* Hardcover? Or paperback?
* Illustrations? Or just text?
* First editions? Or you don’t care?
* Signed by the author? Or not?
Well this is quite easy to answer. The answers seem to be quite basic, but knowing that the underlying theme is collectibles would make these answers different (I would think) if I looked at my books as collectibles.
- Paperback is the type that I prefer. On the other hand if I’m really keen to get a book I will buy it as soon as it comes out in hard cover. I’ll also pick up the odd hard cover if it’s cheap and the only one available. For example I may just go ahead and purchase Christopher Moore’s novel Fool while it’s in hard cover because I love his work and I’m not sure I could wait until it comes out in paperback.
- Not really sure what this question is all about but if a book has illustrations it does and as far as I’ve seen there really isn’t an option.
- I really don’t care if it’s a first edition or not. All I care is that the text and everything else is the same as when the book was first published.
- Again I like to have signed copies of books but it always means more if I’m the one that met the author and got his/her signature. But if I find a signed copy I will get it if it’s a signature I really want.
That's the Book! 
I like signed copies too but authors generally don’t come to my area too often. I do have a few signed review copies which the authors were kind enough to sign before they mailed them.
I wish that I had something signed by Steinbeck, Hemingway, Fitzgerald or Dorothy Parker.
Cheryl: We used to get a lot of authors coming to Stratford but the celebrated writers series has been canceled at the Festival so there won’t be that many any more. But the one signature that I treasure the most is one that I got of Timothy Findley, a Stratford native but I got the signature in Winnipeg!
bybee: Would you purchase books with these signatures? And if so how much would you pay for them?