of Abe Books this year, fetching almost £30,000.