The Great Gatsby soon to be restocked
DiscussieFolio Society Devotees
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1behemoththecat
Just announced via their Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/225978247416220/posts/6342066642473986/?d=n
https://www.facebook.com/225978247416220/posts/6342066642473986/?d=n
4_WishIReadMore
Im happy to hear this; it’s not worth £170 to me, as much as I’d like to have a nice copy.
Beehive books also has an upcoming edition, as well as Century Press, the latter of which will be letterpress.
Beehive books also has an upcoming edition, as well as Century Press, the latter of which will be letterpress.
6ThisLifeIrl
Quick question as it's something I've noticed several times over the past few weeks on other titles.
As Gatsby is currently in stock with FS for £40 what's the reason someone is selling it "as new" on eBay and the current bids are at £51 + P&P with still 4 days to go? Don't think it mentions that it's 1st printing, signed, gold-plated, irradiated, etc.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203781954092?
I could understand it going for more than the original RRP if no longer in print or there's something special about this particular one.
What am I missing here?
As Gatsby is currently in stock with FS for £40 what's the reason someone is selling it "as new" on eBay and the current bids are at £51 + P&P with still 4 days to go? Don't think it mentions that it's 1st printing, signed, gold-plated, irradiated, etc.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203781954092?
I could understand it going for more than the original RRP if no longer in print or there's something special about this particular one.
What am I missing here?
7bacchus.
>6 ThisLifeIrl: Secondary market prices don't need to make sense. I'm confident if you search for any sci-fi book currently in stock by FS the "Buy it now" price on eBay will be substantially higher.
Sensible deals appear often though, it's just that they sell quickly so we are sometimes left with the extravagant offerings. The price you mentioned however might not be unfair considering the ebay commission the seller has to pay. As for the buyers they might be in a region where FS doesn't ship directly.
An exception would be the "something special" you already mentioned. Sometimes there are noteworthy differences between reprints; examples like History of Western Philosophy (leather vs buckram), Catch-22 (re-print in China) and so on. Not sure if Great Gatsby has something like that going on.
Sensible deals appear often though, it's just that they sell quickly so we are sometimes left with the extravagant offerings. The price you mentioned however might not be unfair considering the ebay commission the seller has to pay. As for the buyers they might be in a region where FS doesn't ship directly.
An exception would be the "something special" you already mentioned. Sometimes there are noteworthy differences between reprints; examples like History of Western Philosophy (leather vs buckram), Catch-22 (re-print in China) and so on. Not sure if Great Gatsby has something like that going on.
8ubiquitousuk
>6 ThisLifeIrl: Besides something special like this being a first printing, two other possibilities (speculative, of course):
1) This seller ships internationally and the bidders are from countries to which Folio either does not ship or charges exorbitant shipping costs.
2) The buyers are not well-informed about the availability of the book. This is, by all accounts, a nice edition of a popular book. Until recently, it was out of stock, leading to three-figure secondary market prices. Anyone who hadn't been on the Folio Website for a few months and looked at the previously sold lots might think this is the lowest available price.
---
Edit to acknowledge that >7 bacchus.: had already mentioned the shipping point, which I had overlooked in my haste.
1) This seller ships internationally and the bidders are from countries to which Folio either does not ship or charges exorbitant shipping costs.
2) The buyers are not well-informed about the availability of the book. This is, by all accounts, a nice edition of a popular book. Until recently, it was out of stock, leading to three-figure secondary market prices. Anyone who hadn't been on the Folio Website for a few months and looked at the previously sold lots might think this is the lowest available price.
---
Edit to acknowledge that >7 bacchus.: had already mentioned the shipping point, which I had overlooked in my haste.
9What_What
>6 ThisLifeIrl: Likely bidders are from a country where the Folio Society don’t ship to. Or they’re local to the seller and shipping would be so inexpensive they’re better off purchasing it second hand than paying shipping for a single book directly.
10astropi
I haven't purchased from them, but Century Press produced a letterpress edition of The Great Gatsby at an amazingly affordable price - $99 Canadian
https://www.centurypress.ca/products/the-great-gatsby-pre-order
Reviews have been great, and although no illustrations, a letterpress edition at this price is a steal.
https://www.centurypress.ca/products/the-great-gatsby-pre-order
Reviews have been great, and although no illustrations, a letterpress edition at this price is a steal.
11kdweber
>10 astropi: I think the reviews have been mixed. You're right about the amazingly cheap price for letterpress not to mention a full leather binding. However, bear in mind that the text has been bowdlerized.
12astropi
>11 kdweber: The reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. Out of 43 reviews, 42 reviews gave it 5/5 and 1 gave it 4/5. As for "bowdlerized" I believe they only changed one word in the text. To be perfectly honest, I rather they had not, but as far as I know it was only the one prejudiced word and they were open about why they changed it.
13abysswalker
>12 astropi: reviews on the publisher's website are only a small part of the reviews as a whole, though of course they aren't nothing either. I don't have a copy of this edition so I can't comment on it myself, but I agree with >11 kdweber: that the reviews from others seem to be mixed, even putting aside the issue of changing the text.
See here for some examples:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/332644
And for a sample review that is more critical:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/332644#7597786
See here for some examples:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/332644
And for a sample review that is more critical:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/332644#7597786
14astropi
>13 abysswalker: I certainly know that thread, I commented in it a few times :)
Many collector's in that group (such as myself) have been collecting letterpress books for years, and our standards are through the roof. That said, for the price point, the overall consensus seems to be that this is well worth it and reviews tend to be very positive. It is their first book, so it's not "perfect", but here are some thoughts people had:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/332644#7606706
Overall, a solid effort and a beautiful little book (roughly 6.5"x9" or 13cm x 18cm)! Congratulations and keep up the great work!
https://www.librarything.com/topic/332644#7649651
Just got my copy today and I’m very happy with it! Looking forward to your next book.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/332644#7668423
I've ordered the Gatsby. The only copy I currently own is the rather garish FS edition which I will likely jettison in favor of this.
Many collector's in that group (such as myself) have been collecting letterpress books for years, and our standards are through the roof. That said, for the price point, the overall consensus seems to be that this is well worth it and reviews tend to be very positive. It is their first book, so it's not "perfect", but here are some thoughts people had:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/332644#7606706
Overall, a solid effort and a beautiful little book (roughly 6.5"x9" or 13cm x 18cm)! Congratulations and keep up the great work!
https://www.librarything.com/topic/332644#7649651
Just got my copy today and I’m very happy with it! Looking forward to your next book.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/332644#7668423
I've ordered the Gatsby. The only copy I currently own is the rather garish FS edition which I will likely jettison in favor of this.
15Charon49
What do you think of their next production Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises? Looks like they have used a nicer leather in a good colour.
16ubiquitousuk
>15 Charon49: My chief complaint about The Great Gatsby was that the black leather looks a bit like a bible and the recycled bike jackets feel weird on a book. No complaints at all about the printing and type. Indeed I thought this had a very nice impression. The Sun Also Rises, therefore, seems to have addressed my only real complaint and I expect it will be a nice book.
I'm not sure I'll buy it. But that's simply because I am making a conscious effort to be a bit more focused on building a collection from a few key publishers this year (although whether that plan survives beyond January remains to be seen).
I'm not sure I'll buy it. But that's simply because I am making a conscious effort to be a bit more focused on building a collection from a few key publishers this year (although whether that plan survives beyond January remains to be seen).
17DanielOC
On a side note, the FS FB advert says Coppola wrote and directed the 1974 GG film. Jack Clayton directed and Coppola wrote the screenplay.
18ThisLifeIrl
I do love The Great Gatsby and you've got me to purchase the Century Press edition. My bank account is seriously unhappy with me right now. *shakes fists at this forum*
On a lighter note I quite often get spammed at work by recruitment consultants who have graduates on their books they are looking to place. 99% of the time the roles they are looking for aren't even remotely relevant to the job I do so I mostly just delete the emails. However a few days ago I received one with the subject line "The Great Gradsby". I don't use my work email for personal purchases so a slight wave of panic initially set in as I wondered if I've gone on a spending spree using my work address to try and "hide" it from myself. I eventually calmed down when I realised the play on words.
On a lighter note I quite often get spammed at work by recruitment consultants who have graduates on their books they are looking to place. 99% of the time the roles they are looking for aren't even remotely relevant to the job I do so I mostly just delete the emails. However a few days ago I received one with the subject line "The Great Gradsby". I don't use my work email for personal purchases so a slight wave of panic initially set in as I wondered if I've gone on a spending spree using my work address to try and "hide" it from myself. I eventually calmed down when I realised the play on words.
