multiple copies?

I have a question for you all, hoping to see how nutty I am. There was a quote in A Gentle Madness (not an FS book) to the effect that one should have three copies of every book: one for display, one for reading, and one to lend to friends. While I don't follow that prescription completely, insofar as my 3000 books are already more than I have shelf space for, I have recently been thinking about the books I have many copies of. It happened when I picked up a copy of Baudelaire's works, and started working my way through the Flowers of Evil. During the course of reading it, I discovered that I have at least 6 copies of it, only one in English (I was a French major). That led me to look at my other multiples. I have 7 editions of Walden, one having photographs by Edward Steichen. That's a LEC, but I have both FS editions. I have 4 editions of Tom Jones, 2 by the FS, 4 of the Iliad and Odyssey, again 2 of each by the FS, 6 of the Bible, several different editions of many Shakespeare plays, most of them FS, and the list could go on, although most of the rest I only have two of. One set of those are the two first FS printings of Moll Flanders, one with the correct title page, and one with the erroneous one.

Anybody else out there do this kind of thing, or is it just me? It's a gentle madness indeed.

In my case, some of my multiples are the result of upgrading from tpb's to hardcovers or fine-press editions. I have 4 copies of Moby-Dick and 3 copies of One Hundred Years of Solitude, I have the 6-volume Dark Horse Akira and the complete rare Marvel/Epic colorization of the same, I have the Omnibus Editions of Dan Simmons' Hyperion and Endymion as well as the mass-market paperbacks, and Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy in paperback and the FS box set.

I think many of us on the Folio, Macy, and Fine Press forums here will be able to relate to this.

I have multiples of Alice in Wonderland, Edgar Allan Poe and misc. fairytale stories. Mostly because the art is different or the story is retold differently. I really don't like multiples of the same works because of clutter, but sometimes it happens. I really wish I could get a nice Wizard of Oz, I don't like Folio Society's choice of artist for their version.

I was just thinking about this the other day when I realized I had four copies of Sonnets from the Portuguese (HP, LEC, Imprint Society, and Peter Pauper).

Which is kind of odd, particularly considering I don't even really like Browning.

Shakespeare, Dickens and Asimov are the main offenders in my library... Most of the other duplicates are mistakes but for these gentlemen, I buy duplicates on purpose.

Just like Annie, Shakespeare and Dickens account for most of my multiples, but translations often account for multiples too, especially Homer, Virgil and Ovid. Shakespeare towers over them all though, as I am an avid collector of interesting editions (different critical apparatus, different illustrations, different fine bindings, letterpress etc.). At last count I had 12 versions of Hamlet and 11 of King Lear, not counting those included in anthologies / collected works. I probably have a similar number of copies of Shakespeare's Sonnets too, and there are none of his plays of which I own less than three separate volumes. My latest acquisitions include the new Signature Shakespeare series by Sterling Publishing (currently available are Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing). These include Kevin Jay Stanton's amazing laser cut paper art, that really has to be seen as I can't adequately describe it:

http://literaryinklings.com/2012/08/art-meets-literature-in-sterling-epicures-si...

It is this sort of thing that I can't resist, so as long as publishers continue to come up with interesting new editions, I will continue to buy them!

EDIT: It is somewhat ironic that I own A Gentle Madness myself (a lovely book), but not a physical copy, only as an ebook on my Kindle!

Michael, thanks for the link to the Sterling Signature Shakespeare. They look amazing! It's in my wishlist

I found them for a little cheaper on Amazon.

>6 Conte_Mosca:

Thanks, Michael. I'm now poorer in cash terms but have 4 Signature Shakespeares on their way from the Book Depository. With the 10% voucher they recently sent me, it works out at around £5 a volume cheaper than the US price (at current exchange rates), so I'm not complaining. I can't wait to see those illustrations.

As for multiple copies - well, Shakespeare for one(!), not to mention several other poets. As I've said before, if a book's worth having, it's worth having several times (if the multiple copies add value in terms of illustrations, editorial matter, binding, etc.)

Then, there's Dickens (4 sets plus extra copies of assorted novels), Wilkie Collins (2 or 3 copies each of The Woman in White and The Moonstone), Patrick O'Brian (2 sets, including FS), Jane Austen (3 sets), Johnson's Dictionary (2 facsimilies), Boswell (2 sets of the first six volumes of the Journals, but 4 copies of the London Journal; 4 copies/sets of the biography of Johnson), Waverley Novels (2 sets), Pepys (2 sets), Evelyn (2 sets {it should be 3 but I've lost one in the loft}), Tristram Shandy (8 copies plus Martin Rowson's graphic version), Churchill (Second World War and History of the English Speaking Peoples: 2 sets each), Seven Pillars of Wisdom (9 copies, but that includes two different texts), the Bible (at least 86 complete bibles in numerous versions plus another 35 or so New Testaments or part-bibles) . . . .

garyjbp, thank you SO MUCH for that quote, and that post in general. Makes me feel so much better about my own rapidly growing multiple-collecting habit! :-) And Conte_Mosca, thank you for that link to the Signature Shakespeare. Those are GORGEOUS and I want some!!

I have 2 copies of a few Jane Austen novels, and wouldn't stop there if I saw other beautiful editions, antique or otherwise. I actually have the FS Narnia set, and a 60 year old copy of Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I recently acquired the older FS edition of The Secret Garden, and have this beautiful copy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Secret-Garden-Puffin-Classics/dp/0141336536/ref=pd_bxg...

If anyone ever needs a gift for a young girl, I'd recommend the edition from Amazon. I purchased The Secret Garden and A Little Princess for my cousin to encourage reading, and she not only adored the story lines, but loved the binding and proudly displays them in her room.

Thank you all for these responses. I feel that I should send you all copies of A Gentle Madness and Holbrook Jackson's The Anatomy of Bibliomania, but, alas, I only have one copy of each. (Jackson was the editor of the the edition the FS used for the Anatomy of Melancholy, and the Bibliomania is loosely patterned on it.) And it's obvious that you don't really need any instruction in the gentle madness of bibliomania. Keep it up!

> 1
Ultimately I think duplicate titles by different publishers is unavoidable if you also tend to be a completist about a particular publisher or series. I used to try to sell my "alternative" copy whenever I upgraded or replaced it, but now I regret some of those sales and wish I hadn't. Like most everyone else on here though my space is more limited than either my budget or my acquisitive disorder and so I will continue to purchase duplicates and have unfortunate and unsightly stacks of books on the floor in multiple rooms!

>14 UK_History_Fan:

That's why I have storage space now... I hate seeing the books in boxes but maybe one day I will be able to get them on the shelves. In the meantime, they'll just be there...

I probably have about twelve or thirteen different editions of Dracula as well as a copy of the stage play and two electronic versions, one for my Kobo and one that is part of the 100 Classic Books cartridge Nintendo put out for the DS. I don’t really read the books on my DS because of the small screen but I figured where else could I get 100 books for only $10.00? Any other duplicates usually come from upgrading from paperbacks to better quality editions (mostly FS) with the paperbacks being given to charity. My one exception will probably be Narnia. Even though I now have a FS set I’ll probably keep my old hardcover one, just for sentimental reasons.

When I buy a new copy of anything I already have, I usually either sell my existing copy or give it away to charity. If the new edition isn't attractive enough to convince me to get rid of my old one, I deem it not enough of an ugrade to justify purchasing. My lack of willpower is generally reserved for new titles rather than new editions of already-owned titles. The Sterling Signature Shakespeare may get me to change that, however - they look stunning. I will be going to the local Barnes & Noble tomorrow in the hope that I can see one first-hand.

>17 coynedj:

They look even more stunning in the physical world... I saw one of those last year in B&N - the only reason it did not come home with me was that I was heading to a meeting and they are large editions :)

Two main reasons I end up with multiples - one, I upgrade to a fine edition. But I'll keep the other because I can throw it in my bag and take it with me, or loan it without any worries. The second, a favorite that has been illustrated by more than one fine artist.

So, at the intersection of these two reasons is "Wind in the Willows". I had one edition which introduced me to this wonderful work, then upgraded to the FS edition, then upgraded to the FS LE. But there are other illustrators I want as well. So, now there are about 19 editions, though one is an unabridged audio recording and two are stage-adaptations (Milne and Bennett).

Os.

Different translators and illustrators make for many "multiples" in my library.

I'll probably keep my Penguin Classics, Oxford Worlds Classics, etc. for the notes, even if I get an FS or equivalent copy of the book in question. There are books I'll keep because they contain different translations or different versions of a text; I have editions of the same book with different illustrators, and then there are books I just wouldn't want to part with.

> 18

I now can attest that you tell the truth (as if there was ever any doubt!). I perused Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, and Romeo and Juliet last night. They are wonderful volumes, and if anyone in my family asks what to get me for my upcoming birthday, I will tell them "Signature Shakespeare - coordinate amongst yourselves who will buy me which volume".

Saw them in B&N today -- they're BEAUTIFUL. I really want one now. But I think I'll wait till I have a coupon!

>6 Conte_Mosca: (Signature Shakespeare series) I have also ordered copies (I love paper engineering like this in books!) but I'm afraid I read on the illustrator's website that the publishers have put this series on hold due to lacklustre sales. I hope the sudden upsurge from FSDs helps change their minds...

edited to add: and back to the original topic - I have an embarrassing number of multiples in my library (and no space to justify it either) - particularly illustrated classics where I follow the work of different illustrators - the most egregious examples being Peter Pan, The Wind in the Willows, a variety of fairy tales, and beautiful editions from favourite authors such as Tennyson, Shakespeare, Dickens, etc..

>24 skullduggery: "I read on the illustrator's website that the publishers have put this series on hold due to lacklustre sales. I hope the sudden upsurge from FSDs helps change their minds..."

So do I. Whether any more Shakespeares emerge or not, I hope the mole is monitoring the situation and urging his masters to engage this artist immediately for some new FS project. I can't imagine such a collaboration could be doomed to failure.

I have just placed an order for all four of the Signature Shakespeare volumes. This nest of enablers has struck again, and made my bank account a bit smaller. For some things, that's just fine. Superbly designed books are among those things.

I'm trying very hard to hold off on the Signature Shakespeares until the beginning of the month, to give myself the illusion I'm at least trying, if not succeeding, to keep to a monthly budget. It's much harder than it seems.

>24 skullduggery: I tried to find where he'd made those comments and couldn't. I'm hoping you've misread.

>27 Smiler69: Unfortunately it is true, but four of these lovely publications is better than none, and one can hope that Sterling reconsider. That said, I would only ever expect the most popular plays to make it into print. It takes some commitment and deep pockets for a non-specialist publisher to plan a series that extends as deep as Titus Andronicus (I don't even want to speculate what those cut-outs might look like) and The Merry Wives Of Windsor. Here is the extract from the artist's website (it is a response to a question):

Anonymous asked: Are you going to be illustrating anymore Signature Shakespeare books? I bought all 4 and love them so much and can't wait to get the next installments (if there are any to come). If you are may I ask what plays they are? Thanks.

Answer:
Thank you for reaching out to me. I’m sorry to say that due to pretty underwhelming sales, the series will not be continuing. At least not in the near future; Sterling has said they might be restart the series if the books sold well enough at some point. I can tell you that before the cut-off, the plan was to publish A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest. The amount of foliage alone between the two of those plays had me salivating to illustrate them. I hope that one day I can dig in and start working on more of these books! Thank you for your support!

So perhaps the answer is in our hands (or wallets)!

>28 Conte_Mosca:

And that's the pity with this kind of projects sometimes - they usually publish a few of the popular titles... while for the less popular ones, there is rarely a nice edition... At least some of the scholarly editions expand into all plays.

> 28

Oh, those were two plays I was hoping would be published! Along with King Lear and Othello, of course. And you're quite right about the cut-outs for Titus Andronicus.

> 27

My order is in lieu of a Folio Spring Sale order. Of course, we'll see how well my resolve is holding up when the end of the sale draws near.

>29 AnnieMod: Too true. I am glad in this instance they squeezed in Much Ado About Nothing early. Popular as it is, it is an unusual choice for an initial run, and all the more welcome for that. Usually if an abridged series includes comedies, it starts with the ubiquitous A Midsummer Night's Dream or maybe The Tempest (both of which were coming next).

Yep - it is a surprising early choice. But Romeo, Hamlet and Macbeth (and Othello) exist in way too many editions (and yeah, I want to have them all)...

You can't have too many Lears and Hamlets...

...I just wish they had more company on my shelves across the wider works of Will :-)

>28 Conte_Mosca: Oh silly me! I'd somehow managed to overlook the comments portion on his blog! Thanks for transcribing!

>30 coynedj: Of course, we'll see how well my resolve is holding up when the end of the sale draws near.

Not to be mean or anything, but I'd say the odds are against you... ;-)

>26 coynedj:

I hear you. I just ordered Macbeth and Hamlet. Holding off on the other two until I see the two tragedies, but I daresay I'll be ordering the other two to 'complete' the (current) set before long!

>13 garyjbp:,14 I'm so pleased to read that others too have piles of books on their floor. It's so much cosier being gently mad in a crowd.

>36 cronshaw:

I am working on unpiling my floor - have boxes, have storage unit in the same building I live in... :) This way I have more space for more books on my floor...

Annie, you moved to US from Bulgaria, how are you finding the transition?

Easier than I expected to be honest. :)
It helps that I retained my job and that in the last few years in Bulgaria I was traveling a lot.

The hardest thing is that half my library is stranded in Bulgaria and I want to read exactly the books that are there... :) But don't ask me around holidays...

>6 Conte_Mosca: I wanted to thank you Michael for bringing up the Sterling Publishing Shakespeare books here. I ordered Hamlet and Macbeth and received both books today. They are truly gorgeous to behold. Additionally, since I didn't have the benefit of studying The Bard in school and have come to him rather late in life, the instructional aspect of these editions will definitely be helpful in making his writings more intelligible to me.

I really think that the series hasn't received the marketing it deserves once you actually know about them they're hard to resist. I found about it on a blog somewhere and promptly ordered much ado about nothing and hamlet and plan to order the other two soon, despite the fact that yes i do have other copies of the plays.