Post your latest EP purchase

I thought I'd start a thread listing our latest EP purchase(s) whether it's new or secondhand. I think this would be a great opportunity to share our latest acquisition, maybe showcase something you've been trying to acquire for a while and now a proud owner :) This could also help others out who are on the fence on certain books and maybe wants to know what others think. Pics are strongly encourage.

My latest from EP was I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings but I've already posted that in the other thread so here's one before I received back in June.
American Psycho signed by the author. There are no illustrations but overall it's a very nice book. The text is very clear, actually one of the clearest I've seen from an EP books. I must say that I'm very impressed with their signed editions so far. For less than $100 you can get a well made leather bound book.

The signed editions are great! As for this particular book... meh, I didn't like it. Nothing wrong with EP, I'm talking about the novel itself. I thought it had great promise but felt that the book fell apart fairly quickly. That said, Centipede Press published what I would consider the definitive edition of American Psycho. It had beautiful illustrations, and was limited to only 200 copies.

http://www.centipedepress.com/horror/americanpsycho.html

Although I really disliked American Psycho, I do want to read the original Psycho by Bloch.

ps Feel free to add pictures to this thread:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/193753

That's a nice-looking book (haven't read it, so can't comment on the words). Would be nice if they left the "Signed Edition" off the spine. Seems a bit tacky and pointless, especially as EP isn't sold in bookstores where there is a need to attract the customer to that particular item amongst a sea of other books. Do EP always do that with their signed editions?

(edit: Maybe "tacky" is overstating it - "unnecessary and distracting from the aesthetic design" might be a better way of putting it)

>2 astropi: I've only seen the movie and I've missed out on Centipede Press' version which is why I got this. I've just started reading the book so can't really comment on it, even the movie from what I remember the ending had me really confused.

>3 Studedoo: The ones I have has the "Signed Edition" on the spine, although I've seen some on the web in particular the "Masterpieces of Science Fiction" where it does not have it on the spine. Hopefully someone with a more substantial EP library can confirm.

>3 Studedoo:

The 'signed edition' on the spine is on all of the books in my 'Signed First Editions of Science Fiction' books, but not on other signed books which were not part of signed series (for example, the Masterpieces of Science Fiction, and (somebody tell me if I'm wrong here) I don't believe it is marked as such on book 1 of the Interview with a Vampire set (only book 1 is signed)

It makes sense to me to have the signed on the spine of series where that is a feature of each book in the series, but not on random other books that are signed.

I don't find it ostentatious.

-Shawn

>6 supercell:

You very well could be right. I'm on travel right now for work, I'll have to look at the set when I get home next week, as well as any other signed ones I can find in my bookcase.

I went on a signed edition binge--American Psycho (which I have never read, nor have I seen the movie), Narrow Road to the Deep North, The Idea of America, Tree of Smoke, The Orphan Train (I never knew anything about this), and Thirteen Soldiers. I'm looking forward to reading all of them.

I am not sure I'm keeping the Orphan Train. After I ordered it from EP, I read a few Amazon reviews. Most said it was wonderful, but it was also said it wasn't written well and was more on the level of a Young Adult book. Has anyone read this? Is it worth paying for leather and a signed edition?

I can confirm that Interview With the Vampire (of the Chronicles series currently available) is not marked as signed on the spine--at least mine is not. The books are sitting on a shelf above my desk as I type, so I'm certain.

There are some versions in pics online which are marked on the spine, however. That version also bears the author's signature in gold on the cover. Mine does not.

Weird, right? I don't know what's up with the marked versus unmarked spine editions floating around. I think this series has been sold in the past without an author's signature, for less money, and maybe Interview was sold alone, signed with marked spine? I suspect this series was originally designed to be unsigned and the author's signature feature came later. But that's just a guess. Or maybe there was an original run (c. 1999) with signature and spine marked, and then a cheaper, unsigned run, and then they added signatures to that later run to help move it. But that's another guess.

This is NOT what mine looks like (ebay links are random listings I found, no affiliation to me):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/signed-The-Vampire-Chronicles-by-Anne-Rice-Easton-Press-...

Mine looks like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Easton-Press-Vampire-Chronicles-SIGNED-by-ANNE-RICE-Inte...

8: Exciting! Signed editions are just awesome :)
OK, so you know I'm not a fan of American Psycho, but seeing as you have a signed edition, it won't be difficult to trade/sell it.

>8 bullylover: Nice haul. I try to keep an open mind and try not to have the reviews influence me when I start the book but that's not always the case. There are times when I had big expectations judging from the reviews only to be let down. Then there are books that for me are 5 stars but I look at the reviews and are hovering around 3+ stars so to each his own.

I'm thinking of picking up All the Light We Cannot See as well as Chuck Palahniuk Fight Club & Survivor. But I'll have to see until I received some of the books I've ordered....say a month from now I suppose lol.

>11 JuliusC: I've already bought All the Light We Cannot See and Fight Club from EP. I've read All the Light and since it is a Pulitzer Prize winner, I would advise you to buy it in leather. I've seen the movie Fight Club--I'll reserve judgment until I've read the book.

I read Fight Club and saw the movie. The movie is true to the book.

>1 JuliusC: >2 astropi: >8 bullylover:

I received American Psycho and agreed that the text was very crisp and the edition itself beautiful. Prior to reading it, I had never seen the movie or even heard of it. To be honest I was thinking of the movie Psycho featuring Norman Bates. Boy was I in for a surprise. I found the story itself and the lifestyle it prevented quite captivating and it managed to maintain my interest and was a quick read. The problem I had however, was the amount of what I felt were overly-descriptive scenes of violence and sex. I'm not overly conservative myself, but found myself having to force myself through reading several of scenes. After reading it, I felt uncomfortable just keeping the book in my library, lest a visitor open the book and read a random excerpt from it, so I re-sold it on eBay at a slight loss.

I purchased this book and am also very happy with the quality. I've seen the movie however and agree it's very violent. I haven't the courage to read it yet, but I will because that's what books are for. It's being stored away from the main collection along with other books not polite for dinner conversations with guests - such as works by Richard Dawkins ;)

On the other hand I also have Fight Club and Silence of the Lambs, both of which are on general display... might be worth rethinking where that line is. It really depends on the guests!

My problem with American Psycho was not the violence nor sex, but the way it was portrayed. Honestly, I felt it was just showy and frankly boring and immature. Perhaps the author did this to show/prove a point, but it was lost on me. I thought the violence in the beginning of the book which was arguably a bit more subdued, was well executed, but then it got silly. Of course, there is a debate about whether it was all in his head, and the author refuses to clearly answer that question, which by the way, makes me think he hasn't really thought it through himself. Anyway, overall I give the book a grade of C-.

Well to my surprise a packaged came in when I got home from work. Record breaking 1 week delivery....awesome. Maybe because it's all in one box and required a signature, I don't know but would have to select this option again if it will speed up the shipping :)

Anyways 3 gorgeous books came in.





Like I said in my previous post, these signed editions are great. Can't complain, no defects and again the text are crystal clear.

THE RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM is a pretty good size at 7 1/2" x 10". The paper quality used is of a heavy grade, it has a nice texture to it. If anybody owns Cemetery Dance's Carrie, it feels exactly the same paper that was used. What ever paper this is it feels awesome. The illustrations are in B&W except for the title page. I think it's reproduced well here as it's also clear not muddy at all. This could even been a DLE if they put a limitation, printed the illustrations in colour and maybe even have it tipped in.








I honestly think this could've been one of their better books published except for 1 issue I have and perhaps a lot of people here. As we all know it seems that they have switched to using a different kind of "leather". Now I don't know what constitute of having something labeled "genuine leather" but what ever leather this is I am not a fan of. It's smooth but too smooth if you ask me. The feeling I have is the same feeling I get when I hold a B&N "collectible" edition. GASP blasphemy I know but seriously that's what the leather feels like. Even the smell is different, reeks of composite. I sure hope they don't go down this path as it could be a slippery slope. Having said that though I will be keeping this book. I still feel like the positives in this book weighs really favourable to consider a return.

The Rubaiyat looks great, except for that damn horrible "leather". I think it must be one of the lower layers of the hide, painted (or coated in polyurethane) but without the usual fake grain stamped in. i.e. essentially the same as what they used to do, but without the step that used to at least make it still look like leather. Apparently if the coating exceeds 0.15mm, it can't actually be called genuine leather and has to be called coated leather (but maybe not the case in the US?). Would be interested in the actual specifications of this new stuff, but I personally wouldn't purchase a book coated in it, as it is just too far removed from traditional bookbinding product, and I'd rather have cloth as it is more "honest".

I think EP need to come clean about what this leather really is, and if it basically bicast leather, they should probably stop using it.

Here are pictures of Toilers of the Sea
http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/skochkin/library/Toilers%20of%20the%20Sea?sort...

In message 21 you see my attempt to paste pictures from Toilers of the Sea to the forum. Sorry it is not working.

http://s1378.photobucket.com/user/skochkin/library/Toilers%20of%20the%20Sea?sort...

You will need to make the album public if you want us to see it. :)

Ok it's now public. How do I paste pictures in forum as I see above?

Still showing as private.
Gave a looks at this link http://www.librarything.com/topic/184357# , it should give a guide on how to post a pic. See post 8 and 10. Unfortunately I find posting on LT is not as intuitive as it should be.

JuliusC, toilers is now public. Did not realize that all collections must be checked as public.

Those that have a copy of American Psycho is it just my copy or the pages in 141 and 152 the last sentence is cut off. 152 just ends and it really leaves me hanging.

26: Hah, mine too! Pages 141 and 152 end in the middle of sentences.

I did a bit of googling and it appears the errors are present in multiple editions, including the Picador edition with the cover from the movie, I quote: "That's not a printing error, Queenie. That's exactly how Easton Ellis wrote the chapter." o_O I really need to read this book.

http://equilibrium.proboards.com/thread/909/american-psycho?page=6