Are They Worth It? Books That Break The Bank

     A previous article of mine talked about the worth of books. It focused in particular, on the many cheaply priced items available throughout Neopia, such as Maraquan Bed Time Stories or the third issue of this very Neopian Times, and how, they are worth so much more than their price tag implies.

     Inspired by that idea, I decided to return to the topic, but this time, we’re going to look at it from the other end of the spectrum. Namely, are the ridiculously expensive books available for the experienced shopper worth saving up for?

     For this list, we’re going to look at books worth millions of neopoints, and going through reasons why you should buy it… or why you should pass and keep those precious neopoints in the bank instead!

     1. Mysterious Book - Around 30 million NP

     It is quite possibly the most expensive book in Neopia, and by quite some gap. At 30 million neopoints a pop, for most people, owning this book is but a pipe dream, seeing as they can likely only dream of coming close to earning even a fraction of the price of this single book in their lifetime. But to those people who do have more than enough neopoints to spare and are considering this purchase for their collection, the question now is not if they can buy it---but if they should buy it.

     The real mystery of this book is probably why is is so expensive in the first place.

     Could this unique book contain the secrets of the thieves guild?

     If you need a refresher on just who or what The Thieves Guild is, here’s an excerpt from the Book of Ages that explains it:

     “The Thieves Guild is one of Neopia's older societies. Though rumours can't be confirmed about its place in the ancient history of Altador or the early days of Meridell, the Guild has maintained a quiet presence in nearly every bastion of civilisation for as long as anyone can remember, subtly draining the wealthy of their excess funds.”

     So is it worth it?

     Final Verdict: Not Worth It: ---Unless you are a hardcore fan of conspiracy theories and the the Thieves Guild.

          2. Book of Ideas- Around 20 million NP

     They say that some things are priceless, and most people would likely agree that a good idea is one of the those. But this book rejects the notion and firmly sets a ridiculously high price on those good ideas! 20 million neopoints no doubt sounds like a truly extravagant sum, but when you’re dealing with intangible concepts, it’s hard to say if it’s really too much. Some might say it’s not enough, when you consider the possible benefits here.

     What if one of the good ideas in this crazy book leads to coming up with some even crazier cheap cure that’ll put the Healing Springs out of business? What if you gain the secret to some incredible power up, and end up becoming the reigning champion of the Battledome? Who knows just what is inside this book? ...because we don’t, by the way. The actual ideas contained in this book are even more mysterious than the Mysterious Book before this. No one knows what great ideas are inside because it’s been kept a tight-lid secret this whole time.

     But that can only suggest that this book really is full of crazy good ideas, because I’m sure if the only ideas in here were truly worthless, someone would have spilled the beans by now!

     Final Verdict: Worth It --because a great idea is priceless, and this book has tons of those! Well, maybe.

     3. Unofficial Usukicon Y6 Guide Book - Around 12 million NP

     Unlike the other entries on this list, this one does not come from an official publisher, or even a professional author, really. Instead, this helpful guide book is completely fan made, their the word “unofficial” in their title quite plainly states. If you happen to miss out on that, they made sure to remind the reader in their back cover, which reads “This book is in no way associated with Usukicon Y6!”

     So, just how does a fan made guide book for a convention that happened years ago become such an expensive piece of literature? Well, it helps when the Usukicon in question is rather… infamous. A huge fight broke out during the event, the reasons for which still remain shrouded in mystery even now. Because of the fight, a lot of the merchandise being sold ended up destroyed or damaged, making every piece--especially the exclusives--an incredible collector’s item!

     This fan made guide book is especially expensive because only a few copies were ever made, making them even harder to find, and thus, even more expensive to buy.

     There’s also rumors going around that the reason behind the crazy fight is somewhere hidden in this book. No one knows if it’s actually true, but it’s kept the conspiracy theories going, and made this book even more valuable!

     Final Verdict: Not Worth It-- Unless you are a hardcore Usukicon-lover who is also into the history and deep lore.

     4. Usukicon Y13 Event Guide - Around 10 million NP

     Here we have another book based on Usukicon, though this time it’s actually from an official publisher. Seven years after the Y6 Usukicon, this handy dandy event guide was ONLY given away in the Usukicon Y13 gift bags that came from the event. So, needless to say, you won’t just be finding this in your regular bookstore. It’s hard to say if this is harder to track down than the fan made Usukicon guide in Y6, but judging from the difference in their price tags, this one is just

     a little bit easier to get a hold of.

     Once again, the difference comes down to the Usukicon in question. There was no infamous fight with conspiracy theories about to keep this year in neopets’ minds.

     Instead, what does make this guide book special, is the fact that each and every copy has been signed by a different famous Usuki doll character! Part of the rather ingenious marketing for that year involved an extensive campaign that featured real-life versions of famous Usuki doll characters.

     Some characters are rare than others, so the exact price of your Usukicon Y13 Event Guide likely depends on which character ended up signing on its front cover. Be careful not to get fooled into paying more than you should and carefully research the market value of each kind, if you do plan on getting one of these!

     Final Verdict: Not Worth It--Again, this is only really valuable if you are a big Usuki and Usukicon lover. If you’re a fan, this book and the signature inside it will be priceless!