Secondhand finds #2

Thought I'd start a new thread, as we're nearing 400 posts and a whole whack of pictures in this thread!

Good idea!

Saw this. I have a cheaper facsimile, so not really interested myself but looks decently priced for anyone just looking for a reading copy:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Folio-Society-edition-largescale-Egypt-Nubia-hardback-bo...

I popped into Archive Books, in Bell St, London W2, for the first time in ages. It's a Dickensian space with huge piles of books on the floor wedged between bookshelves themselves crammed to overflowing, all higgledly-piggledy and threatening at any moment to cave in on top of you from the higher shelves. The prices also reflect a bygone era and so reward the life-risk of entering. If you venture down the steep, rickety staircase to the basement, you find a piano buried amidst the shelves and boxes of sheet music. Owner Tim, whose head is visible behind a barricade of books at the entrance, always has some Folios on hand (and often a pot of tea or bottle of sherry he proffers browsers—enablement à la Eagle St) and so I came away with a fine/fine copy of Folio's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for £4, knowing little about the book but adoring the copious line illustrations, and reasoning that I must be able to fit another small slim Folio somewhere at home...

Wow, a bargain!

>5 cronshaw: Now that sounds like just the kind of place I want to be visit.

Frankenstein, The Leopard and Road to Oxiana all for A$50 (£25) from a private seller on Gumtree.
He also has a shrink wrapped set of Sherlock Holmes for sale on Gumtree for A$70. See :-
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/ferny-hills/fiction-books/folio-society-the-compl...

I spotted a copy of The Stones Of Venice in my local Oxfam for £10 today. It's a book I had been looking out for, however a close look suggested it would not be a read I would enjoy. A nice book for sure, with very attractive illustrations, but the writing style was definitely not for me. Fortunate really given that it was only yesterday that I received my summer sale order!

Just ordered the following from a trusted guy, eleven titles for £55, very pleased
The leopard
Fox hunting man
Secret memories of a pope
Odysseus
Quebec
Bonhoeffer
Bestiary
Machiavelli
Eagle of north
Laxdaela
Elizabeth 1

My local second hand book dealer just benefitted to the tune of £48 for:

The Knight in Panther Skin
Wind, Sand and Stars (2nd printing)
The Cretan Runner (2nd printing)
Silent Spring
A Traveller's Christmas
The Gentleman's Daughter
The Fire of Liberty

and ...

1603: The Wonderful Year
John Milton "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity and other poems"

I am quite happy with the exchange.

excellent deal

On a first visit to Felixstowe today I picked up three books in Poor Richard's bookshop, including the Folio of Gods, Graves and Scholars, which I paid £12 for. They had a fair number of folios, but they were all tucked away in a far corner of their dim basement.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MARY-QUEEN-OF-SCOTS-by-Antonia-Fraser-2004-Cased-Foli...

Like NEW!!!! Just ignore what it looks like.

>14 LesMiserables: 'Tis surely historically apt design, a significant thud to the top of the spine.

>15 cronshaw:
Priceless!

>14 LesMiserables: That looks rather strange: the bottom half seems like a standard rounded spine, whilst the top half looks like a manifestation of the dreaded 'flat spine syndrome', an example of which currently mars my otherwise very attractive shelf of Victorian explorer series.

15, 16, 17

It's the audacity of the “EXCELLENT CONDITION” capitalised!!!!

>18 LesMiserables: But Steve, my copy of Captain Cook's Voyages could, quite rightly, be advertised in excellent or 'as new' condition, because I have absolutely no doubt that this is exactly how it left the bindery.

No! Really?

Seriously - I'm sure there's a thread or two in the dim and distant which mentioned the flat spine thing.

If you want to see flat spines look at my profile picks :-(

I'm certain they once were convex!

Which, the LOAs or Oxfords? I have a dozen or so LOAs and they remain beautifully rounded. The Oxfords - ooh, err.

The Oxford DNBs :-(

>24 LesMiserables: I'm having a meeting with a couple of reps from OUP later in the month - would you like me to pass on any comments...?

>14 LesMiserables:
>15 cronshaw:

It's a sad fact that not everyone values the complete package as we do. He is apparently quite happy to photograph a book which completely contradicts his description. A really enterprising seller could assemble a complete collection around this copy: Richard III - completely cocked spine; Charles I - entire top ripped off; King John - water damage, together with a ready-made charter of complaint; Edward VII - lipstick stains; Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson (2 vols) - volume 2 used; Alfred - dried-on food with fire damage, etc. Each one would be described as "EXCELLENT CONDITION UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES" and almost certainly "UNREAD". The King John, of course, would come sealed.

>26 boldface:

I think this post has earned its writer another LT decoration! Your e-trophy case must be close to overflowing! ;)

Super impressed re: Alfred and John, especially!

I'd certainly like to know what a title pertaining to William the Conqueror would look like, given the, uh, explosive nature of his internment.

>27 scholasticus:

Thanks, but I merely elaborated cronshaw's excellent riposte.

I might add that the Aethelred volume would obviously come in UNREADY condition (with apologies for the misprint). Unfortunately, there is no "Edward II", which is just a pain in the **** for collectors.

>28 boldface:

Oh, you're just killing me over here!

>29 scholasticus:

If anyone can advise me on how to get the orange stains out of my Charles II, I'd be grateful. And I hate to mention it, but there's no "George III" either - which is madness.

Edited to add that I made a mistake about George III. It is available, but it's very stiffly bound.

>26 boldface: >30 boldface: Excellent! And smudged type throughout the biography of George VI. Then there's the non-Royals: strong smell of tobacco for Walter Raleigh (loss at top of spine), of brandy for Nelson (hole top right of spine, hardy mark adjacent), loose ribbon and worn slipcase for Casanova, top edge burnt for Benjamin Franklin.

>31 cronshaw:

Very good! And talking of "Raleigh", mine has a damp and muddied jacket. "Elizabeth I" is currently in progress - should be available by the Autumn. "James II" has been withdrawn for religious reasons.

How are your copies of the Rulers of the Ancient World? I’m afraid my Hannibal has a rather musty smell, and Julius Caesar a badly ripped slipcase, and stains on the front cover. You’d hardly notice the two tiny holes on Cleopatra’s title page, but Nero is rather burned - read too close to the fireside? Alexander the Great has one page rather well-fingered.

>27 scholasticus:
William the Conqueror comes with a solander box several sizes too small.
>31 cronshaw:
Why does George VI have smudged type? Written during London bombing?

These last few posts are delightfully witty.

My Henry VIII, the one bound in Cloth of Gold, is a bit below parr. It's too large to be divorced from its slipcase. To allow a reformation of this situation I need to seymour copies.

>34 Kiwi_Booklover: Words not appearing clearly = his stammer!

I love all these. There are some very clever and knowledgeable people on FSD!

25

Yes. Can they give me a free set? :-)

No, really, it's not their fault. They came to me perfect, but my removal company packed them badly and crushed all the spines.

>36 cronshaw:
Of course. Thanks.

Found the LE Faerie Queene for $654.58 on ABE...

Found the LE Faerie Queene for $654.58 on ABE...

It's 269/1000...

I sort of hit the jackpot. Having decided to fill out the FS set of Thomas Hardy novels, I went on ABE looking for the two I was missing: The Return of the Native, and The Trumpet Major. Got both, in fine condition, from a bookseller in New York State, for a grand total of $17, including shipping..

In related news, I was dithering about using my LE voucher to buy either Metamorphoses or The Odes of Horace. On ABE again, I found a copy of Metamorphoses for only $300, so I used the voucher to get The Odes.

I picked up a pristine copy of the 1987 boxed set of Ann Radcliffe novels in Tetbury yesterday for £75.

I got a sealed Chekhov set for £66,shipping included.
Finally! This is the only book I've been looking for on eBay; somehow I managed to buy all the other out-of-print titles that interest me.I guess from now on all my Folio books will be bought directly from their site.

#45

"You need to purchase Folio 60 and that will solve your problem. ;)"

So true. I thought the price I paid for my Folio 60 ($30 in a sale) was a great bargain; until I actually opened the darned thing and suddenly hundreds of dollars were missing from my bank account. It turned out to be the most expensive book I ever bought. Now it sits quietly on my shelf and I'm afraid to open it or even go near it (it's easier to avoid temptation altogether than try to resist it). I will say though it did help put some beautiful books on my shelves.

Hmm,in which year was the Folio 60 published?

Folio 60 published 2007. A beautiful, well made book; a delight to have. You should have it too, but you have been warned in #46 above and also from me!

This excellent link should help:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/152385

>47 Kainzow:

Buy it at your great peril. Also your bank account's great peril. Also at your sagging bookshelves' - present and future - peril! (I say this as an owner of a copy of this volume.)

I trust the point has gotten across. ;)

Picked up 'The Spanish Civil War' for half off. Looks great on the shelf. One of my favorite "modern" designs.

Two nights ago, I noticed bubbles forming on two of my run flat tires. Very annoying and extremely expensive, but it led me to a tire shop near my home.

While waiting on the installation of a set of new tires for Marvin (yes, I've named my car after a certain paranoid depressed android), I decided to walk to the new location of my local comic shop. Spoiler alert, I never made it. On the way there, I spotted a store named "The Title Page" with the subheading, "Books, Rare and Collectable". Naturally, like any good devotee, I bee-lined for this magical shop.

I noticed a large amount of vintage books, along with a healthy amount of Easton Press titles. Luckily, they had a nice sprinkling of Folio Society books! I am now the proud owner of The Man in the Iron Mask, which looks like it was read once or twice, if at all. I was astonished at the $40 cost! Definitely a steal.

PS: Okay, I just searched Ebay, and see they have a copy for $33 dollars, but my slip case is in MUCH better condition, and I wouldn't have to wait.

>51 eatanygoodbooks: Congratulations! I love the post-purchase eBay check and post-eBay check rationalization.

P.S. My scooter is called Lucia, she hates me consulting the Mapp.

>52 cronshaw:

I know what you mean! My beretta's blowing hot and cold. Too many carbs, probably.

>52 cronshaw:

What a wonderful name for your scooter! Be sure not to break the speed limit when you are Mayor of Tilling.

>55 EclecticIndulgence: How can it possibly be my fault, dearest Eclectic? I made sure that your allergy is clearly stated on the front of your (cloth-covered) Eagle St. medical file. It indicates very clearly, in blood red block letters, that you're violently allergic to paper sides. Have you taken to anaphylactic masochism?

Folio's reissue of The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon piqued my interest. However, $55 including shipping seems a little steep. Instead I picked up an "as new" copy of the 1979 printing for $16 including shipping.

>58 kdweber:

Yeah, Folio needs to revise some of those prices. I'm not sure
if they said they found these books in a warehouse, or they have recently
begun reprinting old editions. If it's the warehouse, there's no reason
to charge Neo-Folio prices.

I've got a lead on the Chekhov: Collected Stories Set and the Kipling: Collected Short Stories (5 Vol.) as well. I've been kicking myself for missing the Chekhov a few years back. The concern was with the translation and by the time I finally decided to purchase it the set was OOP! It had a very short production run I presume. I'm definitely picking it up but was wondering if anyone owns the Kipling set and if so, what their impression of it is. Thanks!

The 5 volume Kipling is disappointing in my opinion. The paper is very thin and the printing from next/previous pages shows through. However, they are attractively bound and very well illustrated.

>61 David_E: David_E Thanks for the quick response. I'm assuming the paper is so thin because of the total number of pages? Is it a complete set of his shorter fiction? The bookstore is willing to hold it for me for a few weeks until my next business trip takes me though their city so I'm collecting as much information about it as possible. The price will be about $75.00 for like new condition. I think this is fair, no? Also the Chekhov set is definitely mine for $100 so it's been a great 24 hours for this collector!

I just came away from a Friends of the Library sale with 7 Folios for $1 a piece, all in very good condition. I'm excessively pleased with myself.

>63 varielle:

That's one very successful day. You have a right to be excessively pleased!

I pootled about some charity bookshops in Streatham today and was thrilled to finally come across Folio's 1993 quarter leather bound Aeneid, translated by Dryden and with the etchings and engravings by Pierre Lambert and Wenceslaus Hollar which had originally appeared in 1654. It felt reasonably priced at £18, in fine unread condition, in a near fine slipcase. It must be a popular or reasonably scarce volume as it has resolutely refused to come down in price on the secondary market, still generally priced at £40 or more on abe when fine in slipcase.

I also saw a fine slipcased copy of The Folio Golden Treasury for £5! FAD madness couldn't quite prompt me to purchase a second copy of this beautiful volume just because it was cheap, but I felt amazed and a little saddened such a handsomely bound volume with delightful text and engravings could be so under-appreciated!

OK, is this a crime?

My north Georgia public library had a friends of the library sale today. Among the 2 dozen books I bought is the 1977 Folio Society edition of Cold Comfort Farm, no cover, no slipcase, fine condition, for which I paid the munificent (ha!) sum of $1.00 US.

I am a book thief.

>67 Limelite: Well done!!!

>67 Limelite: No, you're a book rescuer. Anyone who values a fine Folio at $1 should never have been its custodian in the first place.

>69 cronshaw:

Don't be too hard on the "valuers." Remember, this is rural north GA, not an area drowning in high culture. Thousands of books were donated and the sale was for one day only. None of the volunteer friends is a bibliomane. Nor am I! But when I told them they had a number of valuable books (first editions, Heritage Club editions, etc.) they were letting go for far too little, they asked me to be their "expert" and return to sort their goods but I am inadequate to the charge.

I'll see what I can do to find someone who is qualified to audit their donations.

>70 Limelite: I was only being tongue in cheek: I'm delighted you got a bargain and that you'll show it more appreciation! You certainly don't have to be in a rural area to find Folios seemingly undervalued: only a couple of days ago in London I saw a fine quarter leather Folio Golden Treasury in slipcase for only £5 ($7.50), a fraction of its reasonable worth, considering the binding materials, quality of engravings and contents.

I have ordered something that I hope is not too good to be true. A second-hand copy of the out-of-print Robin Hood that was listed for $25 on Amazon and, it seems, mistakenly filed as used. The description lists it as new, in shrink wrap. I hope it proves accurate.

The "Used" listing might be to avoid paying tax. I wouldn't say $25 is too good to be true -- I would say it is bargain priced!

>73 NYCFaddict: Well, I'll be thrilled if it comes through. I've been looking for it and the price has been moderately steep for anything in a condition I find acceptable (no, seller, water damage does not equate to "very good"), and those listed as new have been very expensive.

>71 cronshaw: and
>72 Jason461:

There's something both exciting and frightening when used book browsing and serendipity combine. It's a lot more fun, IMO, to dig among cast-offs and find treasures with no real hope of finding anything of value both as edition and content than it is to sit back and write checks for considerable sums, knowing precisely what you'll get for your money.

Give me the "hopeless" hunt every time.

>75 Limelite: Yes, it's huge fun browsing, although there must be at least an unconscious hope that something delightful awaits us in those piles of dusty cast-offs. Psychologists call these unpredictable odd finds or 'rewards' Intermittent Positive Reinforcement, the type of unconscious learning most conducive to addictive behaviour. Presumably this could be countermanded by Intermittent Negative Reinforcement such as the possibility of violent shock from an electrode planted on our person when we enter a bookshop. Happily my partner has not yet thought of this.

>76 cronshaw:

IPR is the only thing that gets me out of bed each morning. Put another way, my life consists of trawling through the Folio and Abe websites, punctuated occasionally by actual visits to real bookshops. Do I need help?

>77 boldface: With the help of a laptop you wouldn't even need to get out of bed.

>76 cronshaw:
and
>77 boldface:

Thank god for psychologists! Without them I wouldn't know my disease has a cause nor would I know how to avoid the cure.

Also thanks be to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, my partner is an enabler.

>78 cronshaw:

Laptops are so passe now, cronshaw. Tablets and phablets are all the rage. ;)

>80 scholasticus: I am passé, simple yet composed! An 7 year old laptop is as advanced as I've got. I don't even have an e-reader...

>81 cronshaw:

Well-played, my dear sir! That was a good way to end the day, with a good, full laugh!

Not a second-hand find, but a brand new one. In the dMR. Sealed copy of Walden. £20. Bosh.

They have half-a-dozen left if anyone fancies the trip...

83

Find!

What Are The Seven Wonders Of The World, Mint and sealed £7-50

>85 EclecticIndulgence: Congratulations! The Folio Press volume of Graves' love poems is beautiful, and you'll adore the binding of The Book of Common Prayer with its marbled (paper!) boards, gilt ornamented spine and matching slipcase. Interestingly, there appear to be two quite different versions of the marbling for TBoCP, the original with finer streams of green, red and blue running between aerated bubbles, and a later version with predominant pools of green. While I tend to prefer the first version, I enjoy the variations you see with different style of marbling. This is one volume I confess to having bought from the Naughty Trolley under the influence of Nurse A's Tincture of Enablement, unsure whether I'd actually read it, but just loving the binding (= terminal FAD).

>88 EclecticIndulgence: The lovely thing about marbling is that each volume is unique, and within the two different 'versions' for TBoCP above there's a lot of variation. Mine is more like the first but with more green than red or blue strands between the 'bubbles', so it seems to me to match the spine OK. I was sufficiently taken with it, with Dürer's intricate engravings, and had downed a sufficient quantity of nurse-potion, to buy it despite knowing it would have to sit patiently in one of my more distant reading piles.

>88 EclecticIndulgence: And I wish you the greenest of marbling!

>87 cronshaw: >88 EclecticIndulgence:

All this talk of marbling has whet my appetite for my two-day hand-marbling course in Norfolk next month...
The tutor is Victoria Hall:
http://hand-decorated-papers.com

I booked two days of annual leave in the spring and paid my deposit because last year it sold out very quickly.

This year there is still one place left:
http://www.burlinghamhall.co.uk/studio-marbled-paper.html

I once enrolled for an evening craft bookbinding course at the Glasgow College of Printing but had to cancel as a long job came up overseas the next week! Nowhere near where I now live offers it, sadly. One day...

A couple of modest finds in the Oxfam bookshop:

Venice The Most Triumphant City. This never had a slip-case (according to Folio 60) but the glassine cover is not present. However there was a leaflet included for the companion double-LP "Venice Preserv'd". Folio published a few early and classical music records in the 70s/early 80s.

The Life and Campaigns of the Black Prince. A little sunned on the spine and slip-case a bit beaten up, but it looks perfect inside (possibly never read). £4.98 for both.

>91 Polar_bear: Very impressed! Though I think I must resist taking the last place or my partner will think I really am going gaga.

Not cheap, but I was in Hay-on-Wye last week and acquired A Midsummer Night's Dream illustrated by Heath Robinson in a Art Nouveau style.
I already have a rather battered early 20th century Tales of the Arabian Nights illustrated by Heath Robinson (not FS), so the FS facsimile of A Midsummer Night's Dream was an easy choice. It has a lovely spine as mentioned on an old thread (http://www.librarything.com/topic/180161#4840485 ).

Just got my copy of Pompeii in the mail and it's glorious. One of these books that is somehow very pleasant to hold and open, and there's so much harmony in its design. Hope no-one minds an enabler:

>96 Bond_Girl: "hope no-one minds an enabler"

They wouldn't survive here very long if they did. This is Enablement Central :-)

>96 Bond_Girl:

I see what you did there.

Beautifully composed photo. Makes me want to read Beard's account of Roman life in the first century AD, while wearing that gorgeous scarf and while artfully disposed on a lounge chair within a walled garden. Lucky you!

Glancing at the FS war titles now on sale, the Gilbert sets once again got my attention. Is it time to replace my single volume trade editions with the handsome FS sets? Even with a 30% discount, these are pricey tomes. Took a gander at Abe and lo and behold the First World War set is available for $38 including shipping. Sold!

I'm fo pleafed to hear you're pleafed with it. It feems you have the firft variant which is the one I prefer. As a facfimile of a fixteenth century text you really have to have the long f* I'm afraid, though I must admit I like it for its quaintnefs.

* it's not actually f, of course, but halfway between f and ∫ with only half a crofsbar to the left, probably inftigated by medieval opticians to maintain regular bufinefs.

>101 EclecticIndulgence:
>102 cronshaw:

Thanks, ya'll. My computer screen is sprayed with spit. I'm forced to conclude that you have the Book of Common Prayer for the Church of Elmer Fudd.

>102 cronshaw:

Today shall be a good day. :)

For more details, do see Wikipedia's article, which is pretty decent:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_s

Short version: Blame the Romans.

>104 scholasticus: Bless the Romans, they did love straightening things.

Just opened a box from Bookmans, Tuscon AZ, with the 3 volume, boxed set of Malory's Chronicles of King Arthur, ($8.89 + $3.99 shipping). I added to my library but have a question.....this is the 1982 publication with a red/dark purple(?) coloring on the box and red binding. I see the most popular cover choice is the Blue edition. I am just trying to figure out which is the original edition, the red or the blue? Anyone able to help answer this?

Thanks

>106 thebooksinmylife:

I think you're teasing us, thebooksinmy life. These are the same edition, the standard one in blue cloth, and the special edition in red morocco. You had noticed yours is leather not cloth? The special edition is especially sought after, and $8.89 must be considered a pretty good price, indeed a very remarkable bargain, unless in dreadful condition.

A remarkable bargain!

Red leather covers, box is sunned and a little color washed but other wise a fine set. The spines are bright and the interiors perfect! I was thinking this was a bargain once I opened the box and noticed the leather covers.....I'm happy!

>108 thebooksinmylife: Well done. It is probably worth twenty times what you paid for it :-)

www.librarything.com/topic/151317

Photos are in post 9.

What a bargain! Well done!

>106 thebooksinmylife:, >110 NYCFaddict:

That was truly a bargain. A beautiful set. Well done indeed! After seeing the photos again I'm now suffering an acute attack of FAD. I want one, but I doubt I'll find one at your price!

I added to my 2004/2005 quarter-leather FS Dickens collection a bit this week.

Prior to this week I had obtained

Great Expectations
David Copperfield

This week I picked up three more, each in very fine condition, both slipcovers and books

Bleak House
Our Mutual Friend
Pickwick Papers

I am not looking to complete this huge set of Dickens, but if they pop up for a good price, I'll take them. These are the only FS dickens I am interested in getting, the other FS ones which I have seen don't really appeal to me. The above three went for $17 each -- including shipping. Some other bidder got a few more for a bit more money.

>112 sdawson:

Congratulations! A real bargain.

>112 sdawson: I am really pleased for you...and very envious too. I have managed to collect half of this series to date (8 of 16), but some are pretty difficult to find. None of those I have managed to get have been as cheap as you have managed to find! I started down this road once I discovered that the more recent Dickens set was not going to be completed by FS (it stalled at 7 volumes), and I really wanted a "Nonesuch" set with the original illustrations (I already have the Dickens I, as it is referred to round here, with the Charles Keeping illustrations).

I recently read The Old Curiosity Shop from this set, and whilst it suffers from accusations of being too sentimental (Oscar Wilde was particularly cutting - "one must have a heart of stone to read the death of Little Nell without laughing", I thoroughly enjoyed it, with its typical Dickensian grotesques (Quilp), and a thoroughly loveable hero in the form of Kit Nubbins.

>114 Conte_Mosca:,

Those three were a fortunate find on eBay. Not sure why they were overlooked, perhaps the photos didn't show their beauty, so it was overlooked by others. I'll keep my eyes out if I see bargains on these again I'll message you. It may not happen though, but who knows. Here was the listing, the photograph doesn't show the beauty of these books.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Our-Mutual-Friend-by-Charles-Dickens-Folio-Society-2005-...

>109 Conte_Mosca:

An odd coincidence: four days after reading of this formidable bargain, I dropped into my local secondhand bookshop, which I visit far more often than I buy anything, more out of habit than anything else. And there sitting on a shelf was a special binding Chronicles of King Arthur. I cannot recall ever seeing one before. So it isn’t sitting on the bookshop shelf any longer, but on mine. Very nice condition, the spine gilding just a little rubbed, but otherwise immaculate. Really lovely, tactile leather, hard to believe it’s over thirty years old. Nor did I pay twenty times what thebooksinmylife did, but about eight. Bargain enough.

This is my second special binding acquisition, after getting a bargain cream leather Decameron last autumn. At this stage, MIchael, you get my thanks for your delightful thread on these bindings. If I fall for many more, the thanks may turn to blame.

It was a good day, as I also dropped into the Oxfam bookshop, and picked up three Slightly Foxed limited editions for modest prices.

>117 affle: Ah the blessed words "my local secondhand bookshop" alas cannot be spoken in the nether regions of the county.

>117 affle: Congratulations Alan, nice finds (both the Chronicles of King Arthur and the Slightly Foxed Editions. I don't make finds like that in my local Oxfam! I shouldn't complain though. I did once find all three volumes of the FS Divine Comedy in the York Oxfam Bookshop, including the rare and expensive Paradiso, and got them for £100 for all three, so I did quite well then.

A quick question for you if I may. Is your copy of CoKA (volume 1) signed by Edward Bawden, the illustrator? I have been trying to find out if he signed them all, or some, or just one, but until now I have not known of anyone else who had a set.

>119 Conte_Mosca:

Signed, just like your picture - very neat.

The Oxfam find was an even rarer event - I'd expend no energy to visit it, but it lies between the city centre and my car park

The Berlin Diaries of Marie Vassiltchikov and Allingham The Diaries, both in vgc for £5 each in local bookshop

Einsteins Relativity £1 !!

A Time of Gifts (!) P.L. Fermor & Ghost Stories of M.R. James for $45.00 total.

I am visiting Adelaide for a few days and wandered into a suburban bookshop where I bought a pristine copy of Auccasin and Nicollete, the third book ever published by the FS, and still in its original glassine cover, for A$20 (£9). It looks as though it has never been opened or read.

124

What a find!

>124 wcarter: Great find Warwick, well done! The book itself is not that rare, but finding one in that sort of condition is very rare indeed! The acetate (not glassine) cover on my copy of Aucassin and Nicolette is in a very bad way, and pretty typical of copies I have seen. Acetate covers of this type don't seem to wear well, as they tend to get very brittle and chip off in huge chunks (as per my images below from the "The Early Years" thread)

http://www.librarything.com/topic/157268#4220585

Came across a selection of FS books at Rutland Arms Antiques centre in Bakewell http://www.therutlandarmsantiquescentre.co.uk/bakewell.html. The books are upstairs and part of a selection by Hawkridge Books who used to have a shop at Castleton http://www.hawkridge.co.uk/ . Not always the cheapest but they are usually in beautiful condition. Rutland Antiques Centre has a number of FS books upstairs at £5 each. For such a small town Uppingham has some good bookshops if you are in the area http://uppinghamantiques.com/

I Made a trip to Oxford for the first time in a couple of years.

St Philip's Books on St Aldates has got a selection of FS books at the moment, including all 8 volumes of The Barbarian Invasions of the Roman Empire.

Blackwells has got a dozen or so Anthony Trollope titles, and some other old-ish (80s-90s) FS books in their second-hand department. They also have a small selection of new titles in their massive basement (I'll look up the name and add the name).

e.t.a - it's called the Norrington Room.

Earlier this year in Oxford I saw quite a lot of second-hand FS books in that lovely shop on Turl called Scriptum (upstairs).

>129 overthemoon:

I only peeped in the window of that one!

Oxford's never been quite the same since Thornton's closed. They still exist online but it's not the same as losing oneself in those dusty corridors and back rooms!

>131 boldface: It shows what one's priorities are in life when I automatically assumed you were referring to a certain confectioner (I don't think they can be called chocolatiers these days).

>129 overthemoon: I think Scriptum have a very good selection of second hand Folio books, but very full priced.
>128 housefulofpaper: I have not found St Philip's Books on St Aldates, so will have to venture further when next in Oxford.
I always find the Oxfam bookshop on St Giles has a few.

re prices of FS books at Scriptum: yes, they were rather pricey, apart from one or two that were missing their slipcases.

>135 Cliff-Rhu-Rhubarb: You're lucky expecting to be able to surmount your TBR pile so soon.

>135 Cliff-Rhu-Rhubarb: >136 cronshaw:

Either my TBR stack will be my towering tombstone or the pyre on which it and I will turn to ashes.

There's an opportunity on eBay to acquire an unusual Folio volume about the history of sea biscuits.

>139 EclecticIndulgence:
I'm sure a certain percentage prefers the variety often obtained in the pharmacies on the shores of California.

I don't know about added raisins, added weevils more like.

I've just been fairly tickled to watch an eBay bid approaching its deadline for a new Folio 2016 Diary. It went for £17 plus P&P, quite funny considering you can buy it new from Folio for £14.95 (and receive another copy free at the same time)!

Scored on a couple of books that's been on my wishlist but OOP. Received in Fine condition Paradise Lost (quarter bound in green leather) for about $45. Greek Myths (single volume quarter bound leather) $30 and Satyrica for $12. Not a bad haul. I didn't realize how big Paradise Lost is as it barely fits in my bookshelf, just below 13".

>144 EclecticIndulgence: For sure and icing on the cake is that the seller is in Ontario so shipping a mere $11 for the 3. Would've also got Rulers of the Ancient World for $25 but decided to pass as I'm running out of shelf space and most likely not to be read quite some time.

>143 JuliusC: Great price for the Paradise Lost! I paid around the same prices for your other purchases.

Myths & Legends of Russia £58,30 (sealed) - very happy about that, and didn`t think twice. Jippiii .. - this one is EXPENSIVE, on the secondhand market, and sealed it could go for twice the price i payed

:Still remember when i was little, and played quest for glory - so you want to be a hero, .. during gameplay i entered a location and before me was a hut on chicken legs, and an evil looking woman who tried to boil me in hot water, that character was Baba Yaga:`Hut of brown, now sit down`

Able to purchase Collected stories of Gogol and Imitation of Christ for a total of $28 this past week

I came across a delightful quarter leather small 1970 Folio volume of Wordsworth poems in near fine condition today, in Skoob Books in Bloomsbury, and cheerfully snaffled it for £5.40. I already have the impressive far larger Folio Poets Wordsworth volume, illustrated with Peter Reddick's superb wood engravings. However, the earlier pocket-sized volume is perfect for carrying out and about (now why could the Folio unCollectables not have been the same handy size?) and, as I discovered to my delight, it is illustrated throughout with engravings by none other than Thomas Bewick. Recommended for any Faddict who wants to take Wordsworth with them on their travels.

>149 cronshaw:

If this series is new to you, Russell, you are in for a pleasurable and cheap addiction. There are twenty or so, very few will cost more than twice as much as your Wordsworth, and there's even another with Bewick illustrations - the John Clare Bird poems.

>150 affle: GBMS! (thanks)

>151 cronshaw:

No, no - it's the big ones that Satan recommends: these take hardly any space at all.

>149 cronshaw: I have the Emily Bronte Poems in this series which I think is delightful. They don't seem to have worn too well though, so £5.40 for a near fine Wordsworth is very much a bargain. It's perhaps a good job Nurse A is no longer in Holborn/Bloomsbury as I seem to recall that it was a volume he once mentioned he would have liked and I'd hate to think of things coming to Folio bookmarks at dawn!

>152 affle: That's exactly the sort of thing he would say.

>150 affle:, >153 HuxleyTheCat: I actually have come across a few of these here and there in second hand bookshops, though often with the leather spines showing quite some wear. I don't want to be too OCD a Faddict and succumb to a compulsion to complete yet another series, but I'd be delighted with two or three, so as to be able to have a favourite poet accompany me on travels. I'm not a Kindle fan (though I admire the cleverness of the technology) and verse feels especially unhappy to me in the plasticky frame of an e-reader.

I was at a Half Price Books the other day (for those unaware, it is a store here in the US that sells lots of used goods in very good condition). They had a copy of Folio's The Silmarillion in a display case with a pricetag of $70. That is the same price it is on Folio's website (and Folio actually has it on sale now for $56).

Last weekend I spotted a little Folio edition of Folk Tales Of The British Isles (eighth printing from 2008) in my local Barnardo's charity shop. It's pretty much mint condition and looked a nice book to go alongside my, as yet unread, British Myths and Legends set, so I bought it for £5. It was a bit of a purchase on a whim, but if I don't read it I can always donate it to Oxfam; I've given a few folios to them in the past.

I got hold of the the Three Volume Campaigns of Wellington for £26 inclusive of postage so was very happy as searched for it past year but was loath to go to £50 as often was the case

>159 EclecticIndulgence: I had a quick look for copies online and felt better about paying £5 for it! Cheapest I found was nearly twice the price, with most seemingly in the £15-25 range.

Looks like an interesting read, though it's likely to linger on my TBR list for some time; I'm more likely to just 'dip' into these folk tale books, I think.

I've never seen yet alone owned a FS diary but picked up ten 2001-2010 in pristine condition for £5.50

>162 frostymaxim:

À la recherche du temps perdu?

>163 boldface: Not necessarily, from next year they will be reusable as the day/date combinations repeat- a bargain!

At 55p each they are worth it for the beautiful illustrations I must say

Hi all,
Long time follower (3-6 months), first time commenter.

28, male Primary school teacher from Sydney, Australia
Like many of you, my book purchasing skills are currently more developed than my book reading skills (I'm currently reading the FS Clockwork Orange for the first time)

I just snapped up the complete Dickens III, The 6-volume Arabian Nights, To Kill a Mockingbird, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer and a few other folio books for $5 per book!

About 40kg of folio books for $160

Pretty excited.

>166 el_danos:
Welcome fellow Aussie to FSD and the early stages of FAD. You will soon find your TBR pile steadily increasing as the addiction worsens - but friends will envy your library in due course.
Go to the group wiki at:-
http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/Groups:Folio_Society_Devotees
to learn more about FSD and the FS.

Thanks,
I fist discovered FS about 18 months ago in (In an Australian House and Garden magazine) where someones library had been photographed (almost exclusively FS volumes). That picture (http://www.librarything.com/pic/5174896) caused rapid onset FAD.

Since that time I have (not slowly, but) steadily accumulated around 150 volumes (if you include the ones I mentioned earlier) including The Golden Ass, Alice LE (which I am still awaiting its arrival) and the first two volumes of Dante's Divine Comedy (O what I would give to find a reasonably priced Paradiso!)

Maybe this is slightly OT but I have a question about buying from Bonhams. I just looked up a few past auctions and prices tend to be lower than ebay. This one here https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22673/lot/32/ has 4 Folio LEs for 525 gbp. If that price already includes the buyer's premium this is a bagain!
Before I start spending more time researching this, I would like to know if I am missing something important.

Some time back I managed to get my hands on FS's Canterbury Tales. Came in the the 3-book set, with the original and modern English on the verso and recto pages.

It was something I had been on the lookout for quite a while, and delighted to get it.

Alas, I have not had the chance to read it yet. Fie, I am not even in my own country at the moment, but, will get around to it in late 2016.

>169 TheExplorer:
I could swear that Bonhams' results don't include premiums, (Christie's certainly don't), but I'll be damned - it's stated pretty clearly in your link: "Sold for £525 (US$ 750) inc. premium". There is also a VAT on the premium amount which is probably not included here, so add another 20 quid to the price.

I'm not surprised, though. I've never bought books at Bonhams, but generally speaking good deals on various items, from antiquities to antiques, are not that hard to find there. Much easier than at Christie's, for example.

>171 elladan0891:

No VAT on books in the UK, and hence not on the premium either.

>172 affle: ‘ No VAT on books in the UK, and hence not on the premium either.’

Unfortunately not so. There is 20% VAT on the buyers premium and for internet bidders there is usually an increased buyers premium, typically a further 3%, as I know to my cost!

>173 bookfair_e:

I bow to your practical experience, but on Bonham's site book lots seem to have this * symbol, with the explanatory note:

"• EXEMPT FROM TAX
Zero rated for VAT, no VAT will be added to the Hammer Price or the Buyer's Premium."

>171 elladan0891: I thought the same, that's why I'm confused. It does seem like a bargain, though, considering what these books usually sell for on the secondary market.

>172 affle:
You're right, no VAT on books. So £525 was the final price then.

Apart from the buyer's premium, one of the things which has put me off book-buying at auction is that, unless one can attend in person, one is at the complete mercy of the auction house as to packing and delivery and their associated costs. I remember following a sale of some LECs at auction and the example costs which had been given by the auction house were quite eye-watering.

Been raiding the secondary market for a couple of LEs, both now safely ensconced on my creaking shelves: The Benedictional of Saint Aethelwold and the Just So Stories.

Really pleased today following a tip off from a friend re a local charity shop.
Three volume Mediterranean World
Two volume white/ blue Nile
Cleopatra
Cities and Civilizations

£25 the lot, vgc

Very thrilled with my afternoon. We had a look round the two antique shops in our town (really looking for a mirror, which we didn't find), but I was absolutely bowled over to find one of the upstairs rooms now houses a small bookshop, with 2 or 3 shelves of Folios! Lots of other interesting books as well.

They had The Story of the Middle Ages set, which I've wanted for a long time, but kept holding back from getting one of the sets on eBay. I couldn't believe it when I saw it there! Books are all in fine condition, while the slipcase is good ( a not-too noticeable mark and a slight dent on the top, not enough to worry me anyway). That was £22.50. They also had the Renaissance set, which would tempt me but for the fact that the slipcase was too scruffy.

I also picked up The Princes in the Tower (fine, slipcase with some shelf marks) for £4, and Trollope's The Prime Minister for £3.50 (fine, the pale coloured boards are clean and unmarked). I also received another Trollope FS novel in the post today, so this is quite obviously the beginning of a collection. Never mind about where I will actually put them all, that's just a minor, unimportant detail.

There were a few other Folios I might have liked, but as I was accompanied by my better and more restrained half, thought I ought to try and be fairly good! However, I shall sneak back very soon...

>179 frostymaxim:
Congrats! What a deal! I love the White Nile/Blue Nile set.

funnily enough when i started collecting a couple of tears ago it was The Middle Ages set that started me off, from Oxfam, at around £15 i think

>182 frostymaxim: That was a great bargain! I wish my local charity shops would have something exciting like that. One charity shop does have a fair number of old and interesting books, but no Folios that I've seen. They seem to charge unrealistic prices for their books though - one time I was in there and two of the volunteers were taking various volumes off the shelves, commenting that they'd been around too long and would be sent for ragging. If they halved the prices they'd shift more stock.

I mean that the books had been around too long, not the volunteers!

i was blessed with an excellent Oxfam shop until it closed a year ago. They saved FS books for me and it was how i started my collection. Over course of a year i purchased about 40-50 books. These i bought recently were as a direct result of a friend seeing them and phoning me, i was at shop next day at 9am lol,

Just bought a copy of Uncle Silas, and it has got the flat spine that I've read was an issue with that book. Otherwise it's in very good condition. I love the cover and all the illustrations.

Frostymaxim, you give us such vicarious thrills! I'm waiting for the day you find Icelandic Sagas volume 2 for 99p :)

So am I lol

No Cloak, No Dagger found on the second hand market for a surprising 99 cents! Had to get it as soon as I saw it.

That is crazy! Great find!

Received from abe - Michelangelo, Master of Ballantrae and Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.

Peter Pan is a lovely book but I didn't have any idea it was so huge. I need a special stand just for reading it, not to mention that it's probably not going to fit in any of the bookcases. :(

How do you shelve/display your large folios?

It makes my day to find a pristine copy of an older, dust jacketed, FS book. I have just received via Abe a copy of Wilkie Collins Tales of Suspense (1954) in pretty much perfect condition. This complements Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1957), also perfect, I acquired a few weeks ago on eBay. Aah...bliss.

Rounded out my FS WWII espionage series (SOE, Enigma, The Doublecross System, Between Silk and Cyanide) with the two volume Deceivers in perfect condition for $35 including shipping.

Just heard those perfect words! " This set is £40, but to you....£25" So the three vol set of Oscar Wilde 1993 is safely reserved till payday :)

Just ordered a VG copy of Dove Cottage (FS 1966) comprising Dorothy Wordsworth's Grasmere journal and a selection of her and William's letters, illustrated with photos of the region around Grasmere and protected in a slipcase. £5.23 including P&P from eBay!

>194 cronshaw:

That's a good bargain, similar to the one I found at Oxfam three years ago. Dove Cottage is a good substitute, I think, for the current offering. The editor, Kingsley Hart, provides an informative introduction, setting the scene and describing the life of the Wordsworths before their arrival in Grasmere. There are a few explanatory footnotes and an epilogue telling us what happened after the Journal closes. The book is a handy size for reading, although so is the new offering, I believe. There are twelve evocative black and white photographs by John Preston-Bell. It's nicely printed (how else? It's FS after all) and in letterpress, on laid paper (the kind with watermark lines running vertically through it). The top edge is stained. Critics of Folio's supposed downgrading of materials in recent years might be interested to note that this 1966 book is quarter bound in buckram with paper sides. And yes, my copy has slight traces of wear along the fore edges, probably from fifty years of being removed and replaced in the slipcase. Hopefully, yours won't, Russell!

>196 boldface: Thanks for that detailed bibliographic information, Jonathan—I didn't imagine it would be letterpress and laid paper. I'm now doubly excited about it arriving next week. I like the size, it appears to share the same or very similar dimensions to Folio's first volume of selected poems by Wordsworth which appeared in 1970, four years later, with engravings by Thomas Bewick, which I'm fond of. They'll make a handy 'Folio-Kindle' pair to take on trips to the Lake District!

>197 cronshaw:

I confess I was guessing when I said letterpress. I think it must be, because (a) the date and (b) the font is described in old-fashioned terms with leading. Or maybe leading is just a convention. The print is not incised as such. Don't get too excited in case I'm wrong! It's certainly laid paper, though, and the book will make a fine and easily packed companion for your next Lake District holiday.

>198 boldface: I confess I was guessing when I said letterpress.

My understanding, gleaned from the bibliographies and prospectuses, is that all Folio titles were printed letterpress until somewhere around the mid 1980's, with very few exceptions. Reprints, such as the Folio Press/Dent series of reprints (no slipcase, plastic cover) and the 1978 single volume reduced format edition of War and Peace were printed by offset litho. Otherwise, unless it was expressly stated, they were letterpress. This is why I laughed out loud (literally) when I first clapped eyes on the publicity (and the price!) for the Letterpress Shakespeare. Umm, yes, but I already have a letterpress Shakespeare, thank you, and when I first started collecting them they were £1.95 a volume ...

>198 boldface:
>199 folio_books:

Just to add to the confusion, a book could be set in letterpress, the pages pulled on, say, a hand-press, but then those pages could be photographed to create litho plates for the print run of the actual book.

I think I'm right in saying that's how they did the Trollope series in the 1990s.

So, I'm not certain this is appropriate (please let me know if it's not), but I came across this LE being offered cheaply and figured I would share with the community as it may interest someone. I am not, nor do I know, the seller.

King Henry's Map for $60 CND : http://www.amazon.ca/King-Henrys-Map-British-Isles/dp/B003J2Y2X2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=U...

>201 ohrus:
Most appropriate to help fellow FSDers to find cheap FS offerings.
This is good value and should be of interest to a fellow Canadian.

>201 ohrus: I've bought from them before. They're actually just walking distance from where I work. I'll give them a call tomorrow and see if this is just the commentary or it also includes the map, thanks for the heads up. But just checking abebooks.com there's a few King Henry's Map that's priced right.

>203 JuliusC: Ah - glad to hear they are at least a known seller. I was tempted to go for it myself - it looks quite lovely - but my wishlist needs addressing first!

They just confirmed that it is only for the commentary no map.

Ah. Not the best deal around then. I figured it could be the whole package given that it has gone on sale quite cheaply in the recent past.

Received today, The Getty Apocalypse, as new, £300. The craftsmanship involved in this facsimile is stunning. I'm very pleased, as you might have guessed.

Very little of interest in the shops I've browsed over the last six months, but also because my interest in Folios has waned a lot (the horror!). I did, however, find a nice copy of The Bayeux Tapestry and the Norman Invasion (with slip case) in my local Oxfam bookshop last week for £3.

I had been interested in this before, but the copies I'd seen had been a little battered, lacking slip cases and more expensive.

Yesterday I went to a local town which abounds in antique shops and second hand book shops. Mostly the books seemed to be cheaper in the antique shops. Anyway, I found a copy of Civilisation for £5 (book fine, slipcase good), and a still shrink wrapped copy of Vita Sackville West's In Your Garden and in Your Garden Again for £10.

One of the bookshops had quite a few Folios, but horrors, the seller had written the prices on the slipcases. Only in pencil, but I bet it would mark if you tried to rub it out. I didn't buy anything there - too expensive.

Then nearer home I have just bought a fine copy of Kidnapped for £4, so it's been a good couple of days for book hunting. Not to mention the 3 books I've just ordered from eBay, and another 3 from Ardis - whoops, wonder how that happened!

To fellow Canadians: Where do you hunt for your secondhand folios? I've been having a great deal of success through the amazon third market and abebooks. I have been interested in very few things from ebay due to the excessive shipping costs.

I live in a small town so it's not too often that I come across a nicely bound book, let alone a Folio, in the couple of used book stores around.

>211 ohrus: Mainly through ebay or abebooks. But like you said shipping if a big deterrent for me as well but once in a while you'll get good deals if you're patient enough. Most of my second Folio have been through ebay where the seller is located in Canada.

>212 JuliusC: that's a good point about eBay. I should be filtering for Canadian sellers.

Gulp...That's a hell of a thought. You've touched the bone with that one. There's a deeply pensive poem in there somewhere.

Hi, new to the group and have just picked up my first FS books. The first ones I ordered were Gandhi, Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, got all three in fine condition with slips for under £30 each by negotiating with sellers on Amazon and eBay. I thought that was a bargain to be honest, others might tell me differently! The Dostoyevsky books are the recent edition ones and appear to highly regarded and quite rare.

Welcome!

Yes, you don't see those two on the secondary market all that often. That is about the price I have seen them go for in auctions: given the unknowable top bids in those auctions, I think you got them at a good price.

Gandhi, though, has appeared in recent FS sales, so would have been a bit cheaper direct from FS. But overall, a better value for money first haul than I got when I started collecting.

>216 leemeadowcroft: Congratulations and welcome! Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov are beautiful productions with wonderful wood engravings by Harry Brockway, good choices for beginning a Folio library. With Folio you may grow financially poorer but life becomes disproportionately richer :)

"With Folio you may grow financially poorer but life becomes disproportionately richer :)"

It depends what editions you are interested in though; a lot of regular editions on the second hand market are cheap as chips and that's what initially attracted me to them. It's the rarer or higher end volumes that are bowel-wobblingly expensive, and you have to shop with caution because some sellers just whack £20-30 price tags on editions that should be perhaps £10, and do so even for quite badly damaged copies (one shop in Norwich I've visited often tends to do this - I've seen copies in there for £25-30 that looked like they'd been in a cement mixer, and the page blocks were showing signs of parting company from the spine).

I made a trip to Colchester this morning and found a few Folios in the St Helena charity bookshop. I left behind The Raj and one or two others I don't remember the titles of, but bought a pretty fair condition copy of Lost City Of The Incas for £5 (just a few small marks and slight bumps to the slipcase; the book is practically pristine). I'd seen copies before but only in atrocious condition at a higher cost.

Just ordered seven books from the "Folio Society Disaster Series" for just under $98 including shipping:
The Elizabethan Underworld
The Monks of War
The Great Fire of London
The Great Plague
The Black Death
The Princes in the Tower
The Spanish Inquisition

>220 kdweber: The 'Black Books' look great on the shelf, the quality of the contents is variable. I bought the series, I thought there would be six, I didn't expect 'The Spanish Inquisition'

>221 xrayman: I didn't expect 'The Spanish Inquisition'

No-one expects the Spanish Inquisition.

>222 folio_books: Although according to the book the Pythons were wrong. Prisoners were given warnings and edicts gave one a month to denounce oneself!

Ive ordered The Eyewitness History of the Crusades 4 volume set, still in shrink wrap. Its most i have ever paid for FS title, but i think £42 inc postage is very good

I'm very pleased with an eBay purchase of the Folio Oxford Classical Dictionary LE, £65 with hardly a flaw beyond a small nibble to the leather over the end of one of the spine's raised bands. That's even less conspicuous now I've unfolded, then Superglued down, the tiny loose flap of surface leather: intolerable practice, I expect, were one an archivist, but I'm not, and it's served me well in my humble needs, most recently with several ragged flailing strips on the half leather bindings, otherwise sound and secure, of five volumes of Landor's Imaginary Conversations from the 1820s. In that instance the only obvious alternatives would have been to cut off the flailing scraps, reducing the attractiveness of the binding, or leave them to flail and to tear further at every instance of friction.

Returning to the OCD, Smith Settle made an excellent and I expect durable job of the binding, and from the gentle tearing sound and feel of the top-edge gilding when leafing through the volume I think it's hardly been opened at all before. The work has been an absence from my reference shelves for too long, and the book will be opened, I hope and expect, many, many times before I'm through with it, with all due care of course.

The Eyewitness History of the Crusades 4 volume set arrived today, mint condition still sealed and extremely well packaged by the seller, so am very happy at the £40, already dipping into first book

I recently found a copy in Oxfam, of the rare Emily Dickinson poetry collection 'Woman in White'. I now have hope that I may complete my collection of the folio fine press series.

>227 xrayman:

Oh, well done. I have just started snooping around for that one.

>227 xrayman: I now have hope that I may complete my collection of the folio fine press series.

>228 kcshankd: I have just started snooping around for that one.

While you guys are looking to complete your collections, if you happen across any of my missing three I'd be grateful for a heads-up:

Love Poems (Graves)

The Aspern Papers (James)

The Tower (Yeats)

>228 kcshankd: Thanks, I admit to feeling pleased with myself. If you're snooping around for other titles, see my comments below.

>229 folio_books: The latter two are available from the same source (Oxfam Bloomsbury- via Amazon). They seem to have had a donation of most, if not all of the series. The ones that I bought from them have been in very good/fine condition with the acetate covers and without libris stickers or annotation.

Hope this is of help, Oxfam prices are a little random, but whatever the price, one gets a desired book and contributes to a worthwhile charity.

The three I'm still seeking are:

Theses Things also are Springs

The Anglo Saxon Elegies

Peter Grimes; The Poor of the Borough.

I do have spares of several titles if anyone wishes to trade.

>230 xrayman: Hope this is of help, Oxfam prices are a little random

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately a little upwardly random for me but I'm sure others will be interested.

The main Oxfam bookshop site has some interesting Folio titles including the elusive "The Earliest Chemical Industry". It's £125 if you're looking for a copy.

So my secondhand copies of Crime and Punishment and Brothers Karamazov have both now arrived from different Amazon sellers in the US. Both advertised as "like new" and both having some defects like bumps to the slipcase and slight creases to the pages.

I paid $44 dollars for each (£30) plus postage and both sellers have subsequently accepted my request for a $20 (£14) partial refund for the items only being in g/vg condition.

Particularly the Brothers book has worked out excellent value, it isn't currently available anywhere else on Amazon, eBay, abebooks or Ardis.

If you buy secondhand online and aren't happy the item is as described then asking for a partial refund is always an option. I also included photo evidence with my requests.

This doesn't always work however, a copy of Middlemarch I got from eBay clearly had a faded spine and price written inside but was described as fine. I asked for a small refund but got a snotty note back from the seller, left neutral feedback as a result.

>232 leemeadowcroft: I was very happy with my copy of Crime and Punishment at £15 (from a S/H bookshop, not online) until I started to read it and discovered a load of pages were duplicated and others missing - not all defects are obvious.
I was lucky that I started to read it within a week or so of buying it and so got a refund - often (no doubt like most people) it can be years before I get round to reading books I buy.

>214 EclecticIndulgence: "I live in a place where the book readers are all old and their collections add some supply to the market. Eventually, I guess the same will happen to me... the circle of bibliophilic life."

A sobering thought. I count myself blessed, in that my eldest daughter, though only 12 years old, is already angling for first dibs on the cream of my book collection. All is not lost to Twitter and Facebook, my friends -- the next generation of readers lives!

>234 EclecticIndulgence:

Nice pickup. I did see one set, a while back, at a half-price bookstore in Texas but was still half-overpriced.

>238 EclecticIndulgence:

Smart phones. Also expect to see a rise in autism/Asperger's diagnoses.

>240 EclecticIndulgence:

I would humbly suggest that you are in a vanishingly small minority--I tend to use google/wikipedia the same way (also helpful to learn how to pronounce new words).

Just found a like new copy of Raymond Chandler "Trouble Is My Business" for 20$ at my favorite book store.

>240 EclecticIndulgence: >241 podaniel:
It seems I am also in that vanishing small minority. I too am constantly referring to my iPhone dictionary and Wikepedia while reading.

>237 EclecticIndulgence:

Don't remember exactly. This was years ago. I feel like $175 or higher.
Considering they bought entire boxes of books for $2, seemed a bit
unreasonable.

>237 EclecticIndulgence: I bought my second hand set of Orwell novels from a local Oxfam shop in 2011 for £47.50, but that is in the UK.

I got my Fine set for $66.25 + $6 shipping (in USD) off ebay last year.
Paid a bit more for the Reportage set: $108.50 + $6 shipping.

>246 CarltonC: >247 elladan0891: Congratulations! Those are bargain prices for the Orwell novels set where the print run appears to have been insufficient for the demand. It seems unlikely they'll be reprinted since Folio has been moving away from complete sets of authors' works towards publishing single volumes, like 1984, in new individual bindings.

>244 EclecticIndulgence: I went to the library today and somehow I ended up with more purchases than library books... That is so you.

I picked up the Orwell set of novels for £50 a few weeks ago on eBay UK. They are in excellent condition. I was surprised to be the only bidder.

just picked up a very nice copy of the Victorians for 20$

i have had the craziest luck lately.

Just picked up a MINT condition copy of the History of Western Science with a beautifully untouched gilded top edge for.....15$

>254 jlallred2000:

Very nice. Where from?

Halfprice books in Dallas

I got a mint copy of the Benedictional of Saint Æthelwold LE (416/1000) on eBay last week for £225. Very happy with that.

@cronshow: Envy you (in a healthly way!) for your £4 copy of Gentlemen Perfer Blondes :-)

>258 bookaroo: You can easily find this Folio in very good condition on the secondary market for a fiver, though P&P will usually add another £3. I still haven't read my bargain Loos, can't even remember which reading mountain it's buried in.

Archive Books is still there, in Bell St, Tim's head still defended behind an ever-growing barricade! Worth visiting if you're ever in London and passing through Marylebone.

Riverby Books in Washington, D.C. has around 100 older FS books in very good condition with slipcases for a flat $10.00 each--they are right up front so you won't miss them.

>260 podaniel: thank you for planning my weekend excursion for me :)

>260 podaniel: podaniel: Need ideas how to convince the family to make a trip to D.C.:)

My latest acquisitions:
Blue Fairy Book and British Myths & Legends (one volume edition) for $8.99 each.

Thank you! I will be Oxford and London in early 2017: will look up Archive Books :-)

>261 gmacaree:

Another suggestion: Second Story Books just off of Dupont Circle also has a large selection of FS books (the prices are not as good--but definitely worth checking out). As a bonus, it is just a couple of blocks from the Phillips Museum so you can soak in Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party and the Rothko room as well as snatch up a couple of FS books.

>262 kotarana: Astonishing! You did VERY well there!

I actually bought two folios this morning, the damp weather and my slow recovery from a foul stomach bug led me to browse the books in my local Oxfam bookshop. I came away with two books I'd had my eye on in the past; Eileen Power's Medieval Women (2001, £2.99) and The Great Fire Of London (2004 printing, £4.99).

I 'think' I have all the books of the Medieval series now; Medieval Women, Medieval People and the three volume Scenes Of Medieval Life set.

At a Half Price Books in St. Paul, Minnesota, I picked up a copy of the Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats for $30, in excellent condition (even the slipcase). I'd been looking for that one on and off for some time now, so I wasted no time in taking it off the shelf.

Had the most impressive purchase of my short collecting career the other day. While travelling through a city on a business trip I arranged a viewing of some Folios at a seller's home. I picked up my first Limited Edition, The Aeneid, for $250, a fair sum and the most I've ever paid for a single volume. The impressive part was that for a mere $150 more I obtained: The Day of The Jackal, The Venetian Empire, Waverley, The Black Tulip, The Bloody Chamber, 2 copies of Dream Days, The Campaigns of Alexander, The Human Factor, and The Elizabethan Age 4 vol. set, all NEW in plastic, as well as the Roman Cities 3 vol. set, Rebecca, The Maltese Falcon, The Stones of Venice, The Arabian Nights 6 vol. set of which the box containing vol. 4-6 is still sealed, The Life of Samuel Johnson, A History of Venice, and Brighton Rock, all in very good or as new condition! It was such a steal that my usually frugal wife congratulated me on such an outstanding bargain! The History of Venice (JJ Norwich), Bloody Chamber, Dream Days, Brighton Rock, Human Factor, Age of Elizabeth box, and Campaigns of Alexander are all duplicates so PM me if any of you are interested. They will probably be listed on Ebay within a week or so. Also the seller had a few other Limited Editions: War and Peace (single volume edition), War & Peace (2 vol fine edition), The Toilers of the Sea, Finnegan's Wake (fine edition), Ulysses, Metamorphoses, and The Liber Bestiarum available so please PM if you would like to contact him.

>268 dbshee:

I lost track of how many books that was for $150 ....

How do you sleep at night :>

>268 dbshee: We're collectors, not thieves!

Timing... These were the remaining volumes of a large purchase and the seller "needed space" so I assisted him!

>268 dbshee: Congratulations, brand new Folios for far less than paperback prices, quite extraordinary!

Thank you! It's days like that which we devotees all dream of.

>274 EclecticIndulgence: Damn, I hesitate to even announce my purchases after such a haul.

There's only one lottery winner but many runners-up, who do extremely well out of it. That's three fine titles you have there. Let the search for the next winning ticket continue :)

>274 EclecticIndulgence: Of Human Bondage is a brilliant novel, W. Somerset Maugham at his very best, enjoy!

Not a bargain purchase, but I recently purchased the 4-volume set of 'The Book of a Thousand Nights and One Night' in the deluxe special binding - full red morocco leather with gilt decoration - in near perfect condition from Stephen Foster's Book Shop in West London. These multi-volume sets in the Special Bindings are extremely difficult to find, especially in NF or fine condition.

Of the sets available, this was one of three I had wanted to collect. I was fortunate in locating the 3-volume set of 'Chronicles of King Arthur' several months ago and 'The Decameron' is the only remaining set I wish to add. An excellent discussion with photos was begun on the FS Special Bindings over three years ago by Conte_Mesa and the link is given below. If you have forgotten how wonderful these sets are or if you are unfamiliar with these sets because the thread had been dormant for some time, I strongly recommend familiarizing yourself with these books. They are indeed "Special Editions".

http://www.librarything.com/topic/151317

>278 EclecticIndulgence: as if you need an excuse.

>280 EclecticIndulgence: Delude away, dear Eclectic. In any case, congratulations on the finding the Folio Poets Shelley volume for less than the cost of a royal corgi if not the LE Journal of our Life in the Highlands. JooLitH does have the distinction of being the cheapest of all Folio's limited editions on the secondary market. Who would have thought little Alice's Adventures Underground, the cheapest LE to date and in the highest ever limitation, would be more sought after than Queen Victoria's above ground?

Is your Folio Poets series is now complete?

The Wonderful Year 1603 arrived today from an Abebooks seller. Saw it on sale last week at £13.32. I'm completely blown away by the amazing silk cover and beautiful paper. In amazing condition for a book published in 1989. This brings to 10 the number i have in this series.

>274 EclecticIndulgence: Once there was a war is absolutely, positively brilliant. Steinbeck's prose has a way of making you empathise with his subjects - one of the most touching collections of anecdotes from the war I've ever read - and at times it is but impossible not to chuckle.

"Weather and Jerry are alike in that they are inconvenient and sometimes make messes.", as Steinbeck observed after visiting a Dover village occasionally shelled from the other side of the Channel.

>284 odderi:
Yes, I have only recently come to Steinbeck (took long enough!). Had never heard of Once There Was a War until the FS published, but bought it on the back of reading some of his fiction. Loved it, and the angle he took.

>286 the.refined.library: Hi there, welcome to FSD, and congratulations on your bargain! We're for the most part a happy, bonkers, impulse-challenged, wallet-strained, diverse family from all around the world, all brought together by our love of Folio books. Don't hesitate to ask questions about any Folios past and present, there are a lot of very knowledgeable collectors and keen readers among us, and someone is bound to have an answer or at least be able to point you in the right direction.

Welcome! The people in this group have a massive amount of knowledge about all things FS, so you've come to the right place.

Congratulations on a great find. The white eyewitness crusades set is also worth adding to your collection, but will likely cost a bit more.

>286 the.refined.library:

Welcome

>286 the.refined.library: The Runciman is a nice set. It did go on sale many times. My copy was free with the purchase of three other FS books (back in 2011) but $20 a book is a very good price for FS editions.

I have coveted the FS LE "Birds Drawn for John Gould by Edward Lear" for years but have been unable to justify the cost, freight and duty payable on expensive books to Australia, but I have kept a careful watch on the secondary market.
Today I unpacked a massive parcel that was airfreighted from a bookseller in Connecticut that contained this massively heavy volume. The vendor even went 50/50 with me in the freight cost of US$200! A courtesy I have never previously encountered.
It is absolutely stunning, in immaculate, perfect condition, and may now be my favourite LE. Gold tooled leather binding, and huge detailed plates of the birds. The FS website just does not do this gigantic volume justice. I have No. 67 0f 780 and it is signed by David Attenborough. I saved myself over A$1000 (US$700) by buying it in this way rather than direct from the FS, but this was the first copy I have ever seen on the secondary market for under US$900, despite several years of watching.
Sometimes patience pays.
It is still available from the FS despite being on the market for four years.
http://www.foliosociety.com/book/ELB/edward-lear-s-birds

>293 wcarter: Sometimes patience pays.

Congratulations! I well know the feeling of finally acquiring the elusive Folio volume. This isn't one for me (size) but it's certainly an encouragement to keep plodding on in pursuit of my most coveted books.

Congratulations, goodly Warwick! Receiving one's Lear marks the pinnacle of a Devotee's life, just as giving one's Lear marks the apogee of a thespian's! Happy drooling over that tooling ;-)...

Not a spectacular 'find', and not even a special price, but was very glad to receive a nice copy of the Alan Moorhead two-volume Nile set from Ardis today (spines slightly faded, almost inevitably) at a fair price - barely 24 hours after ordering (well wrapped too - excellent customer service). One I've been intending to locate for a while. This'll act as my mental substitute for the distinctly unexciting sale offering (unexciting that is to a longer term member).

>296 Willoyd:
Well done.I had that in my basket but waited as I spent on summer sale.Enjoy.

>297 shdunne:
Thank you. Hope the summer sale offerings suit well.

>293 wcarter:

I am vividly green with envy Warwick. That is a book I would LOVE to own; you are very, very lucky! I've watched the video of David Attenborough looking through it numerous times and if I came into a large sum of money I might buy it, but the cost and my self-imposed ban on FS purchases means that I am unlikely to ever own a copy. I don't know where I'd put it if I did though!

>296 Willoyd: Congratulations, the silk-bound Alan Moorhead Nile set is beautiful, one of the most richly illustrated editions Folio has produced. Enjoy!

Jackpot! Found Icelandic Sagas Vol. 2 for $49.95 (USD)! Now I'm just waiting on Vol. 1 to be delivered so I can start reading them from the beginning.

>302 ChampagneSVP: I found the double volume (quarterbound in leather) signed by Magnus Magnussson, well, who knows, hard to verify the signature, but yes probably

Didn`t buy it though. -You won this time, so it`s easy to be addicted .. *beware* .. happy for you. What`s next? ;)

.. and yes, that was cheap. Jackpot for sure!

Edited for: cheap

I bought Josephine Tey's The Franchise Affair today on a whim. $15 at Half Price Books plus I had a 50% off coupon. A lovely Folio for $7.50 -- can't beat it!

I started reading it immediately and an enjoying it so far.

>302 ChampagneSVP:
There is no such thing as the beginning, you don't really have to wait for the first volume, or follow the order within each book for that matter. The sagas are independent tales (although many characters feature in several sagas) and can be read in any order, really. Different publishers/editors arrange them in different orders. Enjoy!

>304 EclecticIndulgence:
When I visited the dMR during my last trip to London, I asked about plans to reissue the second volume of the Sagas, since they reissued the first already. I was told it will likely happen next year. So this might be your option, unless you MUST get the leather spine (as FS downgraded the quarter leather/cloth combo to quarter buckram/cloth when they reissued the first volume recently).

I did pretty well on the 2nd hand front last week; while bored in the small Norwegian town of Tvedestrand (Baby stroller in hand; wife+older kids somewhat less bored inside a decidedly stroller-unfriendly toy store), I (well, we!) entered a 2nd hand book store and settled on a novel by Norwegian author Johnny Halberg, '1983'.

(A coming-of-age novel - the protagonist is an 18-year old outsider in a small town, trying to find his voice as an author/poet while listening to new wave music, dressing oddly and dreaming of moving to the capital. No, not very original, I know)

With the stroller inhabitant fast asleep, I sat down outside and started reading; turned out it was good - very good. I went back in and asked if they had more books by the same author; a few minutes later, I was the happy owner of all eight novels Halberg has published on the Kolon publisher - this is going to be fun.

Cost? 'Pfff, they've been sitting here forever, I'll throw them in for free if you buy a new book at retail price.' So, I bought an anthology of Ingvar Ambjørnsen's writings for the Norwegian daily VG - Ambjørnsen is never boring, always with a keen eye for the outsider and underdog.

So, for approx. €55 I got eight hardcover first editions, seemingly unread - plus a massive softcover anthology of one of my favourite authors' musings, the latter even signed.

Picked up the OOP Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger. I have to say the illustrations are perfect.

Leaves from the Journal of Our Lives in the Highlands from 1848.

£7 (including delivery). No Case.

I expected the 1973 edition. I received a slightly battered but internally pristine LE.

Really chuffed.

>312 inkcentricity: Congratulations, that could be the cheapest ever LE including P&P!

>312 inkcentricity:

The same thing happened to me a few years ago--mine was a bit more expensive ($20.00 as I recall). I did get a case, too, though.

Snagged a extremely good quality Folio 50 for CAD 38 (plus 13% tax) at Eliot's in Toronto. I could hardly believe my luck, and dashed to the cash register before another FAD sufferer could snatch it away from me.

>317 EclecticIndulgence: I had no idea that GST (or VAT as it's called in the UK) is chargeable on second-hand items in Canada. Does that mean it gets automatically added to on-line eBay purchases too?

Books, new or old, are exempt from provincial tax in Ontario, as are diapers. Not sure if the conjunction is supposed to be meaningful.

>320 Jayked:

Things you really cannot live without? :)

I just received Folio's 2005 The Complete Tales of Hans Christian Andersen from an Amazon marketplace seller today, still in its shrinkwrap for £35 incl. P&P, very reasonable for the apparent design and binding quality. It's a large, very heavy two-volume book set with striking blue and gold ornamental binding and a wonderful assortment of illustrations from multiple artists, a very different production to the red single-volume Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales illustrated by W. Heath Robinson currently available from Folio.

>322 cronshaw: I just received Folio's 2005 The Complete Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

That's a very nice set and at an excellent price. It's been on my wishlist a long time and I've never seen it go for anywhere near as low as that.

>323 folio_books: there's one at the moment on eBay.co.uk for a second time around, awaiting bidding at £35 and not having attracted any bids first time around — I missed the bidding then and thought this time that I should quickly check Amazon marketplace before placing a bid on eBay, which I'm glad I did! I've been perusing the set this morning and am delighted with the wealth of full-page illustrations, ninety all together. I hadn't realised that this set was produced in conjunction with the British Library to commemorate the 200th birthday of HCA. Apparently, it was on offer from Folio in 2006 for £70, but if it were on sale from FS today I believe the RRP would be more like £120, looking at comparable fine volumes.

>324 cronshaw: there's one at the moment on eBay.co.uk for a second time around, awaiting bidding at £35

Somehow I've managed to miss it so far. I'll go and do a proper search. Thanks!

>324 cronshaw: there's one at the moment on eBay.co.uk for a second time around, awaiting bidding at £35

Aha, I see it and it's now on my watch list. Thanks ever so for the heads-up.

Feeling a bit shocked but happy.Sitting in the sun with my morning coffee,I saw LE Moby Dick which I have long wanted at a price lower than I have seen it to get to Australia.Didnt think I would ever have this because of high prices on secondary market. I just pressed the button...so easy.I have never made such an expensive,impulse buy as this before.

>327 shdunne:
I did the same thing a few weeks ago on the Graham Greene box sets, got them both.

A lot of money but less than I had seen them separately by a long shot.

>327 shdunne: congratulations on the acquisition. My first LE and still my favourite

Thank you.Good old Ardis.

>330 shdunne: Congrats. Right place at the right time. 5 minutes later you would probably be refunded because someone beat you to it :) Moby Dick, almost happened to me one time, so close, the stupid thing i did, was to stop and think about it - i clicked it, refreshed the page 15 minutes later and it were then removed from the page, already sold - never think again - do! Wisdom gained

Yes indeed A lesson in knowing what you would pay for something and going for it if it ever comes up. At $651.34aust delivered it wasn't much more than new price($470 plus postage of maybe $100).havent seen it for less than $1000.

>327 shdunne: I saw LE Moby Dick which I have long wanted at a price lower than I have seen it to get to Australia.

Congratulations! There was a similar good bargain to be had on eBay until a few days ago. £250, and no bidders, which surprised me. It hasn't been resisted yet, though. I complimented the seller on her photos, which were really very good. It's on my wanted list but I've spent too much on LEs lately, and the September Collection beckons.

>327 shdunne: Congratulations on your Moby Dick LE find! I think it's one of the two of that particular series of approximately 10" tall, full leather LEs with the most beautifully designed bindings, the other being Don Quixote. Both now sell for considerably more than their original price on the secondary market, Moby Dick even more expensive than the Don Quixote despite a higher limitation of 1,750 (versus 1,250 for DQ, though of course DQ was also available in a standard edition that used the same text block).

>335 cronshaw:
Thank you.I never thought I would get to own this one.I bought the standard FS Don Quixote last year as I couldn't justify the LE secondary market price .There are several sitting temptingly on the market but I am saving my money for forthcoming LEs.

The Moby Dick were just removed late yesterday (tuesday). I think Robert need to get sold books out of the market a little faster, as you bought it on sunday? I tried to get it, as it were teasing me (hoping it was not yours, but it was i believe). Refund. Probably the best, as i want to save my money for a while. Never know when i need to throw everything i have in my hands to get Alice. Moby will come my way, even if it takes 10 years :)

>337 Pellias:
Yes,it took a while to come off the site.I was getting anxious thinking someone may already have got it and trying not to get too excited.It is one I didn't think I would find at an acceptable price shipped to Australia.
The Alice is really lovely.I have it and wish everyone could own it.It and WITW were books my father used to read to my brothers and I when we were children and this is nicest edition ever I think.

>341 EclecticIndulgence: Perhaps he was thinking of delivering them by hand himself during his hajj and thought you might want to pay for the entire trip?

I actually bought two folios today, after a few days looking at them in the window of my local Oxfam bookshop in Chelmsford. They had a big donation of Folios, from what I can remember:

Nero - Ancient Rulers series (no slipcase) - about £5 I think
Cleopatra - Ancient Rulers series (no slipcase) - about £5 I think
The History Of The Crusades 3 volumes - £40
The Story of the Renaissance 5 volumes - £30
A History of Chinese Civilisation 2 volumes (bashed about) - £20
The Folio History Of Ancient Greece 4 volumes - £40
Gibbons Fall and Decline Of Roman Empire - 6 vols - £45
The Wooden World - £10
Pax Britannica 3 volumes - £25
Citizens Simon Schama 2 volumes - £15 (rather dirty, I think this had gone when I looked today)
The complete Samuel Pepys diaries (11 volumes? the LE version) - £400. It looked like just the books though, I don't know if there were supposed to be cases (or if they actually had those).

And there were others but I don't remember what they were. I'm rather limited for space now and I can't really justify buying many as I'm not in work at the moment, but I picked out two:

India: A History by John Keay - £15
The Ottoman Empire - £12

They fit the civilisations theme I've been collecting and I'm quite interested to have books on these as I haven't read anything on India and The Ottoman Empire will be a logical continuation to the books on Byzantium (I've read Procopius and have A Short History of Byzantium by John Julius Norwich to read).

>342 Paulfozz: £400 is a bargain for the Pepys LE, case or no case (the case was apparently not of the strongest construction and FS stopped issuing it well before the end of the limitation). It sold for £700 in 2003, which in 2016 inflation-adjusted terms comes to £1000!

>343 cronshaw: Someone will get a bargain then. :-) They appear to have another set on their website, but selling for £650:

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/books/biography/the-diary-of-samuel-pepys-a-new-and...

They also had the second volume of the Barbarian Invasion of the Roman Empire, which was £10. And The three volume Conquests of Napoleon, which I think was £30.

>343 cronshaw: £400 is a bargain for the Pepys LE, case or no case

I agree. They also issued the set in individual slipcases, as opposed to the oak bookcase. My experience is the bookcases set is easier to find than the slipcased one, though both are fiendishly difficult. I have a part set (six volumes, cheap on eBay years ago) but no slipcases.

I've been enjoying sightseeing in New York while over here on vacation. It's great to see there are plenty of independent and used book stores around the place. Today I popped into two in the same area of eastern Brooklyn, 'Molasses Books', which is a cute bookshop-café, small but cosy and friendly, and with a good selection of classical, modern and foreign language fiction nevertheless; and 'Human Relations' bookstore, lacking a sit-down caffeination facility but a considerably larger shop with a pleasingly wide range of used books. I was determined to find a biblio-souvenir of NY and my eye alighted on the labelled spine of a single tall slipcase tucked away on an uppermost shelf (a Faddict can spot a slipcase at twenty paces), requiring stepladder and a good stretch to reach it. The top edge of the slipcase was thick with dust. Teasing it out from the shelf however revealed a handsome navy leather spine and bright gilt titling; it turned out to be an LEC: Conrad's Youth, Typhoon & End of the Tether, which just happens to be one of my favourites of the Folio Conrad set. Apart from a scuff to one edge of the slipcase, it was in pristine unread condition, a doubly signed (by both illustrator and binding designer) edition in a limitation of 1500. When I saw the price marked as $6 I didn't blink til I'd plonked it proprietorially by the cash register. Nor did I begrudge the additional 53c sales tax. The illustrations by Robert Shore are gorgeous. I do love NY.

I must make an effort to visit a museum at some point.

>346 cronshaw: I was thrilled to pay five times that for my copy. Nicely done.

Thank you both, it's a lovely feeling best shared on-line with fellow devout bibliophiles. Most of my friends are heathen and don't really understand this sort of thing, even if a few have learned to smile and shake their heads in simulated amazement. >348 gmacaree: Given the quality of the paper, type-setting and binding, and the loveliness of the illustrations, let alone the signatures and limitation, I reckon $30 is still a bargain!

>349 cronshaw: That is an astonishing find. My natural and unworthy response to finds of this magnitude by a fellow bibliophile is usually Gore Vidal's: "Every time a friend succeeds, I die a little." But in your case, I shall suppress it and congratulate. I didn't venture into Brooklyn when in NYC last year but I have to say I thought good used bookstores were few and far between.

I visited Baldwin's Book Barn in West Chester, PA. Absolutely amazing 5 story book shop. I was able to pick up The Franchise Affair for 15 dollars, wonderful condition. Also picked up a few non folio novels. Definitely will visit again.

Laxdaela Saga from 1978 quarter bound in blacked leather. Looks nice, not so expensive that i didn`t dare to try £20 with shipping to norway .. another one here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Laxdaela-Saga-Magnusson-Palsson-Folio-Society-1975-/1220...

+ Sagittarius rising cheap enough. Both in fine condition

>352 Pellias:
Have a copy of this myself it is very nice and well design too.

The leather has aged well, the endpapers are maps (perfect place for maps as they lay flat), nice pattern on the front and fitting woodcuts.

I actually wish more of my FS books were designed this way I much prefer it to the unnatural feeling of buckram.

If anyone knows of any other folios in this style please let me know.

My local library has a shelf where anyone can leave books they no longer want - and take something from the shelf if they find something interesting.

I mostly leave books there, but today I got lucky - someone had left a set of Jack London titles. Published in 1941, for the most part - quarter bound leather with paper sides.

The Call of the Wild
The Star Rover
The Cruise of the Snark
Jerry of the Islands
A Son of the Sun
The Sea Wolf
The Mutiny of 'Elsinore'
The Road

Until now I've only read his Call of the Wild and John Barleycorn, so I expect much good reading during the next couple of weeks. Perfect find as the autumn is taking hold.

Speaking of Jack London - anyone knows if there are any good editions of The People of the Abyss? Granted, the most appropriate binding might be the tattered yellowed paperback...

There where a norwegian boxer `Wolf Larsen`1901-1931 who boxed (heavyweight) in the states that died of alcohol abuse in Brooklyn. He was quite the character, and a man of the sea. He were named after that book.`Magnus `Wolf` Larsen.

>356 EclecticIndulgence: You've just put The Sea Wolf on the top of my TBR pile. Thank you!

>358 Pellias: Thanks, didn't know that - wondered how the translator figured that 'Ulf Larsen' was a good translation for 'The Sea Wolf'. (Never mind, slight misunderstanding on my part - just took a couple of minutes to read the Wikipedia entry. Now I get it. :))

>357 elladan0891:

There is a good edition that is slipcased (not from FS). It's sitting on my shelves at home and I'll try to remember to get more details to post here--unless someone beats me to it.

>359 odderi: Sure. I have a personally signed volume by mr.Gotaas, a small book just 100 pages long. He often writes about .. well, outcasts, and original individuals who don`t follow the stream. Funny reads his books is ..

>357 elladan0891:

OK--I finally located my edition of The People of the Abyss. It is slipcased and published by Joseph Simon with a foreword by Clarice Stasz. It contains Jack London photographs and drawings by Gustave Dore. It is printed on 70 lb. Howard Permalife acid-free olde white paper. It is typeset photographically in Baskerville and Janson types and bound in Devon Green linen cloth and illustrated with Yorktown Gray Early American Text.