Paradise Lost

Officially for sale now. The mezzotints are a draw, but for $230? Not such a draw for me.

And, hey, let's commemorate a man's murder! Sorry, just seems like a tacky way to market a book.

I think these two books are very attractive and I am very tempted to buy my personal copy, especially with the members' launch discount of £25. The Folio Society look to have published them to very high standards.

:o want want want buy buy buy

>1 johnbean9: "And, hey, let's commemorate a man's murder! Sorry, just seems like a tacky way to market a book."

I disagree. Deaths and anniversaries of deaths are natural times to appreciate the individual who died. That's why Lincoln's funeral train took a circuitous 2-week trip from Washington to Springfield in 1865, and that's why lots of individuals and organizations (not just the Folio Society) are focusing on him 150 years later.

If FS said it were commemorating his life/legacy, that would make sense. To commemorate his assassination is what sounds odd to me. But that's probably just me being overly sensitive :) At any rate, I should have kept the focus on the book, which does appear to be another excellent FS production.

>5 johnbean9: Maybe they hired a Bulgarian editor or something? :)

Bulgaria is one of the very small number of countries that celebrates someone's death as opposed to their birthday - both for historical and literary figures - all the "Day of Name" are on the anniversaries of their deaths. It's just... a cultural thing I guess. There are a few more countries like that and it does not even register as strange for me considering that this is what I am used to...

Yep. As if Rupert Brooke and Dune weren't enough, now FS goes and publishes Milton with these lovely mezzotints.

Blargh.

Decisions, decisions....

I have the huge 1991 FS edition of Paradise Lost, so I'll pass on this one though it does look very nice. The Ian Pollock (sp?) illustrations are not to some people's taste, I must admit.

Big sale, then dune, then credit card celibacy, but no - folio wouldn`t leave it like that, they instead produce this ..

*despear* .. god damn, it`s lovely .. now i want the rubiyat also ..

Looks lovely, but a skip for me, I recently bought the Blake version not too long ago and it fits with the Divine Comedy and Faust better than this new edition.

I'm going out busking for Milton NOW. Perhaps Folio would consider commemorating the death of my credit card?

>11 boldface:

Great idea! I should do the same over here! I really hope FS lets up after this batch. I need a break, as does my credit card and bank account!

Ha, maybe you're right, Annie!

As for Paradise Lost, the more I look at it, the more I want. But that price ... I think I can wait until it's on the second-hand market.

I already own both the Blake and Pollock editions. So I guess I have to order this gorgeous new edition too ...

Looks like EP and FS are competing head-to-head on this one:

http://www.eastonpress.com/prod/A0C/PARADISE-LOST_2980?cm_st=1&cm_s=paradise...

>14 rainerc:

As a purchaser of the Blake volume when it was published and of the 1991 Ian Pollock edition a couple of years ago when its illustrations won me over, I also just may have to succumb again. I could probably hold out against the mezzotints alone, but the commentary volume is a very substantial attraction. It's not distinctly stated, but I'm trusting that it contains the full text of the poem as with the Letterpress Shakespeare's commentaries, hence allowing for the alternatives of a more studious or an uncluttered reading: handling two volumes of such proportions at the same time just wouldn't in my estimation work well at all.

>15 ultrarightist: Thanks for posting, it's an interesting comparison. I much prefer the look of the FS version, plus it includes a separate substantial commentary volume, is over two inches taller, two inches wider, but less than two thirds the EP price!

>17 cronshaw: and a quick persual of the pics of the illustrations indicate to me a sharper definition of the chiaroscuro in the FS edition over the EP edition.

1991, 2003, 2015... a definite pattern is emerging here. Any nominations yet for the chosen illustrator of the 2027 edition?

How long does the discount last?

>15 ultrarightist: Definitely prefer the more modern style of Folio over Easton's dated approach, but in terms of the price brackets we're looking at I would have expected that Folio at least bind theirs in leather rather than buckram.

> 21
Seriously! Though I greatly prefer the EP binding, as I'm not a fan of the "modern" look Folio is going with on such a classic work. Unfortunately I already purchased the EP edition without there being any indication that Folio would be releasing something so similar. I am sure the Folio copy has much better illustrations as they generally do, but it is not clear to me if they are merely photographs or some other reproduction of John Martin's mezzotints or if each book contains mezzotints themselves. If the latter, I may succumb as it is one of my absolute favorite illustration styles (which is why I bought the EP edition having already owned several other copies of Paradise Lost). Plus there is the added benefit of the commentary.

As EP deluxe editions go, the PL is actually nicer than most with strong printing (no photocopy effect) and thick paper with an almost rag-like tactile feel and thick supple leather boards. The illustrations are gorgeous but that may have more to do with the quality of the original rather than the quality of Easton's reproduction.

I do NOT need another copy of Paradise Lost and since the illustrations are identical to a copy I own already I cant even use that to rationalize the purchase. I will not enjoy fretting about this!

When i think about it, Paradise Lost was mentioned in december or something - i think so - (somewhere, dont remember where), so its not completly out of the blue .. i remember that slipcase beeing discussed

Discount lasts until May 10th, Pellias

Thank you Graham /then i have to buy it in apr. after all :(

Interesting, both EP and Folio are similarly priced except obviously Folio has more content in their product. Just wished that Folio was at at least quarter bound in leather, sorry just hate how buckram feels.

I prefer the traditional EP cover, but FS typographic values and illustration quality are always superior to EP. If the primary reason to acquire this particular volume is the illustrations, then the FS edition is the best choice, imo.

>21 wongie:

The Folio edition seems to have been quite some time in development - the only prior reference to John Martin's illustrations that I recall came in Joe's Blog over three years ago, http://www.foliosociety.com/joesblog/thursday-19th-january-2012/ . I can't think there was any chance of actual mezzotints in an unlimited print run at this price point.

I'm happy enough myself with the quarter buckram binding as it must have helped keep the price down: just not quite persuaded aesthetically by the lettering on the front boards. My fallible memory tells me the 2003 volume had a list price of £79.95, more than half the price of the present work which includes a second volume of very similar proportions.

Though Folio's Editorial Director seems to have shared misgivings about the binding material: the letter accompanying the promotional mailing I received today refers to the work being quarter bound in leather, though the main leaflet like the website photos clearly shows two buckram spines. Maybe thought was given to the possibility of a leather spine for the primary work and buckram for the otherwise matching commentary volume, as with the Herefordshire Pomona LE.

I actually prefer the buckram spine, maybe i have gotten use to it .. looks cleaner in a way, at least on certain volumes .. i think ..

I like the look of the book, but doubt I'd be interested in the content enough to spend over 200 USD. Maybe someday on a bigger sale or used market. 2015 is painful for me with all these interesting titles...

Has anyone received a copy of this yet?

> 32

I second the question. Thinking about getting the Folio version. Don't suppose any crazed book collector has purchased both Folio and EP editions and can compare? :)

>34 EclecticIndulgence: I saw the set in the dMR today, and I'm not surprised it counts as four standard volumes for shipping purposes, it's a huge, heavy set.

>36 EclecticIndulgence:

But the page size of the new edition is the same, and the Blake Paradise Lost was published twelve years ago, and the price of the current version also covers a commentary volume that's quite as substantial as the work itself.

I expect I'll place an order soon. Then, UK shipping is only a perfectly reasonable £6.95.

>34 EclecticIndulgence: The shipping was an issue for me too as the size doesn't seem to warrant the extra two volume cost...

>36 EclecticIndulgence: True, the spine of the Blake edition is finer, being goatskin, but the commentary volume (which the lovely Blake volume doesn't have) doubles the size of the set, and the Blake-illustrated edition came out over a decade ago, when prices generally were less and the price of international postage a lot less. The cost of cycling home from the dMR has increased; I need a little more wine to recover these days.

>34 EclecticIndulgence: ff.

All I can say is, suck it up, sadly. Us poor Canadians (and Americans and Australians and...) don't get much say in the matter. I've been dithering for weeks over whether or not I should order it. I agree that $27 shipping is pretty expensive, but I justified it on the basis that if I ordered these books from a US seller over Abe down the road, absolutely no question that I'd be paying at least double, if not triple - sigh. So would I really save money if I bought these oversized volumes on the secondary market? I'm not sure I'd save enough to justify not purchasing directly from Folio.

Sad but true. Whether FS subsidises shipping and/or has a volume deal with parcel carriers, it's still a good value relatively speaking. Absolutely no way Canada Post would ever agree to ship that for only $27(!)

Or to put it another way: would I snub a giant of English literature just because he was silly enough to have PL published in an oversize folio edition the first time around that FS is replicating? I think not. (I also admit that I quite love Milton; I often force people to read him whenever they complain that they just can't get their head around Latin syntax, given how Milton wrote PL in English but heavily influenced by Latin syntax.)

Hope you guys end up buying it eventually - time heals all wounds (incurred by shipping costs), after all. Theoretically, anyways. ;)

If it's any consolation, it is exactly the same in the opposite direction. I recently ordered two fine/fine Heritage Press volumes I'd been coveting for ages but which had never cropped up in the U.K., from a bookseller in New York, and the P&P (£12) cost more than both books (£8).

The order i placed some time ago, is finally typoed as: in warehouse, as of this day .. and no longer as pending .. so, in the middle of next week i reckon, maybe add a couple of days more, then it`s here - the last folio for a while, i will use long time to open that package, not just rip it open as the predator i usually am ..

>41 cronshaw:

Indeed! It's all relative in the end, but long as I get the books I want, I'm a happy bibliophile!

Still waiting for mine to arrive - with much anticipation!

Received my copy yesterday. I found the size initially quite disconcerting, especially the typeface, but after some browsing, am getting used to it. I'm not a fan of large books (I'm seriously considering the disposing of those I currently own, including a non-limited edition Kelmscott and a First Folio facsimile) - and might have hesitated if I'd clicked that these were over 12" tall - but they are in actuality more handleable than I would have anticipated, and are already growing on me. The mezzotints are superb - absolutely perfect to accompany the text, and the binding has a certain understatedness which strongly appeals to me. Overall, I really like the way these volumes have been presented.
The commentary is something else that will take a bit of getting use to: it's not exactly easy reading working out what he's saying, but there's no doubting the depth of information there once I finally work out how to read this alongside Paradise Lost without losing the rhythm of the latter - which is half the enjoyment.

>45 Willoyd:

Congratulations, I'm glad you're finding the presentation so agreeable: I think I will too. Could you confirm please how the commentary is presented? I've been thinking that the commentary volume, as with the Letterpress Shakespeare, must surely itself contain the full text of the work in a modestly sized font with extensive footnotes, rather than being solely a commentary. I hope that's the case, as otherwise the prospect of only being able to use the commentary in constant conjunction with the main volume, given their size, might be deterrent enough to stop me buying.

>46 terebinth: good question and point

>45 Willoyd: via >48 EclecticIndulgence: is the spine binding leather or buckram?

Gotta be quarter buckram, if the pricing on their quarter-leather offerings is any indication.

>46 terebinth: Sorry to be the harbinger of disappointing news, but the commentary is simply that, with no text - still some 300+ pages.

>49 ultrarightist: As JustinTChan rightly surmised, they are quarter buckram.

>51 Willoyd:

Thank you: I'm not too disappointed that I probably won't be buying a third Folio edition of Paradise Lost (particularly after I yielded at the eleventh hour to purchase of the Rupert Brooke LE before its introductory offer expired). I'll give serious consideration to the Longman edition with Fowler's notes when I'm next drawn to Milton, to furnish the alternative experience of a fully annotated reading I just can't see me securing by maneuvering two mighty volumes at once.

An online annotated version of Paradise Lost can be found here:

https://archive.org/stream/paradiselost00fowlgoog#page/n76/mode/2up

I, too, was hoping that the new Folio Society edition followed a similar format.

May I ask, if the commentary volume does not include the poem, how is the commentary presented? Does it address the poem line by line, or is it simply a collection of essays that explore the work as a whole? I was prepared to purchase these volumes, but I prefer annotations that directly enrich the reading experience.

>53 goingbyebye: From what I recall seeing it in the dMR the bulk of the commentary volume examines the poem very closely, almost line by line, explaining and enlarging upon vocabulary, context and Milton's numerous allusions. I don't know if there are also essays, but the commentary is very detailed and appears to comprise more text than the poem itself.

I just received mine and it's beautiful. Well worth the money. However, mine has this strange crease in the spine. Should i be worried about such a minor imperfection? Am I being pedantic? Or would some of you contact FS?

(Please see link for picture)
http://www.librarything.com/pic/4818648

>55 d-b:

If it bugs you enough, contact FS. They'll happily send you a replacement, and you can give the defective copy away. If it doesn't bother you enough to justify bugging FS, let it be.

I'd have to see the set in person, but based on that photo, I probably wouldn't bug FS, but then again I'm used to seeing creases in academic books so take my comments with a grain or two of salt.

>55 d-b: If it were an LE, I would send it back; if it were a standard edition, I'd keep it without a complaint; as it is a Fine edition, I would have to see it in person. There is definitely a shelf appeal element here.

>ultrarightist

I agree with you - i'd never consider sending it back if it were a normal edition. However, after shipping to Australia Paradise Lost was $300 dollars. The crease just looks irksome next to its neighbours and for that money I expect a decent unblemished copy. For comparison I received two hardbacks from Princeton UP today ($60 each), and they look nicer than the Folio book.

>58 d-b:

Ask FS for a replacement, then. They'll cover shipping, so I'd do it if it bugs you enough, particularly as you rightly point out this isn't a standard edition.

Hoping my copy arrives here intact!

>54 cronshaw:

Thank you for the information. It seems this set may indeed be an inevitable purchase for me.

It's inevitable for me too. I've wanted Paradise Lost for ages, and the commentary seals it for me. I love the whole presentation; colours, images, it looks really lovely.

Just wrapped it open:

Lovely, huge volume - buy it, if you may - a true fine volume, indeed!

Standing besides faerie queene .. it will take years (months) to target this .. (at least for me, not so known with the poem, but very familiar with the title - and beeing maybe britains most well known/greatest poem - it`s a must read!

I don't think I'm going to get round to reading my unopened copy; I just have too much on my plate right now, and my TBR pile is ridiculous. Anyone in the US looking to pick it up for less than the published price should send me a private message.

I should add: I'm willing to double box, and use lots and lots of bubble wrap. It would pain me to see it damaged in the mail!

I am happy to wait six weeks for a firm commitment from a fellow US-based Devotee before listing it on eBay for a higher price -- so if you are reading this message in or after mid-July and also see it on eBay, please private message me here rather than on eBay so I can offer a lower price.

Man, I know how you feel. I have a copy that I haven't opened yet either, and on the one hand, boy do I want to look at it, on the other, I want to keep it in good condition till I get round to actually reading it. I'm tempted to just start getting 2 copies from Folio, a reading and a collecting copy, but then I realize I can't spend that much, forget about store that much!

>45 Willoyd: "I found the size initially quite disconcerting, especially the typeface"

Just to clarify: You thought the type was too large?