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1boddhidharma
Hey all. What's the story with the Collector's Editions? I bought most of my 100 Greatest 2nd hand so some have that label and some don't. Is there really a difference in editions of the books?
2wailofatail
>1 boddhidharma:: In other threads we've identified, as a group, at least three different labels that E/P has used for books published as part of the '100 Greatest Books Of All Time': 'Limited Editions', 'Collector's Editions' and '100 Greatest Books Of All Time' editions. It is my belief that the 'Limited Editions' are the oldest, followed by the 'Collector's Editions', (perhaps changed when E/P went serial with the collection and could no longer, in good conscience, call it Limited), with the '100 Greatest Books Of All Time' being the label currently printed on the title page.
I am aware, in some instances, of minor differences between different vintages of the same title such as different cover designs, modified frontispiece art, and modified introductions but I'm not certain how consistent the differences are.
I am aware, in some instances, of minor differences between different vintages of the same title such as different cover designs, modified frontispiece art, and modified introductions but I'm not certain how consistent the differences are.
3SilentInAWay
Also, a number of the books currently included in the 100G series were originally published by EP as "Collector's Editions" (books that were not part of any series). Later, at one or another of the times when the 100G list was revised, these books were added to the series and re-published with the "100 Greatest Books of All Time" label on the title page.
4wailofatail
>3 SilentInAWay:: To which titles are you referring, Silent?
5SilentInAWay
From a quick scan of the list: Silas Marner, Frankenstein, Notre Dame de Paris, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Sound and the Fury...and possibly Dracula...were previously published as "Collector's Editions" that were not part of any series.
My own copy of Dracula is the edition that was added to the 100G series in 2005/6, but there was a 1993 edition that I suspect was published as a "Collector's Edition" (although, not having seen the cover page, I can't confirm this). The stand-alone Frankensteins include, of course, the for-some-reason-coveted edition with the gilded stitches on the cover (which I refer to as the "Frankenstitch" edition).
Also, all of the volumes in the multi-colored Faulkner set (including The Sound and the Fury) were marked "Collector's Edition." The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was, of course, published as a FE, as well as a "Collector's Edition" (as part of the much-discussed three-volume set).
Most of the other additions to the 100G series (at least in the most recent revision of the list) were previously published in either the FE or MoAL series. Although I no longer have my "original" list of 100G titles from the 80s, I do have a revised list from the 90s. Unfortunately, I no longer remember which books were added or removed from the series in that first revision (well, the first revision after 1982, at any rate), so I suppose there could be a few other previously-published titles that were added to the list during that first revision.
My own copy of Dracula is the edition that was added to the 100G series in 2005/6, but there was a 1993 edition that I suspect was published as a "Collector's Edition" (although, not having seen the cover page, I can't confirm this). The stand-alone Frankensteins include, of course, the for-some-reason-coveted edition with the gilded stitches on the cover (which I refer to as the "Frankenstitch" edition).
Also, all of the volumes in the multi-colored Faulkner set (including The Sound and the Fury) were marked "Collector's Edition." The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was, of course, published as a FE, as well as a "Collector's Edition" (as part of the much-discussed three-volume set).
Most of the other additions to the 100G series (at least in the most recent revision of the list) were previously published in either the FE or MoAL series. Although I no longer have my "original" list of 100G titles from the 80s, I do have a revised list from the 90s. Unfortunately, I no longer remember which books were added or removed from the series in that first revision (well, the first revision after 1982, at any rate), so I suppose there could be a few other previously-published titles that were added to the list during that first revision.
6Tom41
>5 SilentInAWay: I have a red Dracula from the Famous Editions series. I think it came through the LEC/Heritage rights.
7SilentInAWay
Oh, that's right. I forgot that Dracula was a FE. That (in addition to the various horror sets) may indeed be the only EP edition prior to its inclusion in the 100G series. If noone has any information to the contrary, then I submit that Dracula be removed from my short list in #5 above.
8Tom41
>7 SilentInAWay: I also have Silas Marner, Frankenstein, and Notre Dame de Paris from the Famous Editions series. My Holmes is from the 3-vol. Holmes set and The Sound and the Fury is from FL. My 100G list has 125 titles which have been in the series at various times. It is the list posted on ebay. Of the titles in #5 above the Holmes on my list is No. 5; all the others fall between 101 and 125.
9wailofatail
>5 SilentInAWay:: I take partial issue with, or am confused by your list of titles accompanying your statement that "a number of the books currently included in the 100G series were originally published by EP as "Collector's Editions" (books that were not part of any series) and later ... when the 100G list was revised, these books were added to the series and re-published with the '100 Greatest Books of All Time' label on the title page." Frankenstein and The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes have always been part of the '100 Greatest', well before the 'Complete Sherlock Holmes' set or either of the 'Horror' sets were published. E/P did substitute former cover designs for some of the long-standing titles in the '100 Greatest' with covers that were specially designed for a later special set or collection. The 'Arm Icon' edition of Frankenstein and the 'Magnifying Glass Icon' edition of The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes are examples of this. Also, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, (aka Notre Dame De Paris) and Silas Marner, as well as Dracula, (as you note above), were formerly published for the 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions'. I don't believe The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes has ever been a 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' publication. I think you are confusing this with The Later Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes, which was lifted from 'The Complete Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes' for the 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions'.
But you are correct that The Sound And The Fury was previously available only in the 'William Faulkner Collection'. Other titles that E/P later borrowed from exclusive sets for the '100 Greatest' that previously were not part of the '100 Greatest' include Farewell To Arms (previously available only in the 'Complete Works Of Ernest Hemingway', Lady Chatterley's Lover (previously available only in the 'D.H. Lawrence 80th Anniversary Edition' collection, and Phantom Of The Opera (previously available only in the 'Classics Of Horror' or the 'Horror Classics' sets.) These were added when E/P announced an additional twenty titles for the '100 Greatest' collection.
But you are correct that The Sound And The Fury was previously available only in the 'William Faulkner Collection'. Other titles that E/P later borrowed from exclusive sets for the '100 Greatest' that previously were not part of the '100 Greatest' include Farewell To Arms (previously available only in the 'Complete Works Of Ernest Hemingway', Lady Chatterley's Lover (previously available only in the 'D.H. Lawrence 80th Anniversary Edition' collection, and Phantom Of The Opera (previously available only in the 'Classics Of Horror' or the 'Horror Classics' sets.) These were added when E/P announced an additional twenty titles for the '100 Greatest' collection.
10EastonQuality
There are in fact more than 100 Greatest Books Ever Written published as so.
Near or above three dozen were added to the series offered by Easton Press after they were marked first as Collectors Edition earlier in the publisher's history.
Near or above three dozen were added to the series offered by Easton Press after they were marked first as Collectors Edition earlier in the publisher's history.
11WinterGloaming
>10 EastonQuality:
Thats true, and even though it sounds picky on my part it is actually a reason why I would never collect this series in its entity. 100 is 100 its like its ruined by the added volumes.
Thats true, and even though it sounds picky on my part it is actually a reason why I would never collect this series in its entity. 100 is 100 its like its ruined by the added volumes.
12wailofatail
>10 EastonQuality:: That is not accurate, EastonQuality. The number of editions added to the series after they were marketed first as 'Collector's Editions' earlier in the publisher's history is no where near three dozen, yet alone above it.
It helps the discussion to distinguish titles that E/P has added to the '100 Greatest' from titles for which E/P has merely substituted a later cover design from a special collection for the then current design of the same title. It is also necessary to distinguish whether we are talking about editions that have previously appeared in other series, (i.e. books available as part of an on-going monthly subscription), albeit with different cover designs in some instances, or books that where offered as sets, intended to be purchased together by special order.
A small handful of titles that had always been part of the '100 Greatest' were re-outfitted with jacket designs borrowed from later special collector's sets.
A larger handful of titles from other series were re-outfitted with new jackets and added to the '100 Greatest'. These were new titles added to the '100 Greatest'.
But only a select few titles that had previously only been available as 'Collector's Editions' were added to the '100 Greatest' as new titles. I think I've identified those above, except that you might want to include the Chiswick editions of Romeo And Juliet, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, which were new titles added to the '100 Greatest', of which that particular edition was previously only available from 'The Complete Shakespeare' collection, a.k.a. the Chiswick Editions. These three titles replaced Shakespeare's The Histories, The Comedies, and The Tragedies from the original '100 Greatest' line-up.
It helps the discussion to distinguish titles that E/P has added to the '100 Greatest' from titles for which E/P has merely substituted a later cover design from a special collection for the then current design of the same title. It is also necessary to distinguish whether we are talking about editions that have previously appeared in other series, (i.e. books available as part of an on-going monthly subscription), albeit with different cover designs in some instances, or books that where offered as sets, intended to be purchased together by special order.
A small handful of titles that had always been part of the '100 Greatest' were re-outfitted with jacket designs borrowed from later special collector's sets.
A larger handful of titles from other series were re-outfitted with new jackets and added to the '100 Greatest'. These were new titles added to the '100 Greatest'.
But only a select few titles that had previously only been available as 'Collector's Editions' were added to the '100 Greatest' as new titles. I think I've identified those above, except that you might want to include the Chiswick editions of Romeo And Juliet, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, which were new titles added to the '100 Greatest', of which that particular edition was previously only available from 'The Complete Shakespeare' collection, a.k.a. the Chiswick Editions. These three titles replaced Shakespeare's The Histories, The Comedies, and The Tragedies from the original '100 Greatest' line-up.
13SilentInAWay
Although Frankenstein, Silas Marner and Notre Dame de Paris may indeed have been published as Famous Editions, I own copies of both of these books that I purchased directly from EP before they were included in the FE series (in fact, I bought at least two of these volumes before the Collector's Library of Famous Editions even existed!!). These books were marketed to subscribers via brochures that were included with each shipment, much as is done today. On the title page of each of these books, it simply says "Collector's Edition", with no mention of any series either on that page or the copyright page. My copy of Silas Marner is an oddity for EP in that there is no date at all on the copyright page, where it simply says "Printed in the United States of America" -- that doesn't sound like an EP publication, does it? (although, perhaps, it should not surprise those who are familiar with EP's absurdly inconsistent practices on the copyright pages of their various publications).
Frankenstein has not, as you say above, "always been part of the '100 Greatest'" -- I still have the printed list that was sent to me when I re-subscribed to the series in the early 90s (it's either from then, or maybe from some time when I was thinking about re-subscribing in the late 80s). This was the list that EP would send to subscribers so that they can cross off the books that they don't wish to receive. Unlike some of the spurious lists that have been circulated on-line (mostly for other collections), every book on this list was indeed published in the 100G series. Frankenstein not only does not appear on this list, but was also not on the 100G list when I purchased it as a 'special offer' sometime before June 1984 (when I actually got around to reading it--I unfortunately don't track the dates of my purchases). At any rate, I remember receiving the brochure and being impressed by the cover of this edition.
As for Dracula, I do not know whether the FE edition was the first edition published by EP. Like Frankenstein, that's one of those books that EP would have likely published as a special edition prior to the introduction of the FE series. I have no evidence either way, however. During the early years of my subscription (and, no doubt, the preceding half-decade), EP published quite a few books as stand-alone "Collector's Editions" -- many of which were later included in Collector's Library of Famous Editions. Some were also later added to the 100G series (the list for which has been revised at least twice, possibly three times, since I first subscribed), the Great Books of the 20th Century series and other long-list collections.
I didn't mention A Farewell to Arms, Lady Chatterley's Lover and Phantom of the Opera simply because I did not puchase these books prior to their inclusion in the 100G series and therefore do not know whether the words "Collector's Edition" actually appear on their title pages in the earlier, non-series editions.
You are correct about the Sherlock Holmes, however. Adventures indeed appears on every 100G list that I am aware of -- and Later Adventures was later adopted by the FE series -- perhaps I was mixing up the two. mea culpa.
At any rate, here is a scan of my old 100G list (certainly not the earliest one I received, but the earliest one still in my possession). Too bad that EP didn't date their lists back then -- I really don't remember when I received it (I do remember that my original list became pretty beat up over time -- I probably...gasp!!...threw it away when I received this one. Little did I know then...).
Pardon the ugly pen-dots -- they started out as small dots, but grew larger as I made multiple passes through the list.
Also, since I know you like connecting covers with editions, wailo, here are the cover scans of the three books that I mentioned above as having purchased as "Collector's Editions" in the 80's:
I honestly don't know whether these cover designs are unique to the "Collector's Editions" or whether the same designs were used after the books were incorporated into either the FE or 100G series. That, I confess, is something to which I haven't paid much attention over the years. For the most part, once I owned a book, I paid scant attention to its various "afterprintings" (to coin a term).
Frankenstein has not, as you say above, "always been part of the '100 Greatest'" -- I still have the printed list that was sent to me when I re-subscribed to the series in the early 90s (it's either from then, or maybe from some time when I was thinking about re-subscribing in the late 80s). This was the list that EP would send to subscribers so that they can cross off the books that they don't wish to receive. Unlike some of the spurious lists that have been circulated on-line (mostly for other collections), every book on this list was indeed published in the 100G series. Frankenstein not only does not appear on this list, but was also not on the 100G list when I purchased it as a 'special offer' sometime before June 1984 (when I actually got around to reading it--I unfortunately don't track the dates of my purchases). At any rate, I remember receiving the brochure and being impressed by the cover of this edition.
As for Dracula, I do not know whether the FE edition was the first edition published by EP. Like Frankenstein, that's one of those books that EP would have likely published as a special edition prior to the introduction of the FE series. I have no evidence either way, however. During the early years of my subscription (and, no doubt, the preceding half-decade), EP published quite a few books as stand-alone "Collector's Editions" -- many of which were later included in Collector's Library of Famous Editions. Some were also later added to the 100G series (the list for which has been revised at least twice, possibly three times, since I first subscribed), the Great Books of the 20th Century series and other long-list collections.
I didn't mention A Farewell to Arms, Lady Chatterley's Lover and Phantom of the Opera simply because I did not puchase these books prior to their inclusion in the 100G series and therefore do not know whether the words "Collector's Edition" actually appear on their title pages in the earlier, non-series editions.
You are correct about the Sherlock Holmes, however. Adventures indeed appears on every 100G list that I am aware of -- and Later Adventures was later adopted by the FE series -- perhaps I was mixing up the two. mea culpa.
At any rate, here is a scan of my old 100G list (certainly not the earliest one I received, but the earliest one still in my possession). Too bad that EP didn't date their lists back then -- I really don't remember when I received it (I do remember that my original list became pretty beat up over time -- I probably...gasp!!...threw it away when I received this one. Little did I know then...).
Pardon the ugly pen-dots -- they started out as small dots, but grew larger as I made multiple passes through the list.
Also, since I know you like connecting covers with editions, wailo, here are the cover scans of the three books that I mentioned above as having purchased as "Collector's Editions" in the 80's:
I honestly don't know whether these cover designs are unique to the "Collector's Editions" or whether the same designs were used after the books were incorporated into either the FE or 100G series. That, I confess, is something to which I haven't paid much attention over the years. For the most part, once I owned a book, I paid scant attention to its various "afterprintings" (to coin a term).
14EastonQuality
Not so wailofatail, there are in fact at least 25 that were added to the series several years ago to fill in some holes. How many do you know of that were added? There is credible data including titles printed on the front page referring more than 100 volumes, I am confused on what you are trying to point out here. Titles from different series were added to the collection plain and simple, added they were not first printed with the GBEW series
It sounds like you wailofatail deny my explanation that there are more than 100 in the set of the 100 Greatest Books Ever Written. Keep your criticism plain & simple for the rest of us.
It sounds like you wailofatail deny my explanation that there are more than 100 in the set of the 100 Greatest Books Ever Written. Keep your criticism plain & simple for the rest of us.
15wailofatail
13>: Your evidence and explanation seem irrefutable. I was not aware that E/P published Frankenstein, Notre Dame De Paris or Silas Marner individually as 'Collector's Editions'. Knowledge of this makes me wonder if all of those books that are duplicate titles from the '100 Greatest' but are described on the title page as 'Collector's Editions' or 'Limited Editions' may not have been individual offerings as well. I've always said the only real way to know some of this stuff is from people who actually lived it first hand. My editions of Notre Dame De Paris and Silas Marner have the same covers as yours, though mine came as part of the 'Famous Editions' subscription. I don't have them handy to verify what is on the title page and I'm going to just stop making assumptions.
Now that you mention it, I have the same '100 Greatest' list from E/P that you have. Mine doesn't have Frankenstein either. I think I added it to the original line-up when I discovered the stitch design cover. Thinking it was an early version of the '100 Greatest', I made the assumption that it must have been part of the original line-up. I guess I was wrong.
At some point in the late 90s to early 2000s E/P added twenty additional titles to the '100 Greatest' collection, which I've kept track of separately as the '100 Greatest II' collection. I have the introductory list from E/P. The titles added were:
Animal Farm - (previously available from 'Masterpieces Of Science Fiction' subscription)
Beowulf - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription)
Billy Budd - (previously available from 'Masterpieces Of American Literature' & 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscriptions)
Count Of Monte Cristo - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' as two volumes)
Cyrano De Bergerac - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription)
Dracula - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription)
Farewell To Arms, A - (previously available from 'The Complete Works Of Ernest Hemingway' collection)
Frankenstein - (previously available from the 'Horror Classics', 'Classics Of Horror', 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions', and as a stand alone 'Collector's Edition'.
Hunchback Of Notre Dame, The - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription as Notre Dame De Paris and also as a stand alone 'Collector's Edition')
Lady Chatterley’s Lover - (previously available from 'D.H. Lawrence 80th Anniversary Edition' collection)
Legend Of Sleepy Hollow - (previously available from 'Masterpieces Of American Literature' collection)
Les Miserables - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' as two volumes)
Picture Of Dorian Gray, The - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription)
Poems Of Emily Dickenson - (previously available from 'Masterpieces Of American Literature' collection)
Poetry Of Robert Frost - (previously unavailable, to the best of my knowledge. This is a different edition from the pocket poetry edition)
Pygmalion And Candida - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription)
Silas Marner - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription and also as a stand alone 'Collector's Edition)
Sound And The Fury, The - (previously available from the 'William Faulkner Collection')
Tess Of The D’Urbervilles - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription)
Time Machine, The - (previously available from 'Masterpieces Of Science Fiction' subscription)
From this list, it appears that Frankenstein did not make its debut in the '100 Greatest' until this late date. Here is a question for all my fellow resident experts, which does not include you, EastonQuality, (is that plain & simple enough?) Is The Phantom Of The Opera part of the '100 Greatest' line-up? I have it in my list of '100 Greatest II' but I see from the E/P literature that this is not the case. Missing from my list of '100 Greatest II' was Frankenstein, which I inadvertently moved to the original list when I discovered the old 'Collector's Edition' stitch design. I have since moved it back but am prone to believe that Phantom Of The Opera does not belong in the '100 Greatest' at all. I think it made it into my list from an Ebay listing that noted it as such but I'm inclined to think now that that may have been a seller's presumption and not based on evidence. Does anyone have information to support or refute this?
Thanks for taking the time to set me straight on Frankenstein and the others, Silent; for the scans too. That helps.
>14 EastonQuality:: I do not deny your explanation that there are more than one hundred titles in the '100 Greatest' collection. In fact, I'm certain I've posted previously regarding this specifically. At issue was more the order in which they were published and whether the titles added were from another subscription series or a 'Collector's Edition' presentation. It may not make a difference to some but others like to know the details.
On a separate note, though you tempt me frequently, my comments are not intended to be critical. I hope you don't take them as such. Okay, the "which does not include you" comment was intended to be insulting. Sorry.
Now that you mention it, I have the same '100 Greatest' list from E/P that you have. Mine doesn't have Frankenstein either. I think I added it to the original line-up when I discovered the stitch design cover. Thinking it was an early version of the '100 Greatest', I made the assumption that it must have been part of the original line-up. I guess I was wrong.
At some point in the late 90s to early 2000s E/P added twenty additional titles to the '100 Greatest' collection, which I've kept track of separately as the '100 Greatest II' collection. I have the introductory list from E/P. The titles added were:
Animal Farm - (previously available from 'Masterpieces Of Science Fiction' subscription)
Beowulf - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription)
Billy Budd - (previously available from 'Masterpieces Of American Literature' & 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscriptions)
Count Of Monte Cristo - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' as two volumes)
Cyrano De Bergerac - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription)
Dracula - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription)
Farewell To Arms, A - (previously available from 'The Complete Works Of Ernest Hemingway' collection)
Frankenstein - (previously available from the 'Horror Classics', 'Classics Of Horror', 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions', and as a stand alone 'Collector's Edition'.
Hunchback Of Notre Dame, The - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription as Notre Dame De Paris and also as a stand alone 'Collector's Edition')
Lady Chatterley’s Lover - (previously available from 'D.H. Lawrence 80th Anniversary Edition' collection)
Legend Of Sleepy Hollow - (previously available from 'Masterpieces Of American Literature' collection)
Les Miserables - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' as two volumes)
Picture Of Dorian Gray, The - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription)
Poems Of Emily Dickenson - (previously available from 'Masterpieces Of American Literature' collection)
Poetry Of Robert Frost - (previously unavailable, to the best of my knowledge. This is a different edition from the pocket poetry edition)
Pygmalion And Candida - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription)
Silas Marner - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription and also as a stand alone 'Collector's Edition)
Sound And The Fury, The - (previously available from the 'William Faulkner Collection')
Tess Of The D’Urbervilles - (previously available from 'Collector's Library Of Famous Editions' subscription)
Time Machine, The - (previously available from 'Masterpieces Of Science Fiction' subscription)
From this list, it appears that Frankenstein did not make its debut in the '100 Greatest' until this late date. Here is a question for all my fellow resident experts, which does not include you, EastonQuality, (is that plain & simple enough?) Is The Phantom Of The Opera part of the '100 Greatest' line-up? I have it in my list of '100 Greatest II' but I see from the E/P literature that this is not the case. Missing from my list of '100 Greatest II' was Frankenstein, which I inadvertently moved to the original list when I discovered the old 'Collector's Edition' stitch design. I have since moved it back but am prone to believe that Phantom Of The Opera does not belong in the '100 Greatest' at all. I think it made it into my list from an Ebay listing that noted it as such but I'm inclined to think now that that may have been a seller's presumption and not based on evidence. Does anyone have information to support or refute this?
Thanks for taking the time to set me straight on Frankenstein and the others, Silent; for the scans too. That helps.
>14 EastonQuality:: I do not deny your explanation that there are more than one hundred titles in the '100 Greatest' collection. In fact, I'm certain I've posted previously regarding this specifically. At issue was more the order in which they were published and whether the titles added were from another subscription series or a 'Collector's Edition' presentation. It may not make a difference to some but others like to know the details.
On a separate note, though you tempt me frequently, my comments are not intended to be critical. I hope you don't take them as such. Okay, the "which does not include you" comment was intended to be insulting. Sorry.
16SilentInAWay
I believe that the list that I posted (and that you have as well) is not the original version of the series, although it perhaps had the longest tenure. I know for a fact, however, that the revision you describe clearly in #15 is not the only time that the list has been revised. Not only do I remember there being some minor revisions about 20 years ago, but this was confirmed to me about 5 years ago by an EP employee.
What may make things confusing is that the current product numbers appear to be derived not from the original list in the 1970s/80s, but rather from the revised list I posted in message 13.
As I said above, I am not much of an expert on the afterprintings of books that I have already acquired in an EP edition. In fact, I'm not even sure if my 2006 list of 100G titles (the most recent list that I've received directly from EP) corresponds to the latest version of that series. It appears to match yours, however, wailofatail...
So...I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of Phantom of the Opera in a 100G edition. It's not included on any of my lists, but then again my lists are not necessarily up to date. I had already added the book to my mental list based on your comments above, wailo -- I figured that you've kept track of the current state of things better than I have...
So the question remains: If the constituency of the 100G series has been revised more than once, what other books were once included in the series that were neither on the list that I posted, nor the list of 20 in message #15.
Off the top of my head, I can think of only one (and even that I base on someone else's authority): see message 16 in this thread.
What may make things confusing is that the current product numbers appear to be derived not from the original list in the 1970s/80s, but rather from the revised list I posted in message 13.
As I said above, I am not much of an expert on the afterprintings of books that I have already acquired in an EP edition. In fact, I'm not even sure if my 2006 list of 100G titles (the most recent list that I've received directly from EP) corresponds to the latest version of that series. It appears to match yours, however, wailofatail...
So...I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of Phantom of the Opera in a 100G edition. It's not included on any of my lists, but then again my lists are not necessarily up to date. I had already added the book to my mental list based on your comments above, wailo -- I figured that you've kept track of the current state of things better than I have...
So the question remains: If the constituency of the 100G series has been revised more than once, what other books were once included in the series that were neither on the list that I posted, nor the list of 20 in message #15.
Off the top of my head, I can think of only one (and even that I base on someone else's authority): see message 16 in this thread.
17SilentInAWay
Ah, I think I see where EQ gets 25. If you add to your list of 20 from message #15 the three Shakespeare plays ("Hamlet", "Romeo & Juliet", and "A Midsummer Night's Dream") that were added to replace the Comedies, Tragedies and Histories (as you yourself point out in message #12)...that makes 23. Then there's the Holy Bible...that's 24. And, according to Wikipedia, Middlemarch was once in the 100G collection. Seeing that was an "Aha!!" moment for me, because I seem to remember Middlemarch being on the list for the 100G series back when I first subscribed (although, of course, I can't confirm this). I have no memories of the Holy Bible being on that list, however, although that certainly doesn't mean that it wasn't... At any rate, that makes 25.
18Tom41
I purchased four books directly from EP in the 100G:
Middlemarch 001-114 Oct. 2004
The Count of Monte Cristo 001-107 April 2003
Ivanhoe 001-037 May 2003
Lady Chatterley's Lover 001-119 June 2007
Middlemarch 001-114 Oct. 2004
The Count of Monte Cristo 001-107 April 2003
Ivanhoe 001-037 May 2003
Lady Chatterley's Lover 001-119 June 2007
19wailofatail
>17 SilentInAWay:: That is the number that I have too, i.e. 125, summing them up just as you've described above. I wrote E/P last year to inquire about the availability of the '100 Greatest' Holy Bible. The response refered to this title as #001-111, so it is definitely part of the line-up. It just occurred to me ... on the order form for the twenty new titles added to the '100 Greatest' the numbers began with #001-101 and ended with #001-122. It struck me as odd that twenty new titles would end with twenty-two. Upon closer examination I noticed that numbers #001-111 and #001-114 were skipped over in the list. Apparently #001-111 was reserved for The Holy Bible. I suppose they didn't want to advertise it in the event I happened to be Muslim or something.
I can see as I write that Tom41 has confirmed that #001-114 was Middlemarch, also not included on the twenty new titles list for some reason, (probably because it had been a part of the collection previously and subsequently removed in favor of a different title).
I can see as I write that Tom41 has confirmed that #001-114 was Middlemarch, also not included on the twenty new titles list for some reason, (probably because it had been a part of the collection previously and subsequently removed in favor of a different title).
20Tom41
Here are all the titles above No. 100 that I know of:
101 A Fairwell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway
102 Notre Dame de Paris - Victor Hugo
103 Cyano de Bergerac - Edmond Rostand
104 The Poetry of Robert Frost - Robert Frost
105 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving
106 Frankenstein - Mary Shelly
107 The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexander Dumas
108 Pygmalion/Candida - George Bernard Shaw
109 The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
110 The Time Machine - H. G. Wells
111 The Holy Bible
112 Poems of Emily Dickinson- Emily Dickinson
113 Beowulf
114 Middlemarch - George Eliot
115 Billy Budd and Benito Cereno - Herman Melville
116 The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
117 Animal Farm - George Orwell
118 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
119 Lady Chatterley's Lover - D. H. Lawrence
120 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
121 Dracula - Bram Stoker
122 Silas Marner - George Eliot
123 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
124 A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare
125 Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
101 A Fairwell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway
102 Notre Dame de Paris - Victor Hugo
103 Cyano de Bergerac - Edmond Rostand
104 The Poetry of Robert Frost - Robert Frost
105 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving
106 Frankenstein - Mary Shelly
107 The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexander Dumas
108 Pygmalion/Candida - George Bernard Shaw
109 The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
110 The Time Machine - H. G. Wells
111 The Holy Bible
112 Poems of Emily Dickinson- Emily Dickinson
113 Beowulf
114 Middlemarch - George Eliot
115 Billy Budd and Benito Cereno - Herman Melville
116 The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
117 Animal Farm - George Orwell
118 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
119 Lady Chatterley's Lover - D. H. Lawrence
120 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
121 Dracula - Bram Stoker
122 Silas Marner - George Eliot
123 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
124 A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare
125 Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
21SilentInAWay
Ah, so Middlemarch (and the Holy Bible) were indeed recent additions (recent meaning, in this case, sometime during the last decade or so--Ha!), rather than early deletions from the series. Interesting...so why do I remember seeing Middlemarch on an EP list? Argh!!
Your list, Tom, is impeccable. The numbers never lie!! (well, unless a book is assigned a number and then never published...a la a couple of the Signed Modern Classics...but that isn't the case here). Bravo and thank you.
Your list, Tom, is impeccable. The numbers never lie!! (well, unless a book is assigned a number and then never published...a la a couple of the Signed Modern Classics...but that isn't the case here). Bravo and thank you.
22wailofatail
>21 SilentInAWay:: Is it not possible that Middlemarch was included in a much earlier list and then removed in favor of another title and then reintroduced again later? I thought that might explain why it was not included on the list of twenty new titles when they were first announced. Perhaps Easton Press did not want to send out a list of new titles to former subscribers with a title that some may have previously purchased as part of an earlier subscription. I know, "but what about the current high number #114?". My thought is that either all the titles got new numbers at some later date or the number for which Middlemarch was previously was already in use by the previous substitution, so when it was re-introduced again it was simply given a new 'higher' number, but not introduced as new, since, technically speaking, it was not new, having already been published previously.
All speculation, of course, but it seems rational to me. For what it's worth, I seem to remember Middlemarch having been in the '100 Greatest' well before the announcement of the twenty new titles too.
All speculation, of course, but it seems rational to me. For what it's worth, I seem to remember Middlemarch having been in the '100 Greatest' well before the announcement of the twenty new titles too.
23Tom41
>22 wailofatail: Your speculation makes sense to me. I guess no one here has a copy of the older edition. I couldn't find one at bookfinder, either.
I looked inside my copy of Middlemarch. The special contents which specifically include the publisher's preface, an original introduction, and the cover design are copyrighted in 2004. So, even if they did re-issue the text block of the novel from an earlier edition, they did add some new original parts in 2004. And, it does say "The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written" on the title page, as well as "Collector's Edition".
I looked inside my copy of Middlemarch. The special contents which specifically include the publisher's preface, an original introduction, and the cover design are copyrighted in 2004. So, even if they did re-issue the text block of the novel from an earlier edition, they did add some new original parts in 2004. And, it does say "The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written" on the title page, as well as "Collector's Edition".
24wailofatail
I bought my copy second hand in 2005 so that doesn't tell us anything. I thought I was buying an older edition but maybe I wasn't. My recollection is that my copy also includes the 'The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written' on the title page.
25indigosky
I received a copy of Middlemarch in May 2008 as part of my 100G subscription. At the time I received my list, Silas Marner was not on the 100G list. The last list I got from EP (June 2010) has Silas Marner, but not Middlemarch. I was never offered an extra 25 books. I thought the extra 25 just came about because EP changed their list from time to time?
26wailofatail
>25 indigosky:: Indigosky, are the twenty new titles from the list above shown on your most recent list?
27indigosky
26: Here's the list I have from June 2010. They emailed it to me when I requested a book I had not received in my original 100 Greatest. I'll look and see if I can find my original list for those of you who archive.
100 Greatest - page 1
100 Greatest - page 2
Looks like all of those from your list in #15 are on this list.
100 Greatest - page 1
100 Greatest - page 2
Looks like all of those from your list in #15 are on this list.
28wailofatail
>27 indigosky:: Thanks, indigosky. It does appear that the new twenty are in the current line up. It will be interesting to compare your more current list with Silent's older list to discover which titles have been eliminated. Not that I think they have really been permanently eliminated. I would guess that they rotate titles in and out depending on inventory, production plans, and attrition of titles yet to be received from longer-standing subscribers.
29BigPapi
I found this string when doing a search on dating the different releases of Easton's titles; I have one more title to add to the list of editions that were released as "Collector's Edition" and 100G - The Red and The Black. I have a version of each; both were purchased through ebay, and the seller of the first one (Collector's Edition, black silks, 4 compartments on the spine) didn't disclose the fact that a prior owner had used an embossing stamp to mark their book, which is why I purchased the second version (100G, Yellow/Gold silks, 5 compartments).
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