Humanracer wrote:

wiseSam wrote:

Humanracer wrote:

wiseSam wrote:

Bummer about the image quality difference (the late Stu). I just received my WM set (ordered yesterday from Amazon US) and don't see any apparent flaws. Somehow my B&L is a 1st impression, but CoH 7th and FoG 5th.

But the WM one isn't the 2025 edition, it's an older boxset?

The images will look better on the older editions but the box is uglier and the binding is glued.

Since I have History of Middle Earth already, I would only be buying Great Tales (in any version) for the images. The poor quality has put me off a bit despite the edition being overall very good.

Mine is the new and recently released WM edition mentioned by Mr. Underhill. I was hoping they would all be 1st impressions but I was obviously mistaken!

Seems odd for a set only released two days ago. Did they really print that many of them? I can't see the demand being that high. Stupid question maybe but are you sure the other two books are the new editions with the new frontpieces?

I'm at work but will confirm at home. I'll show some photos of the copyright pages. I'm also curious about the impression numbers. I suspect they just updated some printing/cover details but not enough to be a "new" edition?

But yes, it's definitely the new edition released a few days ago. I didn't pre-order but snagged on Amazon US when they dropped the price to $84 a couple days after release.

wiseSam wrote:

Humanracer wrote:

wiseSam wrote:

Humanracer wrote:

wiseSam wrote:

Bummer about the image quality difference (the late Stu). I just received my WM set (ordered yesterday from Amazon US) and don't see any apparent flaws. Somehow my B&L is a 1st impression, but CoH 7th and FoG 5th.

But the WM one isn't the 2025 edition, it's an older boxset?

The images will look better on the older editions but the box is uglier and the binding is glued.

Since I have History of Middle Earth already, I would only be buying Great Tales (in any version) for the images. The poor quality has put me off a bit despite the edition being overall very good.

Mine is the new and recently released WM edition mentioned by Mr. Underhill. I was hoping they would all be 1st impressions but I was obviously mistaken!

Seems odd for a set only released two days ago. Did they really print that many of them? I can't see the demand being that high. Stupid question maybe but are you sure the other two books are the new editions with the new frontpieces?

I'm at work but will confirm at home. I'll show some photos of the copyright pages. I'm also curious about the impression numbers. I suspect they just updated some printing/cover details but not enough to be a "new" edition?

But yes, it's definitely the new edition released a few days ago. I didn't pre-order but snagged on Amazon US when they dropped the price to $84 a couple days after release.

You could be right with that theory though wouldn't explain why COH is a 1st. Hmmmm

1st? I got a 23rd!!

I’m interested to see pics of people’s copyright pages of the new WM books, I don’t think there are truly this many different impressions out there so soon after release.

I just received the Harper Collins set and even in this one there aren't first edition/impression but following the impression number from the first editions.
Therefore, Children of Hurin is a 23rd, Beren and Luthien is an 18th and The Fall of Gondolin is a 16th.
These are not considered to be *new* editions by the publisher

My copies

The only thing I can think of, is that the print number carried on from the older smaller set; for some odd reason.

HarperCollins also did something equally weird once with a Bernard Cornwell book: it had 4 or 5 printings in hardcover, but the day that the paperback came out I got it in that format; and the paperback was printing 6.

People are looking for logic in the numbering. There isn't any. HarperCollins have been all over the place with their numbering of editions for years. Sometimes they reset when nothing has changed (e.g. the last TftPR) and sometimes they make significant changes and they don't. Sometimes the same edition has the number reset to "1" multiple times. We have seen multiple consecutive prints with "1" (HoME deluxe). The List goes on.

At this point, the numbering is often meaningless. I did notice that on this HC set they appear to have just continued the numbering (though I was surprised at just how many prior printing there had been).

The US numbering just seems to be broken. If two of the editions have > 1 numbers and one of them is "1" that makes no sense, because they have all been printed before.

TL;DR: Mess. Not uexpected.

Urulókë wrote:

I’m interested to see pics of people’s copyright pages of the new WM books, I don’t think there are truly this many different impressions out there so soon after release.

There is no chance of their being multiple real impressions. It has been out a few days.

I've realised I'm temped to use my spares for a custom set with tipped-in illustrations, printed on photo paper. Kind of the best of worlds between being sewn and having quality printing for the illustrations. Can't do much about the new frontis without decent files, but can prob scan those from the next calendar if they are included.