Eaton Press, et al

wrote:
There are a small number of the Easton Press science fiction line which
are notable because they are the first hardback editions of works
previously done only in paperback. Examples include Lois McMaster
Bujold's Barrayar and The Vor Game (both Hugo winners, and both quite
valuable), F. Paul Wilson's Dydeetown World, and a few others. Others
can be valuable due to the signature of a reclusive or dead author. But
the vast majority of un-signed Easton Press books will lose value over
time.

Perhaps. But not nearly so fast if they
were purchesed "used, like new" from a
number of off- and on-line dealers. Further,
Eastons will certainly not "lose value"
as fast as the majority of books published
these days.

For example, take the loss of value
of Eastons expressed as a percentage
of cost. Compare that with the extent
that the vast majority of novels lose
value. Heck, you can find
thousands of novels back to 1980 in like-
new condition listed on Amazon for one
dollar or less.

Even allowing for the fact that Eastons
new probably cost three or four times
what the novel did, you still are not going
to find many if any like new Eastons for
FIVE dollars and under.

Even though I agree that much of what
you say is true, Eastons (and Franklins,
too) do not actually lose value as fast
as many thousands of other books of the
same vintage. (And there are plenty of
books which lose value even faster than
most novels, such as self-help books,
health and diet books, and plenty of
others.) So, let's not pick on Easton and
Franklin:

All their books of top quality
manufacture, and most of them have
superior content as well. You could
say far worse of a publisher.

{Memo from the upstairs office.]

Lawrence Person
Lame Excuse Books
Stock available online at www.tomfolio.com (searched by
www.bookfinder.com), or at: http://home.austin.rr.com/lperson/lame.html

"Willow Arune" wrote in
news:8rAwf.55982$tl.22259@pd7tw3no:

The Folio boxed set of Jan (James) Morris PAX BRITANNICA is(are) truly
nice book(s) to have and read. Maybe not leather, but a damn sight
better than Penguin!!! Ditto for some of the classics. However, THE
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A NOBODY remains poor no matter what the edition...

Willow


"michael adams" wrote in message
...

"John Machin" wrote in message
...
michael adams wrote:
[snip]

These books aren't imported in large quantities to the UK in any
case. Maybe because the UK is relatively snowed under with
genuine old leather in various states of decrepitude already,
with Victorian Leather Sets by the yard all destined to fall
victim to rot red. While nobody wants to emulate successful
Victorians any more in any case. Except Oil Sheiks in tweeds.
Nowadays those seeking to impress are more likely to purchase
ever-larger plasma TV screens.

And anyway we had the Heron Library - a seemingly never ending
succession of truly excerable sets, bound in richly "decorated"
(sic) "Skivertex" (sic)- an imitation plastic leather. i.e not
even genuine plastic leather. Series of these were sold off of
garish full page ads in TV Listings magazines, supplements and
the like.


Where does the Folio Society rank in your bestiary?


As I said in my original post in respect of Easton and Franklin,
having classic texts in a "deluxe" format, can prove useful for
people looking for an acceptable copy of a much-loved text where
originals are out of the question. As I said there, my own objection
to Easton and Franklin is mainly to do with the modern leather
bindings = which are more like leather coverings as I understand it -
complete with fake raised bands. As I doubt these are as robust as
traditional leather.

One big plus with Folio Society books is the slipcase - which is
usually still present in second-hand offerings and can make a
significant contribution to maintaining pristine condition in
books bought to be re-read over ensuing decades. Also the fact
that Folio Society books aren't setting out to consciously mimic
any other format, other than 20th century, cloth bound Private
Press books gives them more legitimacy IMO.

There are differences of opinion regarding the illustrations -
both in general, for particular illustrators, and for particular
titles. Apparently the cognoscenti rate the earlier letterpress
editions rather more highly than the subsequent offset productions.
As I never follow the market I wouldn't know if this translates
into prices. And when exactly the changeover happened - maybe in
the 80's.

There's probably no better way of obtaining a nicely produced edition
of say Jane Austen, than in a second-hand Folio Edition set. Which
are as possibly as authoritative as the Oxford Standard Authors
edition, although I wouldn't swear to it. Complete with slipcases
there's 100's of years of reading of nicely printed, snow white pages
there.

As to subscribing rather than buying second-hand, that's another
matter.


michael adams

...








I look at the Folio Society as the ultimate "reading copy". The books
are attractive, have a nice binding and a certain heft. When I read a
good book in this edition, my plasure is doubled. The book invites
respect commensurate with the contents. However, when I order one, I
wish I could get stock in Her Majesty's Post.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Easton & Franklin

Their signed editions perform better than the stock market. I bought an
Easton signed by Gorbachev years ago for $79 and resold it for $6000.
Shelby Foote for $1000, Reagan for $4000, Mandela for $2000. What do you
think the Gorbachev and Mandela books will fetch after they pass away?
I bought all the editions signed by astronauts for $79 and have resold
several of them for $500 apiece only a year later. The majority of Easton
and Franklin signed editions are "blue chips". I see a lot of dimwitted
posts here by people like "willow" and some others. Keep them coming and
I'll go get the popcorn.

Dave Mason wrote:
I see a lot of dimwitted
posts here by people like [personal reference snipped]

Do you suppose you could excuse other people for not being as clever as
you are? Or as focused on mazrket value as you are? Worth is not just
monetary.

David Ames

"Dave Mason" wrote in message
...
wrote in message
oups.com...
Easton & Franklin

Their signed editions perform better than the stock market.

....

You mean they did.

Top marks for hindsight there.

Go to the top of the class.


snipped trolling

The majority of Easton
and Franklin signed editions are "blue chips".


snipped more trolling

You mean you hope they are.

If you actually ever owned any, that is.


michael adams

....

"Dave Mason" wrote in message
...

What do you
think the Gorbachev and Mandela books will fetch after they
pass away?

....

No more than they are now.

Gorbachev for one, may as well be dead already for all the books
he's signed since 1996.


....

I see a lot of dimwitted posts here...

....

Indeed.



michael adams

....

michael adams wrote:
"Dave Mason" wrote in message
...
wrote in message
oups.com...
Easton & Franklin

Their signed editions perform better than the stock market.

...

You mean they did.

Top marks for hindsight there.

Go to the top of the class.


snipped trolling

The majority of Easton
and Franklin signed editions are "blue chips".


snipped more trolling

You mean you hope they are.

If you actually ever owned any, that is.


michael adams

.

Myself, I wonder if they are authentic autographs or auto-pen
reproductions. I guess you would have to have two copies of the same
autographed book in order to tell.

David Ames..

"David Ames" wrote in message
oups.com...

michael adams wrote:
"Dave Mason" wrote in message
...
wrote in message
oups.com...
Easton & Franklin

Their signed editions perform better than the stock market.

...

You mean they did.

Top marks for hindsight there.

Go to the top of the class.


snipped trolling

The majority of Easton
and Franklin signed editions are "blue chips".


snipped more trolling

You mean you hope they are.

If you actually ever owned any, that is.


michael adams

.

Myself, I wonder if they are authentic autographs or auto-pen
reproductions. I guess you would have to have two copies of the same
autographed book in order to tell.

David Ames..


Jon Meyers suggested earlier that the signed Ronald Regan title
published by Easton may well have been done by autopen. Regan
will probably have made wide use of an autopen in his career,
already whereas its doubtful Gorbachev ever had much use for
one.

As to Gorby's signature still being in demand. In "Fast Food Nation"*
there's an almost surreal description of Gorby giving the keynote
speech at the 26th Annual Chain Operators Exchange at the Mirage
in Las Vegas. An annual Convention for Fast Food Industry Executives
managers and franchisees. The author went with a guy from Domino's
Pizzas. Apparently most of the delegates were sleeping off last night
hangovers, or waiting for the big show to start. Apparently Gorby also
appeared in a Pizza Hut commercial in 1997 for which he was paid $160,000.


*Erich Schlosser Penguin 2002 pps. 236,7


michael adams

....
"Chains

Unless subscribers
coud ask fore a pe

"David Ames" wrote in message
oups.com...

michael adams wrote:
"Dave Mason" wrote in message
...
wrote in message
oups.com...
Easton & Franklin

Their signed editions perform better than the stock market.

...

You mean they did.

Top marks for hindsight there.

Go to the top of the class.


snipped trolling

The majority of Easton
and Franklin signed editions are "blue chips".


snipped more trolling

You mean you hope they are.

If you actually ever owned any, that is.


michael adams

.

Myself, I wonder if they are authentic autographs or auto-pen
reproductions. I guess you would have to have two copies of the same
autographed book in order to tell.

David Ames..


Jon Meyers suggested earlier that the signed Ronald Regan title
published by Easton may well have been done by autopen. Regan
will probably have made wide use of an autopen in his career,
already whereas its doubtful Gorbachev ever had much use for
one.

As to Gorby's signature still being in demand. In "Fast Food Nation"*
there's an almost surreal description of Gorby giving the keynote
speech at the 26th Annual Chain Operators Exchange at the Mirage
in Las Vegas. An annual Convention for Fast Food Industry Executives
managers and franchisees. The author went with a guy from Domino's
Pizzas. Apparently most of the delegates were sleeping off last night
hangovers, or waiting for the big show to start. Apparently Gorby also
appeared in a Pizza Hut commercial in 1997 for which he was paid $160,000.

Just noticed this bit as well. Gorby wrote the foreward to a memoir
by a MacDonalds executive called - "To Russia With Fries" !


*Erich Schlosser Penguin 2002 pps. 236,7


michael adams

....

michael adams wrote:
"Dave Mason" wrote in message
...
wrote in message
oups.com...
Easton & Franklin

Their signed editions perform better than the stock market.

...

You mean they did.

Top marks for hindsight there.

Go to the top of the class.


snipped trolling

The majority of Easton
and Franklin signed editions are "blue chips".


snipped more trolling

You mean you hope they are.

If you actually ever owned any, that is.

I found it amusing that a couple of people
ran away from my main point. Here they were,
grumbling about Eastons and Franklins not
making good speculative investments (AS
IF that was supposed to a big concern to
a normal book collector in the first place!).
I simply pointed out that that while, yes,
often books by those two publishers
drop in value, if you express the drop as
a ratio along with the the original cost of the
book, it would be FAR less than the average
drop of a Random House and probably of
books by most other publishers.

If I have lost anyone, I am saying take,
for instance, the cover price of
all Random House books published in the
1990's,. then take the average price of
all those books sold "like new" today on
Amazon. That would be a big chore,
true, but I am quite certain the result
would prove that Franklins and Eastons,
on average, prove a far better investment
than the average book put out by
Random House and probably of most
other large publishers, if we continued to
carry out my proposed test..

My only point is to get a few know-it-
all types to question some of their
biases. As I said before, I am no big
fan of leather bound books per se.,
but I cannot ignore the fine
manufacture of both Easton and
Franklin.

Even so, I certainly don't think leather
is necessarily preferable to cloth.
Take that superb cloth bound Folio
Society book of Anderson's Fairy
Tales illustrated by W. Heath
Robinson. You know, the one with
the red cloth and the gilt lettering
and design on the front board and spine.
Is there anyone in his right mind who
would maintain that Folio is less a
book because of its cloth boards?


Sometimes I just can't figure you people
out...You don't love books, you live
first editions, and your respect for books
seems to be based on their actual or
potential increases in resale value,
rather than the satisfaction their
content and manufacture might give
you as their owners. Sad.

[From the upstairs office.]


michael adams

...