I have just ordered / received #15

Resurrecting this thread series with a new thread since the last I saw was in 2016.

I have recently received a bunch of beautiful books:

Call of the Wild - simple, elegant cloth. Absolutely love the binding

American Gods - again, beautiful cloth binding, overall prefer it to Dune in terms of binding

The Spy who Came in from the Cold - happy I bought it, prob should have waited for a sale but still. Do see the issue with the exposed board. Emailed FS and they assured me that it has been quality tested.

Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy - lovely

House of the Seven Gables - love the book, not a fan of the binding, feel like it will wear over a couple of reads

Surtees FS 1980s set - love them, gaudy leatherette suits the volumes, endpapers are adds for other contemporary books, beautiful illustrations and had to go with the set with slipcases

Would love to hear about others’ recent buys!

Continuation of previous thread (#14):

Please be advised that previous post (Oct 6, 2017) is at

https://www.librarything.com/topic/218984#6201863

>2 drasvola:

Thanks, Antonio.

>1 RRCBS:

My edition of the quality-tested book already started dissolving at the edges when I got it out of the slipcase. This can only get worse. It does look good from an aesthetic point of view, but being a really demanding person I'd like to have a combination of looks and quality.

The only others on your list I also have are American Gods and Hitchhiker, and I completely agree, they're a real pleasure to have.

My copy of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is fine round the edges and I cannot understand how it is reported (here and on another thread somewhere) that it somehow deteriorates as soon as it is picked up. Judging from my copy it would take an enormous amount of rough handling for this to happen although it probably will given time - but who here will use a FS book so frequently and with such carelessness? My only complaint is that the covers have sharp edges that do not make for very comfortable reading but that is a pretty minor issue. That said, and given the controversy over the covers, I’m sure that FS will have second thoughts about this ‘experiment’.

Last week I received my copies of Lolita and the standard edition of the The Call of Cthulhu & other weird stories. Very happy with both.

I like Lovecraft, but not enough to have splurged on the LE although it certainly looks handsome. Still, even a 'standard' Foliuo book is still pretty special.

I received the Hänsel and Gretel and Faerie Queene LE over the last week. The illustrations of the former are striking, but I don't think I will read it as I prefer to read the books in the language they are written in and I'm a native German. The turquoise solander box is a really bright and reflects the lighting behind my TV even though it is only indirectly lit. The Faerie Queene is every bit as striking as >3 folio_books: promised in the LE sale thread and then some. It's a real pleasure to hold the volumes in my hands. Cream leather with gold foil stamping is really nice combination, but not very well suited to be photographed to show my other book loving friends.

I'm waiting now for my standard editions from the summer sale which will hopefully arrive soon.

I just recieved my copy of Ovid’s Metamorphoses and thought I would share my review:

I decided to take the plunge on this, my first folio society limited edition, after being thoroughly impressed with some of the standard and fine editions (a couple of Terry Pratchett books, American Gods, Ulysses, and Finnegan’s Wake). I am so glad I did.

Firstly, the book is enormous - easily dwarfing the already hefty aforementioned editions of Joyce. This makes the decision to read this book a commitment to find some space to accommodate it comfortably. I love that this - combined with the tactile experience of unearthing the tome from its (admittedly plain but sturdy) solander box - makes reading more of an event than simply opening an ebook app only to be interrupted every time someone wants to bother you with another innane social media request.

The leather is soft to the touch with elegant gilding depicting a crucial scene in the book to great effect. The text is extremely clear on the beautiful paper which is almost card-like in thickness. I also love the “tipped in” paintings by Titian which are printed on high quality glossy photo paper.

The introductions provide great context to the translation and I found the discussion of Golding’s imposition of his Christian beliefs on his translation particularly enlightening. He has gone to great pains to convince his readers that depictions of “heathen” gods only serve to illuminate the universality of Christian teachings on morality. I am not religious but reading the book with this context in mind greatly helped to understand some of the stranger liberties taken with the translation (e.g. the word for “temple” becoming “church”).

All in all I would heartily recommend this book to anyone with a taste for fine books, mythology, or just a ripping yarn. I can’t wait for my next limited edition, Spenser’s Faerie Queene, to arrive later this week.

Using the Golding translation was a great choice. Ezra Pound called it 'the most beautiful book in the language' and while that's a big call I certainly think it's extraordinary.

Yes it’s amazing. The slight awkwardness where he occasionally pads lines out to make them fit the metre just makes it more endearing.

Did you buy Lolita direct from Folio Society?

I went to purchase this several days ago only to find it was unavailable. At first it was described as "Out of Stock" which held promise, but now it's labeled "Out of Print".

There was never any indication that the numbers were at all low I know this because I was contemplating the purchase throughout the current sale - hesitating because of the high price.

It makes me a little cross that they wouldn't have indicated its imminent departure given the book's desirability and price.

Is this sudden exit a common occurrence?

A minor thing in the end, but this does make me look at my wish-list in a different, flickering light now :)

>12 ProbisPateo:
This is a common occurence. Low stock numbers are normally only put on limited editions, although there have been some uncommon cases where a standard edition has had a counter, and in reverse, some LEs have gone out of print before a low stock number appears.
If you wait for a standard edition to go on sale, particularly for a popular edition like Lolita, you risk missing out completely.

PS: Welcome to FSD!

Thanks for the reply.

They had a counter for Belloc's Cautionary Tales and for Elizabethan Underworld. I thought I didn't have to worry about Lolita.

Live and learn. I re-discovered Folio about a month ago and got caught up in the sale. Too much so. I should be grateful I suppose.

Cheers!

I received the email inviting me to try the new website and one of the first things I noticed was that standard editions have low stock counters now as well. I just checked again, here are some that I found in a few minutes of searching:

Moby Dick: 662
The Bayeux Tapestry: 326
Voyages to the Moon and the Sun: 995
A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates: 1074
Ghost Stories: 1044
The Norse Myths: 1325
The Hornblower Saga: 1100

Mansfield Park also says 828...

Summer Sale/LE Sale (four orders over the month)

Letterpress Hamlet (what a pleasure to read, now I want more, but this'll do)
Odes of Horace (I'm fond of Horace's clarity and I'm glad Morris' manuscript is in Latin - why I bought this full price is a question for my therapist (daft))
Elizabethan Underworld
The Loved One (the end papers for this edition are lovely)

:::

Paradise Lost (I have a soft spot for Milton. I wrote a paper on this during the 100 Years War, but man I wish I had this edition back then. My 6-year-old daughter can't stop looking at those mezzotints which makes me oddly happy)
Cautionary Tales (this makes me chuckle more than my kid)
Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon
Vita Nuova (this aspires to LE in spirit at least - a beautiful book)

:::

Troilus and Criseyde

:::

The Fairie Queene

I placed the last on Saturday. Unlike with the others, where I received timely communication, I've still not heard a word from Folio nor DHL about my F-Q order in almost two business-days.

Received my order of Night and The Gnostic Gospels. The books came immaculately wrapped in copious amounts of bubble wrap (as usual).

I’m a religion buff (have a couple academic degrees in the field), so The Gnostic Gospels will look great on the shelf with all my other religious texts. This Folio edition actually impressed me more than I thought it would.

Night is an exquisite little volume. This is the most powerful piece of literature I have ever read, so I can’t wait to read it again in the Folio edition. I think the cover is perfect for this work and that the images of holocaust paintings was a very good choice too.

Hooray for Folio Society!

I've just received the Pearl Manuscript and it is glorious. The whole experience of opening the solander box and seeing the rich blue interior with the facsimile nestled in never gets old. I haven't had a chance to read the highly acclaimed accompanying text and unfortunately haven't spent much time with it (or my other LE's) as we've just got a black lab puppy and she chews everything. The books are safely out of reach :)

I just got my order from the Autumn releases:
Miss Pym Disposes
The Daughter of Time
The Folio Anthology of Horror Stories

The books arrived in fine shape but there was no card indicating who packed them. It's probably just as well. My wife was getting a bit jealous of Emma.

Received my copy of The Apocrypha today. It appears to be a beautiful volume. Can’t believe I was able to get it for only $20.

Book is near fine condition as the seller described. Slipcase is not quite as good, but that is irrelevant as I always throw slipcases out (I find them so aesthically unpleasing on the shelf).

Only problem is, it is a large book (even taller than Folio’s other religious editions like the Qur’an, Bhagavad Gita, Analects, and Tao Te Ching) and so I have to rethink my bookshelf setup, though that isn’t really a complaint as I love tinkering with my books :)

>22 Diglot:

If you leave a little extra headroom you'll be ready to accommodate any further volumes in the format that take your fancy: the Blake Paradise Lost, Goethe's Faust, the three volume Dante, Blake's Jerusalem, and arguably Walden. All share the same quarter leather binding with silk boards, Walden's spine lettering just doesn't quite sit with the others, and all are a bit taller than the Apocrypha, though none by more than an inch.

Congratulations on the purchase, and I'm sure you'll agree that if there were a reprint it would cost a good deal more! I'll try not to have nightmares about those discarded slipcases...

Welp. There goes an unexpected amount of money out the door. Even though I haven't been ordering from them lately, I realized I should probably complete my Hitchhiker's set by purchasing the last two of the five before they go out of print. So I innocently went on the website to see if they still were available to get with the recent coupon.

Then I noticed they are publishing Outlaws of the Marsh. Uh oh, $185 for a book I've been looking for a good edition of forever. Done. Hitchhikers put off (again). I have the FS Three Kingdoms and the Princeton Press The Plum in the Golden Vase. Now I just need Journey to the West to have all four Chinese classics. C'mon FS (or somebody)...

At least I got free shipping and $10 off to soften the blow. First time I've ordered from FS since they morphed...

The Plum in the Golden Vase is part of the 'updated' list of Chinese classic novels rather than part of the original four as I understand it. Dream of the Red Chamber would be the fourth title.

>25 adriano77: You are correct! The Plum was added to make six. I meant the Dream of the Red Chamber, which I also recently found and bought...

>24 jveezer: I too could not resist Outlaws of the Marsh. I even ordered it solo with full shipping hoping it will arrive undamaged and not shredded inside of a sling bag.

Just received my Christmas collection order. Starship Troopers is cool...still pondering the design and whether I love it. Kavalier and Klay is beautiful, feels nice and, I think, better quality than average. I still admit I’m a sucker paying so much for it! But it’s really a well done, beautiful book.

From the Christmas collection, I received these three this week:

Tales of the Greek Heroes
Diamonds Are Forever
Black Beauty

Black Beauty is a particularly attractive volume.

That was quick delivery: my little parcel arrived, packed by Libby. The Diary looks and feels smaller than usual, but no, it is the same size, but has a flat spine rather than a rounded one. The weeks are spread over two pages vis-à-vis with the illustrations as a banner at the top, with one book for each month, and one full-page illustration at the beginning of each month. So not as varied as previously.
The Left Hand of Darkness is very pleasing, if rather grey, but I suppose that's appropriate.

My purchases for the year so far:

Order #1
Dune
The Jungle Book
The Left Hand of Darkness
Discount: none

Order #2
Charlotte’s Web
Moby-Dick
The Celts
Discount: none

Order #3
Hitchhiker’s set
Jane Austen set
Discount: 15%

Order #4
Hornblower set #1
Little Women
Wind in the Willows
Discount: 10%

Order #5
His Dark Materials
Discount: $10

eBay purchases:
Lolita
The Vikings
The Normans
Empires of Early Latin America

>31 Mooch360:
That is a very significant haul. The FS must love you.
Now you have to find time to read them all.

>31 Mooch360: Great selection! Are you situated in the UK enabling you to put in several smallish orders?

>31 Mooch360:
Nice selection. Now it's time to start saving up for the New Year sale!

Yes, I have a lot of reading ahead of me! I am in Canada but folio’s shipping rates are not too bad, on par or cheaper than eBay usually. Although some of the orders could have been combined if I had thought of it at the time.

After buying the 1992 Gormenghast Trilogy for 62 EUR (incl. p&p) on ebay I just received my first newly purchased book from the FS last week: Lovecraft (the cheaper one).
I was absolutely amazed of the quality of the Gormenghast edition. I think I´ve never owned such a beautifully designed book. And you know what? That Lovecraft edition is even better - it is ridiculously premium I think.
So what can I say - I think I need tons of more books from the FS. I am absolutely blown away by the quality, design and tactile feel that these books give. Amazing!

Just put in my christmas order, the Hitchhiker’s set, the Jane Austen set and Rebecca. I am hoping to be lucky at christmas with the remaining James Bond books I do not have. Got a very long reading list for 2019! I baught Casino Royale in the summer and loved the story and the quality of the book. Very excited to grow my Folio Society collect.

>36 Diggoar: the Gormenghast trilogy is indeed amazing, among my favourites.

>36 Diggoar: "After buying the 1992 Gormenghast Trilogy for 62 EUR"
Good price, I paid almost twice that, new from the Folio Society back when pricing was more reasonable. A beautiful set. I was not aware of Mervyn Peake's work before purchasing this set. It was a fun read.

>36 Diggoar:
Now you know why we all hang around this forum discussing beautiful FS book. Welcome to faddiction (Folio affliction disorder)!

>39 kdweber: I read the first one (Titus Groan) a while ago on my ebook reader and now have finished rereading it per FS - started with the the second novel yesterday. I love Mervyn Peake - I think he is at his best when he is describing Gormenghasts´ characters and writing dialogue; that is great stuff - all these spleeny and quirky details they have in mannerism and talk. I heard the thrid novel falls a bit short of part 1 and 2 because of Mervyn´s developing illness. So I have my expectations already adjusted to that.
Having read the first novel many years ago but never forgotten I was stoked seeing the FS edition of the trilogy. I was not disappointed. :-)

Gormenghast fans may be interested in this thread:-
http://www.librarything.com/topic/267764

I'll join in the Gormenghast Appreciation Society - I bought the books when FS first published them. The third book does fall short of the other two, but the set as a whole is wonderful. There is a BBC series based on the first two books as well - enjoyable, but not up to the books.

Though this edition was illustrated by Peter Harding, Mervyn Peake was also a talented illustrator (e.g. the 1994 FS reissue of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde).

I agree that the third book was weaker.

>42 wcarter: Thanks for the reminder. As you say "These must be some of the most profusely illustrated books ever produced by the Folio Society, as there are hundreds of black and white drawings of the various scenes set in the book."

I just picked up 'The Right Stuff' for £36 - I'd been after this for a good while but it seemed prices jumped a little bit when Tom Wolfe passed away. The 10% discount from World of Rare Books was enough to get me to jump, very excited to receive it now.

>15 owf_117: You mention that the new website now has a counter on all their titles. Where is that? I am in the US, but don't see a counter on either the US or the British version of the website.

The counter is only for low stock publications and is just below where you select order quantity.

>47 hamletscamaro: New website quirk when it first launched. Now I don’t know if even low stock LE’s have a counter.

Just received my order containing Little Women. Very happy to get it as I was getting worried since it is now out of stock!

I just received:
Steppenwolf
Homage to Catalonia
Rubicon
Persian Fire

I was intrigued by the pamphlet within the book printing for Steppenwolf. With Folio, I decided to take the chance that this would not cause an unsightly gap in the pages. Indeed it does not. When the book is closed there are no clues that a pamphlet is sewn into the book. The purposely thin and rugged printing of the pamphlet fits brilliantly and contrasts with the high quality Abbey Wove paper of the rest of the book. With the nature of the pamphlet, as described in the original book, this seems appropriate and not at all like a gimmick. I am also pleased with the nicely textured Napura paper binding.

Like so many others, I read this while a college student and wanted to give it a deserved reread.

Rubicon and Persian Fire are somewhat of a set. Interestingly, Rubicon was printed in Germany on Abbey Wove paper and Persian Fire was printed in China on Lu Long Pure paper. The later paper is slightly tinted a yellowish shade but the two books are both of high FS quality and yet do still work together. Also, Rubicon is bound in buckram and Persian Fire is cloth bound. The illustrations in both books are outstanding.

I hope for more Tom Holland books from the FS.

- My biggest order from FS in a while -

LE: Riddley Walker

LE: Hansel & Gretel

: Ghost Stories M.R.James
: FS Horror stories
: Jane Eyre (it never came up on sale did it)
: Wuthering Heights (likewise)

Received my copy of The Kama Sutra today. The box it was delivered in actually had a piece of paper taped to the side saying "The Kama Sutra", so I'm sure the people in the apartment office who accepted the package had a good chuckle at that.

The book is beautiful. Huge though. Bigger than any other Folio book I have. It has to lay down on the side as none of my shelves are quite big enough to accommodate it vertically. Would actually prefer if the white space was cut down on the pages a bit so the pages could be a bit smaller. A minor gripe. It is a beautiful volume though. The cover is gorgeous. Great pictures throughout.

This is my first LE so I never actually realized that when they say the images are "tipped in" that it means that an edge of it is pasted onto the page. On the one hand, it can come off as not the best aesthetically speaking (my first thought was that it gives them a very loose and fragile looking appearance, i.e., that they could fall off at the slightest touch). Yet on the other hand I can understand why this is done; it allows the pictures to be printed onto actual art paper rather than normal book paper (and thus is a sign of the high quality of the book). I guess I am just so use to the normal way that illustrations are done in books.

I've even kept the sarcophagus the book came in. I have thrown away all the slipcovers of my other Folio volumes away because I don't like how they look on the bookshelf (very aesthetically unpleasing). Couldn't throw away this solander box as the inside was quite lovely (though the solander box is hidden away in the cupboard, not on the shelf with the book inside).

All in all, very happy with my first LE.

>53 Diglot:

I have a copy. Beautiful, but I actually hate the way FS tips the plates in. They seem to do it the same way for all their LEs. I have a decent number of older books (Rackham, Pogany, etc.) with tipped in plates and in all of them all four corners are firmly glued to the page. With FS, it feels like you could accidentally rip out the plates at any time.

>54 MobyRichard: Yes I would much rather they be tipped in by all four corners rather than the single side they are in this volume.

>53 Diglot:

I'd not given much thought to the problem posed by solander boxes for anyone who really doesn't want their books to live in them, but is disposed to acquire a few or more than a few Folio LEs and has limited storage space.

My own LEs exist in their solander boxes and I wouldn't have it any other way, but beyond those I've preserved every one of their postal boxes. Individually produced as they are to protect each edition, they were an aid and a comfort when it came to moving house, after being quite an inconvenience at the old place. Here, with stairs up to an attic that's fifty or so feet long, it's been relatively easy to find them a dark corner to live in. As, though, the chances are slim of my willingly moving again this side of incapacity or death their purpose is more questionable now: the likelihood seems slim that anyone clearing the property will go to the trouble of reuniting each one with its proper contents.

Just received a very nice copy of a non FS ed. I have been after for a while, and got it at a bargain price...

C. W. Previté-Orton, The Shorter Cambridge Medieval History (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1952)
Vol. 1: The Later Roman Empire to the Twelfth Century
Vol. 2: The Twelfth Century to the Renaissance

“Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat the things that appear in history books but never actually happened”

I just received the LE Micrographia. I really like this book. It's a really nice production and quite a value for the price point. I was very happy to receive this. I expected the images to be darker, but they're still quite nice. I'd love more in this range from Folio.

>57 LesMiserables:

Ah, and those that study history are the ones that sound crazy while they're along for the ride!

>57 LesMiserables:

I understand this is the “shorter” version. What’s the original?

>59 ironjaw:

The 8 volume.
https://unauthorizedmedievalhistory.blogspot.com/p/recommended-reading.html

Thanks

I've been reading Les Mis the past few weeks and yesterday evening I got to Part 4 and the July Revolution of 1830. Today I received my copy of Metamorphoses, coincidentally copy #1830.

This book is much larger than I what I remembered from when I last held it in hand in the old dMR. Having it in hand again I can't help not now thinking they could perhaps have made the cover boards more thicker given how thick and hefty the text block is. Still a happy bunny getting this before it's all gone (which should be any week now); I love the shade of the ivory paper and typography of this edition even if the translation seems to be a love it/hate it affair among owners and full Nigerian goatskin seems to be a bit of a rare binding from Folio nowadays.

Ordered Divine Revelations of Love and How to See Fairies.

The shipping part of the order says “Standard - 14-21 days, tracked”, though I wasn’t given a tracking number to follow. I wonder if it is just so FS can track our orders (in case we contact them saying our order is late or never arrived) and is not necessarily for us.

I just received tracking information from FS. Two different tracking numbers. One appears to show the package as it makes it way out of the UK, and the second is for FedEx for when it arrives in the US.

Nice.

Yesterday I received three new books from FS in mint condition. I pleaded for the ROW downward price adjustment and straight up cash discounts in the latest survey and I got served. This left me no choice but to place an order and return the good faith. The book I was after for two years and #1 on the wishlist was American Gods, for good measure and to become eligible for the £20 discount I doubled down on Anansi Boys. As £20 pounds equals free shipping for ROW, I rounded out the order with the second of Dave McKean’s illustrated books for Folio: I Am Legend.

All three are just superb in their design, all three clothbound for a welcome change. Vallejo did marvelous and McKean hit it twice out of the park. He is my co-favorite illustrator (for FS) along with Sam Weber. This I had already concluded before I owned the books. I am truly satisfied and smilingly looking over the shoulder at my new books as I finish up this post.

P.S. The last reason I ordered now is the uncertainty of Brexit (especially with no deal) and any additional taxes and custom charges it may carry. Accompanied by a probably disrupted parcel service at first, I counted my chickens and delayed no more.

Right before the $30 discount expired, I pulled the trigger on The Anglo-Saxons. As it's low on stock, I wasn't going to take chances even though the counter hasn't appeared yet. Counters haven't been applied consistently to non-LEs. Threw in Stuart Little (also low on stock) for the little one to get the discount.

I took advantage of the recent AU$40 discount on orders over $275 and got all 4 Ray Bradbury books. I have a 'FS to buy' list and will continue to purchase when these discounts are offered.

Just received my first FS LE (yes, I’ve stepped on that slippery slope). I found the Four Gospels Eric Gill facsimile (minus solander box and companion volume) for £125 on eBay and was the only bidder. I’ve had my eye on the fine edition from FS for a while now and this wasn’t too much more. It’s very big and nice and built to last and I’m very happy.

Speaking of ‘built to last’, can anyone direct me to a thread or resource on how to make books last? Old leather books are often cracked, sometimes the binding splits etc: is there any way to prevent this kind of thing?

>68 stopsurfing: Are you sure you bought the 2007 LE and not the 2018 facsimile?

>69 kdweber: it’s bound in black leather, so yes. The seller didn’t put ‘Folio Society’ in the title so I guess it went under a lot of people’s radar. I just did a random search for ‘four gospels gill’ and it came up - one of those lucky finds...

>69 kdweber: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/THE-FOUR-GOSPELS-ERIC-GILL-ENGRAVINGS-GOLDEN-COCKEREL...

>70 stopsurfing:

If you can live without the solander and commentary it's a good bargain, though I'd be worried about its lack of protection on a shelf. Take great care and it should last a lifetime.

>68 stopsurfing: Speaking of ‘built to last’, can anyone direct me to a thread or resource on how to make books last? Old leather books are often cracked, sometimes the binding splits etc: is there any way to prevent this kind of thing?

The usual advice (also given by small notes in some of the LEs from FS) would be to keep away from direct heat sources such as radiators and to handle frequently as oils from your hands will help 'grease' the leather. More serious means would involve Dura-Lar wrapping (essentially a clear dustjacket) that keeps the leather from drying out. This was discussed by dlphcoracl in the shelfie thread.

>72 folio_books: thanks, yes regrettably without the solander protection. Asking price is normally over 300, so it’s a compromise I could accept. I will enjoy it for my lifetime at least...

>73 F.Trier: thanks, I’ll hunt that thread down.

>68 stopsurfing:

https://www.schmedt24.de/en/new-products-und-projects/maroquin-leather-care

>76 dlphcoracl: thanks, exactly what I was after

>76 dlphcoracl:

Hmm....I'm always a bit wary of these products. I tried a few different brands on some cheap EP volumes and they darkened the leather permanently.

>78 MobyRichard:

I have used the Maroquin Ledervaseline on a wide variety of leathers, both newer and quite old, without it altering the color or shade of the leather. However, I do not use it on leathers with a roughened or suede-like surface. If in doubt, I apply a VERY small amount to an inconspicuous portion of the binding to ascertain if it will alter the leather.

British Museum leather dressing, which was very popular at one time, also darkened leather. One version of it included beeswax, which over time dries out leather by sealing it. Oddly enough, the note from FS usually says if you must use a dressing, use one which includes beeswax. The advice about handling recognizes that the Ph of leather and the human hand is similar, though how the leather is created may change that. Acidic leather is prone to red rot. The "ideal" humidity reading of 35 % for libraries isn't ideal for leather, which as you might expect prefers the humidity in the fifties that's comfortable for humans. All in all the best treatment for leather seems to be to avoid extremes and hope for the best.

I know that with leather shoes the most important thing to do to extend life is not to polish them but to condition them. Otherwise they dry out. I’m guessing the same goes for leather books. >80 Jayked: I agree about not using beeswax, one just wants to keep the leather moisturized...

>79 dlphcoracl: just out of curiosity do you have any experience with the leather preservation products from Preservation Equipment?

https://www.preservationequipment.com/Catalogue/Cleaning-Products/Cleaning-Agent...

I bought from them last year, but have never gotten around to sit down and test it on the relevant volumes.

Recent orders:

-The Newgate Calendar, Folio with dust jacket
-Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Folio with dust jacket
-John Evelyn's Diary, Folio
-Memoirs of Louis Philippe Comte de Segur, Folio
-The Once and Future King, Folio
-Monkey, Folio (no slipcase, I did not read the listing well)
-The Principles of Natural Law... by Burlamaqui, Gryphon Editions
-The Essays of Montaigne, 3 vols. Heritage Press (this I bid on thinking I wouldn't win, but I won, and I'm a bit disappointed, but I suppose for 17 dollars in great condition, I won't be too upset about buying Folio's latest in the near future)

and the prize of all my recent purchases, a very good condition and I certainly overpaid for it, the FS, Heaney, Beowulf. I finally broke down and purchased it for more than I wanted to pay. I'm glad to own it finally.

>83 Cubby.R.S.: very good condition and I certainly overpaid for it, the FS, Heaney, Beowulf.

It's a pearl beyond price,

>84 folio_books:

It really is. It isn't meant to be in pair with Piers Plowman to my knowledge, but the Plowman has been screaming for Beowulf to be standing by its side. No shame in overpaying for it, just admitting that the disease got the better of me. I am quite fond of it, and will finally read the book in short order.

>85 Cubby.R.S.: It is a lovely volume to be sure. I consider it more-or-less a pair with The Wanderer, despite the difference in size.

>24 jveezer: Agreed. Monkey (1968) certainly did not age well, not to mention incomplete.

My recent order arrived to New England from the UK via DHL, safe and sound. It came fast!

Breakfast at Tiffany's
William Wordsworth, Selected Poems
A Clash of Kings

All seems to be well and ready to be put on the shelves and devoured. My only complaint is that the DHL man came to our door, rang the bell, stood there waiting and had no mask on. Luckily we put one on before getting it. Little things like that can easily spread the virus. Other than that, I am happy to have my books, albeit a small order. Saving my pennies to see what comes in the Summer Collection.

>88 Lady19thC:

Just received Breakfast at Tiffany's recently myself. Gorgeous book.

I recently acquired Europe, The Aztecs, The Diversity of Life, Howl's Moving Castle and the Tenent of Wildfell Hall. The first three are absolutely stunning -- the iridescent binding on Diversity was a particular treat.

I just received two books I ordered 1.5 months ago, right before social distancing was enforced where I live. Very relieved to see that they made it home safe!

First, the Harry Brockway illustrated Frankenstein. This kind of FS books is just the kind I love: understated and elegant, I feel that it perfectly suits the novel.

A Box of Delights is nice, beautiful illustrations and looking forward to reading it. This purchase was partly influenced by the completist in me, but I do think I’ll really enjoy it!

RRCBS, can I ask where you found Box of Delights and how much was it? I've been looking out for it for a few months now, but the prices I've seen on the secondary market are crazy...

I bought it from Ardis for $65USD, which I think was a pretty good deal. I had been looking for a couple of months. Best advice is to set up a want on ABEbooks and act fast if you get a hit...one of those situations where being up day and night with young kids actually helps! Good luck!

Anglo Saxons, Do androids dream .. and Midnight in the garden of good and evil !

Finally completed my Graham Greene series. I think it took me about 2 years to find a fine copy of Travels With My Aunt to join the rest of Greenes. For some reason, apart from a few highly overpriced copies, every single one I'd seen on the secondary market in the US had rubbed edges (or worse damage) - until now.

>95 elladan0891:
Congrats

I just received 'A Treasury of Mark Twain' and the Older ' Huckleberry Finn'. More of the understated wonderful from that era of Folio, and Mark Twain is one of the few that actually make me laugh out loud. One seller neglected to tell me the owner's name was written inside, either way, if I ever became a crazed murderer, I'll have a name to start with.

Somewhat off-topic, but I ordered the Limited Editions Club edition of "The Beach of Falesa" by R L Stevenson.

I received "The Beach of Falesa" by Dylan Thomas, published by Jonathan Cape. Glued binding. Acid-rich paper. Set in whichever face MS word was set to that day.

Most pleased with my purchase! Particularly, I am enamoured with the glued binding, acid-rich paper, and elegant typesetting probably produced in Microsoft Word.

I ordered a few days back both 'The Snow Leopard' and 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' and they arrived today and both books are very impressive.

The odd thing is that I thought I knew what books the Folio Society had published and were available but I only noticed these two books for the first time because they were on the Last Chance to buy screen!

I now consult almost every day the 'Last Chance to buy' screen on the Folio Society website and this suggested I had to decide now or never.

Trying to be a useful member of this group I now summarise the info on that screen most days on a thread in this FSD group if you wish to know which books are running short.

>98 Steventon:
If you are not sure what books the FS have published you will be interested in this resource -
https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Groups:BOOKS_PUBLISHED_BY_THE_FOLIO_SOCI...

>98 Steventon: I follow that thread and I appreciate your work.

What have order times to the US been like lately? Mine are usually under 2 weeks, last order from April 26th still hasn't arrived.

>101 Martin3: ... I too am wondering about the 'current ship' times to the us. Most that I have read in posts have been using expedited shipping. I'm curious about the standard ship times ... I assume 4-6 weeks (and I think someone already mentioned that suggestion).

Keep us posted when yours arrived and if you used standard shipping.

>101 Martin3: >102 thisGuy33:
I ordered Do Androids...? on May 5 when there were about 10 copies left, and received it exactly 2 weeks later. Placed another order for a batch of books that were about to sell out on May 8, which was a holiday in the UK. Order packed on May 11, still waiting for it.

>102 thisGuy33:

I used standard shipping to U.S., 14 days.

>104 Cubby.R.S.: thank you for that info

>103 elladan0891: I've heard in the past ... single book shipments come much quicker then multi book packages. :(

>105 thisGuy33: "I've heard in the past ... single book shipments come much quicker then multi book packages."

If only it were that predictable. I ordered one book (with mystery book) around May 5-6 and it still hasn't arrived (in the US). Of course, I'm still within the standard shipping estimate, so it's not a problem yet. However, it's still frustrating to compare that with examples like >104 Cubby.R.S.: where standard shipping delivered in two weeks' time.

>106 treereader: one book with a mystery book equals 2 books ... so maybe that's why it's taking so long (again, anything more then a single book). lol

and >104 Cubby.R.S.: might have only ordered a single book?

I just received my copy of The Folio Christmas Book that I ordered new off of Amazon for $30 USD. The condition is great even if it didn't come in plastic wrap. I'm pretty happen to have it for this upcoming holiday season, and I can finally read The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The only draw back is the illustration of the Nutcracker is the most horrifying thing I've ever seen.

Oops I missed
>106 treereader:
>107 thisGuy33:

Five Little Pigs, Night and Homage to Catalonia arrived in Pennsylvania...

>109 Cubby.R.S.:

I'm still waiting for my order to manifest. It's been a little over a month but I'll wait a bit longer before complaining. Allowances must be made for new delay factors...

>110 treereader: ... i just hit the month mark as well. Every day i wake excited at the possibilities ... then go to sleep just sad.

:)

I ordered express shipping on 3rd May, still waiting.

I wonder if any of these riots we've had in the states are to blame for new/additional delays.

>113 treereader: reasonable thinking would suggest that there are multiple variables associated with and contributing to current delays. If it were any other average month I would be contacting FS already ... however ... there are just too many world issues making for uncertain delivery times. So here I patiently wait reading my 100's of 'old' FS and EP titles ... boo hoo for me. :)

I do find it quite curious that Folio offers this "standard" shipping that has no tracking ability with it. The only three places I am aware of that I can ship anything through (USPS, FedEx, UPS) don't seem to even have a shipping tier that doesn't include tracking. Even USPS' economy class for media automatically includes tracking. Does DHL or Royal Mail still offer no-tracking shipping services?

>114 thisGuy33:
indeed...

My country still has an embargo on all imports.
Not really sure when it's going to be lifted.
I expect my late April order to come in August. And the others probably in September.

I ordered May 9 and just received minutes ago, in Northern Virginia. So don't lose hope :)

>115 treereader: DHL is a courier company like FedEx and UPS - anything you ship will be tracked and delivered fast. USPS added tracking to domestic Media Mail only relatively recently, and not all international USPS shipments are tracked (there are some domestic exceptions too). Not much different from Royal Mail. I lived in the UK for a few years, and at that time I definitely rated Royal Mail higher than USPS. I'm not sure if Royal Mail's cheapest domestic Second Class mail is still untracked (I'm pretty sure all higher levels are tracked), but a few years ago, when free tracking was not the standard in either country, tracking was more desirable living in the US - Royal Mail was more reliable and shipped faster.

>96 Cubby.R.S.: Thanks, it feels good to complete the series.
Love Twain too. Sounds like after wetting your appetite with A Treasury, it might be time to look for the 3-volume set of Twain's short stories. Or The Notorious Jumping Frog And Other Stories LEC.

>118 elladan0891:

Thanks for the insight!

Now for a naive followup question: From Folio to the US, the increase in cost is $20 ($30 -> $50) for a multibook shipment. Is it likely that this cost increase represents a probabilistic median that provides Folio a break even point for balancing out those of us ordering 2 books all the way to those of us ordering 10, 15, or 20+ books in a single order? (Probablistic if they are trying to predict a break even value; statistical if they are using historical shipping costs). Thus, if you order only 2 books, you're being overcharged but if you order some slightly larger number of books, it's perfectly fair to both parties, and any more after that you are effectively getting a shipping discount?

My order finally arrived today.
Expanding my non-fiction collection with The Anglo Saxons and The Vikings.

Just received a copy of Woolf's Room of One's Own and Other Essays. Wanted a copy for more than two years but finally came across one in condition I could live with. Pretty satisfied.

I haven't received it yet, but I just won a FS LE Aeneid (purportedly) in fine condition for $290 - quite happy with this price!



Original listing here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Aeneid-Virgil-2006-The-Folio-Society-Goatskin-Ltd-E...

>123 PatsChoice: If in good condition that is quite the coup!

>124 Sorion: Thank you, Sorion. As of late, Lady Luck has favored me: just a few weeks ago, I found the FS LE Decameron in pristine condition on Amazon for only $75! It was without the clamshell box, granted, but how can one be left wanting at such a price?



The book itself:



As a young professional who's far from the top of the ladder, squirreling for deals on the secondary market has been my bread and butter. More often than not, I find sellers on Amazon and eBay price their items very generously; it's only a small matter of time until one finds an irresistible opportunity. :)

Bargain! Well done!

>126 NYCFaddict: Thank you, fellow New Yorker. I hope you, Sorion and all other searchers find yourselves on the receiving end of a bargain when you're enabling yourselves.

The bargain does become a palpable addiction as well though. I spent hours at second hand shops yesterday ending up empty handed. But as addictions go it’s not that bad.

Received an order from May 19th:

1. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn

2. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

3. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen

The winner in this lot is The Snow Leopard with an imaginative and beautiful binding and pastedowns/free endpapers (maps of Tibet and Inner Dolpo). In particular, the reproductions of Matthiessen's color photographs are exceptionally well done, sharp and vivid. The printing and binding were done by Neografia, a.s., Martin Priekopa of Slovakia. Excellent value as well.

Folio Society was spot on with their estimated time of arrival. I used standard shipping at a cost of $30 US dollars and the FS gave an estimate of four weeks. After reading of the absurdly long arrival times (nearly three months) and the exorbitant shipping costs endured by the Antipodean FSD-ers, I consider myself fortunate on all counts.

>120 treereader: $38 -> $51 for fast courier delivery via DHL/FedEx, $16 -> $30 for standard.
Yes, it's something of the sort. Folio has deals and contracts with several different shipping companies; we obviously don't know how that pricing works, and how Folio's flat rates they charge customers work out for them. It's entirely possible that it actually costs Folio the same to ship 1 book as it does to ship 2 books. And yes, at some point as you keep increasing the number of books, you will be undercharged.

Also, I don't know if Folio does it - I think it does at some levels, but shipping costs are often rolled into item's prices. Anytime you see free shipping anywhere, you know shipping costs are estimated and added to unit price. Customers love seeing free/cheap shipping and usually swallow higher unit price better then lower unit price + separate shipping.

>129 dlphcoracl:
Agree entirely on #3. I also recently received a few books that were about to sell out - The Snow Leopard, And Then There Were None, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Do Androids...? The Snow Leopard is an outstanding edition, a triumph of FS design. I expected to love the binding based on the website pictures, but they don't do enough justice. Looking at it I can practically feel the gusts of cold wind blowing snowflakes into my face. Beautiful, perfect representation of Tibetan high plateau.

>131 elladan0891:

Ironically, with regard to quality the three books I received yesterday span the entire gamut of current Folio Society offerings and they are nearly identical in price at about $55 US dollars:

1. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions: poor value. Binding made with one-quarter cloth and colorful but cheap semi-glossy paper over boards. This is little better than a generic trade book one can buy from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. Printed on Yu Long Pure paper and bound by C&C Offset Printing Co., Ltd., China. Even the much maligned FS Collectibles were far better than this.

2. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: fair value. , A standard, i.e. good, quality FS book with sturdy cloth buckram binding and the ubiquitous Abbey Wove paper. Printed and bound by L.E.G.O. S.P.A., Vicenza, Italy. This is exactly what I expect from an FS book.

3. The Snow Leopard: outstanding value. Beautiful and imaginative fine cloth binding. Outstanding reproduction of the expedition photographs taken by George Schaller. Printed on Abbey Wove paper (what else?) and bound by Neografia, a.s., Martin-Priekopa, Slovakia.

Incidentally, this post is not meant to be the usual China-bashing. I have purchased several FS books made in China that are of outstanding quality, but The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is not one of them. Clearly, the quality of the FS books from several of the FS sources is variable from book to book and, more often than not, the books made in Germany or by L.E.G.O. S.P.A., Vicenza, are excellent.

>125 PatsChoice: Well done !

-

Ended on two orders for me then, during sale

Batch 1 :

Parade’s End

Berlin

Strangers on a Train

The Bayeux Tapestry

Peter Pan and Wendy

War Horse

The Golden Bough

Batch 2 :

2001: A Space Odyssey (the reason for the second batch)

Chaos

Of Mice and Men

The Phantom of the Opera

Love Lies Bleeding (out of curiosity)

Miss Pym Disposes (out of curiosity, like the look of that set)

My first FS order ever:

Steppenwolf
Starship Troopers
2001: A Space Odyssey

Can't wait to receive it.

>134 Inceptic:

Congratulations! I'm sure you'll be happy with your purchase - I've got two of those books and they're a treat.

>134 Inceptic: 2001 is absolutely stunning. It exceeded my expectations to be honest.

Just received my Fall order (mainly from previous releases though):

Farseer trilogy
The Mayflower
SPQR

Of the three, probably most excited about The Mayflower. Have read a lot of reviews of the book and the cloth cover is beautiful.

The cloth for Farseer feels beautiful (love the texture of cloth covers) and hoping the books live up to the hype.

SPQR looks nice and has a lot of pictures to complement the text. This one has been on my wish list for a long time, so happy to finally add it to my collection.

I generally am not crazy about the add ons, but the cards are quite nice. If any Canadian collectors would like a copy of the magazine, feel free to reach out.

Hello RRCBS, now you've had chance to give your treasures a good look, can I have your thoughts on Mayflower? It's hovering in the lower reaches of my wishlist and come sale time if it's a toss up between it and others I don't know which way to go. I bought SPQR myself a few days ago incidentally, and it's due to arrive tomorrow.

>138 Retronaut78: I’ve had time to examine the aesthetics but not to read it yet. I’m a mother with two very young children so I’m definitely accumulating way faster than I’m reading these days! I can tell you that it’s a beautiful book and I particularly love the cloth binding. For the content, I haven’t read it but bought it on the strength of good reviews. Hope this helps!

Just received my order:-
• The Call of Cthulhu
• I am Legend
• Doctor Zhivago
• Handmaid's Tale

Two books have come a bit damaged and i am so disappointed and a bit embarrassed (i hate contacting customer service and creating a fuss, especially with FS). The slipcase of the Cthulhu one got a bit crushed upder the weight of the Doctor Zhivago set, i think. It is bent and there is line parallel to the top edge just a few centimetres below. Not substantial damage and yet...a tad disappointing.

The Zhivago set is bumped in the corner. A not insignificant bump, which i tend to ignore.

The rest are fine.

Do you guys tell FS in case of small damage or just go with it?

>140 sekhmet0108: depends...for me, I don’t complain about damage to slipcases unless it’s obvious when shelved. I do report damage to books most of the time...I ordered a new book and expect what I paid for.

Not new books, but I just received a couple of the old Kipling set (Pook and Rewards and Faeries) as well as At the Back of the North Wind. Love the FS children’s books.

>140 sekhmet0108: I would absolutely contact FS customer service about the damage you noted. We should all expect to receive our brand-new books in undamaged condition, and that extends to slipcases. If that damaged product had been sitting on a bookstore shelf, would you have bought it at full price? Not likely. You are paying for and expecting an undamaged product, and that's what you should receive. With the not-insignificant shipping fee we pay, pristine books should be the expectation. With that said, of course sometimes damage will happen. But still, that should not fall to us. To FS's credit, twice I have brought similar damage issues to their attention and both times they promptly sent me replacements free of charge. I encourage you to do the same, and then feel free to donate your damaged books and help spread the joy of reading and turn this into a win-win :)

On a side note, if anyone from FS happens to read this, could you please break up heavy shipments into multiple boxes? I know this is done for large orders, but even smaller ones would benefit and we'd more often get our books in perfect condition.

Call of the cthulhu is sold out though so can’t replace it most likely sadly

>140 sekhmet0108:

I have asked for replacements once but unlike some others I try not too unless it’s pretty seriously noticeable on the slip case. Do I like dings? Heck no. We are all collectors and I would guess most really hate any sort of damage but the thing is if everyone complained about small slipcase damage the prices of books would go up even more than they are. I try to turn the other cheek if possible because of this.

I understand everyone has the right to have a perfect book but I just have an attitude of grace. I had a tiny random black spot on a page or two in Howls Moving Castle and didn’t complain but bigger book damage on the actual book and I would definitely write them every time. The books are very expensive and the higher the cost, the more picky I am...just being honest. I do think we should extend grace though if possible because a lot of the time I really do think some of the damage comes from the shipment overseas but I do think they should use bubble wrap in place of packing paper.

>145 warehouseisbare: When I've communicated with FS in the past re: damage, I got the impression they wanted to know about damage issues from shipping. The gent who wrote back once said something like, "Please send pics of the damage to help us improve the performance of our shipper." While I understand your perspective, my feeling is that if we are silent on shipping issues then could we hope to have better shipping in the future? There's never any harm in informing customer service of the issue, without asking for a replacement. That's what I did, and they freely chose to send me a replacement (which I very much appreciated and was impressed by).

>146 AMindForeverVoyaging:

I understand your perspective. You want what you paid for. You deserve that and it’s your choice to contact with any little or lot of damage you find. Of course they ask for pictures. That’s smart on their part but really if they keep replacing books no questions asked, it drives costs up big time, and damage is easy to forge too if you know they replace for free. You may not do this but I have no doubt at all that some people do create damage for a free replacement. A lot of eBay sellers sell their damaged copy after getting a free replacement. I’ve seen this on multiple game of thrones copies that have light slip case damage and on copies of American Gods too. Seems like it’s alway on high interest books that are super valuable for some reason. The sellers flat out tell you they are selling their damaged copy after FS replaces their copy. I know we don’t see it but this level of CS does mean we are paying a higher premium sometimes due to others taking advantage of the system.

>147 warehouseisbare: Totally this! At last some common sense. It frustrates the heck out of me when I see reference to FS' "generous free replacement policy". It isn't generous, it is idiotic. And it isn't free, every time a free replacement is issued, the rest of us pay for it in the increased price of books.

I am not blaming the customers, even though we all know there are some people out there who abuse the policy, at best to get a replacement they can sell on (or sell the "damaged" version), and at worst blatant fraudsters who create minor damage to play the system. FS need to manage this better. Damaged slipcase? Replace the slipcase. Damaged in the UK? Enforce a return, and sell returns at a discount. ROW? Find a better solution, especially for the higher value items (which always seem to be the ones affected funnily enough!). If nothing else, this will discourage some of the less than ethical behaviour that the current policy positively encourages.

>145 warehouseisbare:
I agree with you to a certain extent. I might be a complete newbie when it comes to Folio Society(as compared to the people here), but i really appreciate and love the service they provide and would hate to make them suffer in any way.

Since 2019 i have placed 8 orders including Limited Editions, not to speak of the countless orders for vintage Folios from secondary markets. I have had problems with 2 books so far. The heavily discounted Martian Chronicles last December came with a severe dent. The book had a dent too. And Lord of the Flies (purchased last August). The black paint on top was scraped off and revealing the red underneath. In both cases i got the money back.

And i am sure the damage, in this case, has originated from shipping issues. However, that should not really be on me. Like RuefulCountenance said, had i seen the books in a store, i wouldn't have purchased them if they were damaged. And if books from any other company were shipped to me, i would expect them to be immaculate. Then comes the price...I have received damaged books from Taschen and let it go, because they cost me €5/€10/€15. But getting damaged books for €45-85 (not including shipping) is much more significant. This is the first time that i am receiving books of this value, which are damaged.

I personally think that the paper is fine (and more environmentally friendly!), it just isn't used all that well. If each individual book were wrapped in the packaging instead of just padding the sides and placing all the books in the centre, it would provide better protection to the books.

As for even the remote idea of deliberately damaging the books, i come from a culture which literally prays to books, doesn't place them on the floor and doesn't ever touch them with their feet. Besides, i grew up in such a book obsessed family, that love and respect for books is deeply ingrained in me. Since i was a child, i was excruciatingly careful with my paperbacks (costing a euro or less). The idea of people deliberately damaging beautiful new books for a few bucks is just appalling. I would never abuse their amazing customer service.

However, i am sure that there are some petty idiots out there who behave that way. Maybe, Folio Society should allow for the books to be sent back to them and once a year have a sale for the slightly damaged books collected from all over.

I for one would hope that Folio passes on the cost of replacement to the shipping company. That would be fair to everyone concerned (unless of course Folio doesn’t pack them properly and then the shipping company would be shouldering a cost that they shouldn’t).
The Folio Society would be an important customer for any shipping company to have so maybe they do have some kind of arrangement.
I obviously don’t know one way or the other and to be honest it doesn’t concern me - if I receive damaged books it’s not a problem, because FS takes care of it for me... and that’s partly why I buy from them because of the trust that engenders...

>150 stopsurfing:

They don't. They pass on the costs to us. So it should concern you. That shouldn't affect the trust. If items are damaged they should be replaced. But the damaged items should be returned, and if the damaged item is a slipcase, it should be the slipcase that is replaced.

>151 Conte_Mosca: I totally agree. Often I ask for just a slipcase bc it seems like a total waste to send a whole new book.

>152 RRCBS: Folio does not send slipcases. Whenever I've asked for a replacement slipcase they always send a replacement book with the slipcase. Like some others, I always ask for replacements to damaged books (I figure that's part of the huge premium we're paying in the US) but only request request replacements from really badly damaged slipcases if the book is fine. Otherwise, I use my bone folder to smooth out the dings on the slipcases. I rarely receive orders without some minor dings except for the LEs which are packaged really well and always sent under separate cover.

I had one case when the 'presentation box' of the Studies from Nature had a deep ding / scratch since DHL treated the (very sturdy) packaging appallingly and managed to cut at least 5 cm. through it during transport. That was a case where I sent FS photos of the damage and package, and they had the company that produces these boxes send me a replacement, as opposed to exchanging the whole thing. To me that was an excellent solution. I very much hope that they demanded their money back from DHL for that mess-up.

Otherwise I was really unlucky with a streak of damaged limited editions (badly scratched and even pierced pages in one with bird images; Alice with waves in the vellum and the gilding not being done properly as a result; scratched and chafed off leather with Mort), and I practically begged them to please let me return them as opposed to tearing out pages for a replacement. At the time, them paying for return shipping within Europe and then selling the faulty copies in Eagle Street must have been better than tearing them up for a replacement. To my relief, they agreed to that.

In all those cases, I didn't hesitate to contact them and appreciated the fact that I definitely didn't get stuck with a faulty copy or extra expenses for getting a replacement. I'm paying a high price for books like that and would be very uncomfortable doing that if I couldn't rely on good customer service if something goes wrong, which is fortunately a rare exception with FS. That's one reason why I avoid Easton Press if at all possible: When I got a faulty limited edition, I was treated like a cheat (maybe I caused the damage? It certainly looked like that...) and had to ask to speak so someone higher up to get the return shipping refunded. It was really ugly.

And frankly, I understand people who also want their less expensive editions to be undamaged, it's not like they're cheap paperbacks, but collector's items that come with a relatively high price, too. I was really lucky in that this only happened to me two or three times, in the very early days of my membership when they didn't use the sturdy packaging they adopted later on. Nothing of the sort happened once they used very sturdy cartons and lots of bubblewrap. The paper they're now using could probably function similarly, but there would have to be more of it around and also some between the books. My last package only arrived undamaged by sheer luck since the thick cardboard was smashed in in one place and whatever did that just barely missed the books on that side. There was only the thinnest layer of packing paper that was very little help.

I once had a water-damaged clamshell box replaced by Folio. That made sense because it was sturdy enough to survive the treatment typical of mail services. A slipcase, on the other hand, with one end open and no internal support, would likely arrive with more serious damage than a crunched corner.

>151 Conte_Mosca: then I guess it’s too much trouble than it’s worth for them to handle damaged books, and paying for return shipping (from anywhere but the UK would be significant) is a cost which would also be passed on to us. The alternative of having to destroy the book in some way (cutting off the binding for eg) and sending a photo just sends shivers up my spine and probably would for most of us here. I guess there’re no easy answers here, and they have probably calculated that the goodwill created by making it as easy as possible for us and trusting us to ‘do the right thing’ tips the balance. It does irk me when others sell their slightly damaged copy on eBay though.
As a side note and related to us shouldering the cost, I wonder how much a normal book costs FS to produce: around £15 would be my guess (about what return postage from Germany would be) though I have no idea..

>155 Jayked: A slipcase, on the other hand, with one end open and no internal support, would likely arrive with more serious damage than a crunched corner.

It should be fine if sent in a sturdy box, I expect it would just be more trouble than it's worth for Folio these days to arrange the shipment of separate slipcases, in view of their contracted-out distribution. Back in the day, from my very first Folio order circa 1999, I asked for and received a replacement slipcase for one of the books, Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination. The same volume has distinctly off-centre titles on the spine, but I decided to live with that rather than complain: I've never since had a fault worth reporting. Slightly Foxed sell slipcases, admittedly a little stronger than Folio's standard versions, and those always arrive safely here after being sent out empty, but their operation is a simpler one. Imagine commissioning consignments of books from Germany, Italy, China etc., and deciding how many spare slipcases to order for each title, then warehousing the slipcases against whatever the demand for them may turn out to be.

>148 Conte_Mosca: They are just trying to satisfy their customers. No matter what system they will have, there will be people who will try to take advantage of it. Beside what folio society will do with the damage book? They will need completely different system to sell the returned books. They are running a business to sell premium books not the damage one. I mean they are not idiots and they know what they are doing. Also does someone knows for sure that their shipments are not insured?

>158 Mujaddadi: Also does someone knows for sure that their shipments are not insured?

No, but given the levels of claims apparent just from here it would be a very strange insurance company who would take on insuring Folio shipments for an acceptable sum year after year. Plus, damage is of various kinds, from missing or wrongly positioned pages through bumps and scrapes in production to the various accidents in transit: couldn't insure against all those and to insure against some would involve staff in different claims procedures according to what had happened to the book...

Rightly or wrongly I'm very confident that Folio will be following the guidance wiser folk have given me, and only insuring against losses they can't afford to bear: anything else only adds to one's overheads.

Folio's way of dealing with returns has varied over the years. When the marbled cover of The Confessional of the Black Penitents was found to be defective, back in the 1950s, they invited buyers to return it to have it recovered, postage paid. I didn't bother, but looking at it now, wish I had. As late as the 1990s if you wanted a replacement you had to tear out the title page of the defective volume and send it to them, in order, I suppose, to prevent fraudulent or frivolous claims. They were prepared to replace one rather than both volumes of a set, as they did for me with Johnson's Life, thus splitting up a good set. I suppose the bigger they got the more economic sense it made to save themselves the hassle involved and pass the extra expense, if any, on to the customer.

>159 terebinth: True. Damage can be because of faulty printing as well. I was talking about the transit damage but that can also be due to the bad packaging. It's not always clear the causes of the damage, so it's harder to claim it, even if they have any insurance.

I think it’s certainly economically viable for any courier company to insure Folio society shipments for transit damage because they sends thousands of shipments every month.

Courier, as opposed to Royal Mail etc., is automatically insured and accordingly more expensive. But I've had cases where the senders felt it was so much hassle to actually request a refund that they didn't bother. I hope FS do, especially since some of those courier companies make quite a mess of things.

Just received :

• His Dark Materials
• I, Robot
• Murder of Roger Ackroyd
• Five Little Pigs
• Howl's Moving Castle
• Free Diary

All came perfectly (phew! And thanks to Roxana!) and i am so very pleased with the order. Haven't opened any yet, but excited to do so soon! This was my second order in a month (due to I, Robot going out of stock), plus i bought some on my wishlist so as to save myself the shipping costs.

Next order will be during the New Year sale/Black Friday (if there is some sort of an offer). Hope it is a good sale (like last year!) with huge discounts!

I had planned to wait until the New Year Sale to place an order, but decided to place one now as there were some books I'd like to read as autumn turns into winter, didn't order anything I thought may be fodder for a sale anytime soon though, but went with newer books:

Europe
Iron Kingdom
Sharpe's Tiger
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
A Storm of Swords
Mr. Campion and Others

Received my first order:

Jurassic Park: think they did a really good job on the design, will comment on illustrations after reading the book.

Allingham stories: nice, same as others in that series.

Bond: same as above.

Pasternak: love the feel of the cloth binding and the illustrations. Also love two volume format. Much more to my taste than the LE.

Storm of Swords: beautiful, really like the books.

Just received:
Travels, Marco Polo
Essays, Montaigne
American Gods, Gaiman

The Marco Polo is beautiful, and somehow it is appropriate that it is printed in China. Copious illustrations integrated into the text, paper that is quite thick, well bound.
The Montaigne is even better - I love the font used, the two colour printing, binding etc.
American Gods is to the same standard as Dune and Stranger in a Strange Land, again very good.

What is starting to annoy me though is the size.

American Gods is 25.5cm tall, big but it fits on my shelves. It does not need to be so big though, the font size used is almost "large print"
The Marco Polo is 28.7 cm tall. this is getting too big for most of my shelves
Essays is 29.4 cm.

There seems to be a creep in size going on here. I know occasionally Folio use larger sizes, such oddities as Plato Symposium, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and some of the limited editions of course, plus some of the presentation volumes all are too big for my main shelves, but does anyone else feel they are getting bigger and bigger?

I notice my Library of America books, Everyman's Library are all 21 cm tall, and Slightly Foxed are 18cm. These seem so much more reasonable in size.

>166 ranbarnes:

I agree about the size. Apart from the shelf issue it also gets rather uncomfortable for me to hold and read, partly because I have to do so lying down due to health issues. I prefer it when they keep the size down a bit more. The Lang's Fairy Tales are another example of this.

I'm quite pleased to have bagged Macaulay's History Of England (2009) for a very reasonable £40 plus postage (£9.50). It was on eBay and the seller had incorrectly given the author as 'Bibbington', so anyone searching Macaulay or even Thomas Babington Macaulay wouldn't have found it. It arrived Monday and I'm very happy with it - so far I've idly read a random 20 pages and I'm thoroughly enjoying it, although I can see I'll have to take him with a pinch of salt - people in his world seem to be heroes or villains and nothing in the middle.

>168 Retronaut78: It was on eBay and the seller had incorrectly given the author as 'Bibbington', so anyone searching Macaulay or even Thomas Babington Macaulay wouldn't have found it.

I saw that. He'd listed it previously at least once before with no takers. It's a decent price. I'm sure you'll enjoy Bibbington's superlative prose.

Hah! Yes he had - at £49.95 and again at £45, it had been in my watch list a while. Someone actually outbid me only to retract their bid (cue sharp intake of breath as when I was outbid I bought something else with the money). Bibbington's prose is a treat, I've long heard glowing remarks about how immediate he makes the scenes he describes feel, and I'd have to agree.

>166 ranbarnes: The size

And it gets even worse when you are trying to pack your library -- each book has its own idea how tall it is which makes packing... interesting...

>168 Retronaut78: Congratulations, I reckon it's one of Folio's most glorious sets. May you be bibulously blissful imbibing Bibbington!

Low Stock order : Clockwork Orange, Miss Marple, S.P.Q.R, Traitors Purse, / Hide my Eyes (for free shipping)

Just out of curiosity what's the big deal about S.P.Q.R? I love classical literature and it seems rare that a generalized history book is selling out when not during the biannual sale. I have not read Mary Beard, but for others who have bought it what are your thoughts and is it worth it? Is it more of an introduction to Rome or a groundbreaking work which rocked the boat like Syme when he wrote The Roman Revolution?

>174 Joshbooks1:
There is nothing wrong with it, but it is certainly not groundbreaking. It's popular history written by a TV personality, although of course she is an academic as well. I believe it was quite a best seller.

>174 Joshbooks1:
>175 ranbarnes:

Here are a couple of links as an introduction to S.P.Q.R.

Mary Beard's own Prologue to S.P.Q.R.:
https://erenow.net/ancient/spqr1stedition/2.php

A specialized critique in the light of classical education:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/D68361E7...

I certainly enjoy her writing. She's very readable, clear and insightful, and has a knack of explaining how her material is still relevant to the twenty-first century. She enjoys myth-busting. She is, undoubtedly, a TV personality, and the nature of celebrity inevitably brings that label to the fore in the popular imagination, but her day job is still Professor of Classics at Newnham College, Cambridge, and she knows what she's talking about!

Edited to add that the Folio Society edition is a wonderfully tactile and sumptuous production, if rather heavy(!), with loads of illustrations of all kinds, i.e. maps, paintings, artefacts, family trees, etc.

Happily received Eagle Against the Sun and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay last week, just in time for some New Year's reading.

I've just received a copy (from the secondary market) of Colour by Victoria Finlay that I fancied reading after watching a few art history documentaries about the origin and uses of certain pigments, and reading many positive reviews of Finlay's work online. What a beautiful book the Folio edition is! I had no idea it would be so big and heavy, nor quite so richly illustrated. I'm going to enjoy reading this.

>178 cronshaw:

And it was a freebie back when FS had "members." There was a run there for about 10 years from 2000 on when the complimentary books were outstanding.

I just received the first five books in the Aubrey-Maturin series--purchased on ebay. BEAUTIFUL books. And my first FS shipment "ever" came today--A Game of Thrones. Good stuff!

Dune SE and Folio Book of Horror Stories are on the way...

The Left Hand of Darkness and Voyages to the Moon and Sun. The Le Guin book is really well designed - it’s like art. I wasn’t quite prepared for how large Voyages is. Now I get why someone said they had trouble finding where to store it.

Has anybody else from EU (Germany, specifically) received their FS packages? Did DHL charge you guys prior to the delivery or after you had actually got the package?

>183 sekhmet0108: just received my sale order today (about £250 worth). No extra charges. Unexpected but very welcome :)

Edit: I live in Baden-Württemberg

>184 stopsurfing: How did that happen?
Are you expecting them to send you a bill over the next month or something? (Also, congrats, if you don't have to pay cutoms at all! That would be brilliant for you! :) )

>185 sekhmet0108: How did that happen? I have no idea. I’m guessing that DHL was either too busy, had workers down because of Covid, or is simply wasn’t set up for the flood of Folio Society boxes inundating them and let it slip through. I’m conducting an experiment though, purely out of scientific curiosity (and not because I’m a faddict); I’ve placed a second order (South Polar Times and Illustrated Man) just to see if it was ‘the gods’ or current standard practice. I will update this thread...

Sometimes the invoice arrives later. Just got an invoice from fedex for books I got from the US in november.

FOMO has led me to pull the trigger on She Wolves and The Italian Renaissance, from the sale on its penultimate day. I wasn't going to, but if I turned my nose up at a 20% discount only to see either book go out of stock before summer, I'd only kick myself.

>188 Retronaut78: I did the same yesterday for the two fine press poetry letterpress limited editions that I don't have, Edward Thomas and Wilfed Owen (I got Rupert ages ago and love him). After sulking for sufficiently long about the cancellation of the Isaac Rosenberg volume, I pulled myself together and asked myself if I could really afford to miss out on such exquisite limited editions at a decent discount. I already have the Thomas and Owen Folio fine press editions from three decades ago, and tried to use them as a bulwark against any Covid confinement impulsivity, but sanity, like life, is only ever a temporary condition.

>189 cronshaw:

Are the contents of the new editions the same as the older ones?

>190 N11284: They've not arrived yet :(

The new limited editions have a significantly higher page count, but I don't know know if that necessarily translates into many more poems, or how the selections differ from the older fine press editions. Perhaps Alan or Glenn, or another Devotee with both volumes can enlighten us :)

>192 cronshaw: Perhaps Alan or Glenn, or another Devotee with both volumes can enlighten us :)

I'd love to help but my Fine Press Editions are in another house, thus tantalisingly out of reach in these times of Covid. I'm guessing your copies of the LEs will have arrived before I can lay hands on the Fine Editions, or Alan will have got back to you.

>190 N11284: >192 cronshaw: >193 folio_books:

Here is Alan confirming the contents are not the same:
When the LE arrived I was pleasantly surprised to find less overlap than I expected. These things also are Spring's has about 45 poems, and perhaps half are not in the LE...
http://www.librarything.com/topic/249870#6478410

I haven't acquired the older Fine edition yet, but here are the 50 poems in the new LE:

Old Man
The Signpost
The Other
The Manor Farm
The Combe
Aldestrop
Over the Hills
Parting
First Known When Lost
The Owl
But these things also
The Path
Lob
Health
In Memoriam (Easter, 1915)
Home
The Cherry Trees
Fifty Faggots
I built myself a house of glass
Words
The Word
Haymaking
The Brook
Aspens
Cock-Crow
A Private
This is no case of petty right or wrong
Rain
February Afternoon
Roads
These things that poets said
No one so much as you
'Home'
Thaw
If I should ever by chance
If I were to own
What shall I give?
And you, Helen
Tall Nettles
It rains
The sun used to shine
Bugle Call
The Green Roads
As the team's head-brass
The Gallows
The Trumpet
Lights Out
The long small room
Out in the dark
The sorrow of true love

>190 N11284:

The Owen LE has half as many poems again as the older book (42 to 28). The great poems are in both, of course. The reading experience of the books is quite different: the Folio Press book forces the illustrative images of war on to the reading of every poem, the LE allows some greater space for the mind between word and image.

>194 elladan0891:

Thank you for finding the link to my comment about the Thomas books.

I wouldn't be without both books in either case, and I think the current LE offerings are a great bargain. I gladly paid the original price, and think it's rather sad that such fine books should sell so slowly. Changing tastes or changing market, I'm not sure, but I suspect a little inverted snobbery: if the books came from an exclusively 'fine press' publisher they might have more cachet than from a publisher also of (relatively) large run standard editions. The bindings, letterpress, and illustrations are however all up to the standard of more sought after books.

>194 elladan0891: >195 affle:

Thanks to you both for going to the trouble.

I caved and ordered The Yangtze Valley and beyond.

Got my second sales order today, but mainly reporting my personal post Brexit experience.

First (arrived 2 weeks ago ~300£):
- A Wizard of Earthsea (last chance)
- Stranger in a Strange Land
- Outlaws of the Marsh (sale)
- The Yangtze Valley and Beyond (sale)

Second (arrived today ~150£):
- Voyages to the Moon and the Sun (sale)
- Twelfth Night (sale)
- The Left Hand of Darkness (last chance)
- The Dispossessed

No extra import charges for both orders! Curious, but I shall not complain.

I live in Germany, Baden-Württemberg.

>198 Rexifer: There was somebody else also who said the same thing and they too were from Ba-Wü. I think that there is a high probability that it will come later.

>194 elladan0891: >195 affle: thank you :)

I've just been able to confirm myself having today received both volumes. These LEs are truly exquisite, an absolute bargain at £125. The artwork of the Wilfred Owen LE in particular is breathtaking, much more impressive than it appears on the FS website, the tail-pieces alone are magnificent; with its striking binding design, the Owen volume is my favourite of the three, but not that I don't love the other two too!

>199 sekhmet0108: I, too, received my 'snail-mail' standard shipping order without charges upon delivery (I live in Bavaria). It also did not have a green customs sticker on it, unlike parcels that I receive, for instance, from the US. But it is quite possible that p2p will send an invoice later, as their tracking said something about clearing customs. As a side note: it took significantly longer than in the past. I do not know, of course, whether that is due to Brexit, p2p, or just bad luck.

In any case, I ordered six books this time around:

- The Blue Flower (probably would not have picked it up without a sale, as historical novels are not usually for me, but I wanted to give Penelope Fitzgerald a try. It is actually a pretty nice little book. I wish FS printed more books in a 9" format, they're so pleasingly easy to hold.)

- Brideshead Revisited (looked at it during the summer sale actually, and refrained from ordering it. I suppose I could have saved a few pounds by buying it back then. Oh well. This book, too, is pretty pleasing. I particularly like the design of the spine, which strikes a nice balance between simple and decorative.)

- Howl's Moving Castle (just seemed like a pleasingly easy and enchanting read for our current times. Will also likely never be on sale anyway. The paper sides feel a bit disappointing though.)

- The World Turned Upside Down

- King Leopold's Ghost

- Empire (here I am a bit disappointed that my copy's spine label has pretty ragged edges. It looks reminiscent of somebody using cheap masking tape for a wall paint job, or something. The product picture has the label quite crisp, but that might well be a rendering. Oh well, doesn’t distract from the contents)

>200 cronshaw:

Glad you're pleased, Russell - I think I edge towards Edward Thomas/David Gentleman for my favourite, but it's a very close call with the Owen. It may be Gentleman's lithograph of Thomas facing his future that tips it, an evocation of the courage of that generation. Or maybe As the team's head-brass and its illustration. But how the three books together cry out for the lost Rosenberg - but of course if these three poets are difficult to sell, how much more would Rosenberg have been.

>202 affle: Gentleman's lithographs are very charming, Alan; and the set of three LEs does cry out for the missing Rosenberg. I wonder if the lost volume might have sold better than Folio thought since all three of Brooke, Thomas and Owen have already had their own earlier Folio editions while Isaac Rosenberg never has. I know that I hesitated a long time before taking the plunge for the set, precisely because Rosenberg had been dropped, and I already had Folio editions of the others.

I wonder if it would be economically feasible for Folio to still actually go ahead with the Rosenberg, but in a lower limitation, say 750, and a higher price, around £295. There'd surely be several hundred Faddicts who already have the three who'd unflinchingly fork out more for a full set of four. I'd certainly be in the queue ready to throw my readies at it!

>202 affle: I think I edge towards Edward Thomas/David Gentleman for my favourite

Me too. Gentleman's lithographs are outstanding.

>203 cronshaw: There'd surely be several hundred Faddicts who already have the three who'd unflinchingly fork out more for a full set of four.

Well that makes three of us at least, though I do wonder how Mrs. RD would respond to the suggestion.

>203 cronshaw:
I’m enough of a completist that even though I’m not familiar with Rosenberg I would buy to set alongside the other three. So the sales are growing!

All this talk about the poetry LEs made me think about buying them...then I realized that the shipping cost for the three is $335 CAD!

>206 RRCBS: It's frustrating that FS doesn't provided a combined P&P cost when you order multiple limited editions at one time, and it's bound to deter potential buyers. I wasn't impressed having to pay double the P&P cost of one volume for the two fine press poetry LEs I ordered together this week, when they were shipped together in the one box; but paying CAD$335 to have a box of three comparatively light volumes shipped seems absurd. Does that sum include significant taxes that Folio are obliged to collect on behalf of Canadian customs?

>206 RRCBS: Find a friendly bookseller and ask them to order it and send it on.

>206 RRCBS:
>207 cronshaw:

Absolutely ridiculous. I've just put all three in a basket and yes, they were going to charge three times the cost of a single volume shipping when we know from your example, Russell, they'll parcel them up and send them together. Now that's bad enough but add on international shipping rates and it verges on farce. I'm going to contact Folio on Monday to find out what the official excuse is.

>209 folio_books: I actually thought about emailing and seeing if I could get a cheaper rate. I actually don’t mind paying taxes and it’s much cheaper than customs would be. But it’s an insane price for shipping!

>209 folio_books: I can't wait to hear what they say!

>210 RRCBS: I actually thought about emailing and seeing if I could get a cheaper rate.

I don't blame you. I'll let you know what they say. Don't get too excited just yet.

>209 folio_books: I can't wait to hear what they say!

Me neither. Thing is, they are always so very reasonable.

I collected the complete Everyman’s Library Dickens when I was doing my undergrad. They have such sentimental value for me and I think they’re great for reading. However, I have been wanting a set of the quarter leather FS Dickens for a while and finally decided to buy some. I have only been able to track down 11/16 so far. Just received the first 9 today and am quite happy with them. I still think the Everyman are pretty nice, but the FS have sturdier materials and are just overall beautiful and exactly the kind of quietly elegant FS production I love! Plus now I have a set of Dickens to give my kids when they (hopefully!) start exploring literature!

>210 RRCBS: it’s an insane price for shipping!
>211 cronshaw: I can't wait to hear what they say!
>212 folio_books: I'll let you know what they say. Don't get too excited just yet.

I emailed yesterday, received reply today, which is slow for them but I know they are under tremendous pressure as the sale draws to a close. I let them know in advance I'd be passing the information on so I hope I'm not spilling top secret stuff if I quote directly from the email:

"No one believes us but it actually costs us way more than we charge to send books out internationally (well, until they try to send one back, then people tend to realise how much it costs).

All our Limited Editions are separately insured, go express and (99%) of the time posted separately from our other books, so I'm afraid that, yes, it's three individual L.E. charges (plus GST).

It's undeniably not cheap, but international express shipping is sadly sky high at the moment. Fewer flights and considerably more red tape and h&s requirements mean things have never been more expensive."

It may not be the answer we were hoping for but it's an answer from a source I trust. But still, $335 CAD ...

>214 folio_books: Thanks, Glenn. It's hard to believe it costs Folio way more than $335 CAD (that's more or less £190) to send three small editions (the war poetry LEs) in a single package to Canada, insurance cost notwithstanding. My concern is that these exorbitant delivery rates must deter a lot of customers. Why on earth can't FS offer a more affordable, 'standard' shipment service for LEs as well as their express service, to give Everyman overseas more of a chance to buy?

>215 cronshaw: My concern is that these exorbitant delivery rates must deter a lot of customers.

Of course they must. They deterred >206 RRCBS: for one, quite rightly. Their trade with overseas customers, especially on LEs, must be vanishingly small now. As must UK trade with the world be, generally, with goods going by air.

I am a loyal and longstanding customer of The Folio Society. I regard their books as a valued part of my life and of my business. However something is not right in their costs for overseas delivery.

Today I sent an ABE Books order from near London to British Columbia. The packed order weighed 1.8 kg and the book fitted within an A3 book slip. The order was collected by Fedex today and it will be delivered within 3 days. As part of the service Fedex provide four free text messages to my customer (showing when booked, Collected, Ready for delivery and Delivered). All in all Fedex is providing me with a first class service. They have never lost an order from my internet bookshop nor has one being damaged while in their care.

True I did get the Fedex quote using Interparcel (a publicly available broking site) but the price I paid was £29.20.

>217 English-bookseller: I tend to agree. I have bought quite a few heavy books from the UK in the past month and the most I paid was $40 CAD for one of the FS Dickens books including insurance. I do, however, believe that they must lose on shipping for standard books. I just received my first sale order today, $34 CAD shipping for 6 fairly heavy books!

>217 English-bookseller: You would certainly know more than me if selling books is your business and I also don't believe it costs Folio more than $135 to ship all three poem books if shipped together, but with other limited editions I feel shipping is justified. Last week I just received Plants of the Americas. I live outside of Boston and shipping was $60 but the package weighed 14kg. For such a large item delivered in four days I am quite sure Folio is losing money. In perspective, I recently bought Folio's complete Founding Fathers on Ebay from the UK using Ebay's Global Shipment policy. 6kg for $71 shipping. And that took over two weeks.

I have before me the invoice for Edward Thomas Selected Poems, despatched 30/05/2017. Value of goods enclosed: $367.50. Postage $47.25 (Canadian).

Joshbooks1 & Jayked

The delivery charges you quote seem very reasonable and I cannot fault the general quality of the Folio Society's packing of orders.

Nor can I account for the inconsistency between your actual reasonable delivery costs and those who have been quoted what sound like silly numbers.

Clerical mistakes perhaps?

Even Homer nodded....

>217 English-bookseller: True I did get the Fedex quote using Interparcel (a publicly available broking site) but the price I paid was £29.20.

I put your comments to the Folio Society. Here's what came back:

"That's pretty good, but at the moment we charge Canadian $18 to get a book of that size to Canada with Fedex. L.E.'s are different, as discussed, but a single volume would be about £10.30 at today's exchange rate."

Make of that what you will.

>221 English-bookseller:
The price I quoted was for 2017, for comparison purposes -- I don't doubt it's more now. A paperback Persephone that costs £13 now has a £8 postage charge which for many people would make it undesirable (Persephone always sends each book separately).

>222 folio_books: A bit of verbal gymnastics there, I think. The standard shipping ($18 to Canada for a single book) is technically FedEx only because FedEx bought TrakPak. It's not the same courier service that >217 English-bookseller: used. As a matter of fact, it's not FedEx courier service at all. It's a hybrid service that goes through consolidation and variety of shipping schemes in order to minimize costs. Delivery times are vague and not even close to >217 English-bookseller:'s guaranteed 3-day service. Yes, it's tracked, but it can take up to a month (although usually quicker, at least to the US).

Having said that, I find that a digression, just like the "but but but we lose money shipping multiple volumes standard!" argument. We're not discussing FS shipping in general. We're discussing much more specific cases. First is the >207 cronshaw:'s scenario: a seller claims that they have to ship their most expensive product line as individual items separately so they have to charge a shipping fee per item, then after charging these multiple shipping fees proceeds to package items together in a single package. I think there was a word for this.... ah, yes - a scam. If their standard operating procedures allow shipping multiple LEs in a single package, they should allow at least refunding customers the overcharged shipping. >207 cronshaw: was swindled and owed a refund, in my opinion.

Now, I understand it might not be possible to ship LEs of different sizes together, or some LEs are too heavy etc. But as we know it's possible to ship LEs of the same size together, such as the War Poets or the Fine Press Classics, and it's actually being practiced, they should really get their stuff together and stop alienating customers and actively market possibility of combined shipping for certain LEs from the same series. They could easily automatically reduce shipping charges for such LEs during checkout and actively advertise the possibility: get 2 or more War Poet LEs and save on shipping! They could always consult ubiquitousuk for a better clickbait tagline, of course. I wonder how many sale opportunities they wasted.

Btw, to illustrate their silly inconsistencies: shipping one Fine Press Classic to the US is $45. Shipping two would cost $90. If you added all three individually, that would be $135. But if you buy all three through their listing of the whole set, shipping would all of a sudden drop to $60.

I'm in the US and haven't ordered anything since they started charging sales tax (not the reason I haven't bought anything) but I noticed that they're charging sales tax not only on the item itself but on the delivery charge as well. Since we don't collect sales tax on the delivery charge in California (or anywhere in the US of which I am aware) I would assume they're just keeping the extra funds - quelle suprise.

>225 kdweber:

https://www.avalara.com/blog/en/north-america/2018/11/how-to-handle-sales-tax-on...

It's complicated, as they say. The three states I have lived since the internet was a thing all charge sales tax on shipping charges.

>226 kcshankd: Thanks, great site. For California charges are exempt if the transfer of title takes place prior to delivery of the product (FOB origin) - i.e. the case we have here. No one else has ever charged me California sales tax on the delivery of a book that I've bought online. I realize that there are many localities but these days we have things called computers and there is something called software that we run on them that easily handles this sort of situation.

Just received all three war poets, yes all three in one box of course, but obviously had to pay the triple postage / handling charge. I wavered but the extension of the sale hooked me in. They are lovely. I am justifying my book buying by the lack of other expenditure during lockdown. Just about getting away with it so far!

>228 ranbarnes: but obviously had to pay the triple postage / handling charge.

I would advise you to contact Folio and tell them what has happened. I'm told they shouldn't be packed together and it's worth mentioning it.

>229 folio_books:
This may be something new FS is doing, but of course then they should pass along the cost savings to the customer. I’ve never had a LE arrive boxed with any other books but my most recent order of Herodotus, Wilfred Owen, Edward Thomas, and the 3 fine press Bible books ALL came boxed together in one standard Folio shipping box.

>230 ChampagneSVP:

I was speaking with them earlier today and I was assured if anyone received LEs boxed together it was a mistake and they should let Customer Services know.

>231 folio_books:

Good to know it’s not new policy. I’ll send them an email.

Feeling chuffed as I managed to locate a copy of The Road to Oxiana in fine condition to the sweet tune of JPY1,800.

Received a set of the 1977 LOTR quarter leather bound. It’s a bit aged, but so lovely. The letterpress has a beautiful look and feel. I have the more recent version but the last volume has a sagging text block and was bought in less than great condition a long time ago. Very happy to get this set, my favourite kind of Folio production!

Also received a set of Graham Greene novels. Lovely though the spines are summed, which wasn’t advertised. Still happy to replace my rather worn set with brighter spines but mainly cocked spines and some damage to text blocks. I’m slowly upgrading the FS books I bought in questionable condition during my university days. I don’t mind wear as long as it’s from me :)

Just received Little Women and honestly, the book is beautiful and wonderfully made. But the smell is really harsh. I love new (and old!) book smell.

But the Little Women edition smells so strong, that I have a headache. It is so harsh.

Is there a way to get rid of this smell. Did anybody else face this issue or is my nose being too sensitive?

I remember Phantom had a harsh smell when I bought it. It went away just being left out of the slipcase for a few days. Congrats on purchase, I agree it’s a beautiful production (and a wonderful book)!

Just received my copy of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". A beautiful volume, thick paper, wonderful original illustrations and lots of notes and sketches provided by Fleming's nephew. A thoroughly wonderful edition.

>236 RRCBS: Good to know that the smell disappears on it's own. I have placed it with some cedarwood rings to help hasten the process.

So glad FS reprinted this edition!

>238 sekhmet0108: I got rid of most of a very strong musty smell in one secondhand FS book using unscented dryer sheets.

>239 wdripp: Please explain

Akhmatova’s Collected Poems are on the low stock page, possibly for the final time. There is also one on eBay, £30 starting bid or nearest offer (somehow more expensive than FS).

Having just received this edition, I highly recommend it if you’re on the fence about it. It is definitely a Folio that would be £10-15 if it was ten years older and long gone, but I am presently surprised by the quality of it. A good accompaniment for the rerelease of Bulgakov!

>240 ironjaw: I put unscented dryer sheets (I think mine are Bounce brand, just the ones I use for laundry) in between some of the pages. I left them there for a day or two and then repeated the process between different pages with new sheets. I didn't do it in between every page, but they definitely absorbed a lot of the musty smell. I worried the dryer sheets might leave some sort of oil and/or residue on the pages, but I was desperate as the smell was so noxious after days of airing that I was thinking about tossing the book (Leaves of Grass), and there was no residue left that I could see.

>242 wdripp: Thanks, what a great idea. I must try this

>242 wdripp:, >243 ironjaw:

Careful - in response to the following comment on this topic in a recent discussion in the George Macy forum:

Putting dryer sheets in between the pages of the book can damage the integrity of the paper in the long run...

our Book Care and Repair group administrator lilithcat was very specific:

They need to be used dryer sheets.

Hi, this is my first time writing, long time reader and all that :) Last week I was delighted to receive one of the Letterpress Shakespeare volumes, posted on Abe Books (Henry V in case you are interested, issue 927). I would say the condition is fine and fine (books and Solander). I paid a bit more than people say you can get such books for, but I am happy with what I paid and delighted with the condition, so that is ok with me.
I have a number of Folio Society books, including LE’s, typically I just concentrate on what is of interest to me, to try and avoid the “Fear of missing out”. That plan does not always work though!

The reason I write though, is to say what I bought (the purpose of the thread), that I am happy with it, but also a bit concerned. I now see the same book, the same issue number (927) apparently available for sale Abe books again, from the same seller. The book I currently have on a shelf. Hopefully it is just an issue with the abe books website...

>245 Hamwick:
The bookseller may have had two copies of the book available, and may be using the same advertisement for the second copy while forgetting to alter the limitation number.
I would reach out to the seller and ask for an explanation, and a photo of the second copy’s limitation number if my suspicion is correct.
If the bookseller is uncooperative, it may be one of the un-numbered copies that have been seen from time to time (presumably reserve copies held by the printer), to which a random number has been added by the seller.

>246 wcarter:

Although those unnumbered copies came w/o solanders, and it would be a little dim to use the same number. Your first thought sounds more likely.

>246 wcarter:
I have made the enquiry of both the seller and AbeBooks, I am fairly certain it is an innocent error, if not it will be annoying, but not more than that, it is a still a very nice copy (I would rather they had left it blank than writing an issue number). I notice also that the Richard III copy that disappeared from the site a few days ago is also back up for sale (also #927). I will keep you posted on responses, I suspect it is more an AbeBooks website issue.

I had replies from the seller and AbeBooks, the seller seemed surprised, saying it should have been removed automatically. I know it was removed as soon as I bought it and only turned up back on AbeBooks again yesterday (it has gone again now). Interestingly, although it was only back on there yesterday it was not showing as one of the newest postings but one from at least a week ago, hence I think it was a website error. That, along with the points that the copies that were not numbered did not have Solander and cases and as pointed out you would have to be pretty stupid to post using the same number, has put my mind at rest.

AbeBooks were not that useful, they did not answer my questions, just told me to get in touch with the seller. It makes me wonder though, how many books on the AbeBooks website have already been sold but are showing as available. I have hijacked this thread enough now, thanks for the two replies, they were good points.

>249 Hamwick:

Whatever the provenance, these are splendid books, and Henry V is, of course, a particularly fine play - I do hope you enjoy it.

I’ve just received a copy of FS’ LE of the Oxford Classical Dictionary. Astonishing quality, I’m tempted to move the rest of my collection to the floor as they are not fit to share the shelf with it; however, I do have one issue. There is something very sticky on the slipcase - what is the best way to clean this? I doubt that I’ll be able to do it stain-free, but I’d like to remove the stickiness of it. I can’t say what it is - just a small stain that is very sticky to touch.

>251 caesarofcaesars:
Googone. It'll stink of oranges for a while, but the sticky should be gone.

>252 Jayked: thanks, I’ll give it a go!

Just received a secondhand but fine condition copy of the Auden shorter poems. A really lovely book.

Despite my snubbing of the Summer Sale, I've just received in the mail two Chekhov titles: The Shooting Party (yes, I don't know how I haven't acquired this until now!), and his Short Stories (the red covered one from early 2000s).

I've read his plays, but never his short stories, which I've heard endless good things about. Obviously one of the greats in the genre. Quite excited to get stuck in!

Both in wonderful condition (inc. postage for both: AUD$ 55), which is very reasonable, I think.

>254 RRCBS: Coincidentally I just got Auden's Shorter Poems last week also. I agree it is a really lovely work.

I just received a copy of the LE Ovid Metamorphoses, with the Titian pictures. A beautiful book, I can see no issues with it, even though it is second hand. I am very happy.

I picked up a copy of Utopia for £7 in a bookstore. It’s definitely one of the nicer ‘£15 and under’ Folio editions, and the artwork is really cool.

I just received Whittington: Aspects of a Cotswold Village by Miriam Macgregor, published by the Whittington Press.

Normally, this would be off-topic here, but the cost of acquiring this book was met entirely through the sale of a copy of Folio's 2014 Heart of Darkness. If market conditions continue to allow a one-for-one swap of standard Folio books for nice examples of private press publishing then my Folio collection might be thinning somewhat in the coming months...

Ooooh. Pictures forthwith.

>260 ironjaw: With apologies for the crude images, here are some photographs. This is my fifth Whittington Press/Nomad Letterpress book and I think I am addicted! Very nice production quality. I'm in the middle of unpacking from a home move, but as soon as I am sorted I will resume updates on my blog where this book will feature with some higher quality pictures.

Well, that's another Whittington added to my wishlist and the second Macgregor book I'm after along with Midwinter.

>261 ubiquitousuk: It’s gorgeous. I love those woodcuts.

>261 ubiquitousuk:

I only have one Whittington Press book. I need to get more! Very nice indeed and I love woodcuts.

>261 ubiquitousuk: Very nice! I have 5 Whittington books (actually 3 Whittington and 2 Nomad) and I've rated them all five stars.

I paid more than I initially thought reasonable, but happy to snag a copy of The Right Stuff and put it atop the TBR pile.

Someone posted a 'signed' Folio copy to Abebooks several months ago and that goosed the market further than I was comfortable with.

I’m never too sure on signed folio books unless they come directly from folio such as shining or misery

>267 ironjaw:

Exactly. I'm not really interested in inscribed editions, even with indisputable provenance.

I just placed my first order for books straight from Folio (Hobbit and Silmarillion, so they'd match the LoTR set I found secondhand two years ago) and I am very excited!

>269 Watry:

For someone who's been a member of LibraryThing for eleven years I have to admire your self-restraint.

>270 folio_books: lolol

>270 folio_books: I'm in my early thirties with my first decent-paying job. Also, I haven't been super active in Talk until recently-ish.

>272 Watry:

I feel you. I can remember being in my early thirties, good job and for the first time I could afford four Folio books a year (the minimum membership requirement) relatively comfortably. It wasn't until I retired that I could afford a Limited Edition. But I made up for lost time ;) Hopefully you will too.

I hope you didn't think I was having a dig at you. And welcome to FSD. Shy posters especially welcome.

>273 folio_books: Oh, no, I didn't! If anything I thought you were having a dig at yourself.

Do you guys always get a tracking number when you order with Express Shipping?

>276 sekhmet0108: I get it from DHL, not from FS.

>277 Dr.Fiddy: It is very strange. I have ordered with express 4 times this year to Germany and this fifth time (sale order) is the only time that they haven't provided me with a tracking number. It just says "to follow". In fact even standard shipping was coming with a tracking ID earlier.

Usually,the package comes within 48 hours. I will wait out this week then get in touch with them again.

I received my order today:

1. Oryx and Crake
2. Kavalier and Clay
3. Montaigne's Essays
4. Of Mice and Men
5. East of Eden

I'm impressed with the first four. The texture on Kavalier and Clay...on the slipcase and the book itself feels so different! I didn't expect that at all.

And same for Montaigne's Essays. I had no idea why it is so expensive, but there's so much work done in the design of the book.

I'm slightly disappointed in East of Eden. I felt like they could have done something with the slipcase. I don't like how it seems made of paper, and this makes it look ordinary. But, on the plus side, it is a huge book, so I guess that's why it costs so much. Hope I like the story.

I picked up a copy of Hopkins - Selected Poems today. I love the artwork, although I hadn’t heard of Hopkins before today.

I have to return some of my sale order due to minor damage and the email asking me to return it is written in such a polite manner that it makes me feel like returning it is an inconvenience to myself and The Folio Society. I wasn’t even asked, rather suggested. I’d always imagined that the returns process would be strict!

Received Rama, The Road and Howl's. Very happy with my order and books. This was my last (direct) FS order :(

Because there wasn’t anything in the recent sale for me, I felt completely justified in spending £60 at the second hand shops today. I picked up:

The Silk Road
The Castle of Otranto
Beastiary
The Vampyre and other Macabre Tales
In a Glass Darkly

>282 l.gallagher: Castle of Otranto is a little gem.

Beautiful letterpress printing, great illustrations, hand-marbled paper over the boards with unique character.

>282 l.gallagher: My copy of Otranto is signed by Keeping on the title page. No idea how common that is -- bought it used. Well worth owning in any case.

I picked up A History of Chinese Civilisation, 2 volumes set in very good condition for £25 along with an older Folio: William Hazlitt's Essays, published in 1964 for £6 in a lovely dark red/rouge buckram binding that's described as: "based on a binding in the British Museum from the Library of King George the III" which I thought was quite delightful.

>283 abysswalker: Yes, it was a bit of a find, and one of those books that I’ve always meant to read, but have never quite got round to.
>284 Jayked: I just checked mine and there is no signature, so yours may well be quite unique!

>285 ironjaw:

Both excellent buys, Faisel.

I just received my Summer (Sale) order: East of Eden, Essays and A Long Walk To Freedom. Formidable, all of them.

>285 ironjaw: What is the Chinese Civilisation set like to read? I have the Dynasties of China by Gascoigne, but am pretty clueless on much of China’s history. Does this look like a good set for someone to start with, or is it for those who already possess some knowledge?

>289 DMulvee: the Gernet Chinese Civilization is a survey and highly readable. Should be fine for someone without much background.

One point to mention though is that originally (at least in the translation published by Cambridge University Press; Gernet originally wrote in French) Gernet romanizes the Chinese names using the Wade-Giles system rather than the now more common pinyin system (so: Peking rather than Beijing). This can occasionally lead to confusion since names might not obviously match those used in other sources. Another example, one of the most famous statesmen in Chinese history: Cáo Cāo (pinyin), Ts'ao Ts'ao (Wade-Giles). As you can see, sometimes the two romanizations are not obviously related for someone without some knowledge of Mandarin.

(Pinyin is the “official” romanization of the mainland while Wade-Giles is the older system designed by Western scholars that studied Chinese civilization.)

>290 abysswalker: Thank you!!

>290 abysswalker: thanks for answering the question. I’m new to Chinese history hence why I bought it. I’m fine with the change of names of cities as as example I provocatively call Istanbul Constantinopel because it’s had that name far longer 😂

>285 ironjaw:

Two happy finds indeed. In case you've not met it, the previous year ('63) brought a volume of Charles Lamb's essays in the same format as the Hazlitt, in a black buckram binding of similar charm: and, while its binding style is quite different (quarter buckram with marbled paper boards) a 1967 volume of the Sir Roger de Coverly essays from Addison and Steele's Spectator is of the same size and sits well with them on the shelf. As with most other Folio books from the period, secondary market prices are still quite gentle.

>294 terebinth: thank you so much for the recommendation, Paul. It is always a pleasure to be in receipt of your knowledge about older Folio books. I’ve picked up both and look forward to receiving them. I really do like the hunt and always left with a smile on my face while browsing bookshops when I spot a folio. I was in Norwich recently, and visited the much recommend Tombland Bookshop and had a pleasant conversation with the proprietor, in which he remarked to my question about if he had any more Folio Society books: “the countries oversaturated with folios.” For once, I felt at ease, at my interest in something that is so easily available (older folios) that it will not cost an arm, leg or kidney.

>295 ironjaw:
Excellent, Faisel: I hope and trust you'll find them well worthwhile, and long may the Folio oversupply continue to reward us! I've only a very patchy acquaintance with Folio's early decades, but there are numerous gems from those days and they often seem markedly underrated. I count it good fortune that my literary tastes appear to overlap considerably with those of the retired clergymen who, by some accounts at least, comprised much of the Folio Society membership sixty years ago.

My Tolkiens came in yesterday--which is honestly so fast, I only ordered them on the 29th! They look so good all together, discounting the slightly different shade on the older slipcase. I also got to introduce my best friend to them, and she couldn't stop stroking the pages.

My only problem is that I'm terrified of spiders, and while the Shelob chapters didn't have a drawing of one, the chapter Flies and Spiders from the Hobbit does. :)

>297 Watry: I was tidying spare shelves the other day that were full of old paperbacks. My copy of The Metamorphosis by Kafka had a huge moth hidden behind it, and another book had what looked like a spider’s legs sticking out, so I threw it. It turned out to be string.

>298 behemoththecat: So, not a cockroach behind the Kafka?

It was a last minute decision to add 'Love Lies Bleeding' to my recent Sale order, but i'm so pleased that I did. What a fabulous little book. The writing is intelligent and gently humorous without feeling forced, and the mystery is well crafted. The bright yellow binding is pretty wild and really stands out on the bookshelf, but somehow I don't mind because I enjoyed the novel so much.

I managed to track down a copy of 'The Moving Toyshop' and will dive straight in when it arrives. I hope it lives up to the same standard.

>300 GardenOfForkingPaths: Isn't Edmund Crispin a joy! I'm ever so grateful to FS for introducing me to him, but sorry that they stretched to only a couple of his novels. A shame they didn't make a full series of it, especially as the design and illustrations of the two volumes they did issue are so good.

>301 cronshaw: I agree! A series would have been great. It looks like there were ten Gervase Fen novels so one assumes FS just picked the best (or most popular) two.

One of the great things about collecting FS books has been that they have introduced me to so many authors I just wouldn't have thought to try. Other recent highlights for me in the Crime/Mystery genre would be the Maigret books, which I think are absolutely superb reads too. Prior to Crispin, I read 3 Tey books from the sale (Franchise Affair, Daughter of Time, A Shilling for Candles) and while enjoyable I just felt the writing somehow a bit lacking in comparison to Simenon's and Crispin's. A slightly different kettle of fish, of course, and I wouldn't be averse to trying the other 3 Tey books if they appear at the next sale.

>299 Jeremy53: fortunately not - I’ve yet to see one in my entire life in the U.K.!

Just received "Outlaws of the Marsh." It is a lovely set and I am very pleased with the production. I will say that the gilt top edge seems to be dusting gold flakes down the page edges but it's not terrible.

The thing I feared has happened. I received a damaged East of Eden copy. I somehow knew that this would happen. I just knew it. Every time I have ordered a book when it was low on stock, I have received damaged copies...The Martian Chronicles, Lord of the Flies, Cthulhu and now East of Eden. And I don't want a refund...I want an undamaged copy. So disappointed. Had FS sent the shipping when they initially said they did, I would have had enough time to get a replacement. Now, I have a damaged copy (which definitely got damaged en route).

Even though I ordered two East of Edens, one is most definitely for someone else and not for me. Can't gift the damaged book.

Well, it can join my damaged Martian Chronicles and my damaged Lord of the Flies.

Note to self: order n+1 of any low stock copies that you want, where n is the number of copies you absolutely need.

Appreciate FS customer service as always, especially Justine and Andrew. They are very sweet and prompt with queries.

I just can't help being bummed out. This particular sale order was my birthday gift. (Now I just feel like a whiny kid.)

On the other hand, lots of new books. Maigret seems to be overpriced considering the size and length of the books. But I couldn't resist the look of them with the beautiful illustrations.

Excited to read Crispin and Allingham!

>305 sekhmet0108:
In what way was it damaged?

>306 wcarter: The Slipcase is crushed on one side because they put EoE at the bottom and placed many other books on it, which has put a long line parallel to the edge of the slipcase. And by line, I mean a dent. When one puts it in the shelf, one can see that the case is crushed inwards.

This has happened earlier too. They need to not lay the books down flat, when heavier books are going on top of it. The other EoE is fine. So is Essays by Mongaigne. Both, along with other books, were on top of this.

It's not substantial damage, obviously. But i have to keep this. I am trying to get a friend to fall in love with Folio books, but they have a rather minimalist mentality. A penguin/OWC is good enough for them. So I thought that I would buy one of their favourite books (EoE) for them in an FS edition and for me (although I have never read it) and we can do a read along. So, I can't give a possible FS Fan a bumped up book.

>307 sekhmet0108: I received my copy of East of Eden today as well. It only had one other book in the box, both were separated. There was no damage to the box. The East of Eden slipcase however was damaged, having clearly had a lot of pressure applied to one side, with two parallel indentations from the top to the bottom of the slip case, showing where the pressure had been applied.

That sounds like the same issue you are seeing on yours. Again, not significant, there is no damage to the book. In my case I know it was not caused during shipment, due the condition of the packaging and it is obvious that the other book could not have caused two perfectly parallel lines on the EofE slip case, at such a width.

I do not know how to add pictures to this text, but I can add links.

https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/98/39/9839f4b941577ed636a79797951434...

https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/af/bf/afbf2a4008580fa636a32797951434...

As I said, very minor, although the pictures look better than the real situation. I will live with it.

>305 sekhmet0108: I didn’t order any low stock editions, but I am currently awaiting replacements of my replacements...

>308 Hamwick: here you go:





To get these images to show up, I used this code:

<img src=https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/98/39/9839f4b941577ed636a79797951434c41716b42_v5.jpg width=500 >

<img src=https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/af/bf/afbf2a4008580fa636a32797951434c41716b42_v5.jpg width=500 >

>305 sekhmet0108:
I got my books last week, and among them was East of Eden.

I can understand your pain. Many books I ordered last year (I Robot, Mort, Small Gods, etc) had gone out of print, and since I ordered them only when they were low in stock, I was running the risk of receiving damaged copies....well, in the end, I never got any of them. They all got lost haha.

Anyway, my advice would be to request some extra packaging. I did this because I knew East of Eden and Montaigne's Essays were running the risk of going out of stock. And in the end, my parcel came with a lot of brown paper!

>310 abysswalker: thanks, every day is a learning day :)

>308 Hamwick:
I might have not described mine well enough, but no...this isn't the damage that was there on my copy. The indentation in mine is way deeper and it is parallel to the bottom of the slipcase. And it's very deep, so much so that when one puts the book in the shelf, one can see the dent from the front because the slipcase is bent in.

The only other time it has happened was with Cthulhu, when they put a few books including Doctor Zhivago on it. This time, they again put quite a few books on top of EoE, which is what i think is causing this.

Also, I do think that it was improperly packaged, because the box (containing 10 books including Montaigne, Middlemarch, 2 EoEs) was quite small. So there definitely wasn't enough brown paper packaging.

>311 Kainzow: I will do that next time. Extra packaging would have been helpful. And damn, having missed out on all those must be aggravating to say the least. The only time my packages have gotten 'lost' (or rather sent back due to brexit/customs issues), they were books very much still in stock, so I could get replacements.

But my main takeaway from this (besides acknowledging just how lovely FS customer service always is) has been to order multiples of any low stock book I really want. It will be easy to sell them away for the amount one buys them for, but being stuck with damaged items (which won't be reprinted) is not okay for me.

Today I received Crooked House, which I've already started reading in the garden, as well as my first ever LE! Been wanting The Letterpress Shakespeare edition of A Midsummer Night's Dream for ages, and I was finally able to justify the expense. It's absolutely beautiful, which makes it all the more tragic that I have to return it due to an unexpected trip :(

I love it, but returning it would pay for a hotel room for 5 nights, and I'm not yet at the point of prioritising books over travel - I just hope that the Letterpress Shakespeare's don't rise in price too much over the next 6 months or so!

>314 Xandian97: Although I applaud your priorities traveling doesn't seem like a valid reason to return a book - are you confident FS will accept this?

>314 Xandian97: As a bookseller I would be very surprised to find a customer returning an order for a brand new book (which you have clearly opened and touched) on the pretext that you might wish to spend the purchase price on a holiday. That is not a valid reason for a refund and I do not see why the Folio Society should comply with it.

In ordering the book you signed a contract under UK law and the Folio Society have clearly provided you with a lovely new copy just as you were expecting.

We adults are meant to know our minds, aren't we?

Yes, I agree. Quite taken aback by the reason given. Affordability is not a grounds for return. At first I though you were joking.

>316 English-bookseller: >317 ironjaw:
Without wishing to speak for >314 Xandian97: but I feel like it might be worth pointing out here that the UK's Distance Selling Regulations give the right to the buyer to cancel a mail order purchase within 14 days of delivery, with no obligation to provide a reason for the cancellation.

https://www.gov.uk/online-and-distance-selling-for-businesses

Saying that, I wouldn't personally feel comfortable returning a new item I'd opened under the distance selling terms, unless the item was defective, but since the item is no longer available from FS, I'm guessing it will have been purchased on the secondary market and may have already been in an opened/used state, which I feel would change the situation slightly.

Oof, pitchforks down please.

>318 agitationalporcelain: Thanks for the defence, and you're quite right - I got it at a discount on the secondary market as the companion volume had some damage. I sent an email first to request the return and apologise, and the seller was really understanding, just asked me to repackage it well and send it back tracked, with me paying for postage both ways.

And as for 'adults are meant to know our minds', yes, we should. But adults are not prophetic - unexpected expenses pop up sometimes. And for the record, I'm going to my Master's graduation ceremony which has been postponed since last year and hurriedly organised by my Uni for August - they only told us it was happening on Friday. When I purchased the LE a couple weeks back, I had no idea it would be happening, and the simple fact is that if I don't return the LE, I can't afford to go. Do I have to go? No. But I'm not going to apologise for prioritising my graduation over an LE.

I feel a bit guilty for wasting some of the seller's time and effort, but I don't feel guilty for returning it. Would any of you have done differently in my situation?

>319 Xandian97: ...to be fair it's impossible to derive all this from >314 Xandian97:. The devil is in the details :)

I wish you a safe trip and extend my congratulations on your graduation!

Pitchfork lowered.

I was pleased to see your above post and feel regret at my strongly expressed disapproval.

I express the hope that you have a wonderful day at the graduation ceremony for your Master's.

>319 Xandian97:
No worries, and congrats on your graduation. I work in HE and it's certainly been a bumpy ride for the last couple of academic years - I'm glad you'll be able to attend your ceremony and celebrate your achievement, and wish you a safe and pleasant trip.

Just received Tom Holland’s Dynasty. Nice, as expected, but I’m not a fan of whoever opted for cloth for Persian Fire and Dynasty. Still, it is nicer than PF, but Rubicon is a level above!

Just received a book from folio that was damaged (the paper on one page has delaminated & split into 2 separate sheets). I asked Folio if I could return my damaged copy for a replacement, which they have sent out & they asked if I could return the damaged copy as they felt it should be ‘refurbishable’ - it’s the first time I’ve ever heard of Folio refurbishing damaged returns & it left me to wonder what they would do with a ‘refurbished’ copy?

>324 antinous_in_london: they said the exact same to me regarding some scratched copies. I like picking up Loake seconds, I’d love a Folio Society seconds department!

>325 behemoththecat: Yes, i did wonder if a ‘seconds & refurbished’ section might be on the way as I assume that even if you refurbish a damaged item you can’t then put it back on the pile & sell it on the site again as ‘new’ ?

>324 antinous_in_london: yep, me too - and then after I sent back the damaged copy for "refurbishment"
I received a replacement with a dented slipcase, which I still have :-( - arggghhhh !

>327 RogerBlake: Typical ! Mine was from the low-stock pile so thought i’d better sort it out fast before it disappeared.

>327 RogerBlake: I sent some back, got replacements, and then sent them back. And my Book of Proverbs still has a noticeable lean!

I wouldn't mind sending back a replacement, but since I'm based overseas, this might cost me quite a lot...

>319 Xandian97:

At least you didn't say you were returning it out of spite. :-)

Arrived in the mail today, The Fall of Constantinople 1453 in Near Fine condition for £10.00 plus £4.75 shipping.

This week I finally took hold of a copy of Legends from Ancient Rome by Lawrence Norfolk. I’ve been after this book for four years now and once balked at a price below MSRP and missed out. I paid £83 (2.4 times MSRP) all-in and of all places found it online in the Netherlands. Very happy with the book and I have no intention to hunt down the complete Myths&Legends series, except for the two everyone’s after: The Icelandic Sagas.

Good fortune allowed me to obtain a very fine Don Quixote LE here in Japan for little over 20,000JPY (or 130GBP).
I am not usually on the hunt for Folio Society editions here, as they are so few and far between, and I’d rather not run the risk of damaging a copy via international shipping (you never know how the seller intends to pack and parcel the goods).
The good price on this purchase is probably owed to the fact that there is such a limited market for Folio Society (and any English language) books over here. I’m chuffed.

Time to start a new topic, with well over 300 messages in this one ...