Very pretty set of books
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Very pretty set of books
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Incidentally, the printings I have of this series are:
- The Hobbit: unspecified
- Lord of the Rings: 11th
- The Silmarillion: 6th
- Unfinished Tales: 5th
- The Children of Húrin: 6th
- Tales from the Perilous Realm: 3rd
- Sigurd and Gudrún: 3rd
- The Fall of Arthur: 2nd
- Beowulf: 1st
- The Story of Kullervo: 1st
- Beren and Lúthien: 3rd
- The Fall of Gondolin: 1st
First printings - particularly of the earlier volumes in the series - are collectible and usually sell for a premium. They tend to be a bit nicer too - later printings are done by a cheaper manufacturer, and lack attention to detail.
For example, you'll notice that the spine text on The Fall of Arthur is set higher on the spine than the titles on the other volumes. Apparently that is because it's a second printing - first printings do line up. Beren and Luthien, a third printing, has a similar problem.
HBJ
Nice. I've read the first three, and that's it.
VERYVERYNICE !!!
Because HC is a generic publisher, not a small/specialty one; because it isn't an official "series" in the sense we understand it, where each book in a series owes something to the books before it, design-wise; and because these are basically just nicer versions of pretty ordinary books.
Don't get me wrong - I've been lusting after these books from afar and hope to one day buy some - but you need to know what they are and aren't before going in.
Pretty much exactly this.
However, I do think that HarperCollins *intends* these books to be a proper series, and they do carry design elements across all the volumes. But that doesn't always translate when they outsource production to different printers and binders, and (unlike a small press) they don't care enough to fix it when variations happen. Having said that, the third printing of The Fall of Arthur will supposedly fix the spine text misalignment.
(I should stress that I care about the later-printing mistakes not at all, and feel no need to replace the printings I have with first printings. Some collectors do, and that's cool, but I'm totally happy will getting later printings at lower prices.)
Exactly. And I've tried to be clear about what they are - fancy trade editions that are affordable enough to be enjoyed as reading copies. And they are "deluxe" enough to scratch my book lover's itch.Quote:
Don't get me wrong - I've been lusting after these books from afar and hope to one day buy some - but you need to know what they are and aren't before going in.
HBJ
I had to go look at my handful after the title matching being mentioned. My Children of Hurin goes down the spine, guess I got an American print in there. Don't know how many American ones came out. Also looked up Christopher Tolkien and did not realize he is 94. Who will carry on?!
That does sound different from the editions I have. Maybe Houghton-Mifflin? And yes, Christopher Tolkien has hung up his cap as literary executor (as of The Fall of Gondolin), it's hard to say who will take up the mantle. It may be a committee of various grandchildren.
HBJ
I have been holding back on collecting this year, partly to recover from over-purchasing over the holidays, and partly to save up so that I could buy a Grail item if one came along.
Well, it paid off. In the past week or so, THREE much-wanted items - one a Grail item - appeared on the market, and after a bit of bargaining with the sellers, I was able to purchase them. One I already have; two are still on the way. I'll post pics when they all arrive.
HBJ
The Lettered Edition of lost boy lost girl, by Peter Straub, from Borderlands Press (shown with In the Night Room Lettered edition - see below).
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Lost boy lost girl and In the Night Room are companion volumes in a sense, and Borderlands gave them a similar look. You can find matching pairs of the numbered edition for sale for quite reasonable prices, but the lettered editions appear almost never. I've had Night Room on my shelves for a while, waiting for its mate. Now they are united.
HBJ
The Lettered edition of 5 Stories by Peter Straub, from Borderlands Press:
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The 5 Stories lettered edition is a gorgeous volume that I've never seen before. The marbled cloth and leather bound covers are amazing.
HBJ
The 5 Stories is beautiful, love the other 2 also
Peter Straub...Peter Straub...that name is so familiar...
Nice books!
Superbeautiful new Peter Straub books, BIG CONGRATS !!!
Mighty nice Straubs.
[...waits patiently, or impatiently, for someone to do justice to Shadowland...]
Some good stuff there Peter. They all look really nice. Congrats
Yes, I agree. The lost boy lost girl and Night Room volumes have nice covers and endpapers, but are a bit on the plain side. 5 Stories is another matter - the covers and binding are beautiful.
(I should say that I really liked the lblg and ItNR novels - very interesting and intertwining narratives. Really thrilled to have the lattered editions of both)
Thanks, Steve. :D
So do I, Brian. The photos don't do it justice - the endpapers and 5 Stories covers are just fantastic.
Thanks very much, Frank!
The Gauntlet Press one is quite nice, but I agree - I'd like to see a fancier edition. Mystery has not had any S/L treatment, either.
Thanks, Mike, I appreciate it.
I can only agree again!
HBJ
The Signed Numbered edition of Cardinal Black by Robert McCammon, from Cemetery Dance:
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A gorgeous edition; CD did a great job on this title. Slipcase materials and quality are beautiful, and the matching boards of the book itself are a beautiful touch. (And they do match; they look different in the photos because they are catching the light at different angles).
I can't wait to see the Lettered edition.
HBJ
Very nice indeed, Peter. Congratulations!
I assume the Cardinal is not a nice guy?