The count of monte Christo dle

Is back on EP site at $775.00 I thought it was sold out many years ago.

Alice in wonderland dle is also back on ep site

So this could get interesting ... not gonna raise the panic flag just yet ... however ... these were both originally limited to 800 copies. Both sold out years ago so I can't imagine they mysteriously found a stash of old/previous printed books.

So based on the 'available for pre-order now' on the Count ... and the 'back in stock soon' for Alice ... i'm assuming these are both new print runs.

The page for Alice does still state 'Limited edition of just 800' ... and one of the thumbnails shows the limited page stating 'strictly limited to the quantity of 800'

While Count does not offer any suggestion as to the original 'limit'

In a previous post here on LT regarding the kind of shady reprinting tactics from EP ...

https://www.librarything.com/topic/189349

... in that thread from 2015 HugoDumas says ...

15 HugoDumas ... I hate to say this but it appears the 1887 set was printed and sold out more than a year ago. I bought one unopened on eBay. You can see another opened set showing it is the 1887 Routledge set. Yet Easton tells me they NEVER printed the set and it will not be available until June. Are they lying? I sent them a picture of the previous set which exactly resembles the newer one. Most troubling, meaning they reserve the right to reprint DLEs meaning the limited number of 500 or 800 means nothing.

16 HugoDumas ... More info. The previous set sold is 1888 Routledge. Easton gets around the DLE by printing the 1887 set. How much you want to bet they simply reprinted the whole set but only swapped the front page saying 1887 permitting a whole new cycle of DLEs to be sold. Seems deceptive to me. Very bothersome. So when they say "we never sold this set"....that is true but I think unethical on their part.

I will hold out my decision on this after I speak with someone at EP and see how this plays out. But if this is their new direction ... where 'limited numbers' end up meaning nothing ... i will discontinue my decade long run of purchasing EP DLE's.

...

And just an FYI for anyone interested in more detailed info ... here is another LT thread on the Count topic ...

https://www.librarything.com/topic/288506

... apparently on march 2018 the last of the Count run was sold out ...

Wootie said ...

2 Wootie ... At long last, sold out. Only took 4.5 years.

...

And finally ... for anyone interested in the original prices for these books ...

Alice was 4 payments of $99 ... total $396 (same as new asking price)

Count was 5 installments of $135 ... total $675 (new asking price is $775)

....

end scene

Let's hope EP is not going down the rabbit hole (see what i did there) ... where they are diluting the value of what their 'limited' titles suggest by reprinting beyond any promised 'limit'.

>3 thisGuy33: this would appear to be a reprint of that work, no longer deluxe numbered limited edition, at a higher price! A real betrayal to EP customers in my opinion.

>4 HugoDumas: yup ... I'm starting to get that feeling as well.

Just got off the phone with EP ... she was super nice (not always the case) ... she suggested this new Alice was a 'second half run' ... saying that it looks like the first half run sold old '2015/2017' (i don't remember the year she said). Either way this still sounds a bit fishy to me ... cuz Alice being such a popular title and Rackham tipped in image titles always selling well ... I can't see them only selling 400 of the 800 run years ago and then waiting this long to sell the second half of the 800.

On a side note I do see that even FS is don't some questionable tactics with their reprints. Lately they offered a standard edition of 'The Book of the New Sun'. The Limited Edition sold out in 14 minutes when it was offered a few years back. The troubling issue here is that the new Standard Edition is exactly the same (minus the signature and and a few small cosmetic/printing differences ... and it is two larger books as opposed to 4 regular-ish sized books). But every single 'specially commissioned for Limited Edition' illustration is also included in the standard edition.

I'm not necessarily complaining here (though it sure does sound like it ... lol) ... but I am a bit concerned with these actions.

And ... after re-reading thru this LE thread ...

https://www.librarything.com/topic/189349

... I see this same exact conversation was had back then in 2015 ... and I assume will continue to be had for years to come based on their proof of record being this is just the way they all play the game.

Oh well ... I have no regrets on my purchases (as I am not really a 'collector' but just a reader and appreciator of nicely produced books).

But that said ... I did ... until today ... have confidence that my 'limited' editions held some 'value' and 'special-ness'

However i equate this day to the day I found out Santa isn't real. And just like that nugget of surprise ... I choose to still 'believe'.

lol

>6 thisGuy33: wondering if those three $1,500 DLE sets will ever sell on eBay now that it is no longer OOP.

>7 HugoDumas: yeah ... i've tried to steer clear of paying crazy OOP prices. While at the same time I try not to dwell too much on paying a 'slight' 'premium' for OOP titles.

I did pay $500 for my Alice DLE a few years back ... but thought the extra $100 was a fair price due to it being the only way for me to have enjoyed it for the last few years ... and at the time 'if' you could even find it up for sale somewhere it was going for at least $700-$800.

Now that it's being offered again New from EP for $400 ... I'm still not second guessing my going the route I did because I was able to enjoy it for years already.

However ... had I paid $800 for it and a few years later EP re-released it for $400 ... I might have had a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.

So I'm just hoping this isn't a more prevalent running theme for these publishers.

>8 thisGuy33: hoping they do not re-release Les Miserables DLE until I sell my DLE on eBay. Thankfully I sold my Count of Monte Cristo DLE before these EP shenanigans.

>9 HugoDumas: .....and here I am still waiting for the re-release of Les Miserables ;D

>10 Love2Read.: lol

>9 HugoDumas: I might have bought the Count DLE from you on ebay! lol

>9 HugoDumas: I would not call it shenanigans... EP has never stated nor ever will state their print run sizes. All such information comes from a few individuals in this forum who have simply overestimated demand for EP's luxury books and mistakenly overstated print run sizes. Based on several recent reprints, EP's print runs seem to fall in line with most of fine press publishers with similar price points...

Every EP book without limitation or with 800-1,200 limitation is bound to be reprinted depending on interest, which EP seems to gauging perhaps on interests expressed in this forum, eBay sales, opportunism based on larger events (Gone with the Wind), expiring copyrights etc.

Having said that, perhaps EP has made a mistake with too low a limitation for some Verne or Twain deluxe editions and will, as it perhaps should, stick with limitations of 800-1,200 in the future with all of their deluxe titles. If demand does not materialize, books will simply not be printed or such limitations may be reduced (with a notification to buyers) or EP can simply wait another 10-20 years before printing another 200-300 copies...

>13 EPsonNY:

EP may not state their print run sizes but they are stating a print limit when they use the word “Limit”. Breaking said limit should be considered a breach of contract. Proving they did so would be very difficult without direct access to their order books or their printer’s order books.

However, I definitely agree with your sentiment that just because we see something sell out once or twice, it doesn’t mean EP reached their stated limit. We tend to assume print runs for these expensive books to be in either whole or half limit increments. Most likely, they’re not. For all we know, they print 100-200 at a time. You’re absolutely right - for all we know, in another ten years, they’ll decide to call up another batch of the white whale, the Kelscott Chaucer, or some other nonsense long out of print title.

>15 treereader: I do not believe EP would attempt to break their word to their customers though it could do so easily. I have actually wondered why they do not attempt to print cheaper editions of some of their more popular DLEs in regular sizes with offset printed illustrations without any bells and whistles like tissue guards or slipcases.

We all in this forum love beautiful DLE volumes and those who already own DLEs love them even more. Some; however, in their biased enthusiasm are more likely to overestimate general public's interest in such books and what follows numbers of copies printed and sold.

See ownership effect :): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mere_ownership_effect

One has to ask how many people who praise DLEs' beauty actually end up purchasing any. A good gauge is the secondary market where some DLE like Monte Cristo may have sold a couple or very few dozens in the last few years with some overpriced copies languishing on eBay or Amazon for years... It appears that one of these $1,500 copies was acquired only recently, in January, for $675+tax...

>10 Love2Read.: Same here

EP shouldn’t have any limited editions if they do back stabbing things like that to dle collectors. What’s a reason to collect limited editions then.

No one here really knows if a book has met its limitations in printing when it disappears from the EP website. I believe even customer service does not know how many have been printed. They most likely just see the stock numbers but that doesn't reflect on what is printed. Everything discussed here is only speculation so I will give EP the benefit of the doubt and that they are printing these in small batches. Why they do this could be many reasons.

>19 JuliusC: I think EP is playing games by not providing limitation number on their page. This basically confirms that it is a reprint.

Isn't the charitable assumption here (and it also seems a reasonable one) that they may state a limitation of 1200 books, but if the book sells more slowly than anticipated, and it takes, say, a couple of years to sell 600 copies, that they may "declare victory" (i.e. advertise the book as "sold out') when they're sold out of their existing stock, but have not actually printed or sold the entire limitation?

That explanation does have the virtue of very neatly explaining more numbered copies suddenly appearing for sale. There may well have been a new print run, but still within the numbers of the original, stated limitation. Frankly, in my experience with small publishers, printmakers, and other creators of limited edition collectibles, this type of thing (not producing the whole stated limitation) happens fairly frequently.

>20 fancythings: I hate to disagree, but it really doesn't prove anything. EP frequently leaves out all kinds of information on their website that probably should be there and often is included in fuller marketing copy in their brochures and catalogs.

Edit: Also, if you scroll down on the Alice page, there is more info, including the stated limitation.

These editions appear to be nothing like the DLE aside from content. We all know the content is normally not limited aside from special illustrations. I am just worried they seem to be importing some of the printing...even on full EP editions. I understand the coffee table type books always had the printed part brought in from other publishers...even back to the Peterson Field Guide reprints from the good ole days.

Also as noted I can guarantee that the DLE normally do not sell out the entire edition in one run. They issue them in batches. They may even test a concept by printing 100 of the 1000 edition.

If they bring back some DLE with hand marble end papers I am a customer.

>22 whytewolf1: I secretly hope that you are right. Lol

>24 fancythings: Edited my original post: "Edit: Also, if you scroll down on the Alice page, there is more info, including the stated limitation."

>25 whytewolf1: I saw it thanks

Alice is really beautiful dle and will look nice next to my grimms Dle, which also has white leather.

>21 whytewolf1: EP has never claimed any of their DLE have sold out. Some books disappear altogether and some after a brief or prolonged stay in their Limited Quantities section. EP has never defined that section as the remainder of the entire print limitation. Based on this forum's multiple discussions, it is some members who have done it without any evidence of thereof...

It would be nice to see a ticker showing the number of copies sold or copies remaining out of the entire limitation; however, such thing may not be in the best interest of EP. Quite a few potential buyers would delay their purchase knowing that there are hundreds of copies remaining. Aura of mystery surrounding number of copies remaining has led some to religiously keep count of remaining copies and quite a few other to wildly speculate about print run sizes etc. thus generating additional interest and free marketing, which perhaps is EP's ultimate goal... as long it translates directly into direct sales :D...

Here are the old threads that discusses this edition
http://www.librarything.com/topic/158923
http://www.librarything.com/topic/158923
Archived photos from Wootle

>28 EPsonNY: You're quite right about them never declaring that anything is "sold out." I guess I was really thinking of their "last chance" labeling, which they use inconsistently since we all know some things simply disappear. But I guess if you see "last chance," and then it disappears, it does give the impression of having sold out completely.

And yes, I agree that since most of EP's titles sell slowly and consistently, rather than in rapid surges, not stating how many copies are left keeps the customer guessing and has the effect of stoking FOMO.

>30 whytewolf1: Imagine how adding bonuses like a luxurious custom made slipcase for the first 100 Count buyers could stoke FOMO... Another FOMO stimulant could be introducing tiers with gimmicks like 26 lettered copies... Some fine press publishers started using such practices and they almost seem to have a waiting list for a waiting list...

>31 EPsonNY: You're quite right, and I'm a numbered edition rights holder for Suntup Editions, so I know all about that! lol

>31 EPsonNY: >32 whytewolf1:
Why are numbers and/or letters important? A book’s beauty is all that matters to me.

Frankly, given how aggressive EP is with their marketing, I'm surprised that they haven't done that type of stuff yet. But, honestly, they're pretty old-school, hands-off and top-down with their marketing. Doing stuff like you're suggesting, while effective, tends to involve more customer/fan interaction and community cultivation than EP seems interested in doing.

>33 jroger1: Well, I mostly agree with you, actually, which is why I was never tempted to collect or even care much about first editions. I'm interested in the BEST edition. I don't care if the one I can acquire is a 4th printing of a 12th edition of the book. And the numbers don't mean much to me, per se. Some people are very rabid about matching numbers. Again, I couldn't care less. I mean, it's nice, I suppose, if you have matched set of multiple volumes with matching numbers, but it's not that big of a deal. The only reason I care about having Suntup matching rights for their numbered editions is that it gives me a chance to buy all of their very limited numbered editions at issue price. It kind of works similar to an Arion Press subscription in that way.

>21 whytewolf1:

That’s exactly what’s going on.

>9 HugoDumas: “...Thankfully I sold my Count of Monte Cristo DLE...”

Actually, this is the most astonishing piece of information in this thread. I thought you prized your Routledge Dumas and Hugo DLEs above all other books. I hope everything is ok.

>33 jroger1: >35 whytewolf1: I agree … numbers (and even more for that matter … signatures) mean nothing to me. In fact I wish I could purchase exact copies of some of these beautifully produced books without the high cost attached because of those two factors.

That said … the one reason stated/advertised ‘limit’ amounts matter to me … is when I see a title is out of print for so long and I decide I would like a copy … I would like to know paying a premium is only because it will never be reprinted again … so the only way to acquire it is to pay a bit of a premium.

But I would be so thoroughly disappointed if I found a title I had been searching for for months/years on the secondary market … willingly paid a few hundred dollars premium … only to see a week later that it was going to be reprinted exactly the same in a month.

>27 fancythings: Alice DLE is one of my absolute favorite EP DLE’s I have (and I have many). But I am also a huge Rackham fan … so that plays a big part. It’s an easy suggested purchase suggestion. I was sad I had to search for months to find a copy for a reasonable price on the secondary market … but I was beyond thrilled when I found one and when it arrived it was even more thrilling to see in person!

>28 EPsonNY: >34 whytewolf1: … If we ran EP marketing … they would make so much more money. They are very old school even with their ‘aggressive marketing’. However they do not do all the things that could increase their values (add on extras/premium limited edition)

I mean … imagine they simply said Alice was limited to 800/1000. Meaning all 1000 were 99 percent premium (leather covers, tipped in illustrations, slip case) … however 200 of the 1000 copies are even slightly more premium (extra commissioned art work, a slightly more ‘themed’ or ‘designed’ slipcase, signatures and so many other ‘added content options).

They could charge hundred dollars extra for the premium limited and then they could have a countdown of both versions.

I understand the reason for no countdown … as >28 EPsonNY: mentioned … it would create a sense of ‘delayed purchases’

alright … i got all that out of my system. Back to reading (currently FS small gods … absolutely loving it!!!)

>37 treereader: I am selling many of my collections and personal possessions on eBay including the coveted Routledge DLEs and popular leather books, since I need the income and I am into my 70’s watching a lot of people I know pass away. It makes no sense hanging onto stuff as I get closer to my end of life. I have enjoyed my hobbies and it’s nice to know there is a market for my stuff. By the way I replaced my deluxe War and Peace, Les Miserables, and Count of Monte Cristo with mint beautiful single volume EP editions; EP kindly gave me the affordable subscription rate of $47 per volume.

>12 thisGuy33: if you live in Florida, perhaps you did.

>39 HugoDumas: That was sad to read. you still young at 70. Just remember, age is just a number. Enjoy your gorgeous collection. I remember seeing a picture of your library that you posted here. Awesome library and great achievement. Those single volumes are gorgeous too.

>39 HugoDumas: “ I am into my 70’s watching a lot of people I know pass away.”

Yes, but I also know people in their 90s, and I intend to be one of them. Anyway, selling things is such a hassle.

>42 jroger1: sure thing to 90s and beyond

>42 jroger1: I enjoy marketing my stuff on eBay. No hassle at all to me especially with their excellent selling template.

>39 HugoDumas:
Mortimer Adler told me once that the secret to a long life is to eat only the best tasting calories, especially chocolate. I’m hoping that if I follow his advice then one day I’ll be as smart as he was. (And he lived to 98.)

Now listed under deluxe limited to 800 on EP site

It would be dishonest for Easton Press to claim a limitation and then exceed it. It would be shady for them to claim a limitation and then release a slightly tweaked version after their limitation had been reached. And, as stated in the thread, it's not likely that people on this forum would know if Easton Press were exceeding its limitations -- at least if they weren't exceeding them by huge numbers.

That said, unless one is collecting DLEs as a financial investment or for active resale in the secondary market, it seems to me a strange thing to fuss about limitations for one's books.

For example, I bought the 2 volume Dore Divine Comedy DLE some time ago after searching for several years. I was thrilled to find an affordable copy of this treasure. I spent around $1,400, which I still think is a lot of money for a book. My relatives and friends would probably think I'm insane if they knew. I don't regret buying it in the least, but you can bet I'd prefer to have paid a lot less. In a way, I think it's a shame for such a book to be limited to 400 copies.

Why should my book's extreme limitation and intimidating price tag make me love it any more than I would otherwise? It is, after all, a book, whose purpose is to hold and to read. Wouldn't it be better if this book were more widely available for other people who would doubtless appreciate it as well? I've got no intention of ever selling it, so why should others' ownership of copies diminish my enjoyment of my own copy? Don't you think it smacks of envy?

>49 RunneroftheMill:
I, for one, think you got a bargain for one of EP’s 3 or 4 best productions. Many people consider it to be Dore’s greatest work. And, yes, I wish the concept of limited edition would dissolve away, but I suppose it would be breaking faith with current owners to make it retroactive.

>49 RunneroftheMill: good point but if one particular book becomes widely available from Easton press, especially limited edition it loses its collectibility value. I can get Devine comedy from B&N, so what. Easton press prides itself on collectible books. So, when they produce super collectible limited editions that only few people can have 800 or 1200 editions and that mean only 800 to 1200 people worldwide can have it. That book is really limited and has a lot of value to collectors like us. But when Easton press does what it did with the Count it eliminates not only collectability, rareness, value and limitation but it also eliminates serious collectors desire to collect limited editions from EP. it becomes a joke to even call these editions “limited”

>51 fancythings:
I understand that some collectors place a high value on scarcity, but when they do so they are taking on the role of an investor rather than a collector. In a perfect world people would value books and other collectibles for their beauty and not their dollar value. I know that won’t happen soon, so I’m sure the limited edition will continue to be with us.

I’m probably one of EP’s best DLE customers having purchased 50 or 60 of them, but I never bought one because of the limitation. I would gladly have paid the same price without it.

>51 fancythings: "But when Easton press does what it did with the Count it eliminates not only collectability, rareness, value and limitation but it also eliminates serious collectors desire to collect limited editions from EP. it becomes a joke to even call these editions “limited”"

Not trying to be an ass, but did I miss the actual proof for this, or is all we have still rampant speculation about EP supposedly exceeding its stated limitations?

>49 RunneroftheMill: ... my point or 'fuss' about all of this is summed up with a single question ...

... you paid $1,400 and feel perfectly ok with that price ... but would you still feel perfectly ok with that price if a week after paying that price you saw that EP re-released that book for the original release price of $400.

That to me is the only real issue with their not being transparency in their 'limited' numbering system.

I'll never feel completely confident that if I just didn't wait a few weeks ... I could possibly save myself a lot of headache and $$$.

>52 jroger1: I think you might be slightly fooling yourself if you think you are one of "EP's best DLE customers". You are definitely a 'really good' EP DLE customer.

But I too have a DLE rage similar to to yours ... and I was super late to the party ... only beginning my search for mostly out of print DLE's a few years ago (this is one hobby/fascination where it truly sucks being late in it's discovery). But I assume there are many here that have hundreds of DLE's.

While I am beyond happy with my small library ... I am often envious of those true 'best' DLE collectors.

>53 whytewolf1: I don't think there's ever going to be 'proof' ... it will always be speculative ... however there is a lot of good reason for the speculation as stated in this thread and many others. Every time they have in the past and continue to currently ... re-release these 'limited' titles and don't clarify why/how ... it just brings up a bit of suspicion.

So, the more people talk about EP breaking limitations without any proof, the firmer my belief is going to be that EP isn’t breaking any limitations!

>55 thisGuy33: “ I assume there are many here that have hundreds of DLE's.”

According to Wootle’s current list in another thread, EP has published 170 DLEs. Some are among the best books published by anyone, and some aren’t worthy of the name. I also buy some of their standard editions as well as books from other publishers. The important thing is to get the ones that interest you whether because of the subject, the author, the illustrations, etc. Within one’s budget, of course.

I don't really have a dog in this as I have no interest in this particular title but where are all these gossips coming from? It's one thing to criticize EP for their "old school" style and the way they do business in terms of their logistics, but to state that they are manipulating the limitations of their DLE/LE is hearsay. What we all know is that it is still a limitation of 800 copies, that has not changed. Unless there is proof that somebody has copy number 801, 900 or 1200 then I see no need for this paranoia.

>55 thisGuy33: "I don't think there's ever going to be 'proof' ... it will always be speculative ... however there is a lot of good reason for the speculation as stated in this thread and many others. Every time they have in the past and continue to currently ... re-release these 'limited' titles and don't clarify why/how ... it just brings up a bit of suspicion."

One way to prove it would be to show you've received a DLE without a limitation page or with a signature but without a number (or marked with 'PC' a publisher's copy or something similar) or to prove that there are duplicate numbers out there. If people can't do that or can't provide some other reasonable proof, they're accusing EP of perpetrating a fraud without providing a shred of evidence which, let's face it, is a pretty shitty thing to do.

>56 treereader: Indeed.

>58 JuliusC: Exactly.

>59 whytewolf1: I don't think it is a 1 to 1 correlation to 'accusing EP of perpetrating a fraud'.

I believe there is a lot of grey inbetween ... being 100% transparent with your audience ... and completely and knowingly committing fraud.

I think this discussion is far less accusing EP of evil doing (which yes, I agree with you ... 'is a pretty shitty thing to do' ... prior to any real evidentiary proof) ... and more just an open discussion of individual experiences and opinions.

However ... I think it is a worthwhile discussion when some of their practices leave room for speculation and cause some insecurities when perusing purchasing in the the secondary market.

I believe a simple solution (which I am fully aware that EP is not looking for my suggested solutions) ... would be to do what FS and others do. They do not need to show a number countdown. However they do show some kind of indication as to how many are remaining.

For instance this current Three Musketeers Limited Edition ...

https://www.foliosociety.com/usa/the-three-musketeers.html

... here as opposed to having a countdown (which some have suggested) ... which if the title is taking a long time to sell the complete run ... might cause potential buyers to wait on their purchase. With this % information that FS shares ... it almost helps potential buyers to push the buy button because they don't know how many are left ... yet they know it is close.

And FS keeps their webpage up for a period of time with 'SOLD OUT' listed ... as seen here ...

https://www.foliosociety.com/usa/dune-limited-edition.html

Another way to assure anyone still interested in purchasing on the second hand market ... that it is not just a pause on the total run and they don't have to worry that if they pay a premium on the open market ... a week later they won't be disheartened to find out a second run of that title is now out ... and for far less then you thought you had to pay on ebay.

Yeah.... the going, logical theory (as the CS rep addressed earlier) is that EP is just printing DLE's in 1/2 batches. The first batch sells out and then they wait a bit to put out the second batch.... the spacing may be dependent upon demand... if it took awhile for the last 10 copies of the first 1/2 batch to sell they might wait a bit for more demand/new customers to print the second 1/2 of the batch.

>61 mortalalliance: that makes complete sense. And it would be great if we new that to be fact so we could assume that to always be the case ... then make our decisions from that.

>60 thisGuy33: I actually agree with you regarding the fact that Ep's transparency could be better (in fact, a LOT of things they do could be better), and I think it would be both useful and advisable for them to take your advice. I am also very familiar with FS, and as you correctly pointed out, they are much better about things like this.

However, I was taken aback by the almost instant panic displayed by some folks when someone suggested maybe, possibly, some kind of way, that there might be something shady going on. It very quickly went from a suspicion to a virtual fait accompli that fraud had been committed. And though I am not a lawyer (yada yada yada), I have enough years in business to have a pretty good understanding of what constitutes fraud, and I wanted to be clear to people that they weren't just suggesting that a company was doing something "shady," like moving some favored customers ahead of others on a wait list, but that they were actually accusing EP of carrying out an illegal practice, without providing any evidence whatsoever that they were doing so.

>63 whytewolf1: Yeah I see what you see as well ... I take it a little more with a grain of salt. Though it may be some rushing to quick judgment, I think many of the participants in this conversation have been involved in this exact conversation over the course of many years and many posts/threads here on LT.

So with most ... i think it is less of a 'rush' to judgment and more of a slow buildup of judgment.

Hahaha!

It’s not in EP’s best interest to let the world know their current or future inventory positions. Why would they tip their hand to their competition, or encourage lazy buying from customers?

They want customers to feel like they’ll miss out if they don’t buy right now, and they game their marketing details to make us think like that for as much of the life of a sales campaign as they can.

Edit: And to trust an EP customer service rep when they suggest that DLEs are printed in half batches is perhaps not the best idea. EP has great customer service when it comes to resolving issues but knowledgeable about their product, they are not.

>54 thisGuy33: "Fuss" was probably not the right word to use; I don't mean to belittle anyone. You and I are in the same boat; we both arrived late in the game and have to deal with dramatic price rises in some of the greatest books. Many of the most desirable to me were among the first DLEs.

If I paid $1,400 on my DLE only to find it listed a week later for $400, I'd definitely wish I'd waited a week. But it's the huge price that I'd paid originally that I'd regret, not that the work was re-released at an affordable price.

My point is that the scarcity aspect of severe limitation makes the books we do own valuable for resale (which is helpful to us), but often also makes the others which we'd like to own but don't own unaffordable to us (not so helpful). This approach seems fine for bullion, but not for books, which are probably the most important material vehicle for culture.

Also, in the above scenario, my disappointment of paying $1,000 more than necessary would be offset by the probability that other old DLEs which I don't have and can't afford would be re-released at prices that would actually allow me to own them.

That said, I wouldn't advocate Easton Press breaking its promisses. I'd rather see a competitor appear who would release similarly high-quality reproductions of old works (which are in the public domain anyway) in greater volume so that more people could enjoy them. That this hasn't happened is evidence that we are a part of a very small market.

Nice to see a lively discussion on LT every now and then :-)

>67 GOBOGIE: lively is indeed nice!

>68 thisGuy33: We are for sure on the same page. Any slight bit more of transparency would be nice. I keep going back to your scenario of spending $1400 on a title that was OOP because I too have made several purchases over the last few years that were OOP and prior to my purchase in the secondary market ... I did a lot of research and concluded (wrongfully) that my only option would be to pay a premium in the secondary market.

Thankfully I was patient and only paid a small premium. If I had paid $1k over original value to only find out a month later I could have waited to get it straight from EP second run release ... I would have been 'sad' that I wasted $3K ... that could have gone to a few more DLE's that I have on my 'someday to purchase' list.

I'm totally ok with paying a premium. And I'm even ok with ... sometimes ... not completely 'winning' at the game. But it sure would be nice to at least have the FS type of information with EP so that I/we could make more educated decisions.

Here's to hoping EP opens a second/third run of Treasure Island and your Divine Comedy ... as I've been super patient (not in too much of a rush).

:)

>68 thisGuy33:

Even Folio's information is not as accurate as you'd like it to be. They are not consistent with their verbiage about things being out of stock, sold out, out of print, or any other such phrasing. The counters they put on books indicating low supply are not consistently applied to all low stock inventory, either. And regardless of whether or not the counter is applied, sometimes things are reprinted, sometimes they're not.

You yourself have hinted at the key characteristic required, of both readers and collectors alike, regarding out-of-print books:
>>"Thankfully I was patient and only paid a small premium."
>>"as I've been super patient (not in too much of a rush)."

Patience really is all it takes. Neither Easton Press nor Folio Society need to divulge any sensitive inventory or publishing plans to anyone for us to acquire out of print books. Sometimes it takes a week, sometimes it takes a year, and sometimes it takes ten years. Patience should be easy to most of us, since working on our to-be-read lists will easily surpass any game of waiting.

The completest in me needs a copy of EP's rendition of Tolkien's Sigurd and Gudrun. I've been waiting since about 2009-2010 when it sold out and I lost my chance because I was short on funds at the time. I'll get a copy, I'll get it for a reasonable cost, and my to-be-read list will be none-the-wiser that over a decade passed without me having it.

Another item of interest to many, which frankly I'm surprised hasn't shown back up on EP's site within that last year, is the 6-volume Dune set. EP definitely didn't print all potential copies; in fact, it seemed like they artificially pulled existing copies off the website. Unless the Herbert Estate or whomever owns the printing rights revoked them from EP or EP's printing contract expired, they can commission another print run any time they like. They have a duty to optimize profit, so maybe they're waiting to see how the new movie fares, or how Centipede's versions look before printing any more, but in any case, they shouldn't be telling us how many more they can print or when they plan on doing so. Assuming they do, though, it should almost certainly cost more than the original release price. I'm sure that price will still be less than impossible prices the set was fetching on eBay the last time it was available there. Oddly, though, this set is a case I won't likely jump for - I enjoyed the first book but I have too many other interests to bother trudging through the remaining ones.

Patience. Those books and many others will all come back one way or another. Either EP will have them printed again or current owners will either come on hard times or pass away and they'll show up on the used market. It is literally like clockwork...

>69 treereader:
Patience can indeed have a long time frame. Easton Press, Folio Society, and all the others will eventually pass away, and then the prices will tank because no one will be promoting them anymore — just as happened to LEC, Heritage Press, and Franklin Library, most of which can now be had for a song.

People are amazingly susceptible to advertising and promotions whether in colorful printed flyers, emails, web sites, etc., or in collector forums like this one or Goodreads. But in the meantime we get lots of pleasure from our collections.

>70 jroger1:

Indeed! Hopefully our currently active publishers will outlast each of us, too. Scratch that...hopefully people just keep an interest in reading.

>69 treereader: yup ... patience always is the key to everything.

... but i still desire more information so I know if i need patience for finding the good ebay deal ... or for EP to release their 4th run of a title I think they long sold out.

Hahaha!

>72 thisGuy33:

I think your best bet, everyone’s best bet really, is to rely on the collective expertise and experience in this group, working title by title.

I can’t bring myself to do this but in the case of the Monte Cristo DLE, this looks to be an easy reselling opportunity. The majority of the market doesn’t know that this is available brand new again, so the inflated prices out there should hold fairly well. You could try to recover some of your losses...

>73 treereader: >72 thisGuy33:
Someone has already posted in the FS forum about EP’s Monte Cristo availability. Posted by katielouise: “Easton Press has got the second half of their Count of Monte Cristo LE back in stock and I HIGHLY recommend it. It's a reproduction of a set from the late 1800s that has a million billion illustrations, and the EP price is less than you can usually get even a tatty old set for. So if you don't care about having exactly matching ones but want a nice Count of Monte Cristo, that one is great. The exterior is a little tacky imo but not tackier than the Three Musketeers LE.”

I guess if this group really wanted to figure out if a DLE had reached its limitation, it could band its resources of copy numbers together to get an idea of known ranges. There's nothing illegal about that, right? A lot of people here have DLEs, and some sellers on the secondary market show a photo of the limitation page on the books they are selling (though most seem to hide that number and simply write 1/800, etc).

We don't know how Easton press prints its runs, but they have to be using some kind of numbering system in order to prevent duplicates. I'm not aware of a DLE duplicate ever being found, though numberless copies do appear. (I happen to have a numberless Dore/London Pilgrimage without a slip case that I got a sweet deal on!) Assuming they start at the low numbers and move up (backward as they're said to be), this group could try to determine if numbers in the second half of the range exist on the market for a given work.

However, since it might be personally beneficial for one's DLE to be permanently out of print, unscupulous persons may claim to have high numbers which they don't have. Limitation page photos might be able to get around this issue a bit. This may be a pedantic, if not downright stupid idea. But it might be more productive than going on and on for years about Easton Press' impenetrable craftiness.

>75 RunneroftheMill: It's actually an excellent idea. If there is a stated limitation of 800, and someone who recently took the plunge and ordered shared that they received #712, we would more or less know where things stood. The deeply suspicious might even politely ask them if they would mind sharing a pic of the limitation page.

>74 jroger1:
See, this is where the problem starts. katielouise (but it can be anybody) announces the return of something from being unavailable. She's assuming it's a second half print run but no one bats an eye at her assumption because they're more interested in the renewed stock of title XYZ. The positive reinforcement of actually finding the renewed stock only serves to positively reinforce the unchecked assumption.

While I can't recall any titles by name, I do recall people claiming having been told by a customer service rep that such-and-such batch of books is a first half or a second half, so I'll admit that at least some of these books are commissioned in half increments of the limitation number (well, I'll admit it based on the assumption that neither the poster nor the customer service rep were lying or being misleading in these claims).

>75 RunneroftheMill:, 76
Keeping track of known numbers is going to be very difficult. Assuming nobody has any privacy concerns, there aren't enough of us. The LT EP group currently only has 639 members. Of that number, only maybe a quarter are active. Of that number, only a few dozen claim to buy limitation titles (e.g., DLEs). Of that group, not everybody buys the same DLEs. If the limitation number was less than, say, 50 and a large number of us all promised to get that one title, we could probably get close to an answer.

Outside of collecting enough numbers, EP (and Folio's, too, for that matter) approach of shipping out the numbers randomly would quickly inhibit our ability to detect print run sizes. (I don't believe each print run aligns with an increment in limitation numbers - the modern digital era makes it easy to spread the randomness across the entire limitation set from day one.) Moreover, it's entirely possible for EP to order an insufficient batch only to have to follow up with a quick reorder such that we never know that the title was technically out of print for a moment (because the website never said it was out of stock).

Frankly, I think it would be far easier (and much more definitive) to find out if EP is cheating on limitation numbers by becoming an insider: either get a job at the Kingsport Bindery or get a job with whatever external financial auditor EP/MBI uses. (Message to the Mole: EP, perhaps you should become a little more transparent on these matters...someone might just try to become a reverse mole now to make sure everything is honest!)

>76 whytewolf1: "...Easton Press' impenetrable craftiness"
lol. This still has me chuckling!

My recent purchase of the Hunchback of Notre-Dame DLE is indeed 512/800, which squares with the two-batch theory. If I manage to buy the new Count of Monte Christo, I'll list its limitation number here.

Of my DLEs, eight out of eleven have low numbers, the other three having numbers within the latter half of a potential double batch are The Divine Comedy (281/400), Works of Homer (328/400), and History of the Crusades (412/600). Wootle's DLE page confirms that History of the Crusades had two batches, and my purchase was at the very end.

However, most of the DLEs we've seen released in two batches (seen on his page) have had limitations of at least 800, and many much higher than that. Price might also factor in as well as materials/size since things like deluxe paper and leather cost a lot.

In short, if the work was a very expensive set with a high limitation, especially if it is multi-volume, it should be suspect for a second run. I wouldn't hold my breath on the 5-volume Plutarch's lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans since the limitation was a mere 400, but I'd be very surprised if anyone's got high numbers on the 4-volume History of the United States Centennial at 1776 copies.

>77 treereader: I've just read your response, and you're right. If Easton Press wanted to throw people off, especially for future printings, it would be simple enough to totally randomise the print numbers, etc. It seems likely that we'll see more DLEs resurrect from the past though, and it would be great to be able to anticipate them.

>79 RunneroftheMill:

For a while it seemed like they were following the formula of picking anything given special treatment, that came from a well known publisher, or a first English printing - that had recently became a public domain title. I’m sure you could figure out what’s probably on the near horizon by searching for those parameters.

Actually regarding The Count of Monte Cristo it is three batches so far. I purchased mine from a third party after I was told it was OOP. As I was taking delivery this forum told me it was back on their website. When that batch was sold out we all thought it was out of print. Well I sold my set in December to someone who thought it was OOP. I do not have the heart to tell that person that EP printed a third batch. I suspect the even larger run (1,000) of Hugo’s Toilers of the Sea will guarantee reintroduction 3 times in the future, if they decide to continue printing.

>81 HugoDumas: Yes, even though folks have mentioned two batches as was assumed in the past, I think it's been mentioned recently, and seems to track with availability, that EP appears to be doing more and shorter runs now for the DLEs, perhaps as few as 200-300 copies at a time.

>15 treereader: Late to the thread but an interesting legal point. I was about to ramble on and on about class action law, but I'll spare you (mostly). In short, I could be wrong but I think it's probably closer to a breach of warranty (not sure whether express or implied), but yes, it could potentially be breach of contract. But it really would not at all be difficult to prove, IF it were happening. The issue is that it would be expensive to prove, because the way to prove it would be to file a lawsuit. In a lot of cases that wouldn't cost that much because of how many people this potentially affects (meaning class actions), but a good defense lawyer could defeat class certification here by arguing about the inherent subjectivity of something like a limitation. What that means, in practical terms, is that instead of a law firm taking their legal fees out of the eventual award spread across an entire class of people, they would be taking it from one person and one person alone. The legal fees would be more than any potential award from the suit itself, so it just wouldn't be economically worthwhile.

That leaves one with the familiar, unhappy feeling of just having to bear with it, regardless of the truth of the matter.

>83 aeneax: and if someone has all this time and money to file in court lol and even if EP is guilty and have to pay anything out, EP will gladly pass that expense to us their collectors by increasing the price of their already expensive books. I say we just enjoy collecting and reading these books. I think it makes sense to demand an explanation from somebody in charge like their publisher to what is going on in this case with COMC.

>83 aeneax:

Interesting. I'm not a lawyer, so I don't get to delve into these subtleties much. Thanks for the insight!

It occurs to me, though, that if Easton Press were indeed cheating people on limitation numbers, got caught one way or another, and a lawsuit ensued, we would all lose. Maybe a handful of people would enjoy the smug satisfaction of confirmed suspicions, but the feeling would be short-lived. The company would be hit financially, they could start losing contracts with publishers/agencies on newer titles (i.e., not the public domain stuff but the signed series and the coffee table fluff), the brand would be tarnished (its books devalued, old and new, limited or not, whether in our libraries or in the market), and if hit hard enough, MBI could shut EP down and cease publishing operations altogether.

>85 treereader: I agree with you. Any such 'legal' pursuit would probably not lead to anything good (waste of time or substantial change in product to the detriment of the end-user).

That said ... I do think it is ok for us all to continue to lightly poke and pressure EP and others when we see some possible shady stuff going on.

I do not want to direct this in a political conversation ... so please don't read what I'm about to say as an invitation to a political argument ... however ...

... like what we are seeing in the most recent political environment (primarily here in the US) ... some say ... it's not worth pursuing legal cases against a previous president/administration because it would only slow down any current progress ... or that it would only create more divide. Well ... unfortunately that is no excuse not to do what is right and not a reason to allow possible crimes or injustices that have occurred to be given a pass.

Likewise ... in the case of EP possibly fudging the 'limited numbers' ... if this is something that really appears to be true it should somehow be brought to light. It should not just be allowed to pass due to a collective consensus that it would affect our future purchasing situation.

Because in reality ... finding out that any publisher was doing some weird practices ... would be something that would cause most of us to lose faith in their business practices as a whole ... not just in their limited titles.

And for me personally ... as much as I love many of these publishers and what they offer us ... I have no loyalty to any one that knowingly lies and misleads.

Maybe my thoughts are of an older generations way of living ... but I get instantly turned off and easily turn away when something is not right ... even if it's with something that I cherish as much as I do my EP and FS products.

All that said ... I continue to hold my judgment until hopefully we see more evidence of a truth in the coming years.

Sorry to bore you all with my thoughts.

TRUMP 2048

lol ... I'm so joking!!!

>85 treereader:
>84 fancythings:

I actually am a lawyer, which is why I couldn't help myself run away with my thoughts above. I agree with a great deal of what you both say, although I think it's very much worth pointing out that this is all speculation for now. I will admit that I never would have had cause before reading this thread to suspect the numbers were anything less than true, but I still have to believe EP is on the level with me. Otherwise my choice as a consumer is just to be in doubt about anything and everything they say, right down to the very choice of the materials. That's a very dark road for me to go down, personally.

Speaking as a civil defense lawyer, I would say that approximately 19 times out of 20, allegations that seem perfectly plausible on their face -- because the person who made them has no way to prove or disprove them because they just don't have the documents to show what really happened -- wind up being untrue. That comes about because once civil complaints pass the initial stages and make it to the part where the plaintiff can actually get those documents from the defendant, depose their employees, all the other fun things that take forever, almost all of the time it turns out that things were just perfectly normal and boring. That's always made me feel a bit better about humanity because it's reaffirmed to me that misunderstandings are usually just that, rather than attempts to harm one another. But anyway, don't trust me on that because as a said, I did civil defense for a living. A plaintiff's lawyer would point to very real, ingrained, systemic reasons underlying the disproportionate number of cases that get thrown out long before they real trial.

Anyway, you're almost right that we would all lose in a lawsuit: The lawyers (on both sides) would win. And yes, the ultimate expense would certainly be passed on. I used to always strongly advise individual clients to avoid litigation at all costs, despite the fact that I made my living from litigation. Think about that. Nobody, nobody walks away happy from it except for lawyers. Whoever loses has lost, and that be deeply scarring for life. Whoever wins can suffer just as great a harm, because they can feel they should not have had to go to court to begin with to defend themselves. Or they can feel they should have won a bigger award, and that truly is not about the money for them. I once had a pro bono client become suicidal after winning a tremendous amount of money, because he had been expecting a quite unreasonable sum, and he believed that unreasonable sum would somehow validate him, as if the jury would look at what he had suffered and say "we see you, we recognize your pain, we know you and your pain and everything you have been through, we respect you." Because a lady who spilled coffee on her lap at McDonald's won more, he is unwell to this day. It is a horrible thing, to connect money to emotional wellness, and yet our legal system implicitly does this. In any case with individual plaintiffs, one of my roles was to try to disconnect the two, and I always failed.

I'm completely off-topic though! My point is that the role of such an action, theoretically, is to objectively and unemotionally determine the truth of a hypothesis, and see if they are "liable" (not "guilty", quick correction -- this would not be a criminal action!). Yet they take on a life of their own, go off-topic themselves, and make everyone worse for it. In that sense perhaps this thread's spirit, at least, was on-topic.

I don’t know...seems less logical to me that a company would print 800 sets (4,000 books) of something big, heavy and expensive up front and store them for a decade while they tried to slowly sell them. Slower still because they would seemingly be always available. More logical would be to print in smaller batches and give it a good enough amount of time in between to have hopefully picked up a new generation of customers.

Has anyone who ever bought one of these re-releases in the first wave and had a late number? Past the halfway point at least? Not that it’s proof of anything but still interesting.

>88 NyBSfP: it is strange and we already had this discussion in here. My parents purchased it from EP years ago upon its initial release and it was sold out completely. To the point where people from this forum purchased it from eBay for much higher prices, thinking that it was sold out for good. It does not make any sense for ep to hold on to it and watch customers paying much higher prices on ebay . Not that they care but losing customers for this particular book to eBay, without even making announcement for future release. People know when you lie to them and this was an obvious example. EP just rereleased this edition with new limitation of 800 at higher price. They definitely watching eBay prices.

>89 fancythings: You are simply incorrect. Nobody ever said that this set was sold out. Easton Press never said it. Few members of this forum made some far reaching assumptions about its availability, which over the years started circulating and led others to believe that the set has sold out.

eBay prices are not always what you see. Some of the high prices were best offers or offers sent via eBay messaging system. What is more, there have only been a handful of these sets available for sale in the last few years, which considering the exorbitant prices fetches on eBay would have drawn others to sell had they actually owned more sets. They didn't rush to sell, because they did not own the sets. They did not own the sets, because only a fraction had sold, perhaps 200-300 with some resellers buying quite a few sets.

Easton Press does make its own decisions in regards to reprints and so far it has survived just fine. As NyBSfP pointed out it takes a lot of resources to print over 4000 oversized volumes (taking into account extras to offset volumes rejected during quality control). As EP ships these directly from the printer, somebody would have to store several pallets of Monte Cristos for years during which time they would be exposed to all sorts of possible elements including gravity, humidity, vermin, drying glue, shrinkwrap getting sticky etc. This could lead to huge loses for the company. Simply put, it is bad business.

Again, EP has reprinted another batch of Monte Cristo DLE, perhaps 200-300 copies, which are part of the original limitation of 800. They may take another two years to sell with perhaps another reprint coming in 5-10 years... Instead of eBay pricing, MBI managers probably keep a close eye on eBay availability of certain volumes (proxy for second-hand market) and perhaps when certain titles get sold out by some prolific resellers, they step in to fill in the void. They are never opportunistic and never raise prices too much since they aren't that many folks who are willing to splurge $500+ on books. If you believe there are, you may be a bit biased. I recommend reading the below on cognitive biases:

https://www.verywellmind.com/cognitive-biases-distort-thinking-2794763

Peace out :)!

>90 EPsonNY: ok so if I’m and other people in this forum are incorrect then you must be working for ep and know all the inner workings. So enlighten us. Did you get a letter from ep stating above. You are also making far reaching assumptions. As far as it goes for eBay, they are definitely taking advantage. Look at limited edition of treasure island selling for over 1000k for example. Anyhow, I dont want to sound harsh towards you but stating that ep never said on its site that count was sold out and limited copies remain was false. I remember it was completely sold out. Furthermore, if it was not sold out why wait so many years to bring it back?

>91 fancythings: "Furthermore, if it was not sold out why wait so many years to bring it back?"

Because it allows for demand to build up again and will lead to higher sales when it returns.

You may or may not be old enough to remember this (I don't mean that disrespectfully), but during the heyday of DVD sales, Disney used to drive collectors into a buying frenzy by selectively releasing DVDs of certain films for only a short time before removing them from the market and putting them "back in the vault." Constant availability is beneficial for consumers, but not always for manufacturers/retailers.

Also, NyBSfP and EPsonNY are quite correct, persistent excess inventory is a plague for manufacturers and retailers because cash flow is vital. If you have loads of cash tied up in slow-moving inventory, you're getting a paltry return on investment, you're tying up resources that could probably be better deployed elsewhere, and to top it off, many states and locales tax businesses based on the value of their on-hand inventory. And this doesn't even take into account the issues of physical deterioration that were brought up.

EP letting slower selling DLEs go out out of stock and then reintroducing them in short runs until the limitation is reached in order to help stoke demand and to avoid holding excess inventory actually makes complete sense.

>92 whytewolf1: my point was that all we can do here is speculate. You might be right. I might be right and other people who think that ep is playing games might also be right. Anyhow, thanks for sharing. May be solution to this problem is for ep to produce lower limitation number of its limited editions. They will sell faster and be more valuable to collectors

I think all mentioned speculations are possible truths. But i don't think any publisher like EP/FS are overly concerned with '...more valuable to collectors'.

I know there's a suggested collectability to some of their DLE's and LE titles. But they don't overly/heavily market themselves as collectible items (like a danbury mint).

And as mentioned above ... for tax reasons, liquidity reasons, storage expense reasons ... and so many other calculated reasons ... i can imagine without too much thought these publishers all print in small partial runs for titles they think will take a few years to sell.

That said ... it's crazy to think FS printed all 750 copies of the recent philip k dick offering straight away. If they budget out $320 for each individual printed box (that including packaging and shipping cost) ... that's almost a quarter of a million dollars up front on one title.

They must have known it was going to sell quickly cuz I can't imagine them doing that for even 10 titles in their catalogue (that's 2.5 million dollars laid out) ... and watching those books just take up storage space.

I'm sure these publishers (just to stay alive during these times when there are so many options and other publishers out there) ... have to have some pretty smart people ... like casino odds makers or bookies ... figuring out the cost/risk and how to proceed without burying themselves.

and for the statement of ... '...is for ep to produce lower limitation number of its limited editions' (then they'll sell out quicker).

That would crush their money making opportunity. If they limit to 200 copies ... at $500 a copy ... they make $100,000. But if they limit to 800 copies and do 4 runs of 200 ... they make $400k after a few years.

If they cut themselves off by limiting to say 200 copies ... then they have no possibility of making any more money from that title they did all that work producing.

However it is ... I think my only issue with all this is ... I wish when they do take a title off the site ... they somehow indicate if it will at some point be returning.

>89 fancythings:

Who lied? EP? How?

>95 treereader: exactly. Lol

>91 fancythings:
EPsonNY is spot on. "Sold out" doesn't imply any level of permanence, though. "Limited copies remain" can be true while also not having printed or sold the full limitation count. It just applies to current stock.

"Furthermore, if it was not sold out why wait so many years to bring it back?"
Why does EP have to be in a hurry to sell a full limitation count? It can spread out the count over a longer period of time and focus on other books.

>93 fancythings:
Again, why does EP have to be in a hurry to sell a particular book?

>92 whytewolf1:

I remember Disney playing that game with VHS tapes. Because of the limited number of outlets to even acquire VHS tapes in pre-DVD days (i.e., pre-Amazon, pre-eBay, pre-internet sales in general), I think they were even better at controlling scarcity than in the DVD days.

>94 thisGuy33:

"That said ... it's crazy to think FS printed all 750 copies of the recent philip k dick offering straight away. "

I don't think it's crazy. Folio is older and is far, far better at marketing than EP. I don't know if they have "more" customers than EP but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that they do.

"That would crush their money making opportunity. If they limit to 200 copies ... at $500 a copy ... they make $100,000. But if they limit to 800 copies and do 4 runs of 200 ... they make $400k after a few years."

What you said at the very end of your comment is the key to it all. EP and its parent company MBI would love to make a quick $100k, sure, but they would much prefer to make that $400k over several years. Being able to predict performance and then actually delivering on that prediction, consistently, is a sign of a smart and valuable company - one who will receive investor attention, one who will retain employees, one who will outlive or outgrow its competitors, etc...

>98 treereader: I had forgotten that it stretched back that far. I wasn't paying much attention to Disney back then, and I wasn't really interested in either VHS tapes or DVDs as collectibles, but I appreciate you adding a bit more context.

>100 whytewolf1:

I was too young to be worrying about buying any of that stuff back then but I remember some grown-ups making a big deal over whether or not Disney opened the vault to allow sales of some title or another. And even then, some things never change: the stuff let out of the vault still cost more than other new non-Disney releases.

Edit: Come to think of it, this vault thing must have stemmed from Disney re-releasing movies to the theaters before VHS caught on. I’m definitely far too young to have seen things like Dumbo, Snow White, Bambi, etc. when they originally came out but I distinctly remember seeing them in the theaters.

>101 treereader: "Come to think of it, this vault thing must have stemmed from Disney re-releasing movies to the theaters before VHS caught on" That's interesting. It's certainly possible. Back then, there were theaters in just about every town that played revivals.

>91 fancythings: Hell, I paid $200 more for this set just last year. Not thrilled about it but I missed it the first time and it’s one of my all time favorite stories. And while I wish I knew it would come back, as someone who did not start getting into fine books for the first few years of DLEs I am still happy to see them bring these older ones back. (Meditations would be amazing to see again).

I am a new generation of customer from the first few years and I’m sure there will be others in a few more that missed that many more. So I actually appreciate them doing them in batches (I’m fairly convinced that’s it and it’s not a “scam”) even though I jumped the gun and am out $200. But to be fair...the shit I’ve wasted $hundreds+++ of dollars on in my life...not nearly as nice looking as this set.

>103 NyBSfP: In previous posts i mentioned the same thing. My only concern with the way these companies don't share information about (out of print or coming again in the future) ... is when I'm late to the game and discover something oop ... assume (after research) that it is never going to be printed again ... and spend a premium on ebay ... only to find out within a few months that it could be had brand new for less.

Argh!!!

Oh well ... it's the game we have to play and like you said ... most of us have spent $$$ wasted on so many other things.

Here's an email I received from EP. I don't think there are any doubts that this is now the final run for this DLE.

The Count of Monte Cristo

BACK IN STOCK!

One of our most popular
Easton Press Collector's Editions
is now back in stock!

Fewer than 150 left
in the edition of 800!

Order yours…
before it sells out for good!

>92 whytewolf1: Crazy how Disney manipulated the market back then. Who would've thought that everything would be digitalized. I know some people that collected those VHS, wonder if they're even worth anything now.

>103 NyBSfP: I highly doubt they will bring back Meditations as it was a limited print run of 250. Very unlikely they only printed 125 copies to later print the other half 8-10 years later.

>105 JuliusC: thanks for that info.

YAY for EP!!!

Just wish they would share this info on the website.

Either way ... good to know this one is legit. Makes it easier to believe that the other titles that fall into questionable dealings are also legit (I got sketchy feelings about the re-release of Alice in Wonderland).

>105 JuliusC: I’m glad that I believed EP right away about the count and never questioned their limitation number. Lol

I still have a box full of Disney VHS tapes bought for my now adult children sitting in the back of a closet next to an old boxed VHS player. I assume everything still works which is why it's so hard to throw them all out.

LucasFilms was resoundingly successful in employing the exact same method. The few times that the Star Wars trilogy or the Indiana Jones trilogy was released on VHS, there was a stampede to buy them. You never knew if or when they would be offered again.

And also, they were both "trilogies."

>108 kdweber:

When was the last time you tried watching something on VHS? I don't quite remember when, myself, but I remember it being painful even coming from DVD.

>110 treereader: Twenty years? I know I should send all that crap to the landfill... I've also got my first S-100 bus computer that runs CP/M sitting in the closet. The DVD player is still connected to the TV and I use it 2 or 3 times a year; though, I mostly stream like everyone else.

>108 kdweber: Years ago I kept a lot of my VHS tapes until one day I realized that I didn't have a VHS player any longer. As soon as I realized this I dumped all my VHS tapes since getting a VHS player at that point meant going to ebay or similair solution.

>109 aeneax: However, now the original VHS tilogy tapes (for Star Wars episodes IV, V and VI), are worth something on the collectors market since those are the original versions, before Lucas started to muck with them and add a bunch of unnecessary digital graphic edits and farting.