How many Easton Press book do you own and how long have you been collecting them?

Keep it short guys :P

4 books, collecting for one month.

Subscribed to the 100 greatest books.

I have about 50 and I started December 2010. Mostly 100 greatest.

I have about 10 and started December 2010. Mostly American and European history.

I have about 36. I started in August 2010.

I first subscribed in November 2009, have 49 now. You're too quick for me Nexus99.

About 77 so far, started over Christmas. Mostly large sets (Shakespeare 39 vol, Arabian Nights 17 vol. Tolkien 8 vol. Narnia 7 vol.) Haven't begun to receive my Signed Modern Classics yet.

God, so lucky Highgate! If only I had a job!

P.S
A off topic question people... I recentley saw the famous edtions on the gilded legacy store at ebay and noticed it was discontinued on the EP store, how long has it been gone? and why was it stopped? and also what is the purpose of the series? a lot of the books are in other series, just with different covers... was that it's only purpose? exclusive covers?

A job is great for acquiring things, unfortunately my job is quite a time commitment so enjoying those things is another matter. I suppose there is always retirement.

We should all just team up and rob a bank, or better yet an Easton Press warehouse :D

Started spring 2010, now I have six (and counting) of the 100 Greatest, two LE's and one other title (I'm a slow reader so I asked EP to only send them every couple of months).

185 - I've been collecting them for over 15 years. My first was Moby Dick for $5. My most recent was History of the Crusades.

Physically I do not have any on my bookshelf for now but I have some one the way (I hope they will be here soon) and I`ll have 4 when they have all arrived.

Oh I forgot to add that I have been collecting since right before christmas.

75 EP books. I've been collecting for two years.

I joined January 2010 when someone posted pictures of the Leonardo da Vinci books on the Folio site. The pictures seemed quite good so I ordered the book. Since the I asked for book series on "Books thar Changed the World" and "Adventure books."

Only started late last year collecting EP books. My first was Treasure Island and my second purchase was the set "I Claudius and Claudius the God", which I am currantly reading with great pleasure.

Since December 2010 and have 6, all bought in the second hand market :-(

Thinking of signing up to a serier but from the UK it works out quite expensive

> 16

It realy doesn't, you know. The exchange rate is ok and EP standard surface mail rate is not expensive. All in all you only end up paying a little more than the price a US subscriber would pay (about $10). Of course, Airmail is expensive if you chose that option, but I am quite satisfied with surface mail which is about 3 to 7 weeks on average.

EP books are a lot cheaper for us in the UK than FS books are to US members. We pay the same price for EP books but the FS mark up their prices on the international market.

Quicksilver do you pay VAT on Easton books in the UK? Sadly the Canadian government takes its cut along the way adding another 5% in Canada.

> 17,18

I'd like to know this too. I just got an order of some books through from Barnes & Noble and was dreadign that I'd be hit with import tax on it, but I wasn't charged any and it was for a fairly big order. Are printed documents exempt from tax here?

I guess my issue with Easton Press is less that the postage is expensive and more that the books are expensive in the first place. I could face paying the $10 postage if the book didn't work out at £30-50 too. My main issue is that 9 times out of 10 I prefer Folio Society books and (for me at least) they are usually cheaper. Especially with their regular sales.

I'm currently thinking about signing up to the Sci Fi series, as those books will never be released as fine bindings here in the UK, by Folio or anyone.

> 18

No, Highgate. Books are VAT exempt in the UK and no additional tax is levied on imported books. Thank goodness - we already pay enough VAT over here - it's just been hiked to 20%, but books remain VAT exempt.

> 19

I love the FS and EP. They both have very different philosophies, but EP Limited Editions compare favourably to FS Limited Editions.

EP "regular titles" are usualy reprints but still beautifully bound versions of classic editions and well worth collecting in my view.

Long live EP and the FS.

Some of you guys are insane! Highgate, are you buying mostly from eBay, Abebooks and the secondary market? That is a lot of books!

JD5589, Highgate, you need to immediately check in to the EPAA:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/98012

Hunter, Longhorn, you both may want to proactively have an intervention while you still have hope.

I have something over 200 EP books but I have been collecting since college in the early 90s, so this has been a long running obsession for me. Most of my books with the 100 Greatest and and classic literature, but I have various history books as well.

Welcome

>16 LipstickAndAviators:, 17 I agree that FS books are much more expensive for those in the US. I have several FS books, but all from the second hand market. I have never become a FS member, I've always been afraid that the temptation is more than I can bear. But I like to lurk in the FS group and I live vicariously through those of you that can visit the Members Room in person.

>22 hamletscamaro: Basically all of my books are purchased through ebay/Abe Books and I have been very happy with them so far, all fine and as described. I used to have a fear of ebay after a bad experience several years ago but when I saw so many good sets out of print I decided to take the plunge. The only ones which are direct from Easton are the limited editions I have (all but Kelmscott, Crusades, and Indian Tribes as I only heard of Easton after these were sold out) and the Signed Modern Classics which haven't begun to arrive yet.

Out of curiosity when your books have inserts (maps, collectors notes, etc) or bookplates that you don't intend to attach do you leave them inside the books? I had read somewhere that this is bad for them but I don't know where to store all of these things to keep them in good condition (the inserts rather than the bookplates).

I've collected about 20 Easton Press titles over the past two years.

> 25

I leave them inside the books, usually behind the back endpapers. The EP bookplate makes a handy bookmark as I never use the ribbons.

>27 Quicksilver66: You don't use the ribbon? Is there a fear of fraying? I've been using them without much concern.

> 28

I just dislike using the ribbons, finding them a bit fiddly. Slipping a bookmark in and out is far easier for me. I would be happy if EP books had no ribbons.

My Huckleberry Finn ribbon frayed on the second day I got it, I hadn't even used it, I noticed the end was cut rather dodgy, next time I like it was tattered.

I leave the inserts tucked inside the book. Unlike the Franklin Library inserts, which include staples and are much thicker, the Easton Press inserts are typically just a single slip of paper, sometimes folded in half, which can do no harm to the book.

The bookplates, on the other hand, have chemicals in the adhesive that, even laid in loose, will cause discoloration to the moire fabric and could presumably damage paper as well. Granted, I think it takes a long, long time for this to occur but I have evidence of this from a copy of an Easton Press book that I purchased second hand. It was old and the adhesives appeared to have soaked into and through the paper of the bookplate, which then affected the moire fabric against which it was pressed. So I have removed the laid-in bookplates from my books and store them separately. I've considered pitching them altogether as I despise them but in name of preserving the original contents for some future collector they sit in their own storage box.

Someday I will probably discover that the box in which they are stored has become saturated with glue and the box has discolored the box in which I have books stored and that the discolored box in which I have books stored has discolored the leather covers of my books. After all, it is their mission to devalue and destroy Easton Press books.

>31 wailofatail: That strikes me as somewhat humorous. You have become a collector of book plates, despite having no interest in them simply because there may be someone else out there who could be a collector of them as well. Thanks for the warning though.

I LOVE the EP ribbons! I wish all companies (ahem... FS, FS, FS, FS, FS....) would include them in their books. I don't like using conventional bookmarks. Also, as someone who can read 5 or more books at once, it's nice when each book comes with its own permanent (and elegant) bookmark!

I started collecting Easton Press books in 1982, with a subscription to the 100 Greatest series (my first intoxicating hit of Easton leather came from Moby Dick).

I currently own about 625 volumes.

For those of you doing the math: of the 28+ years that I've been collecting, I was on the wagon (no purchases) for at least eight.

Wow, its great to hear from so many of you who've been collecting EP book for under a year. If EP is to remain a viable business, it is always in need of new blood. Sounds like you folks have already sacrificed some of yours. As I like to say, Welcome to our addiction!!

Also, now that I've fessed up my numbers (#33), I'm sure that members would like to hear from some of the other heavy lifters -- the Archivist (you know who you are), the Bookie (he who tracks the numbers) and the Astrophysicist (aka 'The Downsizer').

Do you really want to know or are just looking for ammunition with which to defend yourself from your wife? Either way, I'll go start counting and report back in couple of days.

36> Ha -- both!!

My first book, Moby Dick, came at the end of 2000. I collected the 100 Greatest at the rate of 1 per month. I now have 174 EP books.

I have:
100+ of 100 Greatest
14 Famous Editions
5 Reader's Choice
The rest are small collections like Dumas, Jane Austen, E.M. Forster, etc. or purchased as single editions.

I began collecting leather-bound books in 1974 with the initial offering of The Franklin Library's 100 Greatest. I began with Easton Press in the mid-90s with the Famous Editions and the Works of Dickens. With the internet my acquisition of books has accelerated.

My current leather-bound library is
Easton Press 675
Franklin Library 500

39> 675 + 500

Awesome. If I had that many leather-bound books, it would fill two full walls in my library. Do you have them all on display, or do you keep some of them in boxes?

With the internet my acquisition of books has accelerated.

Yeah, me too -- a blessing and a curse, it is.

>40 SilentInAWay:
They are all on display. Two floor-to-ceiling walls in the Library are full, plus I have some shelves and a long wall-unit in the Family Room for the rest.

>39 Tom41: Tom, don't you have a lot of crossover between your Franklin and Easton books?

>41 Tom41:

Well now you just HAVE to take some pictures for us and show the library off!

>42 kdweber: If by crossover you mean duplication, there is very little; e. g. FL 100G Shakespeares plus EP FE Shakespeares. I kept away from duplicates even if it broke up a matched set.

>43 Goran: Sorry, I don't have a camera.

I'm running about 400, a mixture of MoSF (100+), 100 Greatest (50) and Military history (70) with a mix of sets and LE's. I started in 2003 with the complete Arabian Nights. Don't tell my wife it's that many.

38. Most of them are part of the SMC series. I also have the limited edition da Vinci and Huckleberry Finn from the 100 greatest. I think I've been collecting for about a year now. My first goal is to complete my SMC series. I would also like to get the small Library of Great Poets collection.

Also on my wishlist

Lord of the Rings
Chronicles of Narnia
Anne of Green Gables

There are others because disease can never really be cured.

46: EP needs to bring back Narnia & Anne so the two of us can own them.

>31 wailofatail:, Wailofatail, since I presume you have been collecting for a while, how many different types of bookplates has Easton printed? I know that my earliest books have a multi-color, stained glass looking bookplate, befor they switched to the current gold bookplate sometime in the 90's.

>48 hamletscamaro:: The two bookplates to which you refer I consider to be Easton Press' generic bookplates. They included these with 'The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written' collection as well as the smaller, (referring to the number of books included,) collections dedicated to a particular author or theme. You are correct that the stained glass version is the older of the two. As you mention, it was later upgraded to the classier, though still despicable, white version with the gold border. There is a third 'generic' design that has the identical floral scroll as the current generic design but it is printed in gray, w/o the gold border, on an off-white background. It simply states, "ex Libris", with a blank line below and "The Easton Press" below that. Either it is a generic version that pre-dates me or it was issued with a particular collection to which I am simply not aware it belongs.

As you are likely already aware, Easton Press used to offer many more open-ended collections to which you could subscribe and receive a new book each month. Most of these collections had their own unique bookplate. The collections with which I am familiar that have their own special bookplates include:

'Library Of The Presidents' - w/ a picture of the presidential seal,
'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' - w/ the olive branch wreath,
'Signed First Editions Of Science Fiction' - w/ a red saturn,
'Signed First Editions' - black background w/ gold and red print,
'Complete Works Of Ernest Hemingway' (multi-color editions) - clay colored background w/ burgundy text,
'Masterpieces Of Fantasy' - w/ Pegasus/unicorn,
'Masterpieces Of Fantasy' (signed edition) - w/ Pegasus/unicorn but w/ black ink scroll border
'Great Books Of The Twentieth Century' - off-white w/ gold text,
'Library Of Great Lives' - off-white background w/ gold and burgundy text,
'Masterpieces Of American Literature' - w/ eagle, wings spread holding banner in mouth,
'Library Of American History' - w/ circle of stars inside blue square,
'Masterpieces Of Science Fiction' - w/ that 'thing' from the cover of Foundation Trilogy,
'Baseball Hall Of Fame' - w/ a scene of a baseball game in a stadium,
'The Civil War' - w/ a Civil War theme,
'Roger Tory Peterson Field Guides' - w/ ea. bookplate specific to the edition for which it is issued,
'Roger Tory Peterson World Field Guides' - sienna colored background w/ exotic crane type bird,
'Library Of Nautical Classics' - w/ sailing ship
'Library of Military History' - w/ three pairs of crossed swords. (edit.)

Hopefully, if I have missed any, others here will fill in the blanks.

Another book plate:

"The Leather-Bound Library of Military History" - three pairs of crossed swords

>49 wailofatail:,50, thanks for the information guys. It shows that my library is much narrower in subject mater than I would like it to be since I have none of these additional collections.

58 titles, all but two from used book stores. I've been collecting since March of 2010

>50 Tom41:: Thanks Tom41. I knew I would miss one. I'm adding yours to my list for the sake of thoroughness.

> 25 I usually leave the inserts within the book. Sometimes something catches my fancy then I the have the inserts framed and then I hang then on

>36 wailofatail: Still counting, wailo?

... 268, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274 ...

If you're counting out loud, I hope your wife's asleep...

I tell her to just pretend they are sheep.

First started collecting EP in Dec. 2003 with 100 greatest series (Moby Dick was the first book at that time).

Currently own: 163 (if I have my tags set right)

I currently have 4 subscriptions going:
100 greatest - should be almost done
Famous Editions Collection 2010
Reader's Choice 2010
Greatest Adventure Books

Next subscription will probably be 20th Century ... or the Mas. Science Fiction -- can't decide!

Next haul if I can ever scrape up the money will be the Fitzgerald set.

Can I recommend the Great Books of the 20th Century?! It is a wonderful collection of most my my favorite books (I am not sure if you are into 20th century literature), but I would definitely recommend this collection over Masters. of Science Fiction (both on a literary and on an aesthetic basis).

PS: I am also hoping to order the Fitzgerald collection in the future, as I understand it is one of the most beautiful and well-made sets outside of any limited editions!

I have been collecting since July 2010... 78 easton press books so far and 75 folio books...i am hoping my new found obsession will subside else very soon i'll have no place to live...and no hubby to live with :(

I'm sure there are some single men here who would love to add both you and your books to their collections. hahaha

>61 Technogeekus:, 62 Hahahahaha.

>62 LonghornRancher: :) I'll show him your post...that ought to scare him

I just counted and have 138 EP books. Been collecting since 1987. I have no folio books... I am partial to SubPress books.

I have 20 now....I am catching up to my online hero wail....

My collection is expanding as well - up to 52 now, collected over about 7 months.

... 1,213, 1,214, 1,215, 1,216, 1,217, 1,218, 1,219 ...

>68 wailofatail: Now I understand why you don't post your collection online.

>68 wailofatail: woo hoo

I own 170 or so. Started collecting a year and 1/2 or so. All from eBay, Craigslist and local bookstores like Half Price Books. Just ordered the limited edition Dante and Meditations though!

About 22, with some more coming in the mail.

I've been collecting EP for about three months. I usually buy, and this may sound strange, only titles that, in my own totally subjective opinion, 'make sense' being bound in leather. For example, to me, again just in my own opinion, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is not the first title that springs to mind when I think of leather bound books, whereas something like Dracula or Heart of Darkness seems to yearn for it. I'm also sometimes quite wary of EP translations, so I pass on things like Beowulf. On the other hand, I'm crazy for Jowett's Plato and was thrilled to see that EP used the old Heritage Symposium and also love when they use probably not-so-accurate but notably historical translations like Pope's Iliad, Dryden's Aeneid, and, above all, Burton's delightful Arabian Nights. I get more 'scholarly' translations in Everyman's Library editions and treasure those much more personal and poetic EP translations all the more when I compare them.

If I weren't such a fickle collector, I'd probably have more. Boddhidharma you put me to shame! :D

68: Did you ever stop counting, wail? I'm so jealous. I don't suppose you'd ever show us pictures?

>73 indigosky:: I'm still counting, indigo. Don't be jealous. I've been collecting a long time and truthfully, I don't have a lot of other stuff, including a decent library in which to put my books. Due to space limitations, only about 250 of them are currently on display. As for the rest, imagine 40'+ of floor-to-ceiling, steel, utility shelves tightly packed with EP books with a leather upholstered Eames lounge chair and ottoman beside them. Someday I hope to have a traditional library similar to some of those I admire of yours but for now its Sam's Club aesthetic for me.

I started collecting E/P titles about three years ago and I currently have 70 titles, while another 14 have moved onto new homes. Here is a picture of my current E/P books, along with a few non-E/P titles.

Wail... Even if your library was in an old barn I would still love to see a pic of that many EP books in one place. As far as I know you have more of these books than any of us and reguardless of how they are displayed you are still my EP hero. I doth you "Sir EP."

I have 18. Most of these were from my Dad's collection of 20+ years old which he kindly donated to me so that I could start my own collection. Some of them I got for my birthday when I was 10? Just now this month getting into buying them myself.

Your father is a good man.

Hah thanks wail :P

897 books and growing, been collecting since 2002

UPDATE: forgot to enter the Lincoln and Gulliver's Travels DLE into my database, I am actually at 908 books

I just subscribed last month, so only two so far, but looking forward to amassing a large collection someday.

about 100 in less than 6 months, coming from Ebay, and lately from EP. Have some Franklins and LEC too.

Still counting, wailo?

80: 897 EP books? Wow, that is literally a few tons of books! Share some pics?

Perhaps you missed my update. It is actually 908 EP books. I literally have walls covered with them (in bookcases, of course). I live in Chicago in a high-rise condo that is large by city standards, and I don't have nearly enough room for all of them. Yet the book beast must be fed and I keep buying!

> 84

As we've already established in the DLE post, I have not quite mastered the art of uploading pictures. Perhaps I'll try the photobucket approach since the HTML code eludes me.

Absolutely, a ton of books. When I moved to my current condo, I had less than 1/3 of my current collection and it was 63 banker's boxes of books (obviously any FS and EP books were very carefully packed and I didn't try to overpack any boxes). I moved 3 addresses north on the same street, from one elevator building to another. My estimate is that the book portion of my moving expense was nearly $2,000. Needless to say, even if my condo wasn't under water, I would be unable to move anytime soon since the cost would be prohibitive and I would rather die from stacks of books falling on top of me than to downsize my collection which has been meticulously and carefully crafted over the years.

I hear ya -- I own somewhere around 7600 books. I can't imagine how many boxes it would take me to move just the library...

Silent, if you are looking to adopt....but then you have to leave me the house too because I don't know where to put that many books!

LOL

86: 7600?? Are those EP, FS, and other such fine press books, or are we including all books?
Silent, you should share some pics... and between you and UK, you should consider opening up a fine-press library!

>86 SilentInAWay:, WOW!!! Cannot say more than that!

>85 UK_History_Fan: & 86: Keep in mind the cautionary tale of the Collyer brothers of NYC, fatally buried under a lifetime's accumulation of TONS of stuff in the 1940's (admittedly mostly junk, trash and not fine books)...we wouldn't want to read of the sudden and tragic loss of such devoted, nay, PASSIONATE EP devotees as you two (among others).

No, sorry, that's total books -- only about 800 are so-called "fine press" books (although I constantly reassure the others that I am just as proud of them)

Sorry to get you folks all excited. I was just thinking about how diificult it would be to move. The moving man doesn't judge books based on their pedigree...

UK History Fan: Do you have other books than EP?

>91 SilentInAWay:, Silent, I am so disappointed. Next you are going to tell me that the remaining 6800 aren't first editions and signed by the author! Or that somewhere in your rolling shelving units you have a paperback!

All joking aside, that sounds like a very impressive library. Do you do private tours for those visiting London? :)

Sadly, I have had to deal with a little bit covetousness reading through this post. But more seriously, it is wonderful there are so many book lovers out there. People who love actual, real books.

I just started collecting EP books about nine months ago, and now have 198 with Ovid on the way and Canterbury Tales theoretically arriving sometime mid to late September, according to EP on Thursday.

I have had to slow down on purchasing due to the fact we just moved in to a new house that I bought fully furnished, in which there were a minimum of usable bookshelves. The shelves that are there are not quite fit for EP books. When we were looking at the house, I saw some older looking books on display, and with excitement went to go see what they were. To my utter shock and disappointment, I ended up picking up some very "nice" looking fake books. The heresy! Needless to say, my wife and I could not believe anyone would do such a thing.

93: Do you do private tours for those visiting London?

Absolutely, if you were to pay the price of relocating my library to the UK! (I live in California).

94:

200 books in 9 months is very, very impressive. If you manage to keep up that rate for a decade, you'll put us all to shame (not that UK_History_Fan's 900+ in 9 years is anything short of awesome).

Of course, most of the regular contributors to this group are well aware of the fancy navigation one has to perform when they continue to spend (I mean "invest") at this level. In our personal odysseys, the twin perils between which we must steer our ships are called "divorce" and "foreclosure".

Joking aside...there have been two times in my life when I have stopped buying Easton Press books altogether -- when I got married and when I first became a homeowner. In both cases, I simply could not imagine my finances continuing to burdon my habit, so I went cold turkey and did not buy a single title for a good number of years. Although there is no guarantee that you can pick up where you left off, you can rest assured that there will always be plenty of books to whet you appetite for Easton leather!!

I have not been collecting for long, but as of now I only own 5 EP volumes I think.

However, and I do not say this to start a fight but I have thought about it before and I just thought about it again when I read SilentInAway's comments above "200 books in 9 months is very, very impressive" that I agree in means of dedication, however not perhaps in any other way not knowing the persons finacial means, and I mean this in a general way as it is none of anyones buisness.

Perhaps I am cynical but I am always devided in commenting about people's collections here, firstly because on one side it is nice books and the pictures are nice to look at, but on the other hand I feel it is a bit out of place because we all know that there is more to it looming in the background and that is that anyone of us could basically whip out the money for the current EP catalouge and post a picture of it here and get commended for our "efforts" if we had a million to spare and I take it that eventhough we are all members if this forum because we like EP and fine books then we come from various economic realities, and of course with different obligations and priorities.

My comments are not aimed at anyone special it is just a thought I have had reading about various collections and not specifically here at LT either.

You bring up a good point, Erkeengel -- a few, actually.

When I started collecting, I received one book a month. That's all I could afford. I soon learned to pay more than I could afford (which on a student's budget, was still not very much). Nevertheless, I definitely remember what it was like to bask in the glory of each new acquisition, knowing that it would be nearly a month before another white box arrived...

In this group I assume an imaginary universe in which we all suffer to afford as many Easton Press books as possible. That is, of course, a fiction. There are probably some members who can afford to satisfy their jones for Easton leather without the slightest suffering, as well as some members who simply buy no more than they can afford and therefore also do not suffer. I myself, however, don't fall into either of these classes. Since we are all collectors of these books, I assume (for better or worse) that we all share the same addiction. If nothing else, it makes for interesting conversation.

Of course I realize that a member's degree of suffering is not directly related to the number of books that he or she purchases. I will never forget the financial shenanigans that I once had to pull off to maintain my single subscription back when my income barely exceeded my expenses (come to think of it, things are not all that different now, as I struggle to make payments on multiple Deluxe Limited Editions). As I mentioned in #95 above, there have been times when I have had to swear off leather altogether.

The last thing that I would ever do is judge someone based on the number of books that they can afford each month. But does this mean that one cannot be impressed when someone has acquired a large collection? I hear of people who have inherited their books from a loved one -- can one not admire this library, even though its current owner took few pains in acquiring it?

Speaking for myself, when I praise someone's collection (or their other contributions to this group--whether it is scanning flyers, uploading photographs, or supplying a missing fact), somewhere in the back of my mind, I assume that this person went through a certain amount of effort to acquire those books, flyer scans, photographs or knowledge. I am indirectly praising what I assume to be their efforts, not their means. Moreover, there is somewhere in the back of my mind an unspoken awareness that I am enabling their addiction--perhaps so that I feel less guilty about my own.

I suppose that, in a forum like this, it is perhaps inevitable that praise be directed towards efforts and achievements that appear to be extravagant -- if only so that we might justify our own addictions. It is probably also inevitable that the efforts and suffering of most members, as they struggle to acquire a collection of which they can be justly proud, goes unrecognized.

>96 WinterGloaming:, 97, great discussion. I have been doing this for 20-25 years minimum. During that time, like SilentInAWay, there were periods where I had to stop all together, other periods where I had some flush ability to purchase, and more typically, much of the time at 2 books a month.

I collect wine also..same story there. There is always someone with more, someone with a better bottle/book, someone with bottles or books I can only dream about. That is okay, nice to dream about, and in most cases, good for them -- unless of course their intent is to brag or rub it in...then just ignore them.

In any case, what excites me is less the number of books someone has, but the passion for it. It is much more fun talking with someone just starting and is ravenous and anxious to dream of more, as that bug is infectious and reminds me often why I am into this in the first place.

Erkeengel, I am glad you spoke up. People should feel happy and thrilled to be in this hobby regardless of what their circumstance allow. 5 EP's are a great start. I seriously remember my first five, and the anticipation of the next coming!

> 92

Yes, I actually started out collecting Folio Society back in 2000 (though I was well aware of Easton Press, just didn't think I could afford it). As has been discussed in many other posts, the prices of both Folio and Easton Press books have risen at a much faster rate than inflation or the increase in raw materials or labor. I suspect the Folio Society prices also impact us negatively here in the US because they set catalogue prices once per year and if the exchange rate is unfavorable when they are establishing their pricing....

Ok, I managed to divert myself off-topic within my own post, back to ironjaw's question...

Folio Society - 450
Franklin Library - 486
Easton Press - 908
Limited Editions Club - 5
Heritage Press - 15

> 96

I agree with the other comments that this is not about bragging rights over disposable income but rather the love of collecting fine books. Even one fine book can be treasured, admired with pride and appreciated for (hopefully) years. I remember when I was first started to build my fine books collection how I cherished those first few books knowing it would be a long time before I could afford to add more. In fact, my initial plan was to only buy the 4 required books per year to keep my Folio Society membership current. Then I had to re-prioritize items in the budget to accommodate my insatiable desire to spend more on books.

Soon I was adding Easton Press books to the mix as my career became more successful. Then I made the mistake of discovering eBay and ABE a couple of years ago and my buying exponentiated with each new "cannot miss" opportunity to either obtain something hard to find or simply to build a complete collection. Luckily, I was in a position at this time to indulge a little more freely due to the lack the other compelling investment alternatives (no, I do not really buy books as an investment, but I allocate money that otherwise would be invested in non-retirement accounts to build my collection). I am quite sure most of us have a handful of rationales at the ready for just about any purchase. Since I am not shy about my collection, pretty much everyone at work knows where my money goes (it certainly isn't spent on a wardrobe or hair products!). I could not resist, last week, marching in the day after the stock market dropped 600+ points, as everyone is hanging their heads and appearing shell-shocked about their 401(k) balance and announcing: "Hmm, thousands of dollars a year on books, an actual physical asset that has resale value, who's wasting their money now!"

Agh!! You'd sell your books?!?!

> 96 Erkeengel: You bring up a good point.

I think it all comes down to priorities and passion. My desire (priority) to amass a large library of good, quality books is mainly that of education. I currently have three children three and under, with another on the way. We will hopefully have more after that. We try to spend a minimum of one to two hours each day reading with them, and no TV is allowed for our children. I also like to read good books for my own edification. My wife and I have been planning a new home in which the centerpice of the home is a two-story library. This would be where we hopefully spend a lot of time. Although we just bought a home that we got at 65% of cost, so it might be awhile before we build, as I do not want to move again anytime soon. As it stands, EP keeps coming out with all these DLE books which seem to cost quite a bit of money and the accumulation of them will set back the building of any new home if I am spending money on books instead of putting it into the building fund. I keep telling myself that we will need books to fill the shelves...

I plan on using our library, in addition to other tools, as a primary means of education for our children. From six months of age on, we train our kids to love books and treat them with respect and care. They know the difference between EP books and "children" books, and will hopefully be able to start reading EP books in the next five to seven years or so (once the material is appropriate for their age). They are not even allowed to treat children's books disrepectfully.

That being said, it does take a certain amount of means to acquire these books, regardless of the number you purchase. I am currently blessed with the means to purchase a good amount of EP books, assuming they meet our criteria for our library (e.g. no William and Kate books). Fortunately, my wife is generally supportive of this effort. If we were to lose our income, then I would get a cheaper house and cars and try to figure out any way possible to keep our books, including the non-EP books.

Getting back to my earlier statement about priorities, it really all boils down to what each person's priorities are. My friend who introduced me to EP books now has about 45 EP books (give or take) that he has acquired over the years. All but a couple of them are used. Sometimes he acquires these at a used book store, but mostly by ordering in huge quantities on eBay (say 30 - 50), then selling all but one (1) or two (2) to keep for himself with his proceeds. It is a lot of work, but it is the way he found that works for him and he is able to increase his EP library that way. It is very admirable in that he has such a passion for these books that he goes to that effort. Unfortunately, he does not have the income to match his passion. His dedication is quite impressive, and his collection means quite a lot to him as well.

I am thankful he he loves books and that introduced me to these books. I am thankful that I am fortunate enough to have a few friends locally that love books and make it a priority for their familes to love books as well. I am also glad that there are forums like this to discuss quality books (from a production and literary) standpoint. It is nice to know that there are still lots of book lovers out there, regardless of how many EP books they have, just so long as they are reading quality books.

Ultimately, my wife and I love books. One of our Principals for our Family Vision is to educate our children ourselves. One of the Methods for which will hope to achieve this is through good books and lots of reading. A sub-Method of this, if you will, would be to have great books (production quality) in addition to just great books (literary value, reference, and some because I just plain like them), and to teach our children to love and enjoy reading so then they will be able to pass down a wonderful gift to their children as well.

I too, like others who have previously posted, remember my early days of collecting, though back then I was subscribing, not collecting. When I first subscribed I had no clue there were even collections to which I could subscribe other than the '100 Greatest'. I thought I was going to end up with one hundred books and that would be it and truthfully, I may have gotten more satisfaction out of those first one hundred books than I have from any since, except perhaps for the 'Famous Editions', which remain my favorites. As a single guy back then with more disposable time than income, I would read each book each month, all the while anticipating the next month's arrival. It was the time for which I had longed for years, when I could finally read for pleasure rather than for scholarly pursuit.

As I've become more established my means have increased modestly, which gives me the privilege of being able to afford more books, but so has my time become more taxed. Just between the two of us, I wonder sometimes if I don't buy more books now than I did then merely as therapy of sorts for the longing for those days when I had more time to read. Each book I buy now is like a down payment on that far off dream in which I have time to read all of the fascinating stories in all of my wonderful books.

> 103, such wise words!

" I wonder sometimes if I don't buy more books now than I did then merely as therapy of sorts for the longing for those days when I had more time to read. Each book I buy now is like a down payment on that far off dream in which I have time to read all of the fascinating stories in all of my wonderful books. "

>95 SilentInAWay:, Silent, my apologies. With all the UK members here, I think I crossed you with one of our many British residents for some reason. Stay here in the states, faster shipping on EP. (Although I also originate from CA and have a lot of family there, so I may still show up on your doorstep once I get that EP Collector Map app!)

I also agree with the recent posts. I have been collecting EP for many years, often at 1 a month, sometimes stopping. When I first went to two books a month, I felt pangs of guilt. Now with EP's DLEs I am again trying to reduce my spending since they keep shipping too many of these while still having several great series and individual books in their catalog. It is nice to collect EP books, but it is a hobby that can become expensive, and each collector must work within their own means, or sometimes correct if they begin to get outside of that.

Case in point, I have many Folio Society books, but have always resisted becoming a full blown member just because, though beautiful and unquestionably of high quality, I simply couldn't afford to be tempted by two great manufacturers at once. I've always rationalized this saying that FS has higher shipping and exchange rates here to the US. I continue to live if this deluded world, so please don't anyone shatter my carefully constructed mental paradigm. :)

Wow, the replies on this topic are coming faster than I can respond. But I am definitely enjoying the discussion.

> 101: under almost no circumstances! I actually mentioned that I do NOT buy books primarily as an investment. But one of the many rationalizations I use to justify my spending is that I am not just pissing money away but buying something of value that will have value in the future (sometimes more, oftentimes less). As a trained accountant, it is easier for me to think of the thousands of dollars per year I spend on leather and Folio Society books as a capital purchase rather than an expense. I'm merely transferring money from one balance sheet account (Money Market) to another (Household: Library).

> 102: I'm drooling at the thought of a two story library, but I don't care how much you love your kids, I would never let a child have free reign in my library. Too many sticky fingers (literally rather than metaphorically). Though I certainly applaud the plan you and your wife have for assisting their education and developing their appreciation for EP books.

> 103: I'm afraid your 2nd paragraph is all too true. Though I think I read a lot (around 45 books a year-- and considering these are for now mostly dense history books rather than literature--that is an even harder number to attain), I full recognize that I will not live long enough to read and enjoy every book in my library. Considering there are many I would love to re-read (did I really fully appreciate the whole of Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire back when I read it in 2000/2001?). I have long since resigned myself to collecting for the sake of building a great library rather than buying only books I will have time to read. For example, I am still trying to gather up each of the (I've been told) 88 titles in the long OOP Easton Press Library of Great Lives series. I still have a couple of dozen to go. But I am in no rush to run out and read the biography of Anwar Sadat, as an example.

>102 constantine325:: "One of our Principals for our Family Vision is to educate our children ourselves."

Only for the sake of your children, since it is your vision to educate them yourselves, shouldn't that be, one of our principles instead of principals? ; )

Hamletscamaro: as I mentioned I started out in 2000 as a Folio Society member. I think I bought my first Easton Press book in 2002. Subscribing to both truly makes you juggle financial priorities as it is very expensive. It is always with mixed emotions that I get the new annual prospectus from the Folio Society: excited to see all the new beautiful books for the upcoming member year, but disappointed at how much they have increased prices from the prior year and disappointed that I simply don't have the means or the space (ultimately also a limitation of means, I suppose) to buy each book in the catalogue that appeals to me.

Also, and again this is more for psychological purposes rather than for actual resale, I would tell you that based on my extensive research the Easton Press books tend to hold their value much better than the Folio Society books, and yet the Folio books often cost as much or more than their leather siblings. So that is perhaps another reason to stick to your current mental paradigm.

> 103 I complete empathize with your second paragraph. I try to read as much as I can, but I think I am resigning myself to the fact that I will likely have to wait a couple decades until I will be able to more fully enjoy one or two good books each week. That is remarkable (and humbling) that you read about 45 books a year.

>106 UK_History_Fan: I also drool at the thought of actually getting to build the two story library. Alas, it will be at least a few more years before that dream becomes a reality (if ever). As it relates to the kids with sticky fingers, we train them to treat books (all books) with care and respect. Hands must be clean prior to handling a book and you do not rip books up or play with them. If they can't grasp that respect, then they don't get the "privilege" of using books in our house. We try to bring them up to think of books as better than toys, TV or most anything other material goods. We do little graduations ceremonies from one level of book to another (cloth, to hardwood, to the children's paperback, to actual paperback, to hardback books and will eventually get to fine books).

>107 wailofatail: Hah, my wife would really be on me for that one. You are exactly correct wail, it should have been principle, not principal. I work in securities (specifically bonds), and deal with "principal" amounts all day long. It must have seeped into my evening thoughts. This forum kept me up about two hours past my normal bedtime.

>109 constantine325:: I can usually resist the urge to correct typos and grammatical errors but I just couldn't this time given the irony of the context. However ...

I suspected all along that you already new that; that the correct spelling given the context was nothing knew to you.

> 108

In fact here in the UK, Folio's home market, book dealers are very sniffy about FS books, hardly rating them at all.

>111 Quicksilver66: David, how do they rate EP I wonder?

I hardly see EP books in UK dealers, Ironjaw. They are far less common in the UK than FS books. I suspect, when they become available, they are treated with the same snooty disdain as the majority of UK used booksellers treat FS editions. It always amazes me how a dirty, soiled, uninspiring first edition of some bland Dick Francis novel is considered to be of far greater value than a magnificent FS volume.

However, for FS lovers it does mean you can pick up a few bargains in the UK. I picked up a mint set of the FS two volume Clarissa, bound in silk, on Charing Cross Road for only £20.00.

>110 wailofatail: I sea what you did thier. To funny. :D

>114 testadura:: What I did wear?

BTW Silent did you manage to count how many EP you had or did I miss something?

Me? I have 725 (up from the 625 I posted back in message #34).

I think you're confusing me with wailofatail...who I think is still counting...(see message #68).

Any updates, wailo?

>117 SilentInAWay: Sorry about that, yes your right. Wailo, any update

>112 ironjaw:, 113

I'm not sure how the booksellers 'rate' EP books, but due to their rarity they tend to be overpriced here. I've seen books from the '100 greatest' set in the Charing Cross bookshops selling for £35-40 sometimes. Weirdly Franklin Library books are usually fairly cheap when they are in stock (expect the signed ones), despite being just as rare here.

185 total. Started in the early 1980s, but have focused on Folio Society and small press acquisitions for the last 5-6 years. Not buying anything now (did I mention? got laid off after 27 years with the company).

Os.

>120 Ealhmund: I am so sorry to hear that. Because of the debts of the previous Government and major cuts in the public sector, I have also been laid off from the ministry I was working at. My last day is tomorrow.

>120 Ealhmund:, 121: I am really sorry to hear of that.

> 120, 121

Os and Faisel

I too am very sorry to hear of your difficulties and wish you both the best of luck in sorting out your employment difficulties.

>121 ironjaw:
Faisel, we have more in common than you'd think. Most of my work the last ten years has been managing Federally funded environmental cleanup projects (but as a private sector employee). The cutbacks which have lead to substantial layoffs within government also lead to reduced workload for my company. Being between projects and quite senior, I was an easy target.

I have to admit, I was getting tired of the job anyway, and I hope to have enough time before bills start piling up to find a place where I can apply my skills and experience to something new (and, perhaps even fulfilling).

Good luck to you as well.

Os.

Good luck to both of you, and 124, it sounds like you have a great attitude towards it, so as you say you all will end up with something more fulfilling!

34 after a couple of years.

I drooled over the EP website for several years without buying a book and finally decided I would really like the Short Story series. Then they discontinued that series, so I decided it was time to start collecting it. I found the last one this year. Then I got interested in the Library of Great Poetry after they discontinued that series. I have about 16 of those now. I have GOT to stop choosing series that are out of print!

So I started collecting the Myths and Legends series this year. I asked EP to send two per month because a rep at EP said she thought it was scheduled to be discontinued. (My magic touch.) I should have the last one of those next month.

>126 Greeneyeshade:, great story! Maybe you should tell us what you plan on doing next, so we get them before they cancel! :-)

... 1,520, 1,521, 1,522, 1523, 1524, 1,525 ...

Sweet J****!!

Been collecting since 1988, currently have 478 EP books.

Welcome Dane61!!! Your collection sure sounds nice, I wish I could see it sometime :-)

We'll discuss it the next time we're sitting in your Chicago condo. :-)

Hello, I'm new to this site and I've been picking up an EP here and there for about a year i currently have 10

I've been collecting about 4 or 5 years and have amassed a nifty little wad of a hundred or so fine bindings (about 1/2 EP, 1/2 FL & a few FS). I was a subscriber to the 100 Greatest Books, but abandon it after about 20 volumes. So many reprints of those old Heritage Press thingys complete with their dated 1940's cartoonish illustrations just didn't do it for me. That's one thing I always like about FS over EP is the originality of their issues and illustrations. I did get the EP Fitzgerald set just before it vaporized and now I'm contemplating the new EP Shakespeare edition. (Although I'm afraid that'll be GWTW midway through.)

By the way, I just telephoned to put in an order for The Raven/Dore -Yup, that's gone. EP must have sold out their initial printing of 18 volumes....

My real obstacle to collecting is not so much cost (I actually do currently have a job) but more because I'm also into other things; namely classical CD's (about 5,000). I *need* that new Rubinstein Original Jacket set before it's dust...

134: first, let me say I just love your sceen name :)
"My name's Dill, Dill the Collector... you may have heard of me." Love it! Also, the EP Raven with the Dore illustrations is NOT printed by EP. They did the binding, but if you're looking for the book/illustrations, you can find them fairly easily. Sadly, it's a fairly "poor" printing in my opinion.

Also, I would love to learn/hear about your classic music collection. I too, am a huge fan of classical music (I do in fact play the violin), although I have no where near the CDs that you do. Do you have a list of favorite recordings? Any particular area/composer? My favorite recordings tend to be opera, violin related, Beethoven (can never go wrong), or Bach. However, I do like to "branch out" and enjoy such gems as Dag Wiren. Currently, I have my eyes set on a recording of the complete Harpsichord Concertos by Bach!

>134 Dill_the_Collector: Ditto on the "Chartwell" Raven. It's the most disappointing EP that I own (~200).

>10 iluvbeckett: (updating): 17 and counting: eight "100 Greatest" of a projected total of 18, eight DLEs and one stand-alone title, with several more on my wish list including the David Copperfield DLE, which I can't decide one but am leaning toward getting (once again, pictures would help!). Like many of us I was forced to read Dickens in high school ("Great Expectations") and he just didn't do it for me, but that may have been for exactly that reason - that it was assigned reading and therefore a drag. My issues this time are the sheer LENGTH of D.C. and whether the storyline and characters as a whole can engage me for 900+ pages...and whether I'd be at all interested if it weren't a DLE.

"My name's Dill, Dill the Collector... you may have heard of me." Love it! Also, the EP Raven with the Dore illustrations is NOT printed by EP. They did the binding, but if you're looking for the book/illustrations, you can find them fairly easily. Sadly, it's a fairly "poor" printing in my opinion."

"Also, I would love to learn/hear about your classic music collection. I too, am a huge fan of classical music (I do in fact play the violin), although I have no where near the CDs that you do. Do you have a list of favorite recordings? Any particular area/composer? My favorite recordings tend to be opera, violin related, Beethoven (can never go wrong), or Bach. However, I do like to "branch out" and enjoy such gems as Dag Wiren. Currently, I have my eyes set on a recording of the complete Harpsichord Concertos by Bach!"

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Since I missed it, I guess that's good to know that EP Raven wasn't so hot. I just saw that someone listed it on ebay for $250 and the picture of actual book showed a grayish leather where in the glossy EP catalogue it looked a much more impressive (and appropriate) black.

Regarding music, I guess my problem is that my tastes aren't discriminating enough. I like everything hence I collect everything. Although like many classical listeners, I gravitate towards the central, germanic-romantic repertoire (Beethoven/Wagner/Brahms/Bruckner/Mahler).

I've never attempted to put together a list of favorite recordings but I suppose if ever presented with the deserted island dilemma, my choices would be the usual suspects (Kleiber's LvB 5th, Karajan's Rosenkavalier, Stravinsky's own Rite, etc.). I like Bach, but I don't find myself listening to him as much as I "should". I did just do a survey of the cello suites, and my various recordings all had their merits thus I wasn't able to choose a "winner" but Harrell might be my all-around preference.

"Like many of us I was forced to read Dickens in high school ("Great Expectations") and he just didn't do it for me, but that may have been for exactly that reason - that it was assigned reading and therefore a drag. My issues this time are the sheer LENGTH of D.C. and whether the storyline and characters as a whole can engage me for 900+ pages...and whether I'd be at all interested if it weren't a DLE."

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I didn't read Copperfield until I was middle aged and then I thought it was all right. Great Expectations I adored, however.

My main problem with Copperfield is that Murdstone didn't get his cumuppins (at least not that I remember).

138--

http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=107179

>139 Dill_the_Collector: (third paragraph): Don't give away too much!!

About 250, haven't counted them for a while.. I've been collecting them over 10 years.

I started December 2011, and have about 25.

I just did a quick recount.. have about 360 EP books now... but I am expecting an other 40 or so, that I just ordered last month from EP..

http://www.librarything.com/pic/271088

40 at one blow? Wow!! You should create a belt to memorialize the deed.

Yes, I decided to waste my entire x-mas bonus in on shot…heheehe

Your bookshelves look great!

>144 geiles:: Notice the books spilling over on to the adjacent furniture, (far right of photo,) ... a fledgling sign of an addict. With a little photo editing around the edges your picture could be a cover of an E/P magazine.

>144 geiles:, 148: At first I thought this was an unedited cover of their catalog.

Very nice.

>144 geiles: fabulous pic of your library (I keep clicking on it in the hope I can make it bigger so I can read the titles, but it never works...)

Actually I just got a bunch of new EP books arrive last week, I will take a new photo with a higher res.. so you can see the titles too..
Yes, these book cases are really good, I had an IKEA one before but it just could not handle the weight of the books.. so I had to order these (solid oak and birch). Notice there is no bending at all, and these can last for a long long time. I figure that if I spend this much money on the books, they deserve a better book case also...:-)
Now just waiting for a new 3rd book-case that I ordered two months ago. These are completely full now..

>151 geiles:: geiles, from where do you order your bookshelves?

I am in Canada, the company that sells them is here: http://www.stoneycreekfurniture.com/browseEntertainment.aspx?LinkID=26
They cost about $1,300 each

Collecting since December 2011, have 7 so far, with the 3-volume set of The Faerie Queene on the way.

> 154
Nice job on getting the Faerie Queene, my personal favorite FS book. Given its Limited Edition price, it should really count as more than 3 volumes :-)

Easton Press Faerie Queen, not FS. The FS one does look much nicer, but at well over triple the cost (AUS$1,475 compared to US6x$65), there's no way I could afford it.

Still an impressive accomplishment. The internals are nearly the same, though on different paper. Sorry I forgot which group I was in since I participate in the Easton Press, Folio Society, Franklin Library and George Macy groups. When I am looking for unread messages I just click on the number and it takes me to the first unread message. I suppose I should pay more attention to which group I'm in, but so many of us cross-pollinate, that I am not sure it is all that important a distinction.

Good to hear. The white leather is gorgeous though...
I too am a member in both EP and FS groups. I've been reading these discussion board in the couple of months since I first found out about the two companies, and decided just yesterday to make myself an account.

Well in that case welcome. You will be surprised how easy it is to spend money (or reallocate scarce resources) to these books. Just when you think you have mastered the addiction, dependency rears its ugly head again.

159> Sounds like you should be attending one of our meetings, UK.

geiles,

Nice bookcases :) And see - you still have more space for books. :)

Welcome John, but soon you will realise that your want list will exponentially explode sooner, or later.

Oh don't worry, that happened within about 5 minutes of stumbling across the Easton Press site, and then increased upon then finding Folio Society (but not as much, as I prefer the uniformity and look and feel of the leather bindings, as well as the presence of ribbon bookmarks in every volume). Unfortunately, as I am still at uni, the majority of those will stay just on my wish list rather than in my library for many years, while the wish list continues to grow.

>163 johni92:

Be thankful that the site is crap and does not show even half of the beauty of the books... or that list will get bigger and bigger by the minute...

Oh and welcome. Another poor soul lured by the song of nice bindings person that like nice books. Always nice to have more of those ;)

Welcome johni 92.

As someone who has owned both the EP and Fs Faerie Queene, I can confirm that the EP edition is beautiful. I am sure you will love it.

I have found with my book addiction that it can quieten down a little for a short period of time. But it never goes away. In fact, after a period of relative quiescence, it comes back with double the power.

>159 UK_History_Fan:, 165: --and how!!...

I have 13 and most are the signed copies which I prefer but also have The Prince and the Pauper deluxe edition which is my first and probably my last because of price just wanted one which since I like Mark Twain was nice to have. They do a excellent job of reproducing classics.

Just an update (first entry Feb 2011 - subscriber since 2003).

I now have 203 EP books.

Currently subscribed:
Great Books of the 20th Century
Readers Choice 2011

Looks like the Science Fiction series is now gone - like so many other great series. I hope they continue to offer a new Reader's Choice each year.

63 Folio
93 Library of America (100 club getting close!)
21 Franklin Press/Library
11 Heritage Press

Just an update to my previous post: I now have 478 EP books, besides my Folio ones..
But unfortunately due to the rapid release of those new DLEs, I had to slow down with my normal EP purchases, since most of my budget is going towards those now.
I've been mostly collecting science fiction ones.
EP has published about 150 of those over the years, and I managed to find about 120 of them on the secondary markets already (ebay,etc..)

4... 7... 8. Good grief!

I have... 3. All MOSF, as I can find them used for a reasonable price and in decent condition. Kind of coveting the LOTR series... but new Eastons are just not in my budget right now. And most of the DLE's I'd be most interested in have "Sold Out" stamped on them in big red letters.

I only have 13 E. P books, and four are Jack London. I tend to seek out books that mean something to me personally, rather than based solely on their beauty, otherwise I'd develop one dangerous and very expensive addiction. I've only been collecting a few years. I treat myself around christmas (job withstanding) each year.

>173 EclecticIndulgence:: Yes, it's among the "100 Greatest" titles (or at least it was when I signed up two years ago; I just got my copy within the past month so I assume it's still part of the series). Coincidentally, I just finished it and liked it a lot - excepting perhaps the love interest between the narrator and the lady: more of a plot device there? Anyway, it ranks as one of my favorites among the "100 Greatest" I've gotten so far (although I originally requested only eighteen of the one hundred; I'm about halfway through).

Update! 181, up from 58 on the 30th of Jan 2011.

Wow! You either won the lottery and are purchasing these directly from EP, or you are picking up some good deals on the secondary market. Acquiring 123 EP books in just under two years is quite an accomplishment.

Until I posted in 175, I did not realize how many I have acquired in such a short time. All but 11 are on the secondary market and at a amazing discount. I wish I could say I had won the lottery! If you ever see my Limited Editions Club numbers jump like this then you can be sure that I hit the Powerball! I am very lucky to have great bookstores here in Tucson.

hamletscamero, I see you have an interest in NASA and the Space Program. Is that just a passion or have you worked in the industry?

>178 AmanteLibros:, No, I don't work for NASA, just a fan. Although I do have friends who work there. I started to load books on library thing and my NASA shelf was closest, but I never got further than a couple of shelves.

About 6 months. I have a 5 book tolkien set (and I'm in Canada. Sorry to my kinsmen who search in vain) and just got my first of the 100 greatest a couple weeks ago.

That said I own a couple of Franklins and am impressed with the quality of their design and finishing. I don't know if I will subscribe to another series from EP or invest my effort to finding Franklins on the after market.

Anyone have any thoughts on that or experience to share?

Also I'm new to the forum. Hi everyone.

Hello and welcome!!

>180 JDZwiers:

Most of us here started small - a book here, a book there; a series to start with... Let's see where you are in a year... :)
Welcome and try not to order everything we talk about - there is no better way to start collecting than to hang around here :)

I started in 1985 with Moby Dick for $5. after about 25 books I stopped the subscription but over the years I have bought over 500 more, Most recently the Patrick O'Brien series of Master and Commander (20 volumes) and the 2 volume Le Morte de Arthur. Always adding military history and anything else that strikes my fancy.

I started out with getting some signed editions from EP, and then some DLE but after that my interest dwindled, especially after I found out about Franklin Library and Heritage Press. I'm not that attracted to their volumes and selection anymore.

>183 judgelyons: You should check out Folio Society's Patrick O'Brien series. It's breathtaking in design.

One year now if you include my first books which were the Tolkien set. Six months since I have been a steady collector.

Up to 24 EP and 5 FL.

At my current rate of purchase I will likely have over 60 EP's by the end of the year. That would be fine except I doubt that I can afford to keep up this pace. What's truly worrisome is that my rate of book ordering seems to be increasing in speed instead of slowing down. Is there a pill you can take?

>185 JDZwiers:: Take caution in looking at Folio Society and Franklin Library publications.

>185 JDZwiers:: You are welcome to testify at the next EPAA meeting. Just join right in...

>187 SilentInAWay:: That would mean admitting that I have a problem. I can quit if I want. In fact I'm going to prove to you that I can. Just one more book and then I'm done.

Two more. Just two more books and then I'm done. Probably.

It's addicting, I know. It's worse when you start becoming interested in quality, translation, illustrations, fine binding and all that, etc. When you start going over to FS and FL, it takes a turn, you will promise yourself not to buy those Limited Editions, or not put in another order because someone here is talking about it. Just earlier I wrote over at the FS forum about the OUP sale at 75% off and it's caused a couple of members already to send in orders. I too stumbled upon some other books mentioned in addition to the ones I bought and have already made another order to OUP.

Yes it's crazy. Welcome to the family.

307 -- thanks LibraryThing for helping me out here.

I'm at around 50 with the 100 Greatest plus the Les Miserables DE, Count of Monte Cristo DE, Tom Sawyer DE, VERNE: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND and Tolkien Classics. I started in December of 2012.

Is it strange that I am a 26 year old single male with this book collection addiction? =D

>>>>>FIRST COMMENT

>192 George_Allen:

Nope, not strange at all.

Can't believe I haven't posted to this thread, though I am on and off LT for long stretches.

I have about 180 EP books: 100 Greatest, Dickens set, selected Presidents series, Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire, selections from Books that Changed the World and a few other assorted titles. Just ordered the E. M. Forester three book set.

I have been purchasing EP books since 1989 when I started the 100 Greatest series in graduate school.

>192 George_Allen: I'm a 28 yo male, so you're not alone here (although I'm married so, as you can imagine, by leatherbound book finances are limited by my other half)

I started buying E/P in early 2013, and have nearly filled up 2 large five shelf bookcasese.......so assuming 20 or so books fit across a shelf, I'm guessing I have between 150-200 books. I'm currently working to fill out my Great Books of the 20th Century set, I've purchased everything E/P currently sells and am working on picking up the editions from the second hand market that E/P took off the list.

Collecting since about 2005 (I think). 19 volumes, all Tolkien, except for a copy of Dune. All purchased on the used market, except for Fall of Arthur and Beowulf, which were both direct from EP (as they now sell Tolkien worldwide). No ridiculous prices paid to professional eBay sellers -- all purchased from real, honest people.

Still need a copy of Tales from the Perilous Realm, but I'm not paying $350+ for it, given it might be reprinted at any time at the whim of EP. The most I paid was $150 for a shrink-wrapped Guide to Middle-Earth (Foster), and - frankly - that was too much, but not insane.

Sadly, I Can't justify the $400 EP "History of the Lord of the Rings" as I already have two sets of the UK 1/1 12 volume Hardbacks, the UK 1st Deluxe 3 Volume, the UK Standard 3 Volume boxed, and the 12 US 1/1 Hardbacks. You have to draw the line somewhere.

Update (last entry was Aug 2012) collecting since December 2003.

August 2012: 203
December 2014: 238

Subscriptions:
None at the moment.
I have been subscribing to the mostly yearly Reader's Choice, but I am wavering this year. I am running out of room!

Most recent EP book read: The Black Swan by Raphael Sabatini (Reader's Choice selection)

I'm not sure, but I'm guessing somewhere between 3000-3500. Been collecting since 1984. My husband says I definitely have a problem, and I suppose I do. But at least it's not alcohol or drugs!

>198 bullylover:

Wow, I'm not sure I can fathom how amazing you're library must look.

Not as wonderful as you think. I have long outgrown my current library and many are in boxes. We are building a new house, and I am definitely building as 2 story library.

>198 bullylover: 3000-3500

Wow! All of those are EP volumes? Impressive. You must have carpeted your halls in leather.

Yes, all EP. and yes, they have started taking over the hallways. I have loved reading and books since I was a child, and they are among my most prized possessions, along with all my other books. I have been collecting for so long-- I don't even want to think about how much I've spent. I have lost only one to my English Bulldogs. Thank goodness they never developed a taste for leather (and thank goodness it wasn't a DLE)! My cousin, another collector, claims that all you need in life are books and dogs. I don't know whether that's true, but it's definitely a good start.

Books and dogs -- if you were to add music to that, I just might agree with you.

Although I started collecting EP editions in 1982, I was only active (acquiring books, that is) for about half of the 32+ years that have passed since I received that first volume. Major life changes--such as marriage and buying a house--have always seemed to (temporarily) trump my chosen vices.

Of course, each time that I come back, I'm back with a vengeance...

My collection of Connecticut leather* is approaching 1000 volumes...I'm not sure exactly how many at the moment, but I'm currently logging the last year or so's loot into LT, so I'll know where I'm at before long.

I own (I think) somewhere around 9000 books total--from mass market to fine press--so I definitely covet your future double-decker shelving.

*I am, of course, speaking euphemistically--some of EP's leather comes from Italy; most of it comes from pigs.

Sometimes EP leather books can smell good, sometimes they smell like nothing. However, I absolutely love the smell of older mass market paperbacks. Heaven!

203SilentINAWay How wonderful! I don't know how many I have in total, but I don't think I have that many. I have already designed the house and library--all I need to do is have an architect draw it up, and of course, get my husband going. He has been wonderful about my "addiction", but feels our floors are going to collapse in our current house if I buy more books.

I have 144 in my collection now. Sometimes I just sit and behold their beauty. Began collecting in ~ 1998 when I first found a copy in a used book store and I fell in love with the look and feel and smell of the leather binding. Never knew such beautiful books could be gotten for $25. I have subscribed to EP here and there through the years but I find the new EP styles vulgar with the pictures on the covers and the DLE's too pricey for my liking. I have always loved books, have filled one bedroom up and refer to it as the "library". I hope to die surrounded by books....My lottery home has every available wall covered with bookshelves and dripping with gilded leather bindings. Ooooooooh, Ahhhhhhhh.

>207 debbs1970:

Welcome to the family. Haha

Is anyone else curious that in a discussion on the number of books owned many of the posters have no books in their library?
I have 4, 1 DLE and 3 others, hardly worth mentioning.

> 209

I simply don't have the time to catalog my library into LT. Plus, if I were to catalog things, I'd want it to be a comprehensive list (i.e., all media, not just books) and a private one (i.e., not on the internet) at that. I'm sure others here will have similar reasons.

Started book collecting this Christmas. Have about 50 Folio Society, 6 Easton Press, and 10 Franklin Library

>211 lechacal:

I bought my first and only Franklin Library book about a month ago, My Antonia by Willa Cather. It appears to be bonded leather instead of the full leather typical of EP. Can you tell if your FL books are bonded leather or full leather?

I'm not too sure actually. I bought all 10 FL and 3 of the EP books from a Craigslist ad and they just happen to have all been from the 100 great books from each respective publisher which I am pretty sure are full leather

I have a total of 24 (ten DLEs and fourteen "100 Greatest" - excuse me, I should say "Books That Changed the World" or whatever EP calls the former 100 Greatest series), acquired since around mid-2010. The DLE total might possibly (and regretfully) diminish in the not-too-distant future (q.v. my recent posts).

Not that I am an expert, but in my smallish collection, none of my FL leathers seem to be bonded leather. They all feel more buttery and fine grained like my Coach purses do. Some EP's however make me wonder if they are bonded leather due to the feel...a harder more "crunchy" type leather feel. The difference in the FL "non-leather" (Mystery Library and cheaper 'Greatest of the World's Greatest Writers) is easily visible and felt. My personal observation is that the leather in the newer EP's is at least of lower quality than it used to be in my earlier acquired editions. I wish they could all feel like the premium Oxford editions, they are so buttery soft like glove leather.

As to entering my books into this LT "library", I maintain my own catalogue on my computer, in printed form in a binder, and a thumb drive I store offsite in case of a total loss of my residence. The data I gather about my editions is as all inclusive as I can make it including purchase records and photographs of all details, quality and defects alike. I had a friend that had to prove values on a total loss of possessions once and learned that it's not just as easy as saying "It was a "X thing" and "Y model". I pray that I never need the info but my home and my belongings are well documented. Not to mention, I began to do this years and years ago and with my books at least it is interesting to see what prices I used to pay for them. Through this I can say...there has been market appreciation on FL and EP in the last 17 years. The binder "catalog" makes it easy to see what versions I have of what titles from what Collections. For instance the EP 100 Greatest has 7 separate identifiable editions of Little Women that I have found. This way I know at a glace which I have and which I have not (without a trip to the "library" upstairs). Maybe later I will create my 'library' here, but for now I'm just trippin' around seeing what other FL/EP junkies have to talk about.

>215 debbs1970: Standard EPs use Sadera (TM) pig leather with impressed artificial grains. They do not use bonded leather. The Folio Society usually uses real leather but has used bonded leather on some titles. The FS seems to be using less and less leather in their bindings (e.g. high end books like the latest Paradise Lost would almost certainly have been released with a leather spine 5 - 10 years ago). The leather on my regular FS titles feels nicer (to me) than the leather on my regular EP editions.

I'm pretty sure my FL edition of My Antonia is bonded leather. It's my first and only FL book, so I was just wondering if that was typical of FL or not. Bonded leather is less durable (in my experience with Bibles) than "genuine" or "full grain" leather.

>215 debbs1970:

The insurance concern is interesting. I once asked my home insurance agent how a total loss would be handled with regard to things like my library and he seemed pretty nonchalant about the ease at which I'd be able to declare it. I didn't like his answer but am not sure how to pursue a more detailed answer. I've heard of people having agents come into their homes to inspect and document things officially but they certainly weren't recording editions and quality levels per book. I would spend the time to catalog everything in detail if I knew it would be honored by the insurance company.

>217 eastonlionel:
eastonlionel,

FL produced both full leather and bonded leather editions, plus quarter-bound leather/bonded leather (not sure which) editions. You definitely need to confirm which it is when buying used online.

Os.

Early volumes in The Masterpieces of American Literature series were bound in bonded leather. If you own early volumes from this series, you can easily verify this by looking at the logo on the title page:

To 218

A good place to start is to read your insurance policy, you will probably not enjoy it, but that and the adjuster is what determines what is covered and for what. After that you can start exploring other options.

85 books, 3 months...I'm kind of an obsessive type

>222 brooksknight:, Brooksnight, you are either picking up second hand copies at great prices, or dumping a lot of cash; or possibly both. :)

-> 222

It's easy to go on a buying spree for sure. I'm just cooling down from one... or that's what I've told my wife :-)

Hamletscamaro, it is a little of both :)

I own 30 Easton Press books and have been collecting since June of 2014.

115 so far, been collecting since December 2001, with some breaks here and there either during times of financial stress or just to allow myself to catch up a bit (I read all of my EP books).

89/100 Greatest 100
3/50 20th Century
Complete Dickens Novels
Complete Sherlock Holmes
Tolkien's Beowulf
Novels and Short Stories of John Steinbeck (8 volumes)
A few Famous Editions (Idiot, Tom Sawyer with Rockwell illustrations)

Also have a few FL full leather books, and a small handful of LEC books, the most recent acquisition there being a near fine copy of the Charterhouse of Parma (No. 100/1500).

>227 chrisrsprague:

Update for me:

I have 318.

According to my tags these include

89/100 of the Greatest 100 (which must be off, as I finished that series. It's odd that we both have 89 of this series tagged as such)
79 Masterpieces of Science Fiction
46 Signed First Editions of Sciene Fiction
53 Great Books of the 20th Century (I also finished this series)
12 Horror Classics
11/14 N.C. Wyeth Adventure Classics
3 Famous Editions (I need to find out about this series a bit more )
1 Masterpieces of American Literature (I'm going to have to double check this book to see if that is what it really says)
5 Anne Rice Books (I just picked these up direct from EP last week)

I bought my first EP in 1975 and was immediately hooked. At one point I had over 1,100 EP volumes, plus hundreds of FL and Folio. But since then we've downsized, house-wise, and I've had to divest myself of lots of books, EP included. I've managed to keep a few hundred of the rarer titles.

Last time we moved I gave away 1,800 books (no, not any "fine" bindings) and you could hardly tell the difference.

Wow, that's a lot of books. I imagine you would have to turn one room into a home library to house that many.

I have 118 Easton Press Books, about 50 of the 100 Greatest, about 20 Reader's Choice, the Vampire Chronicles, 40 Greatest Books of the 20th Century, and the rest just random EP purchases or gifts.