Aelfwine wrote:

Mr. Underhill wrote:

[Yes, Aelfwine makes a good point. Why isn't The Nature of Middle-earth more prominently displayed

;)

I’ll tell myself that it’s being lovingly extra-protected against spine-fading.

It never makes it to the bookcase because it is in constant use

Thank-you guys for the kind feedback. Adjustments in display sequence made accordingly!

Regarding discounting. I don't see it being any time soon, but IF (a big IF) they don't sell out, they will be discounted, just like every other limited Tolkien edition that didn't sell out (CoH and S&G being the obvious very public examples where this happened and the books were available half price). No company will keep stock on hand forever, plus they need to sell them in order to make a profit...

If anyone really "needs" a copy (I used that term advisedly), they should just pony up and buy it now. If they aren't that fussed, they should absolutely wait. All IMHO, obviously.

I've seen people mention discounts before Christmas. Those people are dreaming, however. I don't see any reality where it would not be many months away.

The late Stu wrote:

Regarding discounting. I don't see it being any time soon, but IF (a big IF) they don't sell out, they will be discounted, just like every other limited Tolkien edition that didn't sell out (CoH and S&G being the obvious very public examples where this happened and the books were available half price). No company will keep stock on hand forever, plus they need to sell them in order to make a profit...

If anyone really "needs" a copy (I used that term advisedly), they should just pony up and buy it now. If they aren't that fussed, they should absolutely wait. All IMHO, obviously.

I've seen people mention discounts before Christmas. Those people are dreaming, however. I don't see any reality where it would not be many months away.

The CoH LE was available at half price!? Really pissed that 4 year old me missed out on that offer, smh.

Trotter wrote:

When the set was originally announced, it included this

How much will this edition cost?

The initial selling price will be £750.

Initial selling price indicates that the price could change (up or down), it is good to see upfront transparency like this from a publisher.

That’s very interesting. In light of this I retract what I said and would now not be surprised if it were to be placed at a discount at some point!

Joaozin wrote:

The late Stu wrote:

Regarding discounting. I don't see it being any time soon, but IF (a big IF) they don't sell out, they will be discounted, just like every other limited Tolkien edition that didn't sell out (CoH and S&G being the obvious very public examples where this happened and the books were available half price). No company will keep stock on hand forever, plus they need to sell them in order to make a profit...

If anyone really "needs" a copy (I used that term advisedly), they should just pony up and buy it now. If they aren't that fussed, they should absolutely wait. All IMHO, obviously.

I've seen people mention discounts before Christmas. Those people are dreaming, however. I don't see any reality where it would not be many months away.

The CoH LE was available at half price!? Really pissed that 4 year old me missed out on that offer, smh.

Yeah - I picked up an extra at half price (wish I'd picked up more!). That said, I bought two at full price as well on the first day. Win some. Lovely book though, and I have never regretted the full price I paid for the copy that sits on my shelf.

The package got delivered to my local gas station yesterday, but it is only now that I could pick it up. It came packed in a huge box with lots of bubble wrap and then the box with the cardboard buffers that has previously been shown.





It arrived in great shape with only a few minor annoyances, such as a small piece of tape leaving a sticky patch deep inside the Return of the King shelf. I rubbed household paper over it to make it non-sticky. Another annoyance was that the black loop for the RotK shelf was not as neatly folded as the other, which made it difficult to pull out. The gilded edges were also a tiny bit dusty in two places, but that was easily removed. The construction of the clamshell was a bit uneven in some places, but it did not bother me.





Otherwise I am completely happy and everything appears pristine. I have not checked for ink blots inside the books etc, I might save that for the weekend.

I got number 358 and I am okay with that.

For those that are curious about customs fees, the shop tracking app stated that they had been paid in the Netherlands, but I have paid none and I have gotten no request to do so. That sounds a bit strange to me, but I will keep an eye out on email, text message and snail mail if I get any demands. Apparently there is some sort of trade and collaboration agreement between the EU and UK after Brexit provided they seller provide a certificate of origin stating that the origin of the product is the UK. I think there was a small slip of paper stating this when I opened the large cardboard box, but I do not recall (I have put the inner box in storage).

Do I regret the purchase? No, absolutely not. Yes, it was expensive and the clamshell was a bit...unique, but I got a limited edition that is fresh and new signed by Alan Lee. I am happy. Will I buy another set if there is a discount in the future? Perhaps, if the discount is large enough and they allow a person to buy multiple copies to themselves. Could be a nice present.

Glad you are happy with that you received, though those little faults shouldn't be there (and you aren't the only one).

EmilK wrote:

Will I buy another set if there is a discount in the future? Perhaps, if the discount is large enough and they allow a person to buy multiple copies to themselves. Could be a nice present.

Trust me, HarperCollins will happily sell you as many copies as you want. The one-per-person thing is just marketing to create a sense of FOMO for the launch (and is a common sales tactic). They genuinely just want to sell the books. You could go to the website right now and order another copy.

The late Stu wrote:

Trust me, HarperCollins will happily sell you as many copies as you want. The one-per-person thing is just marketing to create a sense of FOMO for the launch (and is a common sales tactic). They genuinely just want to sell the books. You could go to the website right now and order another copy.

To be honest, I almost wish they can some way to enforce one copy per person to crack down on the scalpers (although perhaps it is not realistic or completely desirable). I think they are doing something about ticket scalpers in the UK right now?

At the same, I do not want to risk buying a second copy and "steal" it from a collector who really wanted one. I will keep my eye out for the potential future discount I think.

EmilK wrote:

The late Stu wrote:

Trust me, HarperCollins will happily sell you as many copies as you want. The one-per-person thing is just marketing to create a sense of FOMO for the launch (and is a common sales tactic). They genuinely just want to sell the books. You could go to the website right now and order another copy.

To be honest, I almost wish they can some way to enforce one copy per person to crack down on the scalpers (although perhaps it is not realistic or completely desirable). I think they are doing something about ticket scalpers in the UK right now?

At the same, I do not want to risk buying a second copy and "steal" it from a collector who really wanted one. I will keep my eye out for the potential future discount I think.

They appear to have only sold 350 out of 1000. You aren’t stealing from under the nose of anyone. That said, I don’t think buying another copy now makes any sense at all, but there is no ethical issue here.