I will keep waiting for a high quality, limited true deluxe. Maybe Folio can do a comeback with the silmarillion.
northman wrote:
I will keep waiting for a high quality, limited true deluxe. Maybe Folio can do a comeback with the silmarillion.
If you're waiting on HarperCollins to produce a truly limited deluxe, I think you'll be waiting a while :(
Mr. Underhill wrote:
northman wrote:
I will keep waiting for a high quality, limited true deluxe. Maybe Folio can do a comeback with the silmarillion.
If you're waiting on HarperCollins to produce a truly limited deluxe, I think you'll be waiting a while :(
I think that ship sailed off into the sunset with CoH and S&G. And even Folio fluffed their opportunity, unfortunately.
For the UK, if you take the cost HC is selling it for and take 50% off then I think you have the "true price". Even then , I think it's too expensive.
I also think it's totally subjective if these are actually better quality than the 2020 editions. A handful of new illustrations doesn't justify the extra cost IMO. There are way more defects being reported on these than in the 2020 editions. The only issue with the 2020s was the paper dust jackets or one or two bad print runs.
I also think it's totally subjective if these are actually better quality than the 2020 editions. A handful of new illustrations doesn't justify the extra cost IMO. There are way more defects being reported on these than in the 2020 editions. The only issue with the 2020s was the paper dust jackets or one or two bad print runs.
Humanracer wrote:
For the UK, if you take the cost HC is selling it for and take 50% off then I think you have the "true price". Even then , I think it's too expensive.
I also think it's totally subjective if these are actually better quality than the 2020 editions. A handful of new illustrations doesn't justify the extra cost IMO. There are way more defects being reported on these than in the 2020 editions. The only issue with the 2020s was the paper dust jackets or one or two bad print runs.
Of course the price of a product is subjective to each of us. I do not consider £62.50 being too expensive for the new Hobbit.
On the subject of the 2020 Lord of the Rings verses the latest 'deluxe' edition, this is like comparing apples with oranges. They are entirely different cases. One is a trade product, the other, suited more to those who want a better product. The latest edition is a better product overall. A superior slipcase, better boards, nicer paper, loose extras that are a nice addition overall.
On the subject of defects. I have not seen "way more defects" reported, but even if there is, what I would add is that general buyers are more likely to report a slight defect on a more expensive item. When the 2020 box was published, I saw defects in pictures on reddit that no one even noticed, and they all poured praise on the books. For the more expensive set I saw people trashing the release for the most minor defect that would not be noticed on the earlier product.
Overall I believe these editions to be very nice. They are not at the Folio level, but then they are much less expensive, and the Folio is a total mess in comparison.
onthetrail wrote:
Humanracer wrote:
For the UK, if you take the cost HC is selling it for and take 50% off then I think you have the "true price". Even then , I think it's too expensive.
I also think it's totally subjective if these are actually better quality than the 2020 editions. A handful of new illustrations doesn't justify the extra cost IMO. There are way more defects being reported on these than in the 2020 editions. The only issue with the 2020s was the paper dust jackets or one or two bad print runs.
Of course the price of a product is subjective to each of us. I do not consider £62.50 being too expensive for the new Hobbit.
On the subject of the 2020 Lord of the Rings verses the latest 'deluxe' edition, this is like comparing apples with oranges. They are entirely different cases. One is a trade product, the other, suited more to those who want a better product. The latest edition is a better product overall. A superior slipcase, better boards, nicer paper, loose extras that are a nice addition overall.
On the subject of defects. I have not seen "way more defects" reported, but even if there is, what I would add is that general buyers are more likely to report a slight defect on a more expensive item. When the 2020 box was published, I saw defects in pictures on reddit that no one even noticed, and they all poured praise on the books. For the more expensive set I saw people trashing the release for the most minor defect that would not be noticed on the earlier product.
Overall I believe these editions to be very nice. They are not at the Folio level, but then they are much less expensive, and the Folio is a total mess in comparison.
Yes, I agree with onthetrail, I'd be careful making generalized broad claims of "way more defects" with any volume comparison without some quantitative info to back it up. One of the great things about our site is that all previous discussions are easy to recall and bring back up for reference. The consensus back in 2020 was pretty positive on this box set. https://www.tolkienguide.com/modules/n ... php?topic_id=3595&start=0
And to be fair, the Folio Hobbit was not well received, Folio had to produce about 350-500 extras to fix all their binder's mistakes.
onthetrail wrote:
Overall I believe these editions to be very nice. They are not at the Folio level, but then they are much less expensive, and the Folio is a total mess in comparison.
That's the thing. Real world price for the Folio is £600. Real world price for the HarperCollins will be £62.50 (for UK buyers at least). The Folio Hobbit was a total train-wreck and cost 10 times as much.
Will this edition be anything special? No, not really -- but for the price-sensitive buyer that is willing to wait for a discount++ it seems like it will be a perfectly reasonable edition at the price. Just consider it to be a slightly nicer trade edition (on a par with a typical current non-Tolkien Folio Standard Edition both in terms of quality and price) and don't have expectations of "deluxe-ness".
I will be upset if they make the "leather" claim again with this one, mind. If I had been in the UK, I would probably have made a complaint to Trading Standards regarding the LotR. The spine material is totally fit for purpose, but it isn't leather by any reasonable definition - it is cloth impregnated with plastic.
(++ There are discount codes for HC all the time currently - if you ignore their marketing emails they will send you a not-unique 50% code).
Mr. Underhill wrote:
Yes, I agree with onthetrail, I'd be careful making generalized broad claims of "way more defects" with any volume comparison without some quantitative info to back it up.
I think a problem with making edition comparisons is also that there is so much variation between impressions, as these books are shopped around between different printers. There are huge quality variations between different impressions of the current trade Hobbit/LotR boxed set. They go from pretty damn good to completely abysmal (and even within the same stated impression, there have been significant material variations noted).
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