Leonardo Da Vinci: The Notebooks - Limited Edition

Okay, several of you had asked for photos of this one so I am posting it to a new thread so as not to bog down the LE thread that many of us have been following.

These are still available from the look of the website:
http://www.eastonpressbooks.com/leather/product.asp?code=2550

These are both housed in a fabric covered, unmarked slipcase. The embossing is nice but not especially deep. These books are a nice size and could actually be read, unlike some of EP's other LEs, like Crusades or Chaucer, which are strictly desktop books. There are many illustrations, both in the pages themselves as well as copies of his original sketches. You can Google the book and get complete list of contents and illustrations. Each volume is about 500 pages. Illustrations, size and paper quality is mainly what you are paying for here.

Same disclaimers as before; I am not a great photographer, yada, yada, yada, but here are some photos:

Thanks for the wonderful pics!

Thank you for this

Thanks alot for the pictures.

Not so sure if they sway me away from my un-opened Folio edition though, I think even though that the FS has less illustrations that it is a bit hard to justify a 100 pound price difference for me. The EP being the most expensive.

<bubble-bursting>

You could save even more money by buying the Dover Press edition. They are a low-priced unabridged reproduction of the exact same original 1883 edition.

Frankly, I'm in shock. I paid $12.50 for the two Dover volumes at a used bookstore twenty years ago. The first volume is on sale at amazon for $17.03 (new). There are several copies of each volume for sale on ebay (used) for between $7.50 and $20.00 per book.

I have verified that the editions are the same by comparing hamletscamaro's pics (thank-you very much, by the way) with my own Dovers. Other than the title page, they are identical--down to the flourishes that begin and end each section. The only real difference (other than EP's higher-quality materials and superior binding, yada yada) is that the Dover edition prints the full-page pictures in black and white (rather than the original sepia) and groups them into sets (whereas the EP edition appears to have interspersed the plates throughout the text).

I'm not canceling my order from EP or anything. It's just sobering to realize that I have been anxiously awaiting the delivery of a $600 version of something that I had already bought for $12.50.

(**sigh**)

</bubble-bursting>

> 5

Wow thanks for the advice, now I guess I have to flip the coin and ask whether I shall sell my FS edition and use the saved money to aquire other volumes in addition to the Dovers edition which as you say have more illustrations then the FS edition as well, as it is jut the same as the EP.

>1 hamletscamaro:

Beautiful! Thanks very much for the pictures.

5: whew! That is a sobering thought. But doesn't that apply to any EP and other fine press books? Many EP books are unique and include illustrations that are not found elsewhere (specially commissioned) or hard to find (such as the Walter Crane illustrations to Spencer's Faerie Queene). Despite these illustrations, the words themselves are typically unaltered and you can almost always purchase a much cheaper copy of the work. Still, I think it's the high-quality material and craftsmanship that I truly appreciate... well, OK, I am a sucker for the beautiful illustrations too :) And hey! the Notebooks have 700 of them?

8> Oh, I agree. As I said, I'm not canceling my order. In fact, I recently bought EP's beautilfully illustrated copy of the Tao Te Ching, even though I already own another Easton Press edition of the book (from the Books that Changed the World Series). The same illustrated edition is available as a regular hardback on amazon for $16.47, but I wanted a copy bound in Connecticut leather.

My slight disappointment was just magnified a little by the fact that I learned that the two editions were identical on the eve of the books' arrival (I expect them any day). Had I realized it from the start, however, I have little doubt I would have bought the LE anyway...

> 8

I agree with you as well, allthough for me in this case it is refreshing to know that there appears not to be any illustrations that are not found elsewhere as SilentInAWay pointed out, knowing I can get it for alot less.

If this EP set would have had something unique in the total content then it would be different for me I guess. Though the LE "stamp" and the appearence counts for sure but perhaps not enough for me in this case.

And of course one must take into consideration that there afterall is a little difference to purchase a second nearly identical copy at about 50-70 USD as opposed to 450 USD, well for me without a job or any income it surely is anyway :-)

>all

I agree, there are certain details that must be on heavy sets.
Attractive yes, struck with awe and disbelief of a set or volume is another question.
If massive, the pages would be preferred to have the art high quality appearance good enough for framing in two or three centuries. To spend $500 on a book is expected to last for not only generations but centuries. Very few publishers are deemed to be this quality, not only the detail and production of the leather. Quite complicated to explain, I have been impressed with some of the recent titles published. A true masterpiece is very difficult to received a grade higher than 95% out of 100 with flawless perfection that cannot be perfected any further. Easton has done a good job with many of their titles.. I do wish the more expensive ones would include a quality slipcase and perhaps if possible a cloth bag for double protection. The heavier the books are the more difficult for storage on a shelf.

I was so impressed that I purchased a copy. even though I already have the Folio edition. So many thanks for the pictures!

I only just today received the flyer for the Notebooks in the mail, a month or three after they became order-able. If I hadn't joined this group and didn't following our postings daily/avidly/compulsively I'd never have learned of this LE until now!

I want the Dover Editions... but now there are none to be found :(