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21 Sep, 2021 (edited)
2021-9-21 10:35:13 PM UTC

Mr. Underhill wrote:

Did yours arrive yet Stu?

HarperCollins underestimates of demand combined with supply bottlenecks...

You think they can get 2nds out by then?


Nah, both mine have shipped from BD, but 25 business day estimates on shipping at the mo. Plus usually BD bulk-ships, so might just get stuck in Auckland for a while.
21 Sep, 2021
2021-9-21 11:07:58 PM UTC

Stu wrote:

Australia/NZ release of the deluxe pushed back to Nov 3rd. Presumably those markets will be getting reprints.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Nature-Middl ... uxe&qid=1632261617&sr=8-1

I am guessing that the books are already in transit, but shipping delays are impacting availability. Shipping containers are sitting on boats for extra weeks, and in docks waiting on available truckers for more weeks, due to labor shortages and other issues.
22 Sep, 2021
2021-9-22 12:28:50 AM UTC
I spoke too soon. My deluxe which shipped second has just arrived (and undamaged). Was bulk-shipped to Auckland. Just need the standard edition "reading copy" to arrive.

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22 Sep, 2021
2021-9-22 12:33:22 AM UTC

Urulókë wrote:

Stu wrote:

Australia/NZ release of the deluxe pushed back to Nov 3rd. Presumably those markets will be getting reprints.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Nature-Middl ... uxe&qid=1632261617&sr=8-1

I am guessing that the books are already in transit, but shipping delays are impacting availability. Shipping containers are sitting on boats for extra weeks, and in docks waiting on available truckers for more weeks, due to labor shortages and other issues.

That's certainly possible.
22 Sep, 2021
2021-9-22 1:20:33 PM UTC

Stu wrote:

I spoke too soon. My deluxe which shipped second has just arrived (and undamaged). Was bulk-shipped to Auckland. Just need the standard edition "reading copy" to arrive.

It is a sad age when a book arrives undamaged and we see it as a plus rather than the norm.

I will have to wait on the deluxe until it is cheaper or I am richer haha. But being a sucker I want it for the end papers alone ?
22 Sep, 2021
2021-9-22 8:48:11 PM UTC

onthetrail wrote:

Stu wrote:

I spoke too soon. My deluxe which shipped second has just arrived (and undamaged). Was bulk-shipped to Auckland. Just need the standard edition "reading copy" to arrive.

It is a sad age when a book arrives undamaged and we see it as a plus rather than the norm.

I will have to wait on the deluxe until it is cheaper or I am richer haha. But being a sucker I want it for the end papers alone ?

It is certainly a wasteful age! Fortunately my experience of damage with BD to both Australia and NZ has been really good. The only significant damage I can remember was the standard edition of A&I which got very badly damaged. They replaced it easily enough.

Amazon, though... I'm very glad I stopped buying anything from them. The chances of getting an undamaged book have to be 50:50 at absolute best.
22 Sep, 2021
2021-9-22 9:28:47 PM UTC
I've already got my standard UK edition of NoME and I am very upset about paper quality that they have used for well-known best quality 1st print (CPI Group unfortunately, not L.E.G.O or other high quality printers). The paper is extremely light, cheap-looking, it takes a lot of forces to make book stay opened on a page, it resists hardly and tries to close. The whole book weights like 1/2 of the same size newest Silmarillion, but printed on a creamy nice paper (Rotolito S.p.A).

So I am waiting for my DeLuxe copy of NoME. I hope at least in that copy I'll get a decent paper quality. I am very upset about HarperCollins unable to be consistent at least with 1st print copies quality.
22 Sep, 2021 (edited)
2021-9-22 9:34:44 PM UTC

Amedautrui wrote:

I've already got my standard UK edition of NoME and I am very upset about paper quality that they have used for well-known best quality 1st print (CPI Group unfortunately, not L.E.G.O or other high quality printers). The paper is extremely light, cheap-looking, it takes a lot of forces to make book stay opened on a page, it resists hardly and tries to close. The whole book weights like 1/2 of the same size newest Silmarillion, but printed on a creamy nice paper (Rotolito S.p.A).

So I am waiting for my DeLuxe copy of NoME. I hope at least in that copy I'll get a decent paper quality. I am very upset about HarperCollins unable to be consistent at least with 1st print copies quality.

To be honest, it probably isn't the fact that it was CPI doing the printing that meant the paper quality was poor. It was probably just down to the price HC wanted to pay and what they specified to get it down to that price. I've seen some absolute rubbish out of Rotolito, for example. I haven't got my copy yet, but I can well believe the paper quality is poor (I've read a few comments to that effect online).

That said, I'd rather have poorer paper and have it printed in Europe/UK than have potentially better paper for the same price and have it printed in China (with the cost being similar due to their labour practices and and non-existent environmental standards).

Edit: My copy just turned up now. The paper just seems like fairly standard "cheap hardback" paper, not unlike many of the other non-illustrated editions. I guess time will tell whether it browns badly. It isn't great, but not quite as bad as I thought it might be.
23 Sep, 2021
2021-9-23 4:18:42 AM UTC
I received my deluxe copy today and I’m very pleased overall with the quality.

My only minor gripe is about the Tree of Amalion on the book cover which I thought was foil stamped but is instead just a simple print - looks slightly washed out, faded, and blurry, like an old low res print. Oh well!
27 Sep, 2021
2021-9-27 2:49:43 PM UTC
Hi everyone! I’d like to share my recent experience with HC Tolkien books, their freshest publication -
The Nature of Middle-earth. In short - the experience quality-wise was so bad that I decided not to pre-order forthcoming 1-volume LOTR.

Looks like HC does not pay now descent attention to their Tolkien books, DeLuxe edition including. Let me explain what am I talking about.

I’ve preordered at one online-shop both, standard hardback edition and DeLuxe edition of The Nature of Middle-earth.
When I got my Hardback copy I was disappointed with paper quality. The book itself was 1/2 or even 1/3 of a recent illustrated Silmarillion, each page was very light and springy. Like when you try to hold book opened lying on the table, but it is impossible because paper is light and tries to close the book. I am not sure how to explain, but when the paper is heavy and of a quality it usually allows to open double-page and leave it on the table. Best example of this quality was just once - when 1st print 3rd edition (if I am correct) of The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion (ISBN13 9780007556908) was out in 2014. That paper was just perfect: thin, heavy, allowing to leave book opened on any page. Print and bound in Italy by LEGO spa.

But looks like my dissatisfaction with a regular edition is noting comparing with what I’ve got when I received my DeLuxe edition. I’ll attach photos below as well.

I’ll start with small things and with end with the most inappropriate ones.

First disappointment - the image (the Tree of Amalion) on the face cover of the book is not embossed (as it has always been in DeLuxes). It’s just an image printed on a paper. And not the highest quality of image details. By the way the paper for covers is creamy and not grayish with small points (like it has always been across DeLuxe editions).

Second one is disappointment is frontispiece - I’ve opened it first time to see that the fold lines are already white, like if it was opened and closed hundreds of times before, looks worn out this much that it has paint fried out on that fold-lines. This is not my first DeLuxe with frontispieces, non of them were in that condition in day 1, non of them are any close to that condition now, years after purchasing and opening.

Now we came to the most astounding surprise in that DeLuxe. Both endpapers (face and back) are torn in multiple places. The back one looks closer to the condition that could be reached after hundreds or even thousands of «open-close» cycles. Just look at it.

But paper quality is good comparing to the regular hardback edition of this book.

It is too much. I’ve always purchased DeLuxe editions for attention to some details like embossing, frontispieces, higher print quality, some fold-out maps or so. Unfortunately this DeLuxe is not decent calling DeLuxe at all. Quality contlol looks non-existing.

And remember that this is 1st print that has always been an example the highest quality.

I think I’ll stop buying DeLuxe-named Tolkien books from HC. For some reasons both exclusivity and quality-control of editions gas evaporated somehow, price is the only DeLuxe that I see now.

P.S. I've added several images showing how inconsistent looks the cover of NoME (cover paper colour and no embossing) comparing to the rest of books.

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