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10 Aug, 2020
2020-8-10 7:20:57 PM UTC
what about this description?

''THERE WERE ONLY 2500 COPIES IMPORTED TO THE US where as the number of copies printed in the UK was unknown due to the greater success of Tolkien in his native soil.''

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Seller: elthg-0
(45)
Ended Sep 30, 2020
This item ended more than 90 days ago
10 Aug, 2020
2020-8-10 9:13:59 PM UTC

garm wrote:

what about this description?

''THERE WERE ONLY 2500 COPIES IMPORTED TO THE US where as the number of copies printed in the UK was unknown due to the greater success of Tolkien in his native soil.''

I am guessing they used tolkienbooks.us and tolkienbooks.net for the data, and made up a story to go with it.
12 Aug, 2020
2020-8-12 5:00:04 AM UTC
So, this isn't eBay, but a local shop. Is there anything on earth justifying this price? I get that it's fine condition, and by my mark 1991, second impression BoLT aren't the easiest thing to come by at a good price, but DAMN. I spent $40 on my VG copy, I don't see this being 32x the price hike for condition alone...

https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/pages/ ... book-of-lost-tales-part-i
12 Aug, 2020
2020-8-12 6:25:38 AM UTC

Caudimordax wrote:

So, this isn't eBay, but a local shop. Is there anything on earth justifying this price? I get that it's fine condition, and by my mark 1991, second impression BoLT aren't the easiest thing to come by at a good price, but DAMN. I spent $40 on my VG copy, I don't see this being 32x the price hike for condition alone...

https://www.bookstellyouwhy.com/pages/ ... book-of-lost-tales-part-i

Nothing to justify that price... that's exactly what this great thread is for. You'll get used to seeing listings like that, though they can still be shocking.
12 Aug, 2020
2020-8-12 6:28:44 AM UTC
A 1991 HC Bolt is worth about £10. They are not uncommon at all. They are just reprints and barely even collectible.
12 Aug, 2020
2020-8-12 2:52:50 PM UTC
£10! Oh to live in the magical land of the UK... eBay sold listings this side of the pond seem never to be so kind, at least not for the second impression with updated DJ text, and at least not relatively recently!

I think, perhaps, you have much more patience than me. I’m also worried about getting “in” before the Amazon series hits and people go scrambling for obscure volumes from the 80’s... but then again I’m probably way overestimating the interest in HoME, being a rabid Tolkien fan myself!
12 Aug, 2020
2020-8-12 8:03:11 PM UTC

Caudimordax wrote:

£10! Oh to live in the magical land of the UK... eBay sold listings this side of the pond seem never to be so kind, at least not for the second impression with updated DJ text, and at least not relatively recently!

I think, perhaps, you have much more patience than me. I’m also worried about getting “in” before the Amazon series hits and people go scrambling for obscure volumes from the 80’s... but then again I’m probably way overestimating the interest in HoME, being a rabid Tolkien fan myself!

Maybe the situation has changed recently? I've never seen early volumes printed by HC sell of much, but I haven't specifically been paying attention of late. Seems odd, though.
13 Aug, 2020
2020-8-13 3:00:22 PM UTC
Yeah it's weird. I've observed that 90's HC prints are in general more scarce than their GA&U/UH counterparts, especially the second impressions with their fully standardized cover/spine designs. They tend to get bid up according to eBay sold listings, and their BIN pricing starts higher in good condition.

I'll admit though, I haven't paid as much attention to the price difference of GA&U/UH 1st/1sts vs. their later impressions, as it seems each impression is visually identical. It could be I'm just seeing a bunch of 2nd impressions or later, making them seem, on the whole, cheaper in comparison to the HC line.

At any rate, as you always advise, deals do come up with a bit of patient digging. I'm not complaining here, just sharing the minutiae of my paltry market research.
13 Aug, 2020
2020-8-13 8:29:42 PM UTC
Worth saying that they don't all need to be 2nds of the HarperCollins editions to get the standardised spines. Probably only Bolt1 and 2. You also need a 2nd of RotS in order to lose the subtitle on the front. First impressions (thus) of Shaping, Lays, The Lost Road and Treason should all be fine (I just checked them all, except for tLR, which is in a different box).

Didn't pay anything much at all for mine, but I was just randomly picking them up to "fill the gaps" in that spine/cover design as and when I saw them. I wasn't specifically looking.
13 Aug, 2020
2020-8-13 9:35:55 PM UTC
Responding via PM so as not to take this glorious thread off topic!
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