OT: Nice and affordable alternatives to Folio

As discussed on another thread, for this interested, could we start a list of affordable but quality books (sewn bindings, acid free paper)?

I personally only know of LOA and Everyman’s Library. I use these to supplement my FS/EP/LEC collection, and sometimes even prefer the Everyman’s volumes for their size and feel for reading.

Everyman’s are great value for the price and do feel good in the hand, I’m a big fan. The PG Wodehouse collection is particularly addictive!

I’m more of a Everyman devotee and use the Folio to supplement this. The Wodehouse Collection is excellent - 99 volumes with slightly different colour spines that look great on a bookcase!

I have a few of the McMillan Collectors Library though feel they are a little smaller than I would like

>2 Uppernorwood: >3 DMulvee: I love the Wodehouse collection! They’re addictive, especially since they’re only about $20 per volume! Have all the Jeeves, Blandings and Psmith volumes and Piccadilly Jim...will probably buy some others eventually.

Agree wholeheartedly with the comments on the Worhouse - I have been tempted to pick up the Folio editions but then I look at them on my shelf and feel there’s no need!

I like the Calla Editions imprint by Dover Publications. They have a limited selection (mostly facsimiles of older titles, some of which have also been done by FS), but I have a half dozen or so of their titles, and have been impressed with the quality. Most have sewn bindings - not sure about acid free paper. Here’s the blurb from their website:

Calla Editions™ — Books of Distinction for the Contemporary Bibliophile
This premium imprint features impeccable hardcover reproductions of some of the most beautiful books ever published. Filled with breathtaking artwork and other deluxe features, each Calla Edition recalls a time when bookmaking was considered an art form.

I’d also recommend Fall River Press. I’ve only got a couple of their books (Dracula illustrated by Edward Gorey, and Frankenstein illustrated by Lynd Ward), and I don’t think they’re even publishing any more, but they have sewn bindings, and seem to be of good quality also.

Both Calla Editions and Fall River Press books are pretty cheap too, so the quality to cost ratio is good

>2 Uppernorwood: Everyman’s are great value for the price and do feel good in the hand, I’m a big fan. The PG Wodehouse collection is particularly addictive!

I collect Folio books only but I confess to making an exception for the Everyman Wodehouse - lovely little books. Of course I have all the Folios as well.

Anyone have experience with the Oxford World's Classics?

Edit: Nvm, just watched a video saying that they are glued, not sewn.

Loeb for Greek and Roman classics

>9 MobyRichard: Sewn hardcovers but the printing (on demand) is atrocious for the price.

>10 NLNils:

I think that reply was for post #8?

>11 MobyRichard: No, I meant the Loeb published books.

>10 NLNils:

Not every Loeb is sewn bound. Some are glued. Luckily I have a bookshop in the neighborhood that always has all of them in store, so I can check the binding before buying.
But are they printed on demand? I doubt it. As far as printing is concerned, there's a difference between their older books that are just reprinted/copied and new translations or new revisions.

Thames & Hudson has very, very high quality books for a very decent price.

Books of Yale University Press are also of high quality. Most of them are sewn bound. As long as you go for the HC version. After some time, if they get reprinted, most of them are reprinted only as paperbacks.

It's by no means the first time they have been mentioned here, but as newer members may not have come across them Slightly Foxed Editions seem worth a place in this thread:

https://foxedquarterly.com/products/slightly-foxed-editions/

They're delightfully produced little volumes, almost identical in size to the original (1900s-1940s) Everyman's Library format.

>14 terebinth:
I was just listening to the latest podcast on the train home last night, which reminded me of the SF books to post here, when I see you beat me to it! Can only agree wholeheartedly. I have a run of their limited edition books (not very limited!) from 1-36 (I stopped then partly as they fit a shelf nicely!), and a set of the Ronald Welch series. As you say, they are delightfully produced.
As part of my retiral cutbacks on subscriptions etc, I stopped my SF magazine sub at edition 60 (I have started rereading them all - very enjoyable), but have decided that I actually do miss them very much, so have just resubscribed. (That was the plan - see what I genuinely missed and then resubscribe if I did - this is the only one I can say that I have done).

> 14 terebinth:

I'll second that. Slightly Foxed editions are very beautiful and well made. Just watch their video "Birth of a Book", and you will see the quality that goes into it.
They also produce the Rosemary Sutcliff "The Eagle and the Ninth" series.

>12 NLNils:

Never seen a Loeb print on demand option. But then I don't order from them directly. Use Amazon.
I also never order new so I usually end up with older printings/editions.

>15 Willoyd: Does SF produce any fiction other than some children’s fiction?

>18 RRCBS:
No they don't - just the memoirs and the SF Cubs, which now include the Ronald Welch, Denys Watkins-Pitchford ('BB') and Rosemary Sutcliffe books.

>18 RRCBS: SF did publish John Moore's Brensham Trilogy (numbers 26, 34 and 42), which blur the boundaries between fiction and non-fiction.

>20 TheEconomist: Don't know about John Moore, but isn't that true of a lot of memoirs? Cider with Rosie for instance?

Also collect Everyman's Wodehouse and SF. I really enjoy the Peanuts collection published by Canongate https://canongate.co.uk/collections/good-grief-charlie-brown/ and Gollancz's Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.

Does anyone have any of the Discworld Collector’s Library books? How do they favour in comparison to, say, Everyman’s Library?

>23 RRCBS: Does anyone have any of the Discworld Collector’s Library books?

I have the first eighteen volumes of what I believe was called the Unseen Library edition (Discworld 1-18, The Colour of Magic to Maskerade). First thing to say is they are not Folio quality. Quarter leather binding, decent-ish printing. decent-ish paper, coloured map endpapers, ribbon marker but no illustrations. They were promoted as a luxury edition of Discworld and some of them can be pricey on the secondary market but apparently the series wasn't successful enough to warrant progressing beyond the eighteenth volume.

I also collected the Everyman Wodehouse and I'd say purely in terms of quality of production Everyman has the edge (though not by too much) even taking into account their lack of leather.

Thanks! I was actually referring to this series:

https://www.discworldemporium.com/21-the-discworld-collector-s-library

>25 RRCBS: I had a few of those in work - nothing special as far as I remember, basically paperback quality with a hard cover. The Unseen Library edition, as mentioned by Glenn, is a much nicer quality although not much use for completists.

>26 HuxleyTheCat:, disappointing! Thanks for the info!

>21 Willoyd: "Don't know about John Moore, but isn't that true of a lot of memoirs? Cider with Rosie for instance?"

It's a fair point, but I would nonetheless suggest that it is more true of the Brensham Trilogy than it is with most other memoirs. If you google the Brensham Trilogy, you will see that the books are often, if not usually, described as novels, whereas I cannot remember seeing CwR ever being put in that category.

>26 HuxleyTheCat: The Unseen Library edition, as mentioned by Glenn, is a much nicer quality although not much use for completists.

Yes, indeed. The Discworld Library, I have to say, looks comparatively underwhelming. It might have been nice if BCA had finished what they'd started but I think they lost their way,

Edited to add: I should perhaps have said I'd never heard of the Discworld Library before.

I've got one book in the Discworld Library Edition and would say it's an average book, nothing special. I really don't like the cover designs either. That being said, they are very affordable and a nice size, so I'd say they're a nice alternative to paperbacks, but nothing more.

Something else: It really looks like there will be an edition like the recent one of Good Omens for one of the Discworld novels, probably Guards! Guards! sometime soon, at last judging by Paul Kidby's newsletter. If that sells well they might continue the series, who knows.

>30 SF-72: "It really looks like there will be an edition like the recent one of Good Omens for one of the Discworld novels, probably Guards! Guards! sometime soon, at last judging by Paul Kidby's newsletter. If that sells well they might continue the series, who knows."

I hope not. Don't get me wrong, I love my Occult edition of Good Omens but it's huge. A 34 book set of Discworld in this format would take an enormous amount of shelf space. I've got 9 books from the Unseen Library Edition, the 2 Folio editions (wish those had been continued) and 6 trade hardbacks.

>31 kdweber:

Same here. I would love nice, normal-sized editions with Kidby's illustrations, but if Good Omens is anything to go by, you'll only get the complete set of illustrations with the extra-large and not the regular editions. That's one thing for a single novel, but something completely different for a series like Discworld with regard to shelf space. And books this size are also rather uncomfortable to read, at least for me. Still, it looks that way since he showed an illustration and mentioned collecting ideas for something like the extras that came with the ineffable edition of Good Omens.

As for Folio's editions: I like the size and quality, but wasn't that happy with the illustrations. Still, I would have enjoyed it if they'd continued the series.

Faber produce a small number of collector's editions for their members. They are nicely produced books, only slightly below FS standard editions in quality. You have to be Faber member to purchase, but that is free, and there are lots of perks, particularly if you reside near London.
See here.

>22 Kisa_Vorobyaninov:
Canongate's Peanuts series is lovely but it's only fair to note that they are reissues under licence of the original Fantagraphics volumes.

Will the Fantagraphics 'Peanuts on Sunday' or 'Pogo' volumes get picked up in a similar fashion. They are things of beauty.

:-)

Is anyone subscribed to Powell's Indiespensable program? I like the idea but would prefer a UK alternative for various reasons.

>35 Czernobog: I've subscribed to Powell's program for years. The books aren't any nicer, just standard trade hardbacks with a signature page tipped in and a nice slipcase added.

Two oop series of books I've enjoyed are the Adventure Library and the Ash Tree Press.

Adventure Library consists of 30 nonfiction volumes published in the '90's and a bit later about mountaineering, aviation, polar ang general exploration, sea journey, even kayaking the length of the Amazon. The books are solidly constructed, smyth-sewn with acid free paper, and are nicely sized at roughly 8.5x5.5. Some have signed page added, like my copies of A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush and K-2 by Houston and Bates. Two stories I was happy to be introduced to were West With the Night, read cover to cover in one sitting, a true joy, and No Picnic on Mount Kenya, where some bored WWII prisoners of war decide to escape temporarily to climb a mountain. Many of the books can be found in fine condition for 5-10 bucks, and a couple times I found a group of 10-15 for a hundred.

I discovered Ash Tree Press a few years back when I won an Ebay LEC auction for a very low price, so I checked out the seller's other offerings , mostly china and knickknacks, but also a group of horror and ghost stories by people I'd never heard of. I tried a few and they are well made books with cloth covers but can be a bit expensive because print runs seem limited to 500-600. I want to try the 'occult detective' series at some point. A small amount of research shows writings from the late 1800's to the mid 1900's. Although I did not sample them, the proprietors of AT also published Calabash Press titles, stories about Sherlock Holmes.

For those who collect SF books, what are your thoughts on the Welch novels? I’m interested in buying either this set or the BB set. Online reviews are hard to gauge. Would ideally just buy one books but thinking of the set partly in case I start collecting and they sell out. Are they good books? Do they transcend the boy’s adventure novel genre?

Up to now, I have read half of the original twelve novels - Road to Waterloo and Sun of York got added later to the collection by the Foxes. This is a bunch of very, very delightful adventure stories, perfectly bound and beautifully presented with all their original illustrations (something I absolutely root for). The stories are told in a very straightforward manner, the kind of style that feels just a teensy bit old fashioned but not in the least outdated.

Each book is garnished with not too much history and easily digestible information about contemporary weaponry (which was Welch's forte). Be warned, though, time traveler: These stories unashamedly aim at boys as a readership, to the same extent that some books of that era aimed singularly at girls. If you can live with that, give it a try – I just cannot recommend this wonderful collection enough, it's one of my most prized possessions!

I am a total sucker for slipcased books, so I love when Penguin or Faber do a slipcased edition of a book.
I do collect Slightly Foxed, Library of America, and Everyman's (as for the wodehouse, I have about 60 of them but some have been proving very difficult to find new). I don't care for leather books but I collect the faux-leather franklin mystery series. For offbeat weird beautiful books I would really recommend Gwen Frostic https://www.gwenfrostic.com/ her books of poetry and observations on the natural world were self-published from the 50s-90s and sell for criminally low prices. If you like nature poetry and handmade style books, they are really lovely. Definitely for a certain type of person though (me!).

The ultimate crazy person behaviour is now I'm starting to collect a set of books and then make my own slipcase for them. I'm hoping it will pass!

>40 bookofcalm: neat about the slipcases! Let us know how that goes!

I have the Jeeves, Blandings and Psmith books from the Wodehouse set, and a few others such as Piccadilly Jim...are they all good reads? This is a general question for everyone.

>40 bookofcalm: Do you already have any results? There was another thread a while back where somebody said he started making some.

I have had a slipcase made for one of my books by a local book binder. It turned out quite nice, but it was quite expensive. I would love to try to build one myself, but I don't really have time for that (or the workspace, but I could use my fathers workshop).

>40 bookofcalm: "The ultimate crazy person behaviour is now I'm starting to collect a set of books and then make my own slipcase for them. I'm hoping it will pass!"

Not so crazy, really. And not difficult, just takes some time to construct one. Good instructions for making one can be found in Aldren Watson's Hand Bookbinding.

>40 bookofcalm: There are also some nice YouTube videos with clear instructions on making slipcases. I'm not particularly handy but I've successfully made over two dozen slipcases. Make sure you use acid free supplies (cardboard, paper, and glue). I bought my supplies from Talas in NY.

>44 kdweber: TALAS is an excellent source!

Faber & Faber partnered with liberty fabrics to provide two very nice symth sewn copies of milkman and the bell jar for an incredibly reasonable £14.99 - not illustrated but highly recommended

https://www.faber.co.uk/books/liberty-editions.html

>41 RRCBS: I think that the PSmith and Blandings works are the best. The quality does vary in the other works (and two of the books are almost identical with slightly changed names, I am guessing one was published in the US and then some time later the other in the U.K.). If you like Wodehouse’s world and style of writing I think that you would gain enjoyment from the others

Thanks to those who recommended Slightly Foxed...I went on a SF buying binge around the end of last year and love them! So far I have read The Real Mrs Miniver, which was very good, and My Grandmothers and I, which I absolutely loved.

If you want to get really old school, Colonial Press published quite a few classics circa 1900-1901. Octavo, buckram bound, letterpress on good paper. Illustrated with examples of fine printing throughout the ages, so not strictly relevant to the text but a nice bonus.
My favorite is their two volume Spirit of the Laws (Montesquieu). Most of their books go for $10 to $20 on ABE. Exclusively non fiction though, from what I recall.

Received my first Faber member book...I think I’ve been really spoiled by FS, because I’m really disappointed. It feels to me like a slightly nicer hardcover, though it does at least have a sewn binding.

I didn't know this, but apparently the Everyman 'Divine Comedy' includes the Botticelli illustrations...very nice.

>13 joco30:

As a specific example of joco30's claim that Yale University Press's books are of high quality, Yale just released a Calculus-book-sized edition of The Essential Works of Thomas More. It's got a sewn-binding and sharp printing. Comparing it to FS books (or, for that matter, to a Calculus book) makes the $100 price tag seem low.

I actually rather like the look and size of the Gollancz book, and was terribly disappointed with the quality of the binding. It's rather frustrating, really why can't there be a set of nice, complete, normal sized not-too-fancy Pratchett :c

Does anyone have feedback on the Picador Modern Classics books? I see that they have sewn bindings from an old comment. What about the overall reading experience? How do they compare to, Everyman’s Library or Slightly Foxed books? They have some interesting titles.

The First Edition Library is worth looking into (https://www.bookthink.com/0068/68fel.htm). They have been OOP for a while and are valued by many for being faithful reproductions of first editions of well-known titles. I own two that I purchased off eBay for not much. They are well made (nothing remarkable, but sturdy) with acid-free paper, and slipcases, and they look great on my shelf.

I was wondering if anyone collects the Pocket Poets and can comment on whether they’re sewn or glued? The website says sewn but some Pontus reviews show glued ones...I know they went through a period where some books were glued, but unsure whether this set is generally supposed to be sewn.

>56 RRCBS: The Everyman Pocket Poets are indeed sewn, have good paper, a marker ribbon and in every way are up to the normal Everyman standard. Well worth collecting!

>56 RRCBS: Everyman's main line, Wodehouse collection and pocket editions (the ones with the 'Stories of the Sea', 'Bedtime Stories' etc. titles) are printed in Germany and Smyth Sewn. Pocket Poets are not smyth sewn, but I think the printer is the same.

EDIT: I saw the reply exactly above mine >57 red_guy: said they were sewn. I have not seen them live in a while but I recall seeing non smyth sewn editions. They may have changed though.

>58 dyhtstriyk: thanks.... decided to order a couple and see...fingers crossed

Sorry, I picked a couple at random and they were sewn. However, having got them all down, I see that Rilke and Baudelaire are perfect bound, whereas Poe, Hopkins, Herbert and Marvell are sewn. >56 RRCBS: I do apologise. I think it must be the newer printings.

>60 red_guy: Interesting, thanks for letting us know. Do you by chance have the Tennyson one?

>61 dyhtstriyk: Sorry, no. Only the Folio Poets one (which is way too big). In the Pocket Poets defence, they are small enough that the ones that aren't sewn do open perfectly flat without any trouble, and the paper is still good.

>60 red_guy: Thanks...there are many that I want (Byron, Hardy, Pope for example). Will just order and hope they come sewn, otherwise return!

“Pocket Poets
Pocket clothbound volumes from the world's greatest poets, and with a stunning range of anthologies. Each volume has an elegant jacket, full cloth sewn binding, silk ribbon marker and headbands, with gold stamping on front and spine and decorative endpapers. In size, price and presentation they make ideal gifts and are a joy to read and collect. More than eighty titles in print.”

I found this on the Everyman’s website. But despite being in the US for some reason I only have access to the UK site so I don’t know if this applies to US bindings. Here’s the link: http://www.everymanslibrary.co.uk/pocket-poets.aspx

>64 mad_yosemite: I looked through that website a while back, and it is unclear to me whether or not it's actually been updated in recent years even.

I just received my Everyman’s Pocket Poets copy of the poems of Robert and Elizabeth Browning. It is a glued binding. Since the binding isn’t high quality I am going to stick with the higher quality content of a Penguin or Oxford classic.
In defense of the Everyman’s Poets they are aesthetically pleasant and the prices are decent.

>66 mad_yosemite: I got mine too, will be returning it. Very disappointing.

Is Everyman’s Library available in the US or just the UK?

>68 Frank_Zwolinski: It’s available in the US. Easiest way I’m aware of is ordering via Amazon.

>70 AMindForeverVoyaging: Well, I am not skilled at these things but using that link and then going to the link for pocket poets takes me to a warning page for Adobe Flash Player and no further. Any thoughts?

>71 Frank_Zwolinski: I came across that page when looking for a US option and now I see it says the site is not secure so I deleted my post.

>68 Frank_Zwolinski: Everyman’s Library is available in the US and U.K. The American versions are printed in the US, whilst those available in the U.K. are printed in Germany. There have been a few instances where the Us version was glued but the German was sewn.
Most titles are available in both regions but there are a few that are only available in one due to copyright reasons

>73 DMulvee:

See:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/140034#3527196

which is admittedly 9 years old. It's possible that the U.S. library referred to ordered its books from the U.K., but it seems unlikely to me.

>73 DMulvee: I might be misremembering, but I thought it was the other way around. In any case, I think all of the full size Everyman’s Library titles are now sewn, and I believe the full size glued titles were a temporary anomaly due to miscommunication with a printer that the company corrected. I have bought a number of Everyman’s Library titles in both the US and Canada, and I’ve never personally come across a glued book. I have no experience with the smaller form factor poets series though.

On their web site, they also state that all paper used is acid-free. Everyman’s is one of the few trade imprints where I still feel like I can have some confidence in basic quality standards.

(Tangent: Everyman’s Library has been a subsidiary of Random House, a US firm, since 2002.)

(I just checked the five Everyman’s Library North American editions I had close to hand, and all were printed and bound by GGP Media GmbH in Germany on paper specified as alkaline and have sewn bindings.)

I just ordered one of the poets books, here in the US and will report what I find when it arrives.

>74 cpg: >75 abysswalker: I have the full set of the post 1991 Everyman Classics and Contemporary Classics (404 volumes). I *think* I have either 1 or 2 that might be glued (these were released about 10 years ago?). I always buy the German published version unless the book was only released in the US (e.g The Bell Jar). I had read a few people having issues with these but thought these were US versions as my copies were fine.
I have the complete Everyman Wodehouse (99 volumes) these are all sewn, but just 42 of the Children (again all sewn).
Some of the versions that have seen issues are from the Pocket Poets set. I don’t own any of these and can’t comment on their quality.

Edited to add: Thanks for the link to the earlier thread. I did read this. Some of the works mentioned were re-issues (I think) which might be why I wasn’t impacted. I definitely have at least one (but I am thinking two) that were glued.

Edited: Accurately give number of Everyman

I am looking for some afforable, but beautiful, and well made editions of Agatha Christie and would appreciate any suggestions.

>78 DMulvee:
I have the full set of the post 1991 Everyman Classics and Contemporary Classics (about 405 volumes).
Wow, that's some collection. A lot more than currently in print it seems - I worry that they appear to be slimming down.

>80 Willoyd: As long as it is at least 6 a year, I think that is ok. Annoyingly they seemed to pretend they were releasing the Great Gatsby in January this year (it was released in 1991), so I do hope this was an anomaly and that the my won’t start using reprints and pretending these are new additions

Waterstones has a double points offer on this weekend if anyone is looking to buy Everyman’s, Penguins or other decent copies from there. Online as well as in store!

>71 Frank_Zwolinski: , 72

The Everyman's US website that I find useful is http://knopfdoubleday.com/imprint/everymans-library/

If you select Pocket Poets from the Choose a Series dropdown at the upper right, you'll see that collection.

I contact Everyman's Library and they informed me that, "all their books are sewn EXCEPT the Pocket Poets Series which is too small," and thus glued. I did purchase a few and they appear quit sturdy.

I just received my first volume in the EL Children's Classic series, "Heidi" and would like others' opinions. While described as a hardback, the covers seem very thin and flexible to me, not even as heavy as a traditional Trade Book, do you folks feel the same? How have they held up with time? Are all Everyman's Library volumes fitted with these thin covers, or something better? At last they are sewn bindings, tat least, that's a positive. Th book is attractive, easy to read print and reasonably nice paper considering the affordable price.

>85 Frank_Zwolinski: My Children’s Classics seem solid. I could bend the cover if I wish (but I could also bend the cover of the FS book I am currently reading if I wished!). They are all similar whether there are 80 pages or 400.
They are thinner than a traditional trade book, but none of mine have any damage so they seem sturdy enough

>86 DMulvee: Thank you for this, but I would like to clarify. This book is slightly stiff but the cover is nowhere near the weight of a Folio Society book cover. Perhaps I need to buy another and check it out. I bought mine from Amazon in the US. Do you happen to have "Heidi?"

>87 Frank_Zwolinski: I personally find the children’s series to be not as well made as the regular. That being said, even with the regular series, they are a lot lighter than a Folio. I love the regular series, then the stories collection and Wodehouse…children’s a definitely a step down.

>87 Frank_Zwolinski: all my recent standard Everyman's editions have thinner and more flexible (cloth-covered) "hard" covers compared to most other hardcovers. They are high-quality and durable though.

>87 Frank_Zwolinski: I have Heidi (as well as many other children’s classics). I’ll have a look tonight. They are not particularly thick, you are correct and as RRCBS states the Everyman Wodehouse are definitely thicker (twice as thick?). I’ll do some measuring and report back later today

I have lots of the Children’s Everymans, but can’t currently find any of the adult ones to compare, sorry :-)
I would say the sides don’t feel especially flimsy to me, but you could bend them if you tried hard. My pet peeve is that the gold flakes off all the time, but even with this flaw they are lovely books - a nice size to hold and often with lovely illustrations.

I’ve never tried to post pictures here before, so apologies if this fails, but i’ve Uploaded a couple of shelf pics to my gallery to show the effect.

>91 Petrichory: you used something close to the gallery page URL in your image tag rather than the URL of the image itself. You can generally get the image URL in most browsers by right-clicking on the image and choosing an option to copy the image location (in Chrome: right-click and then Copy Image Address).

Here is the image inline you were trying to display:



The code to get the above image to display here is:

<img src="https://pics.cdn.librarything.com//picsizes/92/59/9259304c61c8086636f58547941415742564944_v5.jpg" width=600>

(I added the "width" attribute myself, just because it is good practice for displaying images in this forum.)

>91 Petrichory: "the gold flakes off all the time"

This also happens to some degree with the main line of Everyman's books. It doesn't really bother me because A) the cost is relatively modest, B) I buy them as reading copies, C) the dust jacket spines look nice enough on the shelf, and D) the designs for the main line books have much less stamping/gilding on the cloth to begin with.

It does wear pretty consistently though. I have a copy of the Everyman's Library edition of Thomas Mann's Joseph and his Brothers. After one complete reading, there is noticeable wear (only to the stamped design, not to the book as a whole, which is quite sturdy). This is a thick book that was not a quick read, but still a useful data point.

I tried flexing (a little) the Heidi cover and it doesn’t seem that sturdy, I then tried on other children’s classics and they are all similar. However when I do the same on the Everyman classics they also do this!

I have seen flaking of the gold from the children’s classics but never from the main Everyman series. When reading the FS Atlas Shrugged there was significant bleeding from the red on the cover when I held it, however my Thomas Mann in the Everyman is fine (my dustcover remains in this which could be the difference?)

>94 DMulvee: probably. I take dust covers off when I read, usually, and my Mann book did make several plane flights with me.

I like the Everyman’s. They are affordable, small and easy to amass a collection without sacrificing shelf space. But I do love my folios. What I find worrisome is when and eventually I will have to move into a house. That will be difficult with the sheer weight of the folios compared to the Everyman’s.

>96 ironjaw: I fee the same about EL and FS…lately I have been “upgrading” some of my EL’s to FS versions. I do actually generally prefer Everyman’s for reading, but love the design of Folios. My husband is starting to worry about the number of bookcases we have and the rate of accumulation though!

>94 DMulvee: Thank you for checking your Children's series. That flexibility is likely why the gold flakes. I am trusting that these books will last and therefore continue my purchases, even though I would prefer a more sturdy cover. I should note that I am in the US and have been buying from Amazon. Yesterday I realized that my "Heidi" had a remainder mark on the bottom of the pages, which was a bit distressing, but it was easy enough to send back an get a refund, but an irritant to do, (it is over 100 degrees today here). I also reordreed a new copy last night and will check carefully when it arrives.

Is this the place to ask about thoughts on the Chiltern Publishing books?

I just stumbled across them, and they look gorgeous, and priced so reasonable ($15 each from a reputable online store).

But it is strange to see their facebook page talk about them being stocked at places like 'Urban Outfitters', which makes me think it is on one of those tables full of over-priced decorations.

Any thoughts, because $300 for 20 beautiful classic books isn't a bad deal.

>92 abysswalker: Gosh, thank you! Knew i’d mess it up somehow.

Hello all,
I did receive a copy of Dracula today and now I am clear about the weight of the covers. For some reason EL decided to make the Children's series with thinner covers. But since several folks have said that the books dDO hold up well, I will continue buying. Thank you to all who offered advice.

Today I was just made aware of the Noll Library published by "Our Sunday Visitor". The publisher's website has this photo of its volumes stacked up:

Amazon has two reviews of the Imitation of Christ volume. One says: "This is a beautiful book, well made and a pleasure to read. The binding is durable, and it seems like it'll hold up well over many years. The print is crisp, utilizing a nice, easy to read font". The other says: "The book is not too small, the print is sharp and easy on the eyes, and the binding is good."

Is there anyone here who has seen these volumes in real-life and can comment on them? Do they have sewn bindings?

>102 cpg: I haven't seen these, but I'm definitely interested. It's past time for better options than the cheap paperback reprints that TAN churns out.

Any recommendations for Russian literature? I know Everyman’s do a few but other than them I am not sure.

>102 cpg: I have the St. Francis de Sales - they are glued, but I would agree, they are nice books, certainly a step above what you usually see for these works, as >103 chrisrsprague: points out. They appear to be bound in buckram (at least that's what it feels to me, but my technical knowledge isn't all that great) - the type is easy to read, the paper is a bit smooth, but not at all glossy. They appear to have reset the type (not a photocopy of previous editions) All in all it's a nice book. Folio quality? No, but definitely a step up from mass market paperbacks and hardbacks.

>105 vmb443: I'd be curious to know which translations were used.

>106 chrisrsprague: It doesn’t give a name for the translator- it says the translation is from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, which appears to be an online free library, but that gives no indication as to the translator.

>107 vmb443:

Seems it's the same translation used in the Penguin/Random House edition, first published apparently anonymously by Rivingtons, London, in 1876.

I've found the old, commonly used public domain translation of Confessions to he too archaic.

Calla Editions was mentioned earlier as a good reasonably priced alternative to FS. I think a good example of this is their edition of The War of the Worlds. It contains over 50 of the original illustrations from the serial publication in Pearson's Magazine but uses the text of the novel as it appeared in book form. Wells had made numerous revisions, including an entirely new chapter and a heavily revised epilogue, when editing the book for publication. As the Calla note states, theirs is the first time the preferred revised text has been printed with all of the original serialization illustrations, a very FS-ish thing to do. The clothbound boards, with foil stamped cover illustration and lettering is another plus. At a list price of $30 it seems well worth it.

I’ve recently discovered NESFA (New England Science Fiction Association) editions, thanks to SF72 :)

They’re not FS level, but sewn hardbacks with decent paper and nice DJ designs (not usually a DJ person, but they are nice). Another plus is that they’re available via Amazon. I placed a direct order, but never heard anything back, though I have been charged, so we’ll see.

They have a nice selection of authors (Poul Anderson, Robert Zelazny, Lois McMaster Bujold). And the books have introductions. Definitely worth looking into.

>111 RRCBS: If you're enjoying NESFA, you might also look at what WSFA (Washington Science Fiction Association) has put out. It's a small selection focusing on limited editions of novellas and novelettes. (Note that they sometimes do trade reprints after the limited edition has sold out, so check what you're ordering; I don't know if the trade reprints are as nicely bound.)

http://www.wsfapressbooks.org/

>111 RRCBS:

They only ship once a week and with media mail, so I guess it's normal that it takes a bit longer to receive one's books. I'm also still waiting for a recent order directly from them, my previous orders were via amazon or Uncle Hugo's for signed copies of the Bujold titles. The Zelazny set is particularly nice in that the backs of the dustjackets form an image together

I'd just like to thank the people here who brought Slightly Foxed to my attention. I've been slowly accumulating their Sutcliff books, and they're one of the best bargains around. How they manage to ship so cheaply and quickly across the Atlantic is a mystery to me.

>114 ambyrglow:

To my happy surprise Slightly Foxed also manage to ship quickly to the EU with VAT already paid, so there's no customs hassle or excessive shipping fees for DHL Express like with Folio Society. Very pleasant indeed. And the Sutcliff books are very nicely made, too.

There is a Slightly Foxed Group if you are interested.

For anyone interested in starting s Slightly Foxed collection I just came across 36 issues with some slipcases for £120 on EBay.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134161886122?hash=item1f3cabebaa:g:pDwAAOSwlUJiwFN4

No connection to seller

>117 Juniper_tree: That would be a collection of magazines )
Btw, I really like their quarterly magazine and I'm an off and on subscriber; I let my last subscription lapse because right now I barely have time to read books, let alone magazines about books. When I have more time, I'll subscribe again.

However, I'm pretty sure in this thread people have been talking about their books - the pocket-sized Editions (to which I'm a subscriber and highly recommend to anyone who enjoys reading a good memoir) and Cubs - children/adolescent books in a larger format (I was a subscriber and got them all for my kids).

>110 amp123: I'd be careful with Calla Editions. I got their Arabian Nights about 10 years ago, and it's a pretty good production. Illustration print quality not up to Folio standards, but it's a pretty good clothbound sewn volume, good buy for the price.

However, I saw a few of their newer editions at a bookstore several years later, around 2017-2018, and the quality degraded significantly. Coated glossy paper, not very good printing quality, lower quality binding, perhaps it was even glued. That ended my interest in Calla.

I can add a few more affordable and interesting publishers.
Currently operating:

Notting Hill Editions. A British publisher of very well made small clothbound hardbacks, just slightly larger then Slightly Foxed Editions. Sewn, quality archival paper similar to that of SF, printed and bound in Germany in full cloth by none other than Memminger - a shop that should be very familiar to FS devotees, handsome 2-color printing (e.g. red for initial chapter letters, chapter numbers, page numbers, etc.).

The company is a good example that it's never too late to engage in your passion: the company was founded by a Holocaust survivor from Transylvania who worked most of his life in marketing, being the guy who popularized Rubik's Cube, and who, at the ripe age of 80, decided to pursue his passion in books and founded Notting Hill Editions to publish well-made books with a focus on the art of the essay. He died a few years ago and the company is now ran by his daughter.

They have a broad, quirky and interesting range. Also, while the vast majority of their books are not political, when it does come to politics it's refreshing to see in these times of divisiveness and extreme partisanship someone giving a stage to the writers both from the right and the left.

https://www.nottinghilleditions.com/

Eland Publishing. Another small British publisher. Mostly paperbacks - yes, I know, an anathema in these circles - but: they're SEWN paperbacks, printed on acid-free paper. And they have the best travel/spirit of place range of books I know of. If you're into that kind of thing, and I know many FSDs are, do check them out:

https://www.travelbooks.co.uk/

To be continued...

>120 elladan0891: I would second these recommendations, and although Eland editions are paperback, they publish one of my favourite travel books The Way of the World: Two men in a car from Geneva to the Khyber Pass, highly recommended.

>99 alsocass:

Did you ever buy into these at all?
I came across these and am interested in a few of them, partly because they appear to be good quality (stitched binding with ribbon marker) and a beautiful cover.
From videos though, something that I might not like much is the paper that is used which appear to be somewhat glossy. I would almost prefer them to the Everyman's Library if it weren't for the paper and the paper is kind of an important thing for books ........

These Chiltern books are marginally shorter in height than the EL which perfectly fit onto a shelf of mine which I have trouble filling because of clearances. The EL's are just half an inch too tall unfortunately :D

Would love to hear about any feedback anyone can shed on these Chiltern classics.

edit: Also, I came across Arcturus Publishing slipcase editions as well which seem like they publish modern versions of classics, but have not had any experience with them or seen any reviews of them. Can anyone comment on the paper, binding, overall quality?

>122 j3tang:
I can say something about the Arcturus Publishing. I own the Sherlock Holmes edition, ISBN: 978-1784286743

For a while I wanted to have the complete Sherlock Holmes Collection, but I didn’t want it all in one big book, but rather in separate volumes.
The quality is alright, it certainly is of a better quality than the Penguin Clothbounds, as the cloth and also the cover prints are sturdier and don’t rub off at all. The paper isn’t too thin and it’s smooth, but nothing really good and as far as I can judge is probably not acid free. They are printed in China.

But, they have a nice size, which is rather small, but that makes them very handy to read and take them on the train or wherever you might go. I think I paid around 45€ for the whole set and they look quite nice.

They are definitely alright for the price.

>120 elladan0891: Thank you for introducing me to those!! :D
I'm currently going through the selection and choosing which book(s) I'll buy.

>123 woodstock8786:
Thanks for the feedback!
There are … what… 3 Sherlock volumes? That’s pretty good for 45GBP.

They aren’t smyth sewn right?

>123 woodstock8786: For a while I wanted to have the complete Sherlock Holmes Collection, but I didn’t want it all in one big book, but rather in separate volumes.
>125 j3tang: There are … what… 3 Sherlock volumes? That’s pretty good for 45GBP. They aren’t smyth sewn right?

As far as Sherlock Holmes is concerned: if you're looking for separate volumes, I can recommend the Baker Street Classics series. Hard back with dust sleeves, smyth sewn binding and not expensive.
The size of the books and the design of the dust sleeves are comparable to Everyman's Wodehouse collection. They are a little bit bigger and the paper used is a little bit thinner but certainly not too thin.

There's a new edition of The Last Unicorn, published by Gollancz, for any that are interested: https://www.gollancz.co.uk/titles/peter-s-beagle-14/the-last-unicorn/97813996101...

Looks nice enough, although I'm not familiar with the story.

>127 icewindraider: Gosh I wish publishers actually shared the information I cared about when it came to fancy editions. "a sprayed edge, bespoke cover foiling, patterned endpapers, a marker ribbon and head and tail bands" are all very nice, but is the binding sewn? Is the paper acid free? Is the typesetting done in a font and with an amount of white space I find comfortable to read?

Oh well. Money saved, I guess.

>127 icewindraider: the story is great, though more satirical than genre fans tend to like their fantasy nowadays, filled with anachronisms, and unconcerned with complex world building.

This edition of the book itself is probably not very well made though, according to Folio fan discussion on Facebook. Glued binding, etc.

>127 icewindraider: oh my god thank you!!!
I have been waiting for a hardcover version of this book for so many years!!

Sad that of course the binding is probably not good quality…but right now there is no hardback edition on the market afaIk

>125 j3tang:
Excuse the late answer! I totally overlooked this.
Yes they are smyth sewn which really surprised me when I got them!

>128 ambyrglow: Or, you could just, y’know, actually ask them.

Here in Switzerland folio society books considered to be cheap alternative. Used and rare bookstores got them for almost nothing.

>133 horrorbooks: what is the expensive alternative?

>134 woodstock8786: I'm originally from NYC, so if you go to Argosy bookstore in Manhattan they also sell FS editions for almost nothing. First editions, and small press editions like Suntup, Cemetery Dance and Centipede copies are very expensive here in Switzerland on a secondary market. But, especially first editions. For instance, first editions of Sherlock Holmes books would cost you an arm and a leg here. Signed editions and first editions are preferred by many collectors here. When i go to book stores here in Geneva with other English speaking book collectors, it's really unpleasant for me to hear that they do not think of EP and FS as collector's editions. I do like some of the books produced by FS and EP, like some of their limited editions. They don't think this is serious book collecting if you buy from FS and EP, both regular and limited editions. I really like my Golden ass and Aeneid FS limited editions. I also like my 5 volumes of Count of Monte Cristo limited edition from EP.

>135 horrorbooks: I had a same experience. I felt offended when European book collectors remarked that "Folio books don't keep their value so much". They too preferred signed and first editions.
It really cooled my initial enthusiasm for FS a bit.

>136 Macumbeira: I hear you. I mainly try to get first editions and signed editions of books that I really like. But, we all have a budget and I can't always get first edition books. My wife recently surprised me with Invisible man HG Wells first edition, first printing Published by C. Arthur Pearson Limited, London, 1897 and IT SK first edition first printing, published by Viking 1986. It only makes me want more and more lol

P.S. I just picked up a really nice first UK edition, first printing of "Imaginary Friend" by Chbosky, really beautiful book, I like horror books, in case you did not notice (like it much more than US edition of this book, and it comes with 3d glasses)

Just bought the First signed edition of Bombard's The Voyage of the Heretique.
This said, there are FS editions I prefer above the originals. Eco's Rose for instance or Byron's Oxiana

>75 abysswalker:

You might be interested in this rather old thread from LT’s Everyman’s Library forum regarding glued vs. sewn bindings: https://www.librarything.com/topic/140034#

>126 joco30:

Have the 3 volume annotated set already, but if not, that set you pointed out looks really good and a lot cheaper too.

Only thing is that multiple hardcover books takes up a lot of real-estate on the shelves. I tried to do a search but couldn’t find what the spines of that set look like. What do they look like under the dust jacket? Do you have real life photos you can share?

>139 jroger1: thanks; useful resource. Amusingly, the one Everyman's I recall personally having an issue with was also Ficciones (mentioned in comment 18 in the thread you linked), bought used after I posted the comment above. For anyone else consulting that thread, make sure to take note of the dates.

I am personally back to giving Everyman's Library the benefit of the doubt (meaning, I will buy new copies sight unseen) and haven't yet had to return anything in many years. I think they fixed the issue (or ended the experiment) with downgrading the bindings.

I still do peek in on this group occasionally but not nearly as often as I would like.

I suggest:
Persephone Books
https://persephonebooks.co.uk/pages/book-list

Slightly Foxed (already mentioned by others) - they are a delight to work with, much as FS has been for most of their history.

Os.

>142 Osbaldistone: While I love Persephone Books, it needs to be noted that they are paperbacks :)

I have to shout out to The Paris Review for their two "Women at Work" volumes - just beautiful productions - quality paper and lovely feel on the covers; I should cross-post in the 'tactile' thread. https://store.theparisreview.org/collections/books

It looks like the 'Poets at Work' is the same production, which seems to be a 'best of'.

Unfortunately can't say the same about the 'Object lessons' nor their standard Paris Review interviews, which are standard paperback fare.

>37 olepuppy: A bit of thread necromancy, but I wanted to thank you for calling my attention to Adventure Library. I've been looking for a nice copy of West with the Night for a while, since Folio seems disinclined to publish it and I don't favor the Easton Press design. I tracked down the Adventure Library one and it will do very nicely: clean typesetting, sturdy paper and binding, and some very nice photos not present in my battered paperback. I'll have to see if they have anything else in their catalogue that catches my eye.

Manderley Press https://www.manderleypress.com/ produce sewn editions with decent sized print very reasonably priced. If you order direct they come beautifully wrapped in colourful tissue paper with a matçing bookmark. I'm not connected with them but recently bought a couple of books from them.

>146 Mweb: Well, bother. You had me briefly excited—a Sutcliff I don’t have!—but they don’t ship to the States.

>147 ambyrglow: The Manderley website seems to indicate a stockist in the States - Cincy Book Bus, cincybookbus@gmail.com

>148 holymoorside: Ah hah! One book headed my way. Thank you for spotting that.

>146 Mweb: Thanks a lot for this recommendation! Lovely and will be ordering some of the books!

It’s wonderful to know that there are more and more independent and small publishers trying their luck on the market and being successful with it. I wouldn’t have thought it possible 10 years ago

Kings Langley Press (https://kingslangleypress.com/) is a new Australian small press that will be specialising in classically designed illustrated hardcovers. I have their first book which is The Wheels of Chance by H. G. Wells. It's lovely, definitely FS style in quality (smyth-sewn, slipcased, bound in bookcloth blocked with a coloured design, premium paper, ribbon bookmark, etc) and I really loved the way they included all the original black & white illustrations from the first edition as well as new colour illustrations especially for this edition. There are also thoughtful editorial footnotes giving context to archaic expressions. The next ones (due early 2024) will be Moonstone and The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.

I flipped through Wheels of Chance in my 'beautiful books of the year' video so if you'd like a quick overview, you can jump straight to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSAJ1QtDd0w&t=4000s (and if you're interested, a few minutes later I also flipped through my favourite FS books from this year too).

Not sure what international shipping would be like though - Australian shipping is notoriously horrific.

>151 skullduggery: international shipping at least to the US from Kings Langley Press has been surprisingly affordable! I'm excited to get their Moonstone and look forward to what else they have planned.

>152 DramPan: Same experience here. Shipping to the US on Wheels was fine, and looking forward to Moonstone as well.

I should also mention Extraordinary Editions, in case anyone in this thread hasn't heard of them. They did a spectacular release of The Book of Ebenezer Le Page that was a complete steal in the Island Edition tier. They are working on an edition of Mr. Pye that should be comparable, one hopes. Some of their finer editions rival FS LEs, such as The Centenary Book of Sark, but they run for top dollar too.

>151 skullduggery: I wonder if there's a way to get their books physically in Australia. I'm going there on holiday in a couple of weeks and it would be great to get that Wells edition.

>154 dyhtstriyk: I’d just email the press and ask - maybe you could have it sent to your hotel? Good luck!

Well, my first attempt to acquire a Manderley Press book didn't go so well, as the copy I got had an entire signature that had been misaligned when trimmed or printed. Could happen to any press, I suppose. I've requested a replacement and hope that copy will be free of printer's marks.

Further update: my replacement copy arrived, sans any printing errors. Both Manderley Press copies had somewhat scuffed front cover edges, though. The damage clearly happened in shipment, but they weren't that poorly packaged; I think the cover paper used just isn't really durable enough for bookbinding. A pity, because the quarterbound cloth spine is nice. I'd have happily paid more for a full clothbound edition (or for sturdier cover papers).

One nice publisher I've just heard about:
https://zagava.de/
Seems interesting in term of quality, authors selection and they are located in Europe (no import tax for us Europeans).
Does anyone have already bought books from them?

>158 David_Mauduit:
Zagava Press on the FPF: https://www.librarything.com/topic/343794
Erith by Quentin S. Crisp – Zagava 2015: https://www.librarything.com/topic/331108

More and more I'm finding that lots of the books I want to read are only available in paperback or hardcovers which have glued bindings. It's a disappointing state of affairs.

I guess glued hardcovers are at least externally a bit more durable than a paperback, but there's something quite sad about a glued hardcover. Somehow a paperback feels a bit more honest.

When a book is not available as a Folio/Everyman/LOA/Fine Press etc., and the only choice is a glued hardcover or paperback, which direction do you tend to go in?

Paperbacks. Hardbacks used to be my luxury purchase. They have now been replaced by FS and other quality presses. So today most of my purchases are either paperbacks or "quality" books. Paperbacks give me access to books I want to read that are not available in finer editions and help me save spondoolies for the finer productions.

>160 GardenOfForkingPaths: Paperback. Some publishers, like NYRB and Persephone, make rather fine paperbacks, with design choices that actually make them a pleasure to display.

>160 GardenOfForkingPaths:

It depends. Sometimes there are nice, if not high-quality editions of hardbacks (sprayed edges, illustrated endpapers, signed etc.) that make me prefer those. (Waterstones or The Broken Binding are good examples for that.) And in the case of particularly thick books or ones where the paperback and hardback are the same size without a large price difference, I also go for hardbacks. Otherwise, I prefer paperbacks unless there's a nice edition. Space is one factor there, the price another.

>160 GardenOfForkingPaths:

Some publishers are notorious for making POD hardcovers that are less durable than their paperbacks. Most notably Springer Verlag, but there are others.

>164 cpg:

Yikes.

>160 GardenOfForkingPaths:
The sorts of books I'm currently reading, there's very rarely a choice, and my priority is content. Thus it's Oxford World Classics for Zola because they are the only publisher to print the whole Rougon-Macquart sequence, and in really good new translations. However, as mentioned above, there's paperbacks and paperbacks. Publishers/imprints I positively go for are Little Toller Nature Classics, Persephone, Peirene, Peepal Tree, Fitzcarraldo. French flaps, for instance, abound! Ive also found myself reading a lot of Penguin Modern Classics lately, especially foreign literature (something FS has never been strong on).
And what I'm reading on the more classic front, LoA, Everyman and older used editions are generally able to supply what FS has pretty much given up on - depth of author coverage.

>161 Pendrainllwyn: That's broadly the direction I've gone in too. Paperbacks are great; most of the time they don't pretend to be anything but an inexpensive and efficient way to transmit the content to the reader. As you say, save the spondoolies for quality editions!

>162 Shadekeep: I really like NYRB too. It's not always easy to find the titles I want in the UK, and they are usually a bit more expensive, but it's worth it for the nicer paper and excellent choice of literature. Do you have any recommendations or a top 3 for Persephone? Looking at their list of titles, I feel a bit lost. (same question to >166 Willoyd:).

>163 SF-72: Ah, yes, space is definitely a consideration. The good thing about paperbacks is you can easily double stack them and not worry about the weight!

>164 cpg: Wow, that doesn't sounds good. I feel that the quality of trade hardcovers in general has really declined (at least in the UK) to the point where they really don't offer much of an advantage over the equivalent paperback anymore.

>166 Willoyd: Thanks! I've made a note of the other paperback publishers you listed. Also, you raise a great point by mentioning older used editions. I've found that many trade hardcovers from 1980s or older are often really good: sewn bindings and good paper that shows no sign of yellowing. Agreed on Penguin Modern Classics too: they capture so much great stuff in that line. It's just a shame the quality of the books and paper is mediocre. Still, they do the job!

>162 Shadekeep: NYRB and Persephone are both new to me and look really interesting. The Persephone website is really good. I am not a fan of a publisher giving every book a patterned cover but Persephone does it really well. When I am next looking for new material I will curate my own box of six.

>162 Shadekeep: I’ve bought a few NYRB as ebooks, as I tend to go good quality or ebook. I’ve considered Persephone based on the interesting choices, but they seem expensive for what they are and I’ve gotten so used to books with sewn bindings. Do you find the quality is really worth getting a physical copy?

>167 GardenOfForkingPaths: Three from the Persephone lineup I'd recommend are:

The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding - Creditably adapted into a good film version, though Holding's writing is the superior pleasure.

The Montana Stories by Katherine Mansfield - Written with a special fervor at the end of her short life, one really can't go wrong with anything from Mansfield.

And for something a little different, either The Victorian Chaise-longue by Marghanita Laski, with its dislocated heroine, or The Hopkins Manuscript by RC Sherriff, which is a bit like an H.G. Wells novel narrated by a lesser P.G. Wodehouse character.

A recent review of Tory Heaven has slated that into my next order (along with The Godwits Fly).

They've got a fair number of well-known names in the stable too - Virginia Woolf, Dorothy B Hughes, Wilkie Collins, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Diana Athill - but for my money it's the stuff I'm unfamiliar with that draws me in. Plus it's an eclectic press, with titles on social history, cookery, and housekeeping from days gone by.

>168 Pendrainllwyn: Their stylistic motif is part of what attracted me originally. I love a publisher with that kind of vision (also something that draws me to NYRB).

>169 RRCBS: I'm probably not the best person to ask that question, as I consider some of my book purchases to be "patronage" as well, essentially a vote with my wallet for those publishers to continue their efforts. (My subscription with Archipelago Books is much the same.) The cost of Persephone books are notably high for US customers, basically in the realm of many a hardcover, so you may not find it worthwhile from that vantage. Some of their titles are also available as ebooks, so there is that middleground as well, but not as many titles as one might wish.

>170 Shadekeep: Noted. Thank you!

>167 GardenOfForkingPaths:
I can only agree with pretty much everything >170 Shadekeep: says, and echo the recommendations for Mansfield and the Laski (haven't read the others). Others I've enjoyed a lot are Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winifred Watson (made into a film since I read it, but haven't seen it) - accurately described as an adult fairy tale (light and easy fun read), Miss Buncle's Book by DE Stevenson - another light read with a cutting edge, both of their era but reading well (at least to me) in the 21st century. Winifred Holtby is rightly well known for South Riding, which I loved, but The Crowded Street was almost as enjoyable.

One writer they are very keen on is Dorothy Whipple - worth a try, and if you enjoy her (I did), you've plenty to go at.

I've also enjoyed some of their non-fiction too.

I tend to order through my local indie bookshop - the postage costs from Persephone are rather too steep to go direct to them. Seems a bit 'taking with one hand, giving with the other' when they discount for 3 books and then promptly put a 'per book' charge back on to it.

>172 Willoyd: Much obliged, thank you! Plenty for me to explore. Oh yeah, I see what you mean about the shipping charges; that does seem a bit steep. I don't live far away so it might be fun for me to take a train and pick up the books in person. Their shop looks really nice and the Roman Baths are wonderful to visit too!

>169 RRCBS:
Until a year ago Persephone was a beacon of light, charging North Americans the UK price in sterling. At that point they started a NA price that bore no relation to sterling, and adding heavy postal charges. If they follow others in having a postal service handle their distribution they may have little control over that. It has always been their practice to wrap each book separately so that the parcel may be deposited safely through a typical British front-door letter-box.
Their books have a plain grey cover and French flap, with individual coloured endpapers. The paper is of decent but not outstanding quality. At the time of Brexit they complained loudly that they would no longer be able to use continental binders who produced a paperback that could be opened flat, but in fact they still use a German and occasionally a British firm. The glue used for binding is of the type found in French paperbacks, and in better quality British ones.
Little Toller uses a larger format and better paper. It has to because most of its Nature Classics are illustrated, by such artists as Ravilious, the Nashes, Agnes Miller Parker, etc. Covers are illustrated, with French flaps. Printing and binding are done by T and J books (formerly T and J International) of Padstow, who back in the day did a number of commissions for Folio Society. Gatherings are sewn, then embedded in the type of glue that allows for flat opening. Typical pricing is 12 pounds UK, $19 US. If you order direct from the publisher, they routinely dispatch tracked and insured with attendant costs. However you can order from Slightly Foxed, sent by their usual frugal letter mail, usually without incident. Insurance for a paperback seems overkill. Of course LT has a smaller list, of limited general interest.
Persephone is primarily a feminist imprint, though with an admirable range of choices. Virago Modern Classics caters to a similar audience, with slightly lower production values, again available from Slightly Foxed.

I was mistaken. Persephone's 149 books come in grey jackets with patterned endpapers. Their 14 classic editions come with pictures on the covers but with no patterned endpapers. I am still up for a box of six.

Would anyone happen to know if any of the Modern Library hardcovers from the 1980s onwards have sewn bindings? The ones I'm interested in are:

The series from the 1980s, which have beige dust jackets with engraving style illustrations on the front.

The series from the 1990s which have gold dust jackets with a large photo of the author on the front.

>176 GardenOfForkingPaths: I can't recall the exact printing dates but I used to have two Modern Library books: O Henry's stories & I, Claudius. They weren't sewn.

>176 GardenOfForkingPaths: I have a bunch of post 1990s ones and non are sewn

>177 dyhtstriyk:
>178 RRCBS:

Thank you. That doesn't sound very encouraging! It's a shame the quality went downhill. They published some great titles that would otherwise fill in a few notable gaps left by Folio and Everyman's Library etc.

>179 GardenOfForkingPaths: I think it's a bit of a crap shoot. The later releases do tend to be glued most of the time, but I have a current series hardcover copy of Modern Library Nietzsche that is sewn. It might be a feature of a specific printing.

Interested to know if anyone has ever used: https://nyrb.shop/ Are they legit?
They have a large selection of NYRB and Notting Hill books at better than normal prices.
I am weary as their checkout demands credit card details without specifying p&p costs.

>181 StevieBby: Commas in place of periods in prices?* The about us section written by poor AI? The social media links a simple redirect back?

Hmm... This looks terribly suspect in truth.

*NYRB ought to be US, surely? Where I believe the period is used not the comma.

>182 FitzJames: Yes, thanks - not convincing! No physical address or phone number...