Just Joined - and my small/humble HP collection...

first of all, very glad to have found this site and this particular group...
I have started a small collection of my favorite 'old' classics...Some of them are Easton Press, and some of them done by other pubishers such as Folio , but will focus on HP editions for now...

So far, these are the humble HP editions I own:

Far From the madding crowd - 1958 Hardy - (Sandglass and slip case)
Mayor of Casterbridge - 1964 Hardy (slip case, no sandglass)
The Return of the Native - 1942 Hardy (slip and sandglass)
The Moon and Sixpence - 1941 Somerset Maugham -(illustrated by F. Steele/ Garguin - This is a lovely, lovely HP editon!) (Sandglass and slip case)
Rubaiyat - - 1940 (YES! I found a 1940 HP version for $25!) Edward Fitzgerald (no slip case OR sandglass, but the 1940 edition won over those with SC and SG from 1946)

PS: I do own "Tess of..." Folio edition and "Jude the.." Easton press edition (by Thomas Hardy)...now I feel weird about it and keep thinking about getting the HP edition for those too...

Any comments or feedback about above books are welcome...
Also: can one attach photos to messages? or does one have to post photos on the member's gallery only.

Nice collection. I know how you feel about the matching Hardy. I've got the HP The Return of the Native and all of the LEC Hardy's with the exception of Tess which I've got from EP. Every time I look at that section of my bookcase I think about replacing the EP with the LEC.

>1 Bookshrimp:
You are at the beginning of a long road - good luck! I had a similar beginning - Easton Press with bright and attractive leather covers, a couple of HPs, discovered in the Used books stores from time to time... Sooner or later, it came to my attention, that both HP and EP are using the copyright from the LEC, and I had no clue, who was this LEC. A little research (in the pre-Internet part of 90-es) allowed to learn a little about LEC. Getting a few books, I started to feel that LEC has way bigger reason to be collected, although it was more rare and more expensive. I believe, it was a right choice for collection, as long as you get genuine piece of printing art, not a copy. As result, all EP and HP were sold.

However, I agree that there are a few HPs that are just beautiful, and quite a few of these books will be a nice little addition to LEC collection.
My advice: think about one or two Fine Presses that you want to devote your heart and money and concentrate on those editions. John Keats blesses you with his immortal line from Endymion:

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness;
----------------------------
Good luck again, and make a right choice that will make you happy with your collection.

Thanks so much for the kind words, and advice..
Really appreciate it...

Will add a few shots of my books to the gallery in a few days...

Welcome! The Hardy books are really fine--I have all in HP editions with which I am very happy, and didn't feel the need to upgrade to the LEC versions. I love the bindings on these and of course A.M. Parker was born to illustrate Hardy. I can't imagine anyone else even attempting to now.

The Moon and Sixpence and the Szyk Rubaiyat are Heritage Press originals--never available in LEC editions--and, as you point out, are two of the glories of the press. To think you were able to find a 1940 edition for $25 with those exquisitely reproduced illustrations! I can't help but think of the Folio Society Limited Edition Rubaiyat of a few years ago, and how quickly it sold out at a price that seems shocking when you compare the merits of that edition with this one. (Of course I am naturally prejudiced, so those here who bought the FS edition, please don't think I am disparaging the beauty of your version--just wondering at the vagaries of the marketplace.)

Welcome aboard! By any chance did you comment at my blog (George Macy Imagery), Bookshrimp? Someone did the other day and has similar books to yours. I too started with the Heritage Press, and sooner or later you'll be swimming in those (and LEC's, too!). Some of the finest books ever produced. The Hardy novels are exquisite thanks to Agnes Miller Parker's superb woodcuts, and that Szyk Rubaiyat is incredible, isn't it? The Moon and Sixpence is the only one I haven't owned at one point, but I have seen one. It's nice as well, but that particular one lacked both a slipcase and Sandglass if I recall, and I prefer to get complete ones if I can (especially at the prices offered in used book shops!). Enjoy them! And feel free to ask us questions about this wonderful press. :)

This is a very addictive group for sure. I knew nothing about LEC and HP before I joined the Folio Society group at LibraryThing and am very curious to hold the first George Macy production in my hand. So after I read the Books & Vines review on the LEC Trollope, The Warden, I ordered a copy from Abebooks. It will take a couple of weeks until it arrives in Germany (the seller is located in the US) but I am already very, very excited.

As I am totally new to the George Macy books I would like to ask the more experienced collectors here which affordable editions I should look for to start my collection. Thank you very much in advance!

7) I'm sure you'll get a wide range of opinions on what books to start off with! I adore all of my LEC's, but if I had to pick a couple that aren't too much and look amazing, I recommend the 1931 Tartuffe, Voltaire's Zadig, and Shaw's Man and Superman. All lovely, lovely books (two of which are LEC exclusives). I have pics of them all (plus plenty of others!) at my blog: http://georgemacyimagery.wordpress.com/. Books and Vines is also a fantastic resource. Welcome aboard!

>7 rainerc:

As Jerry says, you'll get a wide range of opinions here, so best narrow down your first list by listing the authors and genres you enjoy the most.

But if I may offer a suggestion, I think that for very affordable and very collectible editions, you simply can't go wrong with Heritage Press exclusives, and I'm including among these the series of Great French Romances that were published under the Nonesuch Press name, though they were distributed in the US to members of the Heritage Club. (George Macy held the controlling financial interest in Nonesuch in the 30s and 40s and was on the board of directors, although Francis Meynell continued as the artistic director and guiding spirit.) The story of how this series came to be is on one of the threads here, but rather than repeating it, I will confine myself to suggesting those titles one should watch for:

Candide Voltaire's immortal satire with illustrations by Sylvain Sauvage. Candide has be gifted by having been illustrated by many superb artists, but of all I have seen, these are my favorite. The first book issued in the series

Les Liasons Dangereuses (Dangerous Acquaitainces as used here) by Laclos--a great tale of innocence betrayed by decadent aristocrats; illustrations by Chas Laborde (the idiomatic translation by the tragic romantic Victorian Ernest Dowson, who achieved a measure of immortality by two phrases from his poetry: "...gone with the wind" and "...the days of wine and roses." The second book issued.

The Princess of Cleves by Madame de La Fayette. This is a fairly common title among the Nonesuch offerings, which is surprising to me as this is simply an amazing book! Probably the first novel to deal with the psychological lives of its characters, it is also a very realistic and faithful portrait of French court life in the mid-16th century. Published in 1678 and peopled with historical figures (all but the eponymous heroine), it was a huge success as it dealt with matters of adultery and royal intrigue. The French Civil Service exam until fairly recently used to contain questions which required a knowledge of the book to answer. The appropriately delicate illustrations are by Hermine David, and the preface is by Jean Cocteau, who regarded the work so highly he adapted a screenplay from it.

The Gods Are a-Thirst by Anatole France. The Nobel Prize-winning author's knowledgeable depiction of an episode from the French Revolution and Reign of Terror. Illustrated by Jean Oberle.

The remaining volumes in the series are a little confused due to the wartime exigencies. Some titles were dropped from the list and others added. Some were destined to first appear as LEC offerings. The characteristic binding--solid color buckram backstraps with fleur-de-lispatterened boards--were also used for several Heritage Press issues which didn't acknowledge the original Nonesuch scheme. The four listed above were destined not to be LEC offerings, but they certainly are worthy of having been! In addition to Meynell's superb design, the high quality of the materials, the high quality of the literature, and the highly apposite nature of the illustrations, the illustrations in these books are hand-colored! Incredible that such quality can frequently be found for under $15 US. (One caveat: only the first issued editions are hand-colored; when they were reprinted later, instead of the pochoir process, a series of rubber plates were cut for each color in the illustrations and these were used to apply water color inks. I have several examples of both, and though both provide superb results, for collector's value the hand-colored ones are more desirable. The only way to know for sure if an edition has the hand-colored plates--since the dates weren't changed for subsequent printings--is that the hand-colored original editions have a colophon at the back acknowledging the process.)

All of the books in the series are worth having, either in the Nonesuch edition, the Heritage Press edition, or the LEC edition. Some are very well-known classics--Madame Bovary and Old Goriot--and some deserve to be much better known--de Maupassant's A Woman's Life and, especially, the amazing novel by Gautier, Mademoiselle de Maupin, based on a historical French opera star Mlle Maupin, a first-rate swordswoman with a penchant for disguising herself as a man (and often besting men in duels), and who set fire to a convent in the throes of passion for another woman. (Try to pitch that idea in Hollywood!)

Again, if you are looking for affordable treasures, search out copies of these--they shouldn't be hard.

>7 rainerc: welcome aboard the LEC/HP train! You cannot really go wrong -- look through the complete list of lec's at http://www.majure.net/LECLISTOFTITLES.htm and fine titles that interest you then search on abe's (or wherever). Yes, some will be pricy, but many (in fact the majority) can be found at very decent prices. As for HP's, #8's website is the best resource for those, so you cannot go wrong spending time there.

>7 rainerc: I would raise a few points, especially in regard to collecting GM editions in Germany where they are almost unknown.
Firstly Heritage Press can be a bit of a minefield, each book must have been published at least 4 times, and each edition varies in quality: w/wo letterpress; hand colouring; signatures; binding materials etc. IMO you need a bibliography and a very patient and well stocked bookseller. I find that I wish I had skipped HP altogether and concentrated solely on LEC, and have replaced a number of HPs, there are exceptions and these are well documented in this group. I have found that booksellers are not particular about HPs in general, especially those with reasonable shipping rates such as Strand - who only describe HPs as 'good', which generally translates to 'Acceptable'.
LECs have the disadvantage of size, quartos and above will generally cost $47 each to post, so that can be quite a disadvantage for instance competing on ebay for single volumes. I have found that there is a sweetspot at around a dozen books - they will fit into a case that can still be lifted, though often with some resentment by postal workers it would appear, and the postage comes down to around $10 per book. Customs will always intercept these and charge 7% including on the shipping. If you don't pick up in person, they open the packet, unwrap some or all the books, then put them back in UNWRAPPED and send the packet to Leipzig where the bill is prepared for doorstep delivery - this takes 3 weeks!
Of course trying for a dozen at one go can preclude the virtue of Patience which is paramount in collecting books of a certain vintage.
That said, I think they are well worth the effort - books of this quality are prohibitively expensive here.

Some interesting editions were produced here in Germany:
Tartuffe (1930) - a corker!
THE FOUR GOSPELS. 1932. Signed by Emil Rudolf Weiss.
Selected Tales from the Brother's Grimm 1931.

If you are primarily interested in collector value, starkimarki's points are very well taken; if, on the other hand, you are more interested in building a library of beautifully produced books to read and maybe pass on, then I think the Heritage Press can't be beat for value for cost. For the best examples, you need to be aware of the factors mentioned: in general, the first issued HP is usually the nicest, the reissues of earlier editions marked with a Connecticut publishing address are generally to be avoided, and be merciless when it comes to condition when you talk to sellers--pictures are always a good idea. Although I have several HP and LEC books that exhibit mild cosmetic defects, bumped corners, pulled or faded spines, cracked leather, etc., these don't spoil my pleasure at all, but the one absolute is no odors--either the musty smell of mildew or heavy tobacco odor. The aroma of th book is something they hardly ever mention, but I send back every book I've gotten that has this fault.

My comments were not really aimed at value, but at the difficulty of finding the most attractive addition. For instance finding one of the earlier editions, some research in the Michael Bussacco reference shows the complexity of the issues:

Heritage Press Nonesuch Press Dual Imprints 1935-1936
BHP-D107 A The Scarlet Letter Grey flowered paper over a grey linen cloth cover with a frontispiece signed by designer and illustrator W.A. Dwiggins. ©1935 The Heritage Press, Inc. with no colophon

First Series Nov 1935
BHP-FS-3 The Scarlet Letter Full scarlet leather binding

First Series Nov 1935 (special 1500)
BHP-FS-3A The Scarlet Letter Full scarlet leather binding signed by W.A. Dwiggins

Series A June 1937–May 1938
BHP-8-A The Scarlet Letter ©1938 Members of the Heritage Club no colophon

ADDITIONAL ISSUES
BHP-A-8-2 The Scarlet Letter ©1935 Heritage Press, Inc. New York red linen cloth with Heritage Press trademark on the title page

Any of these could be described as a first edition, as most booksellers are unaware of this history. Some may be more equal than others.

>10 busywine: >
" Yes, some will be pricy, but many (in fact the majority) can be found at very decent prices."
True - until as a non-US resident you factor in the shipping costs (as starkimarki points out). In many cases these are not a fraction of the book's price but a multiple, or even several multiples, of it. Admittedly, this is not the case if you buy through Alibris – presumably they collect enough orders from their dealers to be able to ship in bulk? I don't find their site as user-friendly as some others, and they have less choice when it comes to LECs; nonetheless I've bought two pretty good ones through them: the 1930 Tartuffe, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Shipping cost for each: £2.79 ($4.45), a huge saving on what I might otherwise have paid – indeed, it is less than I would have paid had I bought them from a dealer here in the UK.
>13 starkimarki:
“Any of these could be described as a first edition, as most booksellers are unaware of this history.“
Or even of the fact that the copyright date may in fact belong to the original LEC edition.
Mind you I find it perverse that HP books don't (so far as I know) display a publication date even on their first appearance, let alone when reprinted. It's almost as if George Macy set out to store up future confusion for booksellers, bibliographers and poor bloody booklovers....
Thanks for your research into The Scarlet Letter - that's very helpful!

>14 featherwate: "It's almost as if George Macy set out to store up future confusion for booksellers, bibliographers and poor bloody booklovers...."

That's not putting a very charitable light on someone who did more than anyone else to make fine press books available to those who didn't have servants and hefty investment portfolios!

Seriously, the publication date, whether for the LEC original or Heritage Press original, was a matter of pure economics. Once you copyright the contents on a particular edition, it doesn't make sense to pay to re-reprint for subsequent editions when you still have existing plates. Macy wasn't unique in this respect--why else is there so much blood spilled over determining what is a "true first edition" of so many books?

I do wish there were a really good guide to the various HP editions, that described issue points in detail. There are sufficient differences in editions to make such a guide possible. But the fact that these books are (to my mind, anyway) so undervalued, means that no one feels it worthwhile to compile such a guide. Were there sufficient interest (that is, were customers willing to pay premium prices) for specific editions, the situation would be different.

I for one would be prepared to pay a certain premium for particular editions - the Sauvage signed Romeo and Juliet is one I have been chasing. However it appears that nobody is selling. On abebooks for instance there are, on average, about 15 examples of any of the 1500 copies of an LEC book. However there are almost no examples of the early signed HPs which had the same limitation. There are also no 1940 Rubaiyats, so well done on finding that one Bookshrimp!

@ starkimarki, django, wildcat, busywine, featherwate

Thank you so much for taking your time to post your most helpful advice. I will carefully check your hints and am already checking several offers at ebay and abebooks. Due to horrible postage costs to Germany the mostly very decent prices are not so decent for a German collector so I have to restrict myself a bit. But a LEC from time to time will be affordable. Reading your advices I hesitate to order any HP editions at the moment until I have learned more about those (what edition e.g.). Nevertheless: thanks a lot to all of you and I will surely return here with many more questions.

>15 Django6924: Heaven forbid I should think uncharitably of George Macy! whom I have rapidly come to regard as being up there beside Allen Lane in the pantheon of the 20th century's Good Eggs. Spreaders of enlightment, both, in their different ways.
I'm still mildly puzzled about the economic reason for the absence of publication dates on HP volumes. I can see that if you bring out a revised or expanded edition of an existing work you would need to incur the expense of a new copyright registration. But surely a book reprinted from its original plates is simply a new impression and therefore covered by the original copyright? I have Folio Society books like that which are identical to the original edition except that one page, the copyright page, has the helpful addition of, say, nth printing and the appropriate date.
Apologies to Bookshrimp for introducing a somewhat negative note into the thread with my message at 14. Collecting LECs and HPs hasn't really turned me into a curmudgeon. It's really a life-enhancing activity and wouldn't be nearly so satisfying or as much fun if there were no obstacles to get round (I'm too old to get over them). Welcome to the Treasuredrome!

Sorry for the late reply - was busy at work...

First of all, Thanks much for all the warm welcomes and comments and feedback. Wow - a lot of info to digest :)

Second of all, I think I owe all of you fine people a small clarification: This is not a huge point, but I think It should be mentioned:
I first started my small collection with a goal and a limit already set (this has already proven to be somewhat silly, as I have changed my opinions and have 'extended' my goals, or rather, 'strayed' from them...more to follow:)
First I just wanted to own a collection of fine/rare/old/good looking editions of my and my wife's favorite books which we already had read, but never owned a good copy of: This started with me buying her a rather lovely Easton edition of Maugham's "Of Human Bondage" for her birthday (her favorite book of all)....then it was a 2nd edition copy of "the razor's edge", MY favorite Maugham book, and favorite in general...and then I got the HP edition of Moon and Sixpence/Maugham - my FIRST HP book ! and fell in love with the HP style..

and it was then that I got into collecting other past favorites, must re-reads, and like-to owns...and I came across HP editions, and began to be more particular/picky, etc...
So we started a collection of our other favorite author, Thomas Hardy. (I already mentioned the Hardy books we own now, in the initial post of this thread...it has grown - see update at the end of THIS post )

So after getting most of the must-owns of our list, and in the middle of researching Hardy/HP books in general, I stumbled upon Wildcat's blog on HP/LEC books and then joined the forum...and THAT's when I wanted to own a few books that I had NOT read so far, but wanted to own for their collecto's attraction: Rubaiyat (I knew a FEW verses from this one, though), and "penguine Island" -

*** Since my initial post, these HP editions have been added OR are on their way to me: (the 1st 2 were en route at time of my 1st post) ***
- Return of the Native (1942)
- Rubaiyat (1940 !!! ) - I posted some details about this on WildCat's blog today...amazing edition!
- Penguine Island (LEC !!) - signed copy (1947) in fine condition
- Penguine Island (HP) 1935 "Gun Powder" edition :)

*** Although these aren't HP editions, I am going to list OTHER (NON- HP or LEC) books in my collection:***

The Apple Tree - Daphne Du Maurier (1952 1st edition, originally contained "The Birds") - got it for $34 from UK (since then one 1st edition showed up on Ebay for $165-some sites want upto $300 for this rather plain looking book - but scarce!)
Rebecca - du Maurier (1938 "silver band" US edition)
Tales of Macabre - du Maurier (1987 Michael Foreman illustrated - LOVELY book)
Of human bondage / Maugham - Easton press (1977?)
Collected Short stories / Maugham - Vol 1 and 2 (1st editions - doubleday)
The Razor's Edge / Maugham 1944 -2nd edition - doubleday
Tess - Hardy (folio edition)
Jude the...Hardy - easton press
Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton - Franklin library - suprisingly lovely
The Hobbit (50th anniv Tolkien illustrated edition)
Lord of the Rings in slipcase - Houghton Mifflington editions - Brilliantly designed book-set.
Wuthering Heights/Jane Eyre - 1943 Random House editions - (GREAT wood engravings by Fritz Eichenberg)
The Exorcist/Legion - W. Peter Blatty - 2010 Cemetary Dance double edition - (1 of 750 SIGNED copies by author) - very nicely designed book
Poisonwood Bilble - Barbara Kingsolver - 1998 (SIGNED 1st edition)
A wrinkle in time -Trilogy- Madeleine L'Engle (slip cased set) 1991? - nothing 'rare' but still took some time to find these in good shape in slipcase.
Oliver Twist / Child's History of England (doube book) - Dickens- 1887 (the oldest book I own - very nice one) (I even tracked down pics of the previous owner's grave online...)
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Folio edition (VERY lovely book) -
Ayesha - Return of She - H. Rider Haggard (1st US edition WITH DJ) - 1905 Doubleday (en route)

*** THESE are the Elusive books that I still want to own, but can't seem find a good/rare/exquisite enough copy of the versions i like to own: ***
She - H Rider Haggard (illustrated edition - anything between 1887-1920 would do ) WHY didn't HP do his books
Dracula - Bram Stoker (can't find a decently old enough copy for a 'sane' price - might have to go with the not-so-great Folio on this)

Again, any comments are welcome, and thanks again for the welcome (although I am not a typical collector and merely gather books for their content first, and second for aesthetics/rarity/value...but that might change if i spend time here...who knows? )

-

>19 Bookshrimp:

Folio Society brought out a 3 volume set of Haggard's most popular works, including She, about 15 years ago. The bindings are nicely in the style of old adventure books from Haggard's time. The illustrations are to taste (they aren't to mine but many people consider them definitive). I think they're probably the nicest editions of Haggard you are likely to find.

As for Dracula, there are umpteen editions available, and rather than the Folio version, you might consider the LEC/Heritage Press edition (which I much prefer) or the Four Corners press edition--a triumph in my opinion, reproducing the original yellow and red cover from the first edition, and with atmospheric illustrations by James Pyman. Each character's diary entry is in a different font, and the whole design has a classic feel:

http://www.fourcornersbooks.co.uk/#/books/dracula/

I'm with you on the Random House Bronte novels with Eichenberg's illustrations. His Jane Eyre work is the tops!

If you are looking for other works of Haggard's, the Imprint Society has a very nice version of King Solomon's Mines illustrated and signed by David Gentleman (who also, I believe, did some LEC's). I found my copy in near-fine for about $25.

Thanks for the info on Dracula and Haggard's works, Django and aaronpepperdine ! I didn't even know HP did Dracula - and I just missed one on Ebay - went for $18 :( next available is $60+
Oh well..I will keep looking.... I really would like to have a genuinely old (-ish) version of it, and don't feel like i can be satisfied with a newer book...

I just got the 1905 edition of Ayesha by Haggard (doubleday 1905)- in MINT condition! I am stunned by how good this book looks and feels considering the age...and of course it has Maurice Greiffenhagen's illustrations, just like he did for "She"...They look quite grand to me.
The Imprint society KSM looks very nice, but it's "She" I really would like to have... (doesn't look like Imprint society did "she")... As I now have Ayesha (return of She) with Greiffenhagen illustrations, I guess I will keep on looking for "she" also with his artwork.... It's going to require patience... (I wish all sellers on abebooks.com has pictures of their items, like on Ebay)

Thanks again, both of you!