Originally Posted by
Rahfa
But I did like the rarity/scarcity/competition of "earning" my S/L editions in the early 2000s, when it felt like I was accomplishing something by working and scouring auctions and book sites for books that didn't show up ALL the time. Now, it's just like "I'll buy the stupid thing," and there's no game to it. And that's what's lost with this stream of S/Ls....but from the publisher standpoint, it's great, because you're making the money on the first sale and that's all that should matter. I'm talking the longterm health of the collecting hobby, and that's where I see the problems ahead.
I'm just a negative nelly, though. :-)
Ha, I love your last line because that's actually where I'm coming from a lot of the time on other things.
I definitely agree with a lot of what you have to say. I'm also just quoting the paragraph above because I agree so completely with that statement.
When I was in high school, I saw my first Limited Edition anything. The Waldenbooks where I worked received 5 copies of Wizard & Glass from Donald Grant and I fell in love with the whole idea of these "nicer" editions. The Internet was still in its infancy then, but I was able to find groups of collectors to talk to and start talking to stores like Overlook, Camelot, Zeising, Betts, etc, about building a collection and how to find more books like this. It was a challenge and it was fun.
I don't know what the future holds for Limited Editions or the market. I wonder what these old fashioned print editions will mean to people in 20 or 30 years when almost everything is digital simply because of costs. Will these paper editions be MORE valuable to us old timers who treasure holding a real book in our hands? Will most people simply forget the pleasure of holding and reading and owning a printed and bound book?
(Related note: I've seen paper cost trend estimates for 2025 showing a regular mass market paperback book at $15 to $20 and a normal trade hardcover at $40 to $50 simply due to the cost of paper and manufacturing. How many people would be "pushed" to the $9.99 and below eBooks by that kind of retail price on a print edition?)
Brian
P.S. My apologies if these posts are getting too far off the topic of this thread.
). For me, then, falling resale values isn't so much a negative as an opportunity...but I certainly understand perspective of those for whom resale value and the economic collectibility of their books are key to their purchasing decisions -- and, of course, the broad ramifications such declines have on the overall market and anyone involved in it, since when publishers shutter their operations due to dissatisfied, migrating customers that affects everyone, even stalwart folks like me, since it reduces choice.
