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21 Oct, 2017
2017-10-21 12:12:01 PM UTC
A book that I am interested in is the Middle-Earth Treasury, if anyone gets a copy can they kindly post some photos.

Thanks in advance
21 Oct, 2017
2017-10-21 1:07:01 PM UTC

Trotter wrote:
A book that I am interested in is the Middle-Earth Treasury, if anyone gets a copy can they kindly post some photos.

Thanks in advance

I should receive mine on Monday so I will post some pics Trotter.
21 Oct, 2017
2017-10-21 1:40:28 PM UTC
Don't get me wrong, I got my copy of HoME because as a Tolkien collector I want these books, because I don't have them, and this is, from my point of view, the edition that fits best the rest of my collection. Besides, I got a special offer from Amazon because of same "issues" we have had.

Is this edition disappointing? For me, yes, it is. I was expecting another format, but as I didn't have any edition of those, I'll just keep them. I got my copy at least than 160 euro sent home, which I think is a pretty good price for this size and weight shipped to the continental EU.

My regret is not getting a better quality, but well, for me, it's better than nothing.
21 Oct, 2017
2017-10-21 5:37:28 PM UTC
I just hope this set doesn't end up being resold at ridiculous prices like that 2012 Collector's Edition set. Quality not so great, price way too high for the wrong reasons. Not that I would pay for it... it's just always kind of a drag to see that happening.
21 Oct, 2017 (edited)
2017-10-21 8:09:32 PM UTC

Khamûl wrote:

To my mind, HC dropped the ball a long while ago in respect to uniformity of releases etc. Signed PR anyone? Has it's own individual ISBN but is just signed on the title page by Lee. What a load of nonsense. I'm looking at photos on here (generally) & I honestly don't see a massive amount of difference between these books. Same with the complaints about later impressions being printed & bound in Hong Kong, etc. The differences are minor; and they're in respect to editions that were never remarkable to begin with. It's interesting to note, obviously. I just don't see that it's worth getting worked up about...


BH

I can't agree with you on the Chinese reprints. They take a product that is expensive, but average-at-best and turn it into total crap (but at the same price as the average-but-best). The product is the same basic shape, but the devil IS in the detail. There is a threshold where any vendor crosses the line from "pushing things a bit far" to "taking the piss", and HarperCollins does undoubtedly skirt that line quite closely sometimes. Kullervo Deluxe being a great example.

I agree it isn't worth getting worked up about. The set wasn't worth buying (for me), so I didn't buy it. This shouldn't stop anyone expressing disappointment that the product wasn't what they wanted.

You are right about the poor level of unifromatily on the black editions. Of course, we weren't subjected to 14 volumes of those (and counting)...
21 Oct, 2017
2017-10-21 8:15:47 PM UTC
I'm not saying they don't differ or that it shouldn't be noted. I just think it's an exaggeration to think that the Chinese impressions are dreadful products. They're okay. Still, is that how many of latest deluxe copies there are, 14? They've done not bad keeping them this consistent then?

BH
21 Oct, 2017
2017-10-21 8:28:46 PM UTC

Khamûl wrote:
I'm not saying they don't differ or that it shouldn't be noted. I just think it's an exaggeration to think that the Chinese impressions are dreadful products. They're okay. Still, is that how many of latest deluxe copies there are, 14? They've done not bad keeping them this consistent then?

BH


Actually, I think - not including Kullervo and HoME - HC has done a perfectly reasonable job of consistency with the first impessions of this series. The skipcase sides probably had the biggest deviations (some of them got awfully thin).

Of course, there will be some irony after complaining about the Chinese reprints, if the reprint of HoMe (which will probably be Chinese, based on past performance) ends up being better than the first impression. I still won't buy it, mind :)
21 Oct, 2017
2017-10-21 9:16:14 PM UTC
Wouldn't you buy it even if you didn't have it? No idea on it, by the way. I don't think previous editions are that cheaper.

I think around 150 is not a bad purchase if you don't have it.
21 Oct, 2017
2017-10-21 11:20:49 PM UTC

mboswi wrote:
Wouldn't you buy it even if you didn't have it? No idea on it, by the way. I don't think previous editions are that cheaper.

I think around 150 is not a bad purchase if you don't have it.


Sure, if I didn't already have the standard 3 volume, I'd buy it. I think I paid about £95 for the standard boxed set (new). So in your case it makes sense. But for the weary collector who already has several editions (UK 12 volume set x 2, US 12 Volume Set, UK 3 Volume set x 2), it isn't compelling. The argument can, of course, be made that it clearly isn't aimed at me.
22 Oct, 2017
2017-10-22 2:24:15 AM UTC

Khamûl wrote:
'I just don't see that it's worth getting worked up about...

...assuming you're worked up about this? I think I'm getting worked up about this!

BH

Haha! I will be honest - I did get worked up initially because I have been hoping for this set for a long while. I mean, since HC has been consistently releasing these deluxe editions (and whether people agree these are deluxe or not is another matter!) for more than a decade, I was of course wishing they would allow collectors the pleasure of completing the set.

But it's the story of most things these days isn't it - the decline in quality, and the lack of consistency in design and detail over a span of time. It's easier to accept this from film studios who are churning out products without respect for the material, as it were. It's harder to accept that a long-time publisher of a respected author would be so slipshod. And this isn't just about the latest HOME design... we've discussed other aspects on this forum already.

Anyway, at this point, for me, it's one of those cases where "I can't lose what I didn't have to begin with". So no longer worked up am I
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