Book value has a way of confusing people because beauty, nostalgia, and rarity overlap just enough to muddy the picture.
A handsome edition can absolutely be worth owning. That doesn’t automatically make it scarce, collectible, or valuable in the resale sense. Those are different questions, and they don’t always produce the answer people hope for.
Condition matters. Printing history matters. Demand matters. Provenance can matter. Sometimes the most charming book on a shelf is simply a good reading copy that happens to look great in the light.
I actually like that distinction. It means a book can have emotional value, design value, and shelf value even when the market value is ordinary. Not every pleasing object needs to double as an investment thesis.