Alison Bechdel Signed Firsts: A Reference

Alison Bechdel (born 1960) is the cartoonist whose graphic memoir Fun Home (2006) became one of the most critically acclaimed and culturally significant works in the medium’s history — a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the basis for a Tony-winning Broadway musical. Bechdel’s earlier career as creator of the comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For (1983–2008) established her reputation and gave the world the “Bechdel Test” for gender representation in fiction.

Key Titles

• Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (Houghton Mifflin, 2006) — Memoir of her father’s closeted homosexuality and death. The Bechdel trophy.
• Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012) — Companion memoir about her relationship with her mother.
• The Secret to Superhuman Strength (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021) — Memoir about exercise, aging, and philosophy.
• The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008) — Collected comic strip.

Signed Copy Market Values

• Signed Fun Home first edition: $75–$200
• Signed Are You My Mother? first: $30–$75
• Signed Secret to Superhuman Strength first: $25–$60
• Unsigned Fun Home first: $20–$50

The Broadway Fun Home (2015) dramatically expanded Bechdel’s audience and collector base. Signed copies from pre-musical publication events are particularly valuable.