OT: Moby-Dick Sweetwater Press w/Rockwell Kent Illustrations

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OT: Moby-Dick Sweetwater Press w/Rockwell Kent Illustrations

1jswift81
Mar 28, 2022, 2:24 pm

Hi Everyone,

I recently discovered the Sweetwater Press 1998 edition of Moby-Dick and thought it was worth a mention. It looks nearly identical to an Easton Press book and contains all of Rockwell Kent's illustrations. It's an excellent and affordable alternative for anyone interested in acquiring the FS edition on the secondary market. I bought my copy on eBay for under $30 and could not be happier with it.

No affiliation with any booksellers.

Cheers.

2Evelyn2108
Abr 14, 2022, 3:11 pm

Oh I looked at that one and wondered about the paper quality. You’d say the paper is the same as Easton press quality?

I’m so sad, I bought a Franklin Library edition with Rockwell Kent illustrations, but it only has the chapter headers and none of the others!!!! So only about half total of the illustrations. So frustrating.

3HugoDumas
Abr 20, 2022, 4:43 pm

>1 jswift81: The Sweetwater press edition of Moby Dick is a spectacular value in that it is full leather, has gilded pages, moire end pages, thick quality paper equal to EP, and most importantly all Rockwell Kent illustrations. It is still available at times on eBay in the $30-$45 range.

>2 Evelyn2108: I too was disappointed with the Rockwell Kent Franklin edition and sold it after I discovered the Sweetwater press edition.

4jswift81
Abr 20, 2022, 6:06 pm

>2 Evelyn2108: The Sweetwater Press edition has all of Rockwell Kent's illustrations, and yes, the paper quality is comparable to Easton Press. It's acid-free and actually quite thick for such a large book. I used to constantly be on the hunt for the FS SE, but now feel no need to purchase it at all. And when you consider the comparably much lower price you can find on the secondary market for the Sweetwater Press edition, I really cannot recommend it highly enough. It's one of my favorite finds of the past year, and I've acquired many FS books within that time period.

5jswift81
Abr 20, 2022, 6:09 pm

>3 HugoDumas: It really is tremendous. One of the best value book purchases I've ever made.

6simbae
Abr 20, 2022, 6:58 pm

Thank you for this input. Something like this may have to do for now.

I've been monitoring any FS MB, and was so close to pulling the trigger on a recent LE listing for $850 (been steady around $1,200 most listings), but it got snatched up (hope it was someone here). I've yet to see even the newest FS SE listed on the second hand market, of course see plenty of the old edition from the 70s but I'm not interested.

I know it's not Rockwell Kent, but I'm close to choosing this edition as well for the fun of it (posted about it in other forums and got decent praise other than it being truly a large white whale of a book). https://topatoco.com/products/ed-mobydick

7antinous_in_london
Abr 20, 2022, 7:16 pm

>6 simbae: I picked up the Folio SE in Harrods a couple of months ago for £40 - so there are still copies out in the wild !

8jswift81
Abr 20, 2022, 7:35 pm

>6 simbae: The latest FS SE was the one I was always looking for, and I barely missed out on snagging it on a couple of occasions. It always gets snatched up on eBay moments after it's been listed, but in hindsight I'm glad I wasn't successful. And yes, while I do like the illustrations I've seen for the 70s edition, I also was not interested in acquiring it. It looked pretty thin, so I was worried about the font being unbearably small.

The edition you linked to was another one of my considerations, along with a copy from the University of California Press, which uses illustrations from the Arion Press edition. Though ultimately my heart was dead set on the Rockwell Kent illustrations. I hope you enjoy whichever book you choose!

9MobyRichard
Editado: Abr 21, 2022, 12:34 pm

I would highly suggest the Random House trade edition (with Rockwell Kent illustrations). You can get it for a reasonable price without the dust jacket and then pay maybe $30 for a facsimile dust jacket if you must have it. Best value in my opinion, of the various options. I prefer the trade edition binding to the FS LE and definitely prefer it to what I'm seeing of the sweetwater edition.

10LBShoreBook
Abr 21, 2022, 12:55 pm

>9 MobyRichard: Second this recommendation. That is exactly what I did and I love the Random House edition.

11Shadekeep
Editado: Abr 21, 2022, 1:05 pm

>9 MobyRichard: Do you have a link for an example of the Random House edition? Is it the 1930 hardbound, or a different one? Thanks in advance.

12MobyRichard
Abr 21, 2022, 3:04 pm

>11 Shadekeep:

You can find copies on Ebay pretty easily. Just look for random house moby dick rockwell kent

13Shadekeep
Abr 21, 2022, 3:22 pm

>12 MobyRichard: I did find quite a few matching the description, was just trying to confirm I had the correct edition. Sometimes books aren't listed quite as scrupulously as they should be and others end up in the results which shouldn't be there. Is this the right book? https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31082619164

14HugoDumas
Editado: Abr 21, 2022, 3:42 pm

>13 Shadekeep: yes there are plenty of copies of the 1930 edition available on Abe’s and eBay though so many are in shabby condition. So be prepared to pay a lot for a decent copy. Also you might keep an eye out for the FS Rockwell Kent edition on eBay. I see one just sold for $125.

15MobyRichard
Abr 21, 2022, 3:59 pm

>13 Shadekeep:

Yes, that's it, although that looks like a fairly bad copy.

16Shadekeep
Editado: Abr 21, 2022, 4:06 pm

>14 HugoDumas: >15 MobyRichard:

Great, thank you both! And the specific one I linked is not a copy I intend to buy myself. ^_^

17MobyRichard
Abr 21, 2022, 10:13 pm

>16 Shadekeep:

Looks like the Random House edition has inflated with general inflation :p. Still a pretty decent bargain.

18ThisLifeIrl
Abr 22, 2022, 7:32 am

>7 antinous_in_london: Never knew that Folios were sold elsewhere apart from direct. Was this in the bookshop in the basement or another random nook elsewhere in the store? I feel a trip to Knightsbridge coming on tomorrow!

19antinous_in_london
Editado: Abr 22, 2022, 2:23 pm

>18 ThisLifeIrl: Harrods used to have a Folio section in their book department when it was upstairs near kitchenware (& it later moved to be near ‘luxury bedding’). Sadly in the more recent move to the basement this was disbanded & the remaining folio volumes left had been scattered in among the general a-z shelving. They now hold very few hardbacks apart from new releases /art books which I guess is why i got the Moby Dick at a discount for £40 sealed & new (I think it was £79.95 when new from Folio).

Selfridges & Hatchards also used to have Folio sections - again now disbanded (the same happened in Selfridges where the Folios had been hidden in among the a-z - i picked up a Folio ‘Treasure Island’ there just before Christmas that was in the Childrens a-z filing) .

Waterstones used to run the book departments in Harrods/Selfridges & when they changed over the book concessions to WH Smith the offering was downgraded !

20red_guy
Abr 22, 2022, 3:13 pm

Fortnum & Mason and the British Library bookshop used to carry Folio as well.

21Betelgeuse
Abr 22, 2022, 5:30 pm

The Rockwell Kent illustrations are wonderful, but I don't care for the massive, blockish spine of the Folio, Easton, or Sweetwater press editions. I own and prefer the more understated Franklin Library 1974 edition, which has small illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. The spine of the book has a smaller case font used for the title and author. An example is currently on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/384248938248?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item5977057f08...

22HugoDumas
Editado: Abr 22, 2022, 6:19 pm

>21 Betelgeuse: Very nice. The Franklin Oxford edition is also gorgeous. The 2 volume Franklin set (25th anniversary GBWW) with some of Rockwell Kent illustrations is also lovely and more manageable. Last one sold for only $59. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Franklin-Library-MOBY-DICK-Collectors-LIMITED-Edition-L...

23jswift81
Abr 22, 2022, 9:33 pm

>21 Betelgeuse: What a gorgeous edition. Affordable too. Thanks for sharing.

24Betelgeuse
Abr 23, 2022, 8:48 am

>22 HugoDumas: Yes, the Franklin Oxford is a beauty!

25HugoDumas
Abr 23, 2022, 10:45 am

>24 Betelgeuse: while I know you appreciate Moby Dick, I thought you might be interested in a delightful celebration of this masterpiece by Nathaniel Philbrick titled , “Why read Moby-Dick”.

26Betelgeuse
Editado: Abr 23, 2022, 11:59 am

>25 HugoDumas: Oh, I've read that. I enjoyed the biographical aspects of "Why Read Moby-Dick," and Philbrick's love for the novel is infectious. But I thought he went a little too far in his interpretations of the novel, such as when he speculated that it was an ode to the vanishing plains bison, or that it was an allegory on the sectionalism of American slavery. On the other hand, I suppose great American novels can be open to multiple interpretations, generations later.

27Evelyn2108
Abr 25, 2022, 8:31 pm

I pulled the trigger on the Sweetwater Moby Dick. I really wanted all the illustrations, though that 1974 Franklin is absolutely gorgeous!!!!!

It’s not my favorite boards and spine, but it’s dirt cheap. I’d considered the random house in the past, but it’s so pricey to get a nice copy, didn’t want to go that route.

If I ever find a reasonably priced folio moby Dick, I won’t feel bad about replacing the Sweetwater as it’s so cheap.

The folio SE’s do come up from time to time, but they sell lightning quick.

28simbae
Abr 25, 2022, 10:48 pm

>27 Evelyn2108: congrats! Report back when it’s in hand. I’m feeling the same exact way right now but I just can’t make a decision on any edition right now.

29ThisLifeIrl
Abr 26, 2022, 1:51 am

>19 antinous_in_london: Thank you. I did eventually find some Folios in both Harrods and Selfridges at the weekend and managed to pick up a copy of Treasure Island.

30jfkf
Abr 30, 2022, 5:42 pm

Modern Library also did Moby Dick with all of the Kent woodcuts. It is like the first Random House edition and usually much cheaper. The older edition is the one I own and it is beautiful. It is the first Modern Library Giant edition 1944. Navy blue cloth boards with light blue blocks on spine with silver gilt lettering, and the art deco torch bearer on front also in silver guilt. It came with a white dust jacket with the same design as the Random House boards. I also own the first Random House edition and it is also a great looking book, black cloth with classic Kent designs in silver guilt on boards and spine. They are identical inside except the Modern Library is about an inch taller. I also have the two volume Franklin Library edition and it is also beautiful, but doesnt have all of the woodcuts. The three volume first edition by the Lakeside Press is the same as these but has a different frontispiece in each volume that does not appear in any other edition. They are something to behold. I have prints of all three framed I cut from a Kent art book. It was an ongoing joke back in the 1930s that most Americans thought Kent wrote Moby Dick because Melvills name did not appear on the outside of the Random edition and the book was almost forgotten about until Kent illustrated it.

31Evelyn2108
mayo 9, 2022, 7:47 pm

The Sweetwater is here and I’m very happy! Considering it can be purchased for $20-30 it’s definitely the best bargain out there.

The paper is a smooth, light cream color. It is not at all transparent, which I love. Folio society often uses abbey wove which is not my favorite, it is very transparent. So this Sweetwater gets a big thumbs up for paper quality.

It also has silk endpapers and satin ribbon marker.

The book lays flat nicely for reading and the spine seems very sturdy. The font size is about the same as the Franklin Library 2 vol. Very comfortable reading. The illustrations are reproduced very well, essentially identical in size and reproduction to the Franklin. But it has over 100 additional illustrations that the Franklin is lacking.

Downfalls? The boards are very cheap and thin. They damage easily. The text block is heavy, so any copies I looked at tended to have the gold rubbed off at the bottom edge.

I prefer the font choice and layout in the Franklin, but if I weren’t comparing them side by side I’d never notice.

I’m super happy and won’t replace it unless I find a folio for under $150 (so probably not going to get replaced unless they do a reprint).

Now I can finish the book! lol. I stopped reading about halfway through when I realized I was missing illustrations. Haha.

32Evelyn2108
mayo 9, 2022, 7:56 pm

>30 jfkf: jfkf

Your random house and modern Library sound really nice. Every time i looked at those books they seemed to have tanned pages and a lot of wear. Bet they are gorgeous in nice condition though.

33jfkf
mayo 10, 2022, 10:35 am

>32 Evelyn2108: Yes, unfortunately these editions came before acid free paper was used and all I have seen are toned, but they are cloth bound and sewn text so the bindings hold up better than new trade editions of most publishers. The Folio fans would appreciate the US's Modern Library because they were and still are very choosey about what they publish.