I just renewed my membership. I wasnt happy with the renewal offer so I contacted Folio and worked out a renewal offer that was more to my liking. However in doing so I lost out on The 2010 Folio Journal. Is there anyone who took the offer who might be willing to part with the journal? If so please contact me and we can work something out.

I renewed and I'm getting the journal - lovely though it is, I actually don't need another journal so I'd be happy to send it on to you when it arrives. Just leave me a profile comment with your contact details and I'll let you know when it arrives.

I renewed as well.

I negotiated the Empires of the Ancient near East box set as my free renewall (I have wanted this for a while). But I was told I would also get the diary and Brewers included. Alternatively I could have had £85.00 credit instead of the free renewall books.

I was told that members always get the diary - you should contact membership and ask for one. I bet the diary costs them next to nothing.

Message edited by its author, Aug 14, 2009, 9:51am.

Might well be worthwhile contacting them and specifically requesting it in that case but if you can't get hold of one, the offer still stands.

What renewal offer did you negotiate SirFolio, if you don't mind me asking?

Edited to add: And Quicksilver: can I ask how much your boxset is worth? Of course, the website doesn't show it...

Message edited by its author, Aug 14, 2009, 10:20am.

> 5

I can't see it on the website either Khaa. From memory I think it's about £130.00. It's four books.

Message edited by its author, Aug 14, 2009, 10:25am.

Khaa I ended up buying Walden and Slaughterhouse 5 as me renewal books and got Grimms Fairy Tales, The New York Trilogy and The prince as my renewal gifts.

Can someone that has renewed tell me if the Joseph Conrad novels show again?

cweller I am only seeing one of the Conrad Novels.

cweller - try calling Folio. Even when a book is said to be sold out Folio can still sometimes have a few copies in stock. A few weeks ago I picked up Byzantium in this way - even though it has been sold out for a while - Folio had two shrinkwrapped copies left in their warehouse.

I did renew too. I happen to be a sucker for architecture. So the “World Architecture” volume really appeals to me. Not so much the presentation volume “Colour”; however it will make a great Christmas present for my graphic designer sister in law.
For my four volumes I have chosen “The Raj Quartet” since I have been after it since it showed up on the website several months ago.

>1
I took your lead, SirFolio and called Folio to negotiate a different offer. On one of the threads someone said they would substitute a joining offer - I liked one not offered for the US (the Booker Prize Package). I was told that the total price was too high, but that I could have 3 of them, so I got Oscar and Lucinda, Midnights Children and Schindlers Ark. I ordered Walden, The Shooting Party, and also Charolottes Web as my books to purchase (Walden counted as 3, but I also wanted to buy the other two). I am thrilled!

Yes I have to say that I was not excited by the renewal this year... but Folio once again proved that they are all about the members and now I am truly thirlled as well.

I've called and negotiated my own deal as well. I'm debating whether to get the seven Joseph Conrad novels I still need, I was told they should be back on the site by next week, or going for the LE of Les Miserables and The Persian Expedition by Xenophon.

I think I'll call and see whether anything can be worked out another day, and if not I'll ask how long I'll have to wait in order to take another joining offer. Rejoining rather than renewing...

OK, at what point will FS stop and say...alright, enough already! Too many people requesting alternate renewal offers. Maybe I better get on the bandwagon now! I am completely unsatisfied with the renewal offer they have made.

I'm not sure they will, as long as they are making a predetermined margin on the deal.

They will always be happy to negotiate deals as long as they're sure it works for them. There will be a cash equivalent which they will indifferently offer instead (this will be lower than the listed price of the renewal offer, which is inflated to impress).

It's unsurprising that what works for them financially for joining works also for renewal.

> 18

They will offer a cash offer of £ 85. But the books I negotiated are worth £130. Go figure ??

>19

Chosen one :-)

I renewed this morning by e-mail, asking if I could get Walden and the Folio Diary 2010 (wouldn't want to miss out on the diary - I always give it to my mother who loves it) as my renewal gifts if I renewed with the Letterpress Shakespeare "Othello" (boxed).

And Folio's excellent membership secretaries agreed :-) So now I have both a new Letterpress volume and Walden to look forward to.

Has anyone here tried subsituting either the Aubrey/Mautin series or the Alexandra Quartet for their renewal offer? I am giving it some thought.

22> I am almost tempted to ask whether they would substitute the Alexandria Quartet. But I'm actually quite tempted by Colour, so I'm thinking of asking whether they'll let me complete my renewal offer with two or three books I actually *want*...

Sad to say it doesn't look good for renewal this year.
I've splashed out quite a bit on books recently, perhaps too much, and another year of Folio might sup up what little money I have left. Especially considering the inexplicable price increase, my four books (probably "Irish Fairy and Folk Tales", "A Folio Anthology of Poetry", "On Liberty" and "On the Road") would come to well over £100 and that's including several dispatches adding a further £9.00 . And then there's all the books I can't see as a non-member (Notes from a Small Island in particular) which would test my resolve!
Argh! it's painful to admit it but I might have to consider going without folio for a ONE WHOLE YEAR (hopefully no more than that!) -- too horrible to contemplate...and yet it might just happen :-(

>24 - I've done it, and it is possible to survive it. Take heart, and know that when you do return there will be even more books waiting to tempt you.

24>I've done it too. It gives one time to pause and reflect and to consider all the money that is being saved for the next renewal year and the many books you'll find awaiting you.

Okay...I is official! I have renewed and feel good about it. I didn't bother to negotiate. While I think the pickings are slim, this year, and the offerings are weak, (Folio mole, feel free to add a free Dracula or something instead of Colour to my collection) I bought:

Roxana (Defoe)
Ballet Shoes
Age of Innocence (2 of them)
Anthology of Poetry
Oscar and Lucinda
My Family and Other Animals

Also, super kudos to Folio for making payments set up to 6 monthly ones, rather than just up to 4. This makes a world of difference in this nasty economy and much appreciated!!

Now when the Christmas offerings come up (usually October and I am hoping for a fairy book and maybe something else on my wish list, like The House of the Seven Gables...please, please, please!) I will be already to jump!!! Besides my birthday is in November and I need lots of books for that and holiday gifties!! :)

I want to renew with a LE - Moby Dick, Les Miserables or Letterpress Shakespeare Sonnets and Poems. Which one? Any suggestions?

27,

how do you get the installment option. i got it once but didn't see that option for my renewal.

My experience has been that installment options show up during the checkout steps when the dollar value of your total purchase exceeds certain minimums. For example, you may get the option of 2 equal installments when your basket total is above one amount, but you may also get a 3 payment option when your total is a higher amount, and the option of up to 10 payments may be added for an even higher basket total.

Os.

#25 & 26

Ah yes, but I bet it was before you discovered this group?! Not so easy when 100 or so people continually talk about that which you're trying to resist. ;-P

And, just a thought, but surely isn't it better to spread out purchases rather than to splash out all in one go?

If I am not mistaken on all of my orders over $500 the option for 10 payments is present. I am thinking that $500 might be the magic number to get the extra payments.

Probably because mine ended up around 450.00 and I was given the option of up to 6 payments.

On another note, I always thought we didn't pay for any of the books until they were published, but on looking at my history I see they have it set up for all of them right now and I just made my first payment off my cc. Is this because of the new payment plan or something else? Anyone know? I mean, some of my books don't even get published until June. I thought I was being clever about spreading it around, but whammo! They are charging me for all the books now.

In a message I received yesterday I was told that I could pay in 5 instalments if my order came to more than £100. I presume that once you have confirmed the renewal order, the first instalment is charged to your card and the others in the following months, regardless of when the books are published.

I'm not sure about how it works with instalments but I specifically checked when I renewed about future-dated publications and they confirmed (at least for paying in full) that unless you specifically request otherwise, you are still charged on despatch for future publications.

Hmm...Interesting. I have been with Folio for at least 10 years, now, I could have sworn I was not charged for a particular book until it was sent out. So books that came out in June, for example, would not be shown on the bill at renewal. Then again, maybe that is the balance of offering us payment installments. If I had known that I would have only ordered the 4 books, rather than the 7, and just waited later in the year. Oh well. Too late now! But I will remember this on future purchases.

The installment plan is for a number of equal installments, starting the month you place the order. So, buying on installments is probably best suited for your renewal purchase, a sale, limited quantity items, or whenever there's a downside to delaying the purchase. For buying regular priced items that are well stocked, buying when you're ready to pay is probably a better management approach.

Os.

I went and collected my renewall books from the Members Room today.

All the September books are now available. The true Gospel of Jesus and The Cretan Runner are real beauties. Tinker Tailor is quite dull and grey but this is thoroughly in keeping with the contents of the book (it's not a dull book but Smiley is dull compared to the likes of James Bond). I also picked up my 4th renewall book, the Vikings, together with my free books - Empires of the Ancient Near East, Brewers and the diary.

I had a look at Colour as well and I have to say that it is beautifully produced and illustrated.

There are a lot more new books that will be revealed when the new membership packs come out. These apparently include Scott's Journals and a collection of Ambrose Bierce short stories.

Message edited by its author, Aug 18, 2009, 9:18am.

Ooo Quicksilver66, what's The Vikings like, I was considering that one.

Klarusu

I have not opened it yet and I could not see a display copy so I will let you know tomorrow. It looks like a very thick volume which is a good sign !

38: Thanks for the details. I'm getting "Tinker, Tailor," "Cretan," and "Colour," so you've got my anticipation up.

Meanwhile, I saw Scott's journals and the Bierce book on the Web a few days ago.

36: I have always been charged immediately for books I have purchased, even though they may not be published until later in the year. This applied to this year's purchases as well ...

Message edited by its author, Aug 18, 2009, 9:51am.

I agree with Quicksilver - Colour looks lovely in person. I'm not sure I really need it (or would actually read it) but for those of you getting it, it is a visual treat. I was rather disappointed in the card game book but the diary looks nice enough. I wasn't much impressed by Dorian Gray and found Tinker Tailor rather dull too. They also told me about the new books - which should be at a reduced price for those who have renewed - but they weren't in the new book list I got yesterday in the post.

Dear Quicksilver66.

I Joined Folio for the first time almost a year ago and have bought my "commitment" books and a few sale books around Christmas all online (Sir Gawain is my fave). I have just stumbled on to (or was pointed in the general direction )of Library Thing and had a vague notion that Folio has a Members' Room. I live in Kent so the distance to central London is not great, question is, can I actualy shop there or is it only for collection? What is it like?? I hear you guys talking about deals and offers and want to go see for myself. I recently bought 100 Years of Solidude- amazing book, but I don't really like the illustrations, do you think I could swap it there.

Sorry, I am a new bod here and need expert advice from one and all!

Ps Big big fan of Bierce. Have you ever come accross Arthur Machen titles in Folio editions?

Hi WarRocketAjax.

Yes, you can shop in the Members Room and they are very helpful. You can also just sit and browse with no pressure on you to buy. They have most of the books on display so you can look at any titles you are interested in. They have all the LE's and Fine Editions and facsimilies on display as well. Any book they don't have they can order for you. If you want to buy just pick up a shrinkwrapped copy, hand over your membership number and payment and "Bob's your uncle". It's well worth a visit.

I have never come across Machen in Folio - he should be included. I like Machen a lot - I can reccomend the Machen editions published by UK speciality publisher, Tartarus Press. They produce great books - they do a Bierce volume as well (I've got this which may mean that I won't be picking up the Folio volume) -

http://freepages.pavilion.net/tartarus/

If you are not happy with a book you may be able to swap it if it's unread and in mint condition. You could always call and ask the Members Room first.

Welcome to the Forum !

Message edited by its author, Aug 18, 2009, 12:09pm.

I would wholeheartedly recommend the Members' Room too. It has stopped me from making many a purchase I might have regretted, particularly due to less-than-perfect illustrations in some books. The staff are very friendly and it is easy to spend a couple of hours flicking through hundreds of books there. Another positive is that you save on postage. But beware - it is a little like this group; once you look at some books you'd never have imagined buying then you'll pounce, as I did with Three Men In A Boat.

i'm glad i live 4,000 miles away or my wife would kill me for buying a book every other day in that room.

OK, well I obviously don't have the kudos many of the rest of you have as my attempt to substitute a joining offer for a renewal offer (I tried the Booker Prize set) failed miserably. I was offered £85 towards books or told to wait for the next offer. That wouldn't bother me normally but having read what other people are getting, I am somewhat peeved. Still it stops me spending money on books for a while...

> 44. With reference to replacing 100 Years of Solitude, my "Guide to Membership" says:

"If you are not completely satisfied with any book that we supply, you may return it within 6 weeks for a replacement, exchange or refund."

I'm sure if you are a little outside the 6 week parameter, then there wouldn't be a problem, especially if you take it into the Members' Room, the guys there are great.

>48 - Somehow I suspect that my attempt may fail as well... How dispiriting.

Irieisa, I dont think they would give the full set away. However I think someone else said they managed a 3 out of 4 Booker Prize winners as their renewal.

This strikes me as a reasonable deal. I asked if I could renew with the remainder of the Alexandra Quartet (I already have Justine) if I purchased the following during the coming year.

Impossible Journeys
Napoleon
Double Helix
Germinal

The secretary's answer was a resounding "yes"

Looks like I may renew this year after all.

>51 - Oh, I'm not going for the Booker set. I want to try for The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, but still, my confidence is waning.

So long as you are going to be purchasing a fair amount in the future I think they will be ok with that... but thats just speaking from my own experience.

>54 - I hope so, but all I've got at my disposal is the telephone, and it appears negotiations are easier in person.

Irieisa, for what it's worth, I was able to order the Notebooks of da Vinci earlier this week as my membership offer (in the US) by way of a seemingly errant link on the FS site. The offer seems to be gone now, and I'm too much of a tyro to understand the machinations behind the joining offer shell game.

Nevertheless, good luck trying to track-down that offer...

Message edited by its author, Aug 18, 2009, 4:44pm.

>56 - I'm in the US, and saw that as a joining offer as well. In fact, it still appears as a joining offer, so I don't think it's a mistake. I just would like to renew with it.

If one takes a joining offer instead of a renewal offer, is there any difference in membership? I know that sounds strange but I called Folio because I wanted the da Vinci books and told them I wanted the joining offer instead of the renewal and all she said was that I couldn't get the diary but I don't use them anyway so I didn't really care. Is there any way a joining membership might be different than a renewing membership?

Wow that was a conversation killer. Anyway, I was curious so I called and basically, after quite a quick coversation, there is no difference. The renewal offer is supposed to be a special package with the Folio diary and all that but if you don't care about the special presentation book and all the extras, you can take a joining offer.

I was thinking of you Irieisa, since you want those da Vinci's as much as I do that taking the offer that has them makes sense. I hope you get them.

Mookie, that is interesting and encouraging. It seems that different FS people have different views on it. Two of us at least have been knocked back on the Booker joining offer. But thinking about it I was being a little impetuous. I may go into the Members Room and see if they'll let me have 3 or 4 (instead of the 5 in the offer) instead. As others have pointed out, it seems weird not to allow joining offers to be used as renewal ones as you could just sign up as your wife/father/whoever. (Plus: Irieisa, I wouldn't worry. If I was running FS as a business I'd try and accommodate a customer like you as long as your demands were reasonable - which they seem to be here. If I was dealing with a lesser customer like myself, then I don't know).

I renewed again: I posted some days ago that I got a 50% renewal offer. I renewed with Ovid's "The Art of Love" and thought everything will be fine.

Now, some days later, the normal renewal offer popped up on my screen. I wrote the Society to inquire about it and they said that the 50% off offer was the renewal for last year :

The 'half price renewal' offer that you replied to recently was for our 2009 membership year. It was 'the last chance to renew' because the membership year was coming to a close - which is also why the commitment to buy books and their price were both reduced - there wasn't much of the membership year to benefit from).

So, for some funky reason I was not member for the complete last year but still able to participate in all the sales.

Anyway, I just renewed with the LE of Moby Dick.

Message edited by its author, Aug 19, 2009, 3:53am.

What I wanted to say:

I renewed twice ... and very happy!

great news j_ipsen ... I've been scouring the website for offers (new and renewal) and trying to cut it my renewal order down to just 4 books ... or maybe 5 ... well if I'm going for 5 why not 6??
... I am so glad I don't live too close to the members room!
I am curious though, I've noticed an awful lot of people talking about the da vinci notebooks as a possible alternative for them to renew with but I can't find them anywhere on the website ... tried searching as a member and as a non-member, gone through all the new possible joining offers ... is this a book people have seen in the members room they're hoping to get and not on the web site?

>63 Log ot and select US website joining offers

If you can see me beaming from where you are sitting it is partly because I am very hot and my face is shining like a harvest moon, but also because I arranged a satisfactory renewal offer:
instead of Colour and the embarrassing card game book I am getting Jan Morris's Venice and Elizabeth David's Summer Cooking (which come to just under the amount of the renewal offer) - and the diary. My four books are the Cretan Runner, The Country Child, The Pursuit of Love and the Thesiger book, Arabian Sands.
I did hesitate about Colour but I still have Shakespeare's Life and World and Life looking at me reproachfully from the shelf under the coffee table so finally I decided to go for something I know I will read. If everyone raves about it afterwards I might go for it if it comes up in a sale.

65> overthemoon...Venice is a great renewal! What a wonderful idea. You will be very pleased with Venice. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it is a great book for paging through. I thought of Arabian Sands as one of my four selections, but selected The Double Helix instead. I may pick up Arabian Sands later in the year.

#64, thanks lesmiserables, it does look lovely! do you know why it's not showing up on the english website?
I spoke to them today about alternative offers for renewal, I was hoping to swap a joining offer (the Booker Prize offer on the UK site) instead but they said they could not substitute joining / renewal offer packs but would happily substitute the renewal offer for up to £85 worth of folios ... I have to say I am very happy with that, I wasn't too impressed with the renewal offer but very impressed with their flexibility ... now I just have to try and make a decision ......

I'm not sure if this is true or not but it does seem that if you specify what you want your renewal offer to be as well as what you plan to order to fulfill your membership then they consider the offer based on that. If there is not specification as to how you plan to fulfill your membership then they counter with the $160 book credit.

>59 - Oh, I see. Interesting how different people get different responses, though.

I hope I get the da Vinci set. If they tell me no, I'm going to ask them how long I have to wait to rejoin rather than renew. ;-) I want that set.

>60 - I'm not that great a customer; don't even buy any LEs (yet). Hopefully they'll accommodate me. If they don't, then I'll undergo Folio withdrawal (perhaps a good thing for me, though). :-(

>61,62 - That's... weird.

So, I phoned up and renewed, hurrah! I swapped the Brewer's dictionary and World Architecture for the complete Miss Marple and the best of Dorothy Parker :-)

My four renewal volumes were Brideshead Revisited, Screwtape Letters, the Double Helix and Ballet Shoes. Yay!

But now I am fretting because my order hasn't showed up on the website... but given that everyone says it's flaky I'm going to try to breathe easy until it turns up (apparently next week!)

On the plus side, my final summer sale order just turned up too. Soooo pretty :-D

LizT,
I have the same problem (I renewed on Friday over the phone), and my order does not show on the web site. I e-mailed customer service and they told me not to worry - they confirmed that they have my order and said it will show up on my order history within a few days. Hope that eases your mind. By the way, I bought Screwtape also (it arrived about a week ago) and it is beautiful. I think you will like it.

I have never had an order show up on the order history. I don't know why.

I renewed with:

The Authentic Gospel of Jesus
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
The Analects
Perrault's Fairy Tales

Plus:

The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Consolation of Philosophy

And there are so many others that I want . . .
--BJ

I was very tempted by the Analects, too...
(maybe a Christmas present to myself?)
My order has not appeared on the website, and my last summer sale order still seems to be pending (in the warehouse).

elmaynard, thanks, that's good to know! I will fret less :-)

overthemoon - my summer sale order was listed as pending in the warehouse until it had been delivered! I ordered right on the last day and mine turned up yesterday so yours might show up soon (I don't know how quick their mail is to Switzerland!)

Just renewed when I found His Dark Materials online (and the Yellow Fairy Book was showing too). Getting Dickens' London as my fourth choice. Now HDM and the Fairy book have again disappeared from the site! Checked my account page and luckily the order was there with HDM on it. The Folio Soc certainly works in mysterious ways...

The next question is: what will arrive first - my books or my baby? Baby due in 30 days, but hoping for early September. Feels like a race!

I can see the Pink and Yellow Fairy Books - sadly I see they've gone up £5 to £39.95. Rather pricey, methinks. (There are also lots of Conrads up there; I seem to remember somebody saying they couldn't find any). Wonder how long they're going to trickle out books on to the site though.

Edited to 77: I can see 410, bizarrely (and 401 if I log out) - what a farce

Message edited by its author, Aug 20, 2009, 11:02am.

Before renewing I could see over 540 books on the website… after renewing it was down to 340 books; so 200 titles gone… today I tried again and I see 404; so 60 have been re-added. What is the purpose of all this, apart to keep us on our toes? Hopefully someone in Folio knows, cause I certainly don’t.

Message edited by its author, Aug 20, 2009, 10:43am.

77: I'm guessing incompetence.

So my Account page on the Web showed a duplicate renewal order.

That is, it showed twice (on two different days) the same order of 4 books, plus the free stuff. Both orders were showing pending.

So I called and they told me that they only show one order, and *it's already shipped*. So I may be getting it any day now, which is great. And if I get the books twice, then I guess I'll have two times everything.

Should I sell the extras?

Just kidding!

We may see alot of these glitches soon. I was discussing something else with Folio and they said the site is undergoing alot of work for the next month or two so it may act kind of funny. However they said after that they are hoping it is much better.

80; Let’s hope so!
I renewed last week, and now after I log off the home page shows me:
- “another” renewal offer to re-join??? Both sets of 23 books of Beatrix Potter for 14 pounds (I’m in the States) and “The Wind in the Willows” for free.
- Walden for 14 (dollars this time) if I buy two books.
- And a link to the Summer Sale that “continues”

… and welcome to the “Twilight Zone”!

>81

I got that home page too!!! (And I was mad because I already used Walden to renew and it definitely wasn't $14!)

Beatlemoon;

If it makes you feel better; none of the links on the page actually works. Which adds to the “tease” factor anyway.

>83 - The cruelty!

That IS good to know, though to be honest, once the initial indignation wore off, I actually got a little chuckle out of it. I mean, both GBP and USD? Methinks the site was a bit confused. :-)

>85 - Methinks confusion is the site's general state of mind. Personally. ;-)

I would be more then willing to manage their site for LE.

>87 - When filling in a job application for them, you may wish to omit "more than" - for a variety of suggestive reasons. :-)

Just in case anyone is interested, I have renewed with Walden as my gift, together with, I hope, the diary. I have chosen the following as my books: On The Road (even though I already own the first English edition and many other printings), Leaves Of Grass (despite the fact that I don't know the cost), Roxana, Germinal and The Poems Of John Clare. The society has approved and processed my choice, including the latter Clare volume. However, when I visited the society yesterday I was told, in casual chat, that there are no plans for a Clare book. I am sure I saw it on the site in one of those pictures of books lined up as if on a shelf. Have I dreamt this? Did anyone else catch a glimpse of Clare? After all the Whitman book is not on the UK website. One of my contacts at the society obviously did but not others. Is there another Folio Society in an alternative world that might explain some of the strange goings on with the websites that have been reported on this site? Not UFOs but UBMs – unidentified book manifestations.

PeterGreen, I did not see anything about the Clare. But I do know that while Leaves of Grass is not on the website they are def. taking orders for it. I believe it will be around $130-$150 and it is being released in June.

>90
Thank you for responding. They have taken my order for the Whitman AND THE CLARE!

Droool....John Clare? Me want. :D

Wait a second. I see a book by John Le Carre. Is that what you were seeing? It is on the front page, with all the new books lined up. Totally different author than Clare! Different century, for that matter. Are you sure you are getting Clare's poems?

Did it for me to join.

>93
Oh dear..I fear you are right. John Le Carre morphs into john Clare and back again. I thought John Clare had come in from the cold but he has perished on the Berlin wall of reality. Perhaps I will receive John Le Carre's poems but I am not sure that he could be so lyrical.

>89
How much was Walden as the renewal gift (was it a renewal or a joining offer)? I would LOVE to get a copy of it but I could never afford the LE price.

>97

It wasn't a renewal gift for me, so I wound up paying $185, but it does count as 3 volumes towards your purchase requirement.

>89
Walden is my free renewal gift. On the UK website it is shown as costing £99.95. However, the society will not let me order Leaves of Grass as one of my 4 books (because there is no price yet or publication date) and my fantasy John Clare volume has never existed; my mistake. So, I have to choose a 4th book.

I'll have to ask about getting Walden are the renewal gift. That would be my first choice, but it is more than the $160 they offered so they might not go for it ...

> 100
You should be OK. I have gone for the LE Moby Dick as my new 4th choice (mistaking John Le Carre for John Clare), so I am hoping the society will be able to give me Walden and the Diary but I will wait and see.

Message edited by its author, Aug 23, 2009, 3:20pm.

So I renewed today, I could not help myself so I bought 13 different selections including the History of England, the Campaigns of Wellington and the Aubrey-Maturin Series . I am so weak. Somebody mentioned that you could deal so that you did not have to take the free renewal gifts but apply it towards what you have bought. Are they reasonable about this or do you have to negotiate. Any answers would be greatly appreciated.

Message edited by its author, Aug 23, 2009, 10:03pm.

>102 - By thirteen selections, do you mean thirteen renewal offers, or...?

One renewal but thirteen book orders, the total number of books will be somewhat higher. At times in my past my big white bag would be more then one big white bag.

Barton I too have had the experience of more then one big white bag. When I first joined my mailman looked like Santa Claus when he came with my order. It was a total of about 23 books in four big white bags that he then loaded into one large black bag in order to make it easier to handle. On top of that he is a older, pudgy, gentleman. All he needed was the beard.

I haven't renewed yet but am in advanced negotiations :-)

I am awaiting email confirmation of our bargain.

>104,105 - Mine have come in multiple bags a lot of times, too. So fun!

>106 - Tell us all about it when you're done! ;-)

>65

overthemoon, did you get both Thesiger books or just the Arabian Sands? I thought these were oop as I haven't seen them on the website for months.

(Hopefully you have cooled down, but your face is still shining!)

While Arabian Sands is being mentioned, has anyone read it? Is it any good?

Django, Arabian Sands is among the new books - that's the only one I saw. SirFolio, I haven't read it, but it had good reviews and is a classic on the Empty Quarter.

I got my "New Books" flyer yesterday. Unfortunately, it still had the same underwhelming renewal offer. I'll be calling them shortly to try and get a better deal.

One thing I noticed is that the new books seem to have fewer illustrations than the older ones. A number of them have fewer than ten, while last year's new books often had 20 or more. Is this one of their ways to save some money? Or am I imagining things?

I have also noticed that in the past few years the covers have been getting more attractive, but this year there are a lot of very plain looking bindings and covers. Let's hope that changes in the near future!

I renewed today with The Double Helix, Ballet Shoes, History of the English Church and People, and Impossible Journeys. For my free gift I am taking Dracula (so highly recommended by group members that I simply had to have it), The Rosetta Stone(one I have been eyeing for several years) and A Passage to India (the only novel by Forster I haven't read yet).

Colour was a bit tempting but I think I will be happier with my three free books than I would be with the card games book, etc. :)

I have been reviewing the messages above and the talk about the 'Notebooks", I know I am rather dim at times but could not find the "Notebooks" on the Folio website ... until it sank in (finally!) that it was only a joining offer. It was not appearing on my computer, anyway I think I will get a sister of mine to join for the year and acquire it that way. Could anyone answer why it would not appear anywhere on a member site and just make it a regular offer? I guess they have their reasons but it does puzzle me.

#113: I would love to hear what you think of The Rosetta Stone when it arrives. I have also been eyeing it for several years.
--BJ

#114
Actually the Notebooks were available for members to purchase right up until the renewal offer was posted then they were gone. A lot of books disappeared at that time and will only reappear after you renew. I was thinking of using the remaining Rainbow Fairy Books (one had sold out) as part of my renewal requirement but they all vanished. Now the Yellow and Pink books are back and the third one will probably show up after I renew. This happens every year and it puzzles a lot of us.

> 114, 116 - I would recommend calling them. There are obviously problems with the website but they have all these books in the Members' Room (when I was there 10 days ago they had both the Notebooks and the three Fairy Books out). So I could have bought them in person and I think therefore you should be able to over the phone. I'm off to the Members' Room today or tmw so will report back if there's any change.

I have just sealed my renewal envelope (I had to do it manually as the web system won't understand it) and will post it off tomorrow.

After discussions with FS I choose an alternative to the 'Colours' offer, which consisted of a Joining offer plus Free Gift.

I choose as my 4 renewal books

1) Dickens' London
2) The English Language
3) The Devil's Dictionary
4) The Siege and Fall of Troy

I also plumped for the offer of the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations for AUD$9.95.

Bar any unforeseen difficulties, I am pleased with my renewal.

So I've renewed and (as the title of this thread suggests) I'm very happy. I went for Midnight's Children, Oscar and Lucinda and Possession for my freebies - and they kindly threw in the diary too.

For my renewal books I took My Family And Other Animals, which is wonderfully whimsical, and Lord of the Flies, the Poetry Anthology and the William Trevor short stories, which I'm getting v excited about.

Looking around the Members' Room, there were plenty of books not up on the web: the Blue Fairy Book is definitely there, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was there (although I couldn't tell quite how many Stevensons there were) etc. They suggested a new renewal offer will be sent out in the next couple of weeks.

So once again FS comes up trumps and leaves another v satisfied customer.

I am in the US. Has anyone there received the 2010 Prospectus in the mail yet? I am still awaiting mine.

>120

I received the new books prospectus on Monday, but not the full one.

And I have renewed as well, with the first offer presented: Colour, World Architecture, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, the diary, and the card game book. I used Walden and Robin Hood to meet my purchase requirement.

I know I'm in the minority here, but I liked the offer. Even the card games appealed to me - it reminds me of my grandfather, who used to play Gin Rummy with me when I was little. :-)

Message edited by its author, Aug 26, 2009, 11:47am.

> 120 - I just received the New Books flyer the other day. The Prospectus usually follows at least a week later, so I'm not expecting it until next week at the earliest.

I am in the US and have also not received anything yet. Someone ambitious should do what was done with the FS devotees ages, and make a little chart based on when people usually renew. I usually hold out until at least November when I get an offer I want, but am curious as to the distribution of when people renew

Well, I've finally placed my renewal order.

I'll be receiving all four volumes of Ideas: A History (two of them as the renewal offer), along with The Cretan Runner and The Persian Expedition. I could have gone for many more (I count 15 others I marked as "maybe"), but I'll somehow hold off until the Christmas sale. I'm already anticipating it, and that's half the fun. As for the initial renewal offer of Colours, the book of card games and the diary, I will gladly never purchase the last two, and look for the first on Ebay - I'm sure that many people not privy to the "alternative enrollment" will get it and then look to sell it.

>124

I hedged that bet with Cathedrals of the Middle Ages in 2007 and got burned: I haven't been able to find a copy under 75 dollars and was expecting to see them in the 30-40 dollar range. I made sure not to miss on Sir Gawain last year, but as it turns out, those are quite abundant on ebay and the like, so it really is a gamble. I have found that a lot of the 2-volume sets maintain their values very well: Thesiger, History of Scotland, and History of Africa, for instance. It seems like some of the more obscure titles hold their values up simply because a lot of people didn't buy them. I am starting to panic because there are so many books that I want right now that collectively will start to bust my wallet: Walden, Paradisio, Leaves of Grass, Legends of Russia, Legends of Ancient Rome and so many others, with not even mentioning the LEs! Long story short if you hold off buying the presentation volume and other books that have been sitting idly in your cart, you could be burned.

Seems that most of you get a different renewal offer than I. I got Colour, The World's Heritage (from Collins, 832 pages, not a bad one!), the Card Games and the diary. Don't know yet which titles I will buy for my renewal...

I am a bit confused, so would like people to clarify please! I am a UK member. The renewal offer I have received is simply Colour, Folio Card Games, and the diary. Others seem to have got something different (islandbooks for instance). If you got a different offer, please elucidate, including where you're from (is it a geographical thing???).

Thanks!

BTW Colour looks good, but some of the renewal offers that people have negotiated look far better. I never realised they were open to this, and I've been a member a long time. Makes this forum all the more interesting finding these things out.

>Willoyd

I have the same offer as islandbooks and I'm a UK member too.
But I think you might find all your questions answered in this thread:http://www.librarything.com/topic/70875
Message #101 in particular considers the geographical aspect.

Thanks Lady_Lulu, that certainly does answer my questions. Quite an eye-opener, and have to say my opinion of FS has nose dived.

Willoyd - dont be too upset. Im pretty sure if you contact them they will be willing to work with you.

I am considering purchasing Grapes of Wrath as part of my renewal package. According to the website listing there are 40 left. I already have an EP edition which I am pleased with, but I am pleased with the cover design and the illustrations I see for the FS edition. It is also one of my favorite books. Can anyone comment on their copy of the FS edition if they have one? Thanks.

I bought The Grapes of Wrath when it had a slightly different cover - the main color was dark blue, which I think looks better than the cover now in use. Other than that, they appear to be the same.

The book has a good solid heft to it - no slim volume of course, but not too large to carry comfortably. The paper is of a good thickness and has a good feel to it, but visually it's not tremendously distinctive. There is no gilt or colored edge. The illustrations work well with the text, the typeface is clear and not too small, and the chapter headings work well also. I think it's a handsome book, and is of course a classic story though I can't help but think of Henry Fonda when I read Tom Joad's words.

HMO, if your EP version reproduces the old LEC edition with Thomas Hart Benton's lithographs, I doubt that you will find the Folio edition an improvement.

132 and 133> Many thanks. My EP does have the Thomas Hart Benton lithographs which I have always enjoyed. I think I will stick with what I have.

I have taken the plunge, took the Colour offer and renewed with Dorian Gray, Kidnapped, The Fables of Aesop and the LE Alice's Adventures Underground. My credit card and I are no longer on speaking terms.

*but it hurts soo good*

I've now renewed. Still somewhat dischuffed, but on the whole OK (definitely not as happy as the title of the thread!).
I phoned and asked why different offers were made available: as has been suggested, the reason given was trying out different offers to see responses. I did express unhappiness at being offered the lowest value renewal package, and was told that FS happy to offer the extra book(s) that others have been offered. I explained that I was wasn't really interested in that book (or in the rest of the renewal package), so I was offered the 'alternative'. In some respects, I'm very happy with that - I've acquired two books I really wanted - and I have no complaints per se with the maximum value offer of £68 (far from it), EXCEPT that others have been offered more, and I continue to feel that is wrong.

Interestingly, all the way, the person I spoke to on the phone played it very cagily, always wanting to know what better offers I'd seen, and never volunteering any information. In fact, when I said I was unhappy that others had got better offers, they asked to know what offers, and then disappeared off the phone for a few minutes.

Anyway, I've landed up with books I am really happy with, but the whole business has left a rather sour taste in my mouth. I've renewed partly because the books I've bought I really wanted, and I don't think I'll get a better offer for them, but it'll make me think a lot harder in future about whether I renew or play hard ball.

BTW, the books I've ordered are: LE of Moby Dick (the main reason I decided not to hold out for any length of time), with Midnight's Children and The Sea The Sea as the renewal offer.

Message edited by its author, Aug 28, 2009, 7:33am.

angelikat, my credit card and I long since broke up. I keep her cruelly chained to my wallet and occasionally let her out to see the nice people at the Folio Society then I cage her again in case she bolts ... I have also removed her tongue so she can't sneak to my husband. Oh, how cruel I am!

>136 - The person I talked to at Folio, when I mentioned the better offers that others received, denied it. She said that all members received the same offer. I didn't argue with her but instead moved on to the "alternative offer", but that was disquieting.

> 136 - they played it a little bit cagily with me in the Members' Room but given the fact that I got three Booker Prize winners for renewal I would call them up and ask for more willoyd. It does all seem a bit ad-hoc.

> 136 and previous posts
Sounds like a rebellion of the LT-FS-devotees has started! Shouldn't we be a bit more careful -- I mean: if every member tries to get the most out of his membership renewal offer, Folio may change its policy in the future to something less appealing.
We're not only FS devotees, but FS supporters too, I think!

No rebellion on my part: I'm impressed with the willingness of FS to allow an alternative renewal and think it a good one; I'm unimpressed with the fact that some have been offered more than others, especially given it doesn't look as if it's any sort of reward for loyalty or commitment, and am concerned at the lack of openness about this, something that I've not come across before with FS. Up to now, I've had nothing but praise for membership services.

One thing jumps out at me that you mentioned in #136, Willoyd - that they were trying out different renewal offers and gauging responses. It sounds like they are looking at their business model (not a bad idea in this economy) and trying to assess what can be done differently/better, both in terms of their budget, and their customer satisfaction.

Companies engage in business intelligence of this sort all the time, just the consumer doesn't usually know about it - or isn't confronted with it quite so boldly as we are here. Unfortunately for the FS, we Devotees are a fairly talkative and enthusiastic bunch, so we've sort of ripped back the curtain and seen the Wizard, as it were.

I'm not too concerned about the whole thing - they seem to be working well with members on their renewals and giving a satisfactory deal to all who inquire.

>142

And does he look like Frank Morgan? (Being a film buff, I'm sure you know the part of the Wizard was originally offered to W.C.Fields and he turned it down; how I wonder it would have played with him as the Wizard!)

Actually, I always supposed the head of the Folio Society would look like Orson Welles. But out of curiosity, I just looked up Lord Gavron (the Chairman of the FS) and he looks...well...the first two people who come to mind are my 8th grade history teacher (the face) and Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown in Back to the Future (the hair, though that might be a wig). But he does look like a lovely chap, the sort you wouldn't mind sharing a dinner table with.

His pic can be seen here: http://www.dodonline.co.uk/engine.asp?le...

(And I did not know about W.C. Fields, though I did know about Buddy Ebsen. How interesting!)

Message edited by its author, Aug 28, 2009, 3:06pm.

140: I've thought similar things. This group of ours has the ability to annoy FS by finding out all the little marketing deals and then angling for the best one.

But much more likely, FS loves this group because we market to ourselves better than they do. We post better pics, and more of them, and we talk each other into buying lots of stuff we wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

Also, according to the article posted somewhere, FS had something like 140,000 members as of 2 years ago. Our little cabal probably won't hurt their bottom line much.

>145

Best of all, we do market research for them. Think about some of our threads: "What do you do?", "Where are you?", "Average age of an FS Member?" I love knowing about all the different backgrounds here on the board, but that info is very useful for the Society as well! Other publishers will pay large sums to know that sort of information; we offer it for free! For that alone, they are likely grateful.

>144

(And also that Louis B. Mayer was desperate to get Deanna Durbin away from Universal to play Dorothy--who says studio heads are infallible?)

I agree with 140...I think the "biting the hand that feeds" that I hear some here doing frightens me a little bit.

>146 - I wonder if they have a special division of people to gather intel here, or if it's a part-time thing...

I for one would like to keep the alternate offers going. I am not too concerned about what others receive.

> 150

I think it remains the right of the FS to negotiate with their membership, but the crassness of sending, publicly, renewal offers inferior to others to members who have fulfilled their membership obligations, is asking for trouble.

Negotiating privately is another matter.

Biting the hand? In amongst a large amount of positives, I have expressed one piece of dissatisfaction, the first in over 20 years of membership. That has been presented pretty mildly too. As I understand it, FS did this differentiated offering as a piece of market research. They got calm and rational feedback, and an emphasis that in all other aspects I am totally satisfied with my membership. If the result of this is that FS start actually withdrawing the praised facilities, then they are less commercially aware than any sensible business should be, and I'm sure that's not the case. Rather the opposite: any half sensible organisation would want to know immediately if something was wrong for a member, and FS are definitely way better than half sensible!

Message edited by its author, Aug 28, 2009, 6:58pm.

Well I've just renewed. I took the offer and bought my 4 volumes for the year in one go:

French Provincial Cooking
The Secret History
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
The English Language

I'll await my parcel with anticipation.

Got my renewal books today!

But the postal carrier apparently decided not to lug the bag up the steps, because he left a stupid tag and I have to pick it up tomorrow!

Mine came today as well,

The Peloponnesian War
The Annals of Imperial Rome
Lord Jim
Nostromo
The Secret Agent
Typhoon and Other Tales
Folio Diary 2010

Now the wait till I can afford the other 100 books I want from the FS.

Message edited by its author, Aug 31, 2009, 8:53pm.

Congratulations guys, sadly I have another four to five weeks to wait for my order to get to me.
It takes folio forever to get books to upstate NY.

>156

angelikat, I received mine after 2 weeks and live in MA. So there's always hope.

I'm in Atlanta, if that matters.

>I'm sure it matters to the folks in Atlanta. :-)

Os.

hey, i'm in Atlanta. Got mine last week...

159: D'you think they'd notice if I left?

My replacement order arrived yesterday - and my Walden was damaged! Sad!

I really have to wonder how the US Postal Service does it. I mean, the box had gashes in the side...even though the box was in the Royal Mail bag...and everything in the order was pristine...EXCEPT Walden. Do they somehow know the most expensive item and target it for abuse??

ETA: I emailed the Society, and in requesting the replacement, offered to mail back the damaged version (as I usually do). For the first time ever, they are sending me a return postage label and have indicated that they would like the volume back. Interesting!

Message edited by its author, Sep 1, 2009, 7:57am.

Well, it could be the Royal Mail that damaged it, you know.

I got my books today. They all look great.

The slipcase for Colour was both slightly damaged and had some air bubbles in the paper illustration on the side. But I don't think I'll report it to FS.

The books I got and care about:

Colour: Really looks and feels great. I've never seen a different edition of this book, so I can't judge the difference, but I'm happy.

Tinker, Tailor: I think the illustrations and cover are just right for the story. I wish there were more illustrations.

Analects of Confucius: This is a pretty book, and bigger than I was expecting. Feels good. The illustrations are appropriate, but not really pretty, imo.

Remains of the Day: Looks good all around. The illustrations match the story well.

Cretan Runner: Haven't look carefully yet.

World's Heritage: Haven't looked carefully, but my initial reaction is, "eh."

Yeah, I know it could be the Royal Mail - I just prefer to blame my local postal service because I've had issues with them before, not related to my Folio packages. Mishandled mail holds, other damaged packages and letters... So they have made themselves my scapegoat. :-)

In that case, I blame them too!

> 162

Quite possibly because they have had a spike in the number of returns?

> 163

Gistak,

Can you elaborate on the “eh” reaction on the “World’s Heritage” volume?
I should be getting mine this week; and I’m looking forward to it as I have always been very interested on the UNESCO programs.

167: It's sort of short but thick.

Each page has information about a different site, but that means that nothing is really in-depth. The pictures are well-done, but again, small.

From 136 "BTW, the books I've ordered are: LE of Moby Dick (the main reason I decided not to hold out for any length of time), with Midnight's Children and The Sea The Sea as the renewal offer."

Just received the LE of Moby Dick. Absolutely stunning - for me, easily the best Folio Book I've had (and that includes the Kelmscott Chaucer, although that means maybe not 'easily' the best!). Cover is beautiful, and love the illustrations. And a decent type size too!

169: The LE Moby Dick is stunningly beautiful indeed. Since I already have it, I ordered the LE Les Miserables. I am curious how it will hold up in direct comparison with Moby Dick. As renewal offer I got History of Western Science and A History of the Arab Peoples.

>170 I'm the other way round - already having the LE Les Miserables The latter is good, and am very happy with it, but it's not as good as Moby Dick. (I have History Western Science too, and like the binding of that too).

Message edited by its author, Sep 7, 2009, 4:09pm.

*Dance of Joy*

I received my LE Alice's Adventures Underground today, that has to be the fastest I have ever gotten a book from Folio. And what a book it is, I love it! Now I want to get more LE's. Does it ever stop??

On a more somber note, the rest of my order is still somewhere waiting for me in big white bags. Maybe in another week they will join their brethren on my shelves.

I still haven't seen anything worthwhile to get me to renew. They do offer you $160 credit... but that's about enough to purchase two books. So, needless to say I don't plan on renewing any time soon. I wonder why they got rid of all their "good" offers, such as Proust, Empires, etc...

cheers,

-astropi

> 173

On the US website, Gibbons complete set is available as a joining offer!

Well, after what seemed like an extended wait; I have finally heard back from the FS and they have accepted my offer to rejoin. Yipee.

>171 I've received my copy of the LE Les Miserables (still waiting for A History of the Arab Peoples and History of Western Science), and I agree with your assessment. Les Miserables is great and surely worth its money, but by far not as impressive as Moby Dick. If I remember correctly, I've got number 1064 of Les Miserables. Still plenty of copies left......

Finally the two Big White Bags arrived with my renewal order which I am mightily pleased with.

Now that they are on my hands I might expand on what I ordered.

I rejected the Colour offer and asked them to let me renew with the Fairy Tale offer which you might have seen on the joining offers. I did however want the Greeks Myths two pack, so instead of the Wind in the Willows free gift that someone who would join the society get with the Fairy tale set, I asked them to swap for the Greek myths set, which they were kind enough to do.

So I then ordered my four books ans qualified for the cheap offer of the ODQ for AUS$9.99.

Renewal Negotiation
GRR The Greek Myths
BGR Grimm's Fairy Tales
ARN The Arabian Nights
AFB The Fables of Aesop
HCA Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales
PFT Perrault's Fairy Tales

4 Obligatory Purchases
DKL Dickens' London
EGL The English Language
DED The Devil's Dictionary
SFT The Siege and Fall of Troy

Offer
OD2 Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

Overall, very pleased with the offer and the flexibility shown by the Folio Society.

>177 - I rejected the Colour offer and asked them to let me renew with the Fairy Tale offer which you might have seen on the joining offers.

I'm impressed. Like a lamb, I accepted their offer of Colour, Card Games and a Diary and as far as they go, I'm very pleased with them. However, I just can't imagine having gone back to ask them to swap 1 decent book + 2 attractive but cheap giveaways for 6 full price blockbusters. When you say you rejected the Colour offer, what else was in that package?

Boldface FS didn't do LesMes any favors as he lives in Australia and pays 3 times the cost of books in the UK.

As far as I'm concerned he's paid in full for the 6-full price blockbusters and they owe him money back.

Put that way - fair comment!

On balance it is a reasonable offer in my opinion. The real benefits of membership come when the sales roll out.

well I finally got round to re-newing myself today. I was offered £85 of books I could choose in lieu of the renewal offer.
got oscar and lucinda, riddle of the sands and possession as my renewal pack and chose tinker tailor soldier spy, human factor, to kill a mockingbird and good soldier as the 4 books I needed to renew ... very happy as always. now I just got to hope the royal mail deign to deliver them as I've been having problems with our postal services recently ...

I know that I'm going to renew with Metamorphoses as my renewal, but am not sure what I should do for my free set. I was thinking of negotiating for the whole Booker Prize set, the Raj set, the Dance to the Music of Time set, or the Alexandria Quartet. Which of the latter three is the most readable and easily accessible?

>183 - I'm reasonably sure Dance to the Music of Time isn't the most accessible.

>183: I am in a similar position. I know what I will purchase as my renewal books but am unsure of what to request/negotiate for my free books. Right now I am thinking either the Raj set, the O'Brian set or the Dance to the Music of Time set...

Of course, this all depends on Folio's willingness to negotiate.

In response to chase.donaldson's query, I would speak up for the Dance to the Music of Time set, which I acquired in Folio last year and they look beautiful. I read these about 20 years ago and really enjoyed, so I am looking forward to rereading. I thought that these were accessible and gently humourous.
I really enjoyed the Alexandria Quartet when I read about 22 years ago and have subsequently read much of Durrells other fiction and travel writing, but have acquired the Folio Justine and Balthazar and am having trouble rereading, as the prose seems so 'purple'. Will still probably acquire the two other volumes.
Am myself thinking about asking for the Raj quartet as a renewal set.

I'm with CarltonC, chase: I really enjoyed the Powell books, but then I am a fan of the literature and history of that period--as covered in so many of Waugh's books and in Graves' The Long Weekend. I also find Lawrence Durrel's prose style a little too overwrought (and much prefer his brother as a writer).

I am a great admirer of Paul Scott's Raj Quartet. The novels were published over a nine year period (1966-75) so you don't have to read them all in one go. Some of the political background can be intimidating if you are not familiar with it, but the human story played against it is compelling. Scott compares and contrasts on the one hand the tensions behind the political turmoil of the last days of the Raj with, on the other, the rigid class system, racial prejudice and sexual tensions of the main protagonists, in a story which brings out many of the double standards of both. Most of the main characters are misfits in some way, round pegs in square holes. The novels partly cover the same ground, but from different perspectives, as we see the events through the eyes of various different characters. Finally, we come to see that the personal story itself is a kind of metaphor for the imperial dream that was Britain and India, the Jewel in the Crown.
I would also recommend the DVDs of the 1984 television serial, 'The Jewel in the Crown' (a landmark series in its own right), which follows the story pretty faithfully, while distentangling the overlapping threads into one continuous narrative.

IMO, Powell is as accessible as baby food. (And, to me at least, tasted about the same.)

Anyone received the second offer so far? Mine is still showing the first one, although they said it expires Oct 2.

>189

I find Gerber's puréed ham quite tasty (and so does my cat).

>188
I'm torn on the Raj Quartet: I saw some of the series (work kept me from seeing it all) and I thought it was quite good, and 6 years ago bought a nice 4 volume trade edtion (in slipcase) but haven't had time to read it. I suppose if the illustrations in the Folio version were outstanding I would be tempted to get it, but even then I owuld have to wait until it was on sale.

Your cat is welcome to my Powell (which, by the way, is still sitting in the store I sold it to). ;)

I saw the BBC (?) series in the mid-eighties, I remember being impressed, as usual, by the quality of the production. Unfortunately, seeing film productions before reading books invariably spoils the latter for me.

>186,187
I'm so glad to read your comments about the Alexandria Quartet. I bought Justine as part of one of this year's sales on the recommendation of several people and many rave reviews, so was really disappointed to find that I just couldn't get into it - I've had several goes now. I think your phrases ' purple' prose, and 'overwrought' perfect descriptions. I might try again (although am not sure why), but am not convinced.

Message edited by its author, Oct 2, 2009, 3:37pm.

Durrell's best suited to the age or mentality which can alchemise his tinsel dross to gold--teens, inexperienced readers (one has to have read, lived and loved VERY little to derive any profit from him), or anyone in a mood for shallow floating along on pretty words.

I think I was 17-18 when I first read the Alexandria Quartet, and although I disliked it almost immediately--partly out of sheer envy, since that perfumy, melodramatic Alexandria was eons away from the dreary city I had known recently (naturally I felt life had cheated me)--pretty soon the sheer ridiculousness of Durrell's style and the void of his thought overtook those instinctive reasons.

After reading a while in Justine, I decided that, in order to continue, I'd have to drop my usual critical standards. I little while later, I decided that I would need to drop any critical standard. After some more time and pages, I decided I would need to drop acid. Since I had none, I stopped reading.

Message edited by its author, Oct 2, 2009, 4:33pm.

I started and stopped Justine today - just couldn't get into it at all. I can see why some people would like it but it just seemed so pretentious to me.

Back to the original question, I personally would go for the Booker Prize winners. And if one or two of them don't appeal I'd try to swap in Possession by AS Byatt - one of my favourite FS books for illustrations.

I've not bought the Alexandria Quartet because I didn't like the covers. I know: it's stupid, but I'm like that. And after having read the flames on Justine, I'm not ready to try THIS Durrell. It doesn't surprise me too much after what I learned on him when reading Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals: Larry is depicted by his young brother as a dull, posh, and irritating being.

Forget Lawrence, and let us keep Gerald!

(Edited to add "Alexandria" before "Quartet"...)

PS - And I haven't renewed yet, though I still feel happy...

Message edited by its author, Oct 3, 2009, 4:53pm.

I rather like Lawrence Durrell's travel books, Reflections on a Marine Venus (Rhodes) and Bitter Lemons of Cyprus; I can't speak for Prospero's Cell as I haven't read it.

Message edited by its author, Oct 4, 2009, 12:45pm.

Well, I tried calling to renew, but was told that there was a price cap for alternative offers... No Leonardo notebooks for me, nor even the anthology of shorter crime fiction. I'm rather disheartened and confused. Perhaps my abilities in 'phone negotiation and persuasion are lacking. So now I wait until I finally get another offer.

By the way, did anyone else notice Faust back on the website with ten remaining?

Well, I've renewed with the second round. The following will be coming my way:

The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci
The Book of Common Prayer
A Book of Travellers' Tales
Woodbrook (the last copy available online!)
The World's Heritage
The Book of Exploration
The Folio Diary 2010

I'm quite happy.

>199

Woodbrook is great. A real gem of a story about love and hatred.

My renewal books:

- Folio Offer
The Best of Blandings set
The Green Fairy Book
- Renewal Purchase
The Campaigns of Wellington set
Cover Her Face

This was a great renewal offer for me as I have wanted the Blandings and Welllington sets for some time; not to mention I have been meaning to order Cover Her Face since it was introduced.

Let's just hope they get the parcel in the post before Royal Mail does a runner!

Message edited by its author, Oct 16, 2009, 7:37am.

No way was I letting the The Raj Quartet pass me by as a renewal offer!

My 4 companion volumes:

The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Freaks of Mayfair
The Age of Innocence
Beyond the Pale and Other Stories

Well-pleased!

>200 - I've no doubt I'll agree with you. Felt I would love it once I read the description.

I'm also somewhat happy about getting The Book of Exploration and Folio Diary rather than The Green Fairy Book, since I don't want the FS edition of the Fairy Book set.

Oh joy! My renewal package was despatched yesterday (at least that's what the website says). I can hardly wait for the Green, Yellow and Pink Fairy Books, the Nesbit set and the Picture of Dorian Gray to get here (Lord of the Flies and Robin Hood are future publications - how will I stand the wait).

Oh horrors! My renewal package was despatched. Now I have to find room on my already crowded shelves for ten new books (and justify them to my sister - thank goodness the rest of the order is for future publication). Maybe I can convince her that the Nesbit set is only one item; five items sounds so much better than ten books.

And I already have three books in my basket from the Books for Christmas section. I'm just afraid to complete the order so soon after the renewal books.

Renewed and bought far too much.

I chose the The History of Paris in Painting as my gift, and negotiated getting Anna Karenina instead of the Green Fairy Book (not much into fairy tales).

Then ordered

The Wooden World
Journals Captain Scott's last expedition
Dorian Gray
Collected Short Stories of Gogol
Kidnapped
Robinson Crusoe
Arabian Sands
Typhoon

as well as a Dorian Gray and a Gogol as xmas presents!

Renewed as well and took "The Story of the Renaissance" and "The Green Fairy Book". I ordered the LE "The Diary of Samuel Pepys" as my renewal purchase (Installments of course)

Atheistic - I keep looking at the Pepys with intent!

#209: Yes it was my intention from the beginning of the renewal process to buy it and I could not hold off any longer. I was told shipping would start near mid-November. The site still shows 36 available but with my purchase it should have dropped to 35. I can't remember who it was that posted pictures of the books on here but that pretty much put me over the edge!

> 210

I think that was me -

Yes apparently you were the culprit. lol

I renewed with the LE Alice and Ballet Shoes. My offer was the Notebooks ($14.95), Folio Diary 2010, Book of Exploration, and the World's Heritage.

I'm not interested in the Book of Exploration and the World's Heritage - if anyone is interested in a trade let me know.

I renewed with the LE Alice and Ballet Shoes. My offer was the Notebooks ($14.95), Folio Diary 2010, Book of Exploration, and the World's Heritage.

I'm not interested in the Book of Exploration and the World's Heritage - if anyone is interested in a trade let me know.

I've succumbed. Mortgage or no, but I realized that the £4.95/per set offer is just too good to be allowed to pass... :) So I renewed today. I asked the FS for the Empires of the Ancient Near East set as my renewal set - which they graciously let me have, together with the Green Fairy Book.

I got Persuasion, The Little Grey Men, Unweaving the Rainbow and The Folio Anthology of Poetry as my renewal books, all happily sitting in my suitcase on my way home from London (I mean, I *hope* they are happy there. I will know tomorrow, when both they and I are happily back home).

Truth to say, choice was harder this time, as I knew I wouldn't be buying any other FS books in quite a while (this is my first purchase in more than 8 months). Persuasion and Unweaving the Rainbow were easy choices, while I anguished for about an hour about the other two. The biggest question was the Poetry Anthology, as I had two good candidates for the same price slot - Possession and The Language Instinct; I went for the anthology in the end, as I can get the other two in ordinary edition (though the illustrations in Possession are really to my taste...).

All in all, extraordinary value for the 9 books. I doubt I could them (in new condition) for that price after long searches on the secondary market. So, I'm happy :)

Quicksilver - what is the text like in the Pepys - do you have a photo?