William Golding
91 copies for sale · $18–$48,000 · 53 first editions · 5 signed
Notable copies for sale
THE INHERITORS (first edition, signed) — Type Punch Matrix$750
Lord of the Flies (first edition, signed) — Burnside Rare Books$48,000
Fire Down Below (first edition, signed) — John Windle Antiquarian$95
THE SPIRE (first edition, signed) — Type Punch Matrix$500
Lord of the Flies. A Novel (first edition) — James Cummins Bookseller$4,500
PINCHER MARTIN (first edition) — Type Punch Matrix$500
The Hot Gates and other occasional pieces (first edition) — James Cummins Bookseller$200
The Hot Gates (first edition) — Between the Covers$200
Free Fall - 1st Edition/1st Printing (first edition) — Books Tell You Why$176
The Brass Butterfly: a Play in Three Acts - 1st Edition/1st Printing (first edition) — Books Tell You Why$176
The Lord of the Flies (first edition) — Whitmore Rare Books$25,000
Lord of the Flies (first edition) — Burnside Rare Books$17,500
What these are worth
The Brass Butterfly. A Play in Three Acts5 copies from 3 sellers
The Double Tongue6 copies from 3 sellers
The Pyramid (first edition)4 copies from 4 sellers
Each page gathers every copy on the market, what similar copies have fetched, and the spread between them.
Works on the market
DARKNESS VISIBLE6 copies · $20–$73
THE PAPER MEN5 copies · $20–$113
LORD OF THE FLIES4 copies · $35–$3,500
The Spire4 copies · €20–€350
THE SPIRE4 copies · $20–$100
THE BRASS BUTTERFLY: A PLAY IN THREE ACTS3 copies · $85–$300
RITES OF PASSAGE3 copies · $35–$183
Pyramid3 copies · $20–$85
A Moving Target3 copies · $20–$45
An Egyptian Journal3 copies · $20–$35
LORD OF THE FLIES2 copies · $6,500–$48,000
Lord of the Flies2 copies · $17,500–$25,000
Free Fall2 copies · $150–$275
Rites of Passage2 copies · $25–$75
THE DOUBLE TONGUE2 copies · $50–$73
The Paper Men / William Golding2 copies · €28–€35
DARKNESS VISIBLE2 copies · $20–$25
LORD OF THE FLIES; Signed1 copy · $8,424
Lord of the Flies. A Novel1 copy · $4,500
The Ladder and the Tree1 copy · £2,250
Market context
65 copies of William Golding's works have left the market recently; the median last-listed price was $56 (last listed prices at time of sale or removal, not confirmed sale prices).
Recent auction results (hammer prices, premiums not included):
The Hot Gates, first edition, signed by the author, 1965; and others by the same (5) (forum, 2026-09-03)£400
[To the Ends of the Earth: A Sea Trilogy], 3 vol., first editions, 1 signed, 1980-89; and (forum, 2026-07-23)£240
The Paper Men, first edition, signed by the author, 1984. (forum, 2026-07-02)£35
Lord of the Flies, 1st edition, 1954 (dominic winter, 2026-06-01)£4,600
To the Ends of the Earth, one of 400 copies signed by the author, 1991; and 11 others by t (forum, 2026-04-23)£130
Lord of the Flies, first edition, 1954. (forum, 2026-04-23)£320
Listings aggregated from rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide; refreshed continually. Prices are seller asking prices unless marked as auction results.