Enablement: Good Deals on FS books

That is a good deal. Someone else buy it before I'm forced to :)

I hate booksellers who don't bother to list the real shipping cost.

I buy many books from ABE and I believe that booksellers are obliged by ABE to quote their standard price per country for books weighing up to 1 kg.

When an order comes through for a book weighing over 1 kg, then they will know the country in which the buyer lives and they can then firm up on the delivery cost they wish to charge. Delivery costs across national borders vary not just due to exchange fluctuations and inflation, but also for the usual supply/demand rules.

I don't know if it really is a good deal, but this one looks pretty good:

Pax Britannica (3 volumes)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282164474944?_trksid=p2062857.m570.l5998&_trkparms...

>4 Chawton: "buy many books from ABE and I believe that booksellers are obliged by ABE to quote their standard price per country for books weighing up to 1 kg."

Really? Well, then, I hate bookselling conglomerates that require their affiliates to advertise fraudulent shipping prices. It's like Jerry Lundegaard trying to tack on a charge for undercoating after a price has been agreed to. If ardis.co.uk can advertise the real shipping price, why can't other booksellers?

I am confused by your post. In what way are fraudulent prices being advertised?

In a large country such as Canada there isn't a flat rate for individuals for parcels within the country: rate depends upon distance. For a small business such as a bookstore without a commercial account, an exact estimate may not be possible. It's not always that easy elsewhere. My last purchase on Abebooks was from the UK. The seller adjusted the final price downward because the wrapped book weighed less than estimated.

>7 Chawton:

1) If you click on the link in the OP, you see:



2) If you choose to purchase this item, ABE will let you check out at the combined price of $153.97.

3) You will then be contacted by A J Scruffles and told that they won't really sell it to you at that price. Fork over $70 more, or the deal is off.

4) The OED gives "deceitful" as a definition of "fraudulent". The OP was deceived into thinking that A J Scruffles was offering a good price for the Proust set. $224 is not a good price for the Proust set.

>10 EclecticIndulgence: "Yeah, but if you live in the UK you can still likely get a bargain."

If you live in the UK, why would you be buying from abebooks.com instead of abebooks.co.uk?

It all seems sufficiently above board to me. I'm in the UK and have learned that any substantial books I try to buy from US sellers via Abe will elicit an email to tell me what the extra postage charge will be, and it's up to me whether to accept it or abandon the deal. But, >9 cpg:, the OP will only have been deceived into thinking that a modest postage charge would be available if he/she didn't click on the link afforded to check "Destination, Rates and Speeds", when "Bookseller Shipping Terms: Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required" is always there to be read.

Hardly fraudulent when there's no compulsion on the buyer to go through with any deal costing more than they're willing to pay, just potentially disappointing. And, admittedly, not helpful: I've several times refrained from pursuing at all an LEC title listed on Abe, to avoid wasting sellers' time and my own hopes, and tend to err on the side of not asking unless I'm pretty certain of being prepared to pay whatever the shipping cost may be.

I ended up getting it, but I'm kinda regretting it now, I didn't take postage costs into account. I also just found out it was a offer for members a few years ago, maybe that's why there are so many available. Oh well, it seems to be a great book anyway and I love the subject, so I will just suck it up hahaha. I will keep checking this discussion to get better deals in the future!

And Blake is gone ) I wonder how much it was?

>18 Rodomontade:
Lowering expectation is certainly a good thing. But I usually steer away from sellers who are obviously off in their grading as I don't know what else might be wrong with the book. Sure, there is some rubbing here and there, but if the seller considers that Fine, who knows if he also thinks that a nice bookplate doesn't make the book any less fine? I've received "Fine" books that had bookplates, foxing, and had a bunch of pages unbound (manufacturing defect, as there were no thread holes in the page creases).

Following up Rodomontade's comments above (>22 Rodomontade:):

1. Always ask specifically if there are any bookplates, ex-libris (some sellers use this term instead of "bookplate"), or written names, inscriptions, booksellers notations - in either pencil or ink - and have the seller specify pencil vs. ink writing.

2. Ask if there is any foxing or toning ("browning" ) to the pages? Is the toning restricted to the edges of the page, the margins, or does it involve the actual text?

3. Ask for full photographs of the binding including separate photos of the front board, the rear board and the book spine.

4. Ask about condition of the slipcase - bumps, bruises, split seams, rubbing & scuffing, etc.

This is overkill for less expensive books but it becomes increasingly important once you enter the realm of the deluxe FS books, the Limited Editions, etc.

And once you have found a book in perfect (or known) condition, how do you stop the postman from denting it?

The Folio Fine Press Barrack Room Ballads is going for a song (£12) on www.ebay.co.uk. I've no knowledge of the seller.

>27 EclecticIndulgence:
I guess I'm lucky then, as I got my near fine copy for only $25 incl. shipping in the past couple of years. I have an average price of $54 though in my database so your point about it being a good price is quite right.

The Ann Radcliffe set turns up reasonably often, but http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-The-Complete-Novels-of-Mrs-Ann-Radcliffe... is probably about the most inviting combination of price (£60 with free delivery in UK - the launch offer in 1987 was £72) and condition that I've noticed.

Everyone's favourite Master & Margarita is up on eBay UK at the moment for £10. Description says like new but in the photos it does look grubby so be wary http://r.ebay.com/nJAgas

I have no connection to the seller.

There's an LE Door in the Wall on eBay.co.uk too. Currently a steal at £70 and auction ending in 3 days. Such a beautiful volume with amazing mould made paper, it's by far my favourite LE of 2016.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DOOR-IN-WALL-H-G-WELLS-ALVIN-COBURN-FOLIO-SOC-FACSIMIL...

>32 cronshaw: It is a lovely book but I'm concerned by the fact that the limitation page isn't shown.

>33 xrayman: I hadn't noticed that, but since it's a charity listing it could be a simple oversight. A quick question to the seller should settle the matter for anyone interested.

>34 cronshaw: True, if I didn't already own it I would be interested and would ask. Even if the page has been removed and returned to FS, it would still be a good buy as a reading copy, as long as some purchaser doesn't expect more.

>34 cronshaw: since it's a charity listing it could be a simple oversight. A quick question to the seller should settle the matter for anyone interested.

I checked with the seller. There is no limitation page.

Thanks for that. I hope in that case, and now the seller must be aware of the issue, that this information is added to the ad, otherwise I would consider it a misleading withholding of essential information.

>37 cronshaw: I hope in that case, and now the seller must be aware of the issue, that this information is added to the ad

Me too, but I'm not holding my breath.

Having just revisited the listing, no additional information has been provided. Interestingly, though, the top bid has now dropped to £36. I'm guessing the previous top bidder has found out about the (lack of) limitation page and withdrawn his/her bid.

>36 folio_books: Out of curiosity, and not wanting a charity to lose out unnecessarily because of any misunderstanding, I also sent the seller a message, after you sent yours. I received an answer from someone called Rob confessing they didn't know what a limitation page was and asking me what it consists of! That was at the end of the working day and I've not since received a reply. Considering the limitation page is located at the rear of the volume (if I remember correctly) I would still be unsurprised if they've overlooked it in both description and photos. The only circumstance I can think of for a limitation page to be missing is if it had been torn out because a replacement was being provided by FS, and I think a torn page would be quite noticeable from a cursory glance at the edge of the text block. If so, the eventual winner of the auction could be in for a pleasant surprise, and if not, then they've always the option to return the LE for a refund.

>40 cronshaw: I received an answer from someone called Rob confessing they didn't know what a limitation page was and asking me what it consists of!

Assuming you are right in saying you wrote to him AFTER me, Rob is guilty of terminological inexactitude. I haven't kept a copy but from memory my question was something like "Could you tell me if this book contains a limitation page (it is not shown in the photographs)? It will say something like "this book is limited to 980 copies, of which this is number (x)." I think that's clear enough.

It was indeed Rob (I assume the same one) who responded with "There is no limitation page".

I'm of the opinion that whoever withdrew their bid did the safest thing.

Okay, I've managed to retrieve the original correspondence from the trash.

My question:
Can you confirm the limitation page is present (it doesn't appear in the photographs). It will include something along the lines of "this edition is limited to 980 copies, of which this is copy number (x)" And could you tell me what the copy number is?

Thank you.

Glenn

The response:
No limitation page is present, Glenn

Regards
Rob for

>42 folio_books: Thanks for that. It's odd that 'Rob' would confess to me he didn't know what a limitation page was after that exchange with you. But sometimes there's just no accounting for folks!

>41 folio_books:
Poor bastard, one gnomic retort and his character is brought into question!

It was probably two different Robs!

Ebay automatically signs your name at the end of the message and this will be the person who set up the account. In a charity shop, I would expect the account is available for most staff to check and reply to messages rather than only 'Rob',

>44 Santas_Slave: Poor bastard, one gnomic retort and his character is brought into question!

>45 SingingSands: It was probably two different Robs!

No need to fret. Despite everything, bidding is up to £138 as I type. Two bidders have made all the running so far, so who knows where it'll end up. I wouldn't be surprised if it exceeded the original selling price. I'm glad (very glad) that a worthy charity will make money out of this.

Following on from my comments yesterday, the bid of £70.01 was retracted just after 1 pm. I have to say my opinion has not changed and eBay member 1***g has taken the wise path, assuming he/she wants to avoid the possibility of ending up with a copy with no limitation page. On this point I tend to believe Rob's word over Rob's.

It leaves me wondering what his surname might be. Any Pratchett fans here? The Wee Free Men?

I know there are some Van Gogh fans here, so maybe this is for you: http://www.ebay.de/itm/391571726255?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&fromMakeTr...

>46 folio_books: I'm impressed, and pleased for the charity concerned, that the price finally climbed to £170 plus £8 shipping, not much below the current Folio price considering the apparent lack of a limitation page.

>48 cronshaw: I'm impressed, and pleased for the charity concerned, that the price finally climbed to £170

It's a very worthy cause and the charity is the winner, which I'm delighted about. I only hope it isn't returned ...

Not really looked closely at this one but thought I'd share
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/162225223022?rmvSB=true&ul_ref=http%3A%2F%2Frover.eb...

There's a great deal on the 'Collectors' set of four slipcased facsimile Winnie the Pooh volumes produced for Methuen by Folio on eBay.co.uk at the moment, only £20 and as-new judging from the photo and description, when this set is typically over £50. I've no idea who the seller is.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOLIO-Society-Winnie-The-Pooh-Collectors-Edition-Boxse...

That looks nice, sadly I can't buy anymore books now, but thanks for posting it here. It's a good thread

And anyone looking for a fine set of four LE Tolkien volumes (Hobbit plus LoTR), all with matching limitation numbers would be pushed to find a better deal on the secondary market than £550 with free P&P:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tolkien-Hobbit-and-Lord-of-the-Rings-Folio-Society-Lim...

(edited to add: I've no knowledge of the seller)

Well those two didn't last long!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOLIO-Society-Myths-Legends-of-India-2001-/29190226706...

For sale from same guy as the Winnie set

>57 EclecticIndulgence: Folio's own version of Winnie the Pooh are are larger volumes than the Methuen originals, and with the illustrations in colour rather than the original black and white line drawings. However, I actually prefer the quaintness of the originals (or facsimiles as reproduced by Folio for Methuen) including the simpler but quite delightful monochrome drawings.

>56 EclecticIndulgence: If it makes you feel better, it was offered for postage within the UK only. Perhaps the seller gauged that overseas shipping would have been too complicated or costly.

Mrs Radcliffe's Complete Novels are to be had cheaply. If the photo is anything to go by they look in pretty good condition. Two days to go on the auction, currently standing at £4.95. It's on behalf of the British Heart Foundation, with which I have no connection, other than donating a few books to them now and again.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/381803963442?ul_noapp=true

>61 folio_books: That would be a phenomenal steal. This is a fairly scarce Folio set of a definitive Gothic author whose works are hard to find in decently bound editions, let alone as a complete set. I paid a lot more for mine than £5!

>62 cronshaw: That would be a phenomenal steal.

Indeed.

>62 cronshaw: I paid a lot more for mine than £5!

I can't recall exactly but I'm pretty sure I bought my set direct from Folio. As you can imagine, more than £5. Cheapest on Abe is £70, which I would say is s good deal anyway.

The thing with e-bay, is it not that when you offer a bid on a "sleeper (in this case a book)" it becomes more visible for others also, or am i wrong? (if it doesn`t get much attention, it becomes sort of innactive, and less in focus)

Sleeper=not much bids, it just sits there, and nothing .. until the last minutes when everything goes baluba

>64 Pellias: Sleeper=not much bids, it just sits there, and nothing .. until the last minutes when everything goes baluba

Everything going bananas is, of course, the visible sign of multiple sniper bids going in during the last few seconds of the auction.

This one looks like a steal, if your based in the UK.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Gormenghast-Trilogy-/262669271301?hash=i...

>66 Pellias:
Looks very good deal

>66 Pellias: And also a very good read.

>67 frostymaxim: Sure was ..

>68 N11284: Hello John. Long time no seen. I am looking forward to read Gormenghast one time, i were looking long and hard for it until it popped up and i bought a sealed one from Ardis some months ago.

The listing has ended i see, anyway that was 50% off the usual price for this one (in fine condition)

``I never see FS books here in Norway, just occasionally, and the volumes i come across is the less sought after ones. But i met one with one great collection online based in Norway, and many LE`s he was going to sell it all. I got a nice price on `Centenary Wind in the willows?` (sale price) - if only i had accepted it at once without thinking about it, the seller was suddenly gone after just a week. It`s no crisis, but i doubt i will get that same chance again .. that was a once in a 5 or 10 year opportunity i bet. He also had a price of what seemed almost 30-40% off for his whole letterpress Shakespeare collection if the buyer would buy them all. Tempting as it was, it still in the end costs alot of money. I am happy enough to build on my Shakespeare collection on a long term basis``

>69 Pellias:

Øyvind, you're quite right about collecting the Letterpress Shakespeare on a long term basis. They are wonderful but you don't need all of them. I only keep myself to the popular ones, only a handful, Hamlet, Macbeth, Midnight Summer Dream, und so weiter.

>70 ironjaw: I don`t have time to read them all at once either ;) If a man has eaten enough, then he is full, he don`t need any more food, and he need to use the energy from the food he has consumed. That`s me, i have enough unused energy for a good long time. Just the occasionally volume for me these days. No binging. Shakespeare`s are lovely, but so is much else. The best thing is to save and use on what one really want to prioritize, to keep that good circle going, and not to fall down in a bad one. *Do i want it (sure) *Do i need it (not at the time) *Will i read it (not at the time) *Will it make me a happier man (not at the time) .. and so on. On the `Edda` there is a positive check on all questions :) .. in short. I don`t have FAD anymore ;)

Yes me too.

You guys. You guys. Have a splendid day, i`m going to bed reading some more on `Dunk & Egg`:)

I suppose it might betray me as a Philistine to suggest Ulysses was the biggest load of ordure I have ever had the misfortune to read. Not so much a work of literature as Joyce showing off to the world just how much he had read.

>76 InVitrio:

And I'm guessing you don't think he redeemed himself with Finnegans Wake ;)

I did embark on Ulysses thirty-odd years ago, moved to do so by Ezra Pound's advocacy, but would confess to not having found it a rewarding or even agreeable experience, and have yet to venture a second reading.

I just got Carthage new in wrap on Amazon 3rd party for $55 USD. Seemed like a good deal to me, no?

Yes, a good deal, for sure. Well done!

>76 InVitrio: count me as a philistine too.

The most overrated book ever. All the acclaim reminds me of the Emperor's New Clothes.

I was in Hatchards yesterday and in the back corner are shelves of dusty folio books, the leftovers of a failed retailing experiment. the condition varies, some are sealed and perfect, some are grubby and without slipcases. Half price is the starting point for negotiation. I bought 'The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym' sealed and mint for £14

>80 overthemoon: The most overrated book ever?..that sounds like it has potential to start a contentious thread.

Can anyone please enable/disable me regarding purchase of the 1974 Folio In Praise of Folly? It seems absurdly cheap on the secondary market now that the new FS edition has appeared, but I actually like the look of the bright red cloth binding of the first edition, its letterpress, and its illustrations reproducing Hans Holbein's annotations of a sixteenth century edition of the work (according to descriptions on abe). However, does this edition also have good explanatory foot (or end) notes elucidating Erasmus's numerous references, and which I think I'll need? Thank you!

>73 ironjaw: Loved this. I just mentioned Ulysses (and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man) to my daughter yesterday, having seen a copy in a bookshop window whilst walking through Oxford.
I too read it thirty odd years ago and I must confess that I did enjoy it, although not as much as Portrait.
Perhaps it is time to reread A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, which I discover was published 100 years ago come December, and perhaps purchase my first Collectable, as the original FS version was from 1965, and although I presume it has been reprinted I have not seen crisp versions second hand.

Actually, I'm looking to part with my FS copy, as I found the LEC a while back. If you're interested let me know via private message, and I can send you a condition report. I'd rather it go to a Devotee than someone on eBay.

>83 cronshaw:

Yes, it's absurdly cheap. I bought mine not long back for £6 in unread condition, prompted by the new edition and its cost - why spend that when the old one is so nice? It's a nicely compact Folio of its time, forty-odd years ago, stoutly bound in a rather canvas-y cloth, printed letterpress on decent cartridge paper in Poliphilus and Blado. The illustrations feature Holbein's marginal illustrations in an early copy of the book.

Just to clarify, I was referring to Portrait. :)

Not sure how good a deal this is but set of 48 (complete?) Anthony Trollope books for £395 or best offer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282231316325

>89 leemeadowcroft:

It has to be a pretty good price, though the full Trollope does come along quite often and at surprisingly modest rates: perhaps his popularity isn't quite what it was when the books were published. I bought mine a few years ago for £307 delivered, Fine condition throughout, but just at that time Ardis seemed to have something of a log-jam with at least four full sets in stock, and had been steadily dropping their prices to shift one or two.

Yes, you can get them at lower prices than £300 - patience

H.G. Wells Classics of Science Fiction Folio Society, 3 Volumes set. Only $45.00 and $18.00 shipping on Ebay. Ends in 5 hours.
Currently has no bidders.

Here is the exact title heading "H.G. Wells Classics of Science Fiction Folio Society, 3 Volumes Great Set".
U.S. Ebay if that helps.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/H-G-Wells-Classics-of-Science-Fiction-Folio-Society-3-Vo...

Hope it works.

>97 Rodomontade:
??!!!!

Green Earth Books, I think they're overcharging because a 99% of the cost will go to charity*

*maybe broadly defined by them in terms of what they consider charity.

>97 Rodomontade:

That's hilarious!!

I don't know if this is a good deal or not, but a signed FS edition of "The Shining", is available on Ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stephen-King-The-Shining-Folio-Society-Slipcased-Edition...

>101 Eastonorfolio: If that was the full price, it would be .. in two days, it will be to expensive to even consider.

>101 Eastonorfolio: Well. Soon to end. Will be exiting last 15 minutes (in two hours from when this was written) maybe ;) .. I`ll bring popcorn

PS: I`m not bidding

What a drama! Now i need to make some waffles, and make some fresh raspberry jam. This was all to exiting .. out of nowhere, in the last second, a completely new one comes and grab it all right in front of their noses .. i send the one who made it clear he wanted this signed book from the start, but who lost in the last second a thought. `U just cannot trust anyone these days ..

I'm not sure what constitutes a 'good deal' for one of the early full morocco clad Folio limited editions, but I see a slipcased set of the early-to-mid 1970s The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, limited to 500 copies, has cropped up on eBay.co.uk. I've no idea who the seller is. I notice there's one early bid at £225 and that there had been a BuyItNow option which the first bidder declined.

Thanks to our now very comprehensive early LE database, complete with brochures, I read that this set cost £38.50 in 1973. That seemed rather reasonable to me until the Bank of England inflation calculator informed me what ravages inflation has wrought over the past forty-three years: £38.50 in 1973 is £420 today!

>105 cronshaw: Sometime in the '70s I agonised over a hefty 2 vol annotated Sherlock Holmes - it was £20. Now I know why.

I note that the red Morocco bound 1973 Folio LE The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night on eBay I mentioned above finally went for £302, including P&P, with three bidders.

>107 cronshaw:

I need to confess to this one, having had a moment of self-indulgence, or perhaps a rush of blood to the head. I've been looking for this set ever since I made bargain acquisitions of the cream-leather Decameron, and the headily-scented red leather Malory. This is no bargain, but as the two or three other sets I've seen cheaper had manifest faults, I think this is reasonable value: it's in lovely shape, apparently unread, just showing faint signs of forty-odd years of shelf life. And I'm not alone in the valuation - I had less than £5 clearance on the underbidder. The set was the most expensive of the special bindings of the early seventies, quite a bit more than the fabled blue leather War and Peace, now vanished from the land.

So thanks to you, Russell, for the alert, and apologies to the underbidders, should they be Devotees. For my penance, I have (so far) refrained from dashing down to the station and buying a ticket for Eagle Street, and the Half-price Sale.

>108 affle: Bravo, sir. Always a pleasure to enable in any way! I hope you thoroughly enjoy the handsome and scarce set, it is a beauty.

12 Volume 'History of England' on eBay. I don't have the shelf space for this much history, but perhaps someone else.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201741613098?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName...

>111 Rodomontade: That's unbelievably cheap!

>112 cronshaw: Perhaps it's so cheap because it appears to have neither slipcases nor the wooden case.

>113 pythagoras: Even without slipcases or the wooden case, £200 or thereabouts for a set which cost £690 new in 2003, roundabout £1000 in today's money, is bargain basement pricing!

>114 cronshaw:

Is it customary for ebay booksellers not to state what condition the books are in?

>115 cpg: They absolutely should state the condition, and accurately list any defects. Unfortunately, it's all too common for sellers to overlook this, some innocently, others perhaps not. I'm personally not interested in this auction, but the set appears to be in very good condition in the photos provided, and I'd trust that anyone who was interested in the set would carefully check the seller's feedback and send a message enquiring about the exact condition.

>111 Rodomontade: I hope someone here got them! I was the high bidder for the last few days until just before they sold this afternoon... thought I was going to get a mega-steal! Oh well.

For anyone based in the UK who missed out on the Folio Society LE Toilers of the Sea, there's a 'new' copy apparently in original packaging, listed BuyItNow on eBay at £199 including domestic P&P, which seems very reasonable. It's offered by a charity seller, 'The Children's Society'.

Well that one didn't last long. I hope it went to a Devotee!

A copy of the Moby Dick LE has popped up on eBay.co.uk, at £400 plus £6 P&P, for anyone chasing this highly rated edition. It could be particularly tempting for a Faddict whose funds are denominated in a currency stronger than sterling. I suppose that's almost everyone overseas. No idea who the seller is.

>121 cronshaw: I don`t like that dent on the box, it could be minor, it could be irritating .. besides that .. well enabled mr. cronshaw

>121 cronshaw: A copy of the Moby Dick LE has popped up on eBay.co.uk, at £400

I'm not seeing that. Maybe someone's nabbed it already. That's what I call enablement.

>123 folio_books:

It lasted max 25 minutes. I had just gone into bed, read cronshaws enablement, and rushed up all natural, i did not find my money transfer chip at the time, i could have gone for it, but was a little unsure about some very minimal box issues .. all in all, i am quite happy somebody got it/and money saved also count, that means there are a lot of people on the side in this forum, `cause the views on the side rushed up in short time

It was a female seller, i trust female sellers more. There are 1.750 copies of this book, so it will pop up again someday, with a equal sensible price

To the buyer: I hope you are happy with it :)

I bought a mint celtic myths as a repair fix, and have very soon completed this set

>124 Pellias: There are 1.750 copies of this book, so it will pop up again someday, with a equal sensible price

Oh I wasn't interested in buying, just curious. The "1750 copies" is one reason I think this was overpriced (yes, folks, I know some have sold for a lot more). Patience will bring its reward eventually and I'll get a copy at a price I like. In the meantime, best wishes to the winning bidder this time.

>125 folio_books:

Oh, i mostly ment in general for the public that didn`t know this. Moby Dick is one of those holy grails out there, with WITW being the second, but it can be smart to show it`s not necessary that relative holy in terms of volumes printed so that one should not give up hope. This was a very sensible priced volume (compared to the others), but those out on the marked often don`t reflect reality - why they stay out there so long, so kudos to this seller, she could have got away with maybe as high as £200 more, but not more than that (but that`s me) .. those out on the market now sell it for at least £300 more than this volume sold for - that`s high hopes

PS Not starting to discuss, everything is as known relative in a buyer and a sellers market .. and i bet it found a happy home! A must have someday ..I`m sure i would have bought it if it stayed out 10 more minutes (perfectly fine with it - if i repeat that many enough times, say 23 times, my brain starts to believe in it) :)

>126 Pellias:
Slightly off the thread topic but why don't folio release a normal edition version of the LE Moby Dick? With the book being so poplular and folio semingly not having anything against republishing LEs with different materials and or other aesthetic changes. I would propose keeping the beautiful front piece but having it bound in buckram and placed in a slipcase rather than a soleander box. Preferably it would be a two volume set including the commentary volume.

>126 Pellias: Moby Dick is one of those holy grails out there, with WITW being the second

Moby Dick is one of those LEs I'm quite prepared to buy but only at my price. Sellers are free to nominate any price they choose, but finding someone to pay it is a different matter. One day I might revise my "willing to pay" price upwards, a little, but right now I don't feel like I need it much so until the market price comes down I'm not interested. Strange you should single out this and WITW as the Holy Grails. I have the standard edition of WITW with its beautiful van Sandwyck artwork and that's quite enough for me, for the present. Neither figure very highly on my "most wanted" list which right now I'd say is topped by Mort d'Arthur, followed by Johnson's Dictionary and Pepys' Diary, with Rime of the Ancient Mariner following closely. All of these I lust for and would happily buy them all tomorrow, but not at silly prices.

You WILL get it one day, Øyvind. Just a little more patience :)

>127 GilbertSWE: Slightly off the thread topic but why don't folio release a normal edition version of the LE Moby Dick?

Well they already published it in a standard edition, as you will know. I recall buying it shortly after its release in 1974. I daresay they might see a fine edition as a possibility but personally, if I'm going to buy another one, it'd have to be the LE. At my price ;)

I bought the LE Moby Dick just before it sold out, using a voucher that made it just about the cheapest I'd ever bought. It seemed to have lingered on the website for a long time at that point, and I didn't really need it -- had to use the voucher on something. Surprises me that it's now so sought after, though is is a nice edition.

>129 folio_books:
Yes I am aware of the old standard edition but I am personally not a fan of the binding design. For some reason I seldom like the design of folio books published before this century. It is probobly due to me being relatively young. Preferences aside I think most would agree with me that the old edition is hardly comparable to the limited edition or a standard fine reproduction of it.

Le Morte D Arthur was my first LE love when i joined in 2014, as i like the Arthurian legend - i don`t own it yet, same with `Rime`- but on LT and what prices on the secondhand market tells, is that WITW & Moby have probably been "talked up" a lot, maybe signals from LT has steared it in that direction as the two most general grails ..

I bet `Toliers of the Sea` will gain a reputation like Moby Dick someday, it tick`s all the right boxes to do it

>131 GilbertSWE: Moby Dick will probably be reissued "soon" .. the last volume is from 1975 or something, is it not? .. write them and tell them of your wish, they seem to appreciate that

>132 Pellias: "...write them and tell them of your wish..."
Will do. It will be a nice change to contact them regarding something else then damaged/missing books.

>124 Pellias:

"It was a female seller, i trust female sellers more".

Hmmmm....

Maybe your next purchase should be "Becoming a Critical Thinker" by Robert Todd Carroll

Dune:a sealed copy just sold on ebay for £93. So, the good deal is at FS where you can pick one up for £75. I'll never understand some folks buying behaviour.

>136 scratchpad: I find it amazing that numerous sellers will list volumes still in print at prices far higher than Folio's. Of course it's yet more amazing that people buy these. I'm probably too easily amazed.

>137 cronshaw: I find it amazing that numerous sellers will list volumes still in print at prices far higher than Folio's. Of course it's yet more amazing that people buy these.

I can only surmise that the buyers are unaware they can purchase from Folio directly. I haven't seen much in the way of publicity to establish that fact beyond the existing customer base.

By the way, `The Hobbit` & `Silmarillion` went for a good price yesterday, both under £300 (a piece) .. i didn`t bid in, i`m not after the more expensive books these days (unless the right one pops up at the right price)

>138 folio_books: Maybe the First Printing is worth more to some people?

If any generous member of this group wishes to give me any first printing of any First Edition of any of Jane Austen's novels, please - I ask hopefully - send me a PM ...

Even if it's not signed by Jane herself!

>138 folio_books: "I can only surmise that the buyers are unaware they can purchase from Folio directly. I haven't seen much in the way of publicity to establish that fact beyond the existing customer base."

I recall seeing a series of adverts on the hoardings at certain tube stations a few years ago - I think during the 'experimental' period, which saw the 'Readers' Council', the useless glossy membership pack etc. but in recent times efforts have appeared to be concentrated on paid articles in The Guardian and attempts to reach new markets by publishing Dune and Pratchett. You've hit on a serious issue here, Glenn, in that Folio no longer seems to know what it is or who it is trying to reach (which ties in with another current thread http://www.librarything.com/topic/246857), let alone how to go about doing the reaching. How do most people buy books? They walk into a bookshop or they look on Amazon: but they won't find Folio Society books by either of those methods. So, unless they are going to invest in a huge advertising campaign which automatically links books with Folio in people's minds (I'm thinking something along the lines of Magners Cider from a few years back), which I think there is a snowball's chance in hell of them doing under the present ownership, then perhaps they should consider selling via Amazon.

>142 HuxleyTheCat: perhaps they should consider selling via Amazon.

It might seem a bit strange but selling on Amazon, or even just advertising on Amazon, would probably be a better marketing ploy than they have at the moment. I see the odd advert on eBay (but probably because I have a standing "Folio Society" search) and the occasional advert on Facebook (probably because I've "liked" the Folio Society) but precious little else.

Maybe they should consider opening a bookshop. Oh, wait ...

For anyone who believes £200 is cheap for The Silmarillion LE it's on Ebay UK as a BIN, ending in two days.

Usual disclaimer, no connection with seller. As it's still well above my ceiling price, I won't be nibbling (if you're wondering why I'm forwarding this tasty morsel).

>144 folio_books: actually, that is cheap, at least compared to usual secondary market prices for the Tolkien LEs.

>145 cronshaw: actually, that is cheap, at least compared to usual secondary market prices for the Tolkien LEs.

So people tell me, which is why I thought I'd mention it here. But it's above my ceiling, so this boy won't be buying it. Unless I'm rolling in spare cash at the time my limit is absolute.

I see someone got it. You're welcome.

This LE of War And Peace is running out soon, but I'm sure the owner will auction it again. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Tolstoy-War-and-Peace-ltd-edition-fine-b...

>147 folio_books: Well. I got it (Silmarillion). It was first listed to £300 that was to much, then adjusted to £200 (as you know). I saw your post after i had bought it, at the same time i found that the centipede press `Jekyll and hyde` (unopened) were still listed at a very good price at about £119. Now i`m shaking, hoping to make it through the month .. this was really not the plan, but these prices are rather rare ..

PS This centipede volume from the gothic series would cost about a deluxe edition to send from the states. So this i hope was a real find, located in the UK.

>148 susanne-27: War & Peace is everywhere, as you know, at rather sober prices, but this seller is worth to make a note of. The same one that sold Moby Dick at £400. But her storage needs to be refilled. I love her, and she doesn`t even know it ..

>149 Pellias: I don't know which price she would accept on her "make an offer" button, but, especially after a book had to be re-listed, most sellers can be accommodating. I already own a copy, so best of luck to whoever might be interested,

Tom Toth of Different Drummer Books has just posted on Abebooks.com a listing for the 2-volume FS Decameron with the Special Binding in full white leather with gilt decoration. It is in solid near-fine condition with slight "mellowing" (darkening) of the book spines and VERY faint scattered foxing on the spines - barely noticeable.

This is about as nice a set as you will encounter (imho) and, as is always the case with Tom Toth, it is very reasonably priced at $250. If you contact him (phone call or e-mail) and pay him directly, bypassing Abebooks, he will deduct 10% from the price.

Having just purchased this set myself I can highly recommend it. It is certainly one of the most attractive entries in the Folio Society Special Bindings series.

Tom is a very reasonable fellow indeed! I have bought some LECs from him.

>149 Pellias: Well. I got it (Silmarillion).

Delighted it was you!

>149 Pellias: Now i`m shaking, hoping to make it through the month ..

Beans on toast for a month isn't too bad, especially when you have lovely books to keep you company :)

>153 folio_books:

Thank you Glenn!

I`ll survive. But i won`t eat that. But lots of oatmeal for sure :)

For those who are interested in the Folio Press Fine Editions, there are currently two titles available on e-bay; 'Poems from the Greek Anthology' and 'Motley'. Not the two I'm still seeking unfortunately.

Nor the two I am seeking

>155 xrayman: For those who are interested in the Folio Press Fine Editions, there are currently two titles available on e-bay

As I understand it, Motley is quite commonly seen on eBay but the Greek Anthology is something of a rarity. Good luck hunting!

>157 folio_books: As you well know, the more you want one, the rarer it seems to become.

>156 shdunne: - Which ones are you looking for? I have one (These Things Also are Spring's) that I might be persuaded to let go. Let me know.

> 156 I have some 'spares', I was hoping to trade them for the ones I need, but if you PM the two you're after, and I have them spare, you're welcome to them for what I paid.

>-159
Yes I am looking for that and the Milton

>159 coynedj: Add me to the list. That's one of the two I need to complete the set. Hopefully I'll be over to see the total eclipse in the summer, so if it's still available I could even pick it up!

>162 shdunne: Expletive deleted.

>162 shdunne: I have a spare copy of the Milton in very good/fine condition with cover.

Wow - seems that one is in high demand! Shipment within the USA would be easiest, and least expensive. I'll try to take some pictures when I get home, so folks can see what condition it's in.

A sealed copy of the FS 'The Master and Margarita' is offered on the US eBay for $179. Not a bargain, but certainly not the most egregious price I have seen. If you MUST have this one............

... make do with the Penguin edition until Folio reprint!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOLIO-SOCIETY-Limited-First-Edition-Letterpress-Shakes...

Richard the Third £525.00!!!

The thing is I can't see how this could be good for business, because whenever I see someone so blatently trying to rip others off I blacklist the seller. I now know to avoid Malden-books as they are simply a bunch of con artists.

>168 SingingSands:

Add Island Books (Thakeham, West Sussex, UK) to your booksellers Wall of Shame.

There is a brand new Mort LE being auctioned on Ebay Australia with a starting price of $1.
Final price will be interesting.

What was the FS price Warwick?

>158 xrayman: As you well know, the more you want one, the rarer it seems to become.

Absolutely. I well remember the elation I felt when I finally completed that series after twenty years hunting them all down. In the end I had to revise my ceiling price upwards to secure the last two. I hope you find your missing pair faster than I did and at reasonable prices. They do look lovely sat together on a shelf. Best of luck!

For anyone chasing "The Periodic Table", difficult to find now, there's a copy on eBay UK, Buy It Now for £15 including p&p, ending tomorrow at 11.36 GMT. Seems very reasonably priced. I know I paid a lot more for my copy.

The usual disclaimers.

>172 LesMiserables:
Mort LE original price from FS was A$225 (£105).

>175 wcarter:
Thanks.

>175 wcarter: To be pedantic the full price was £120, but in practice all sold at the initial offer price of £105 on 'Mortmania' day.

Being a true pedant, I have to qualify my own statement, not all sold at either price. At least one was available in the dismemberment sale at Eagle street.

Well, I forgot to take pictures of These Things Also are Spring's. But I took a quick look at it just before heading out the door, and it's in great shape - still in it's plastic (or whatever it is) dust jacket, no sign of fading on the spine, corners are unbumped, etc. I've written a note to myself, to take pictures tonight.

>170 Rodomontade: Wouldn't be too precipitous, that Richard III seems like an anomaly — Malden Books usually have quite reasonably priced LEs.

Entirely coincidentally, I received a book today that I'd ordered from them. I confess I hadn't heard of them before but this ticked all the right boxes on eBay for me so I just bought it. And I have to say I am extremely impressed. The price was competitive, the packing very, very good and the delivery time exceptional (ordered Saturday night, delivered Tuesday). The book is as fine as fine can be; beautiful.

What adds to my delight is that this was my most lusted-after, long-sought LE : Malory's Morte Darthur. O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

So now in pursuit of the new no.1 on the most wanted list, Johnson's Dictionary.

> 173 Thanks, I made pretty good progress in the first couple of years acquiring 18 titles including the 'hard to get' ones. The last couple of years have been barren, I'm still looking forward to joining the select few such as yourself in the happy completists club. Happily, It looks as if shdunne will soon be joining.

>179 folio_books: Congratulations, Glenn!

>181 HuxleyTheCat: Congratulations, Glenn!

Thank you Fiona! It's not often your most longed for LE crops up. Even less often at a reasonable price :)

>182 folio_books:

Around £500 was it? £525 or so? I understand you don`t want to tell the price, so don`t tell, but i see that a Morte d`arthur now has vanished from my saved for later list on ABE. Don`t remember the seller

I wouldn`t spent that sum on a book at least for a couple of months anyways .. but that price seemed fair to me if it were the same one.

‘For as much as I have loved thee, mine heart will not serve me to see thee, for through thee and me is the flower of kings and knights destroyed.’ ..

Congrats Glenn, enjoy!

>183 Pellias: i see that a Morte d`arthur now has vanished from my saved for later list on ABE.

I bought it from a dealer on eBay so its maybe just a coincidence but the price is right :) A fair price, as you say.

Thanks for the good wishes. I hope you get one soon. In the meantime I'll be drooling over this one :)

>179 folio_books: Congratulations indeed, Glenn! It's a great feeling to finally locate a long-hunted volume, and that particular LE is a stunner. Enjoy!

>184 folio_books:

Glad to hear of your success, and I hope Johnson's Dictionary follows agreeably soon. The Morte d'Arthur was the second Folio LE I bought, and it's one of life's little mysteries to me that I don't think I learnt of Johnson's Dictionary until after it sold out. A good-as new copy, or at least one as good as it would be if I'd had it from new, came my way for £550 on eBay about three years ago: it is indeed a glorious resource.

>185 cronshaw: Congratulations indeed, Glenn! It's a great feeling to finally locate a long-hunted volume.

Thank you :) Actually, I feel almost ashamed that I gain so much pleasure from the acquisition of what, actually, is just a book. Almost, but not quite ;)

>185 cronshaw: that particular LE is a stunner. Enjoy!

It is, indeed. So far I haven't done much more than flick through, intoxicating myself with Beardsley's work and the smell of the leather. Now to take it at a more leisurely and, dare I say, civilised pace.

>186 terebinth: Glad to hear of your success, and I hope Johnson's Dictionary follows agreeably soon.

Thanks for your good wishes. It can't come soon enough for me as long as the price is right. Fortunately I'm a patient soul.

>186 terebinth: A good-as new copy, or at least one as good as it would be if I'd had it from new, came my way for £550 on eBay about three years ago.

At today's prices (scanning through Abe) I think you got yourself a bargain there. I am officially envious!

Finally! Pictures of These Things also are Spring's are posted in my gallery.

Some good deals on ebay.co.uk ending in less than 24 hours:

Candide - £20.00 (no bidders) - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-society-Candid-Voltaire/292009035213

The Vision of Piers the Plowman - £25.00 - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-society-The-Vision-of-Peirce-the-Plowman/2920090...

No connections to the seller.

>190 kotarana: The Candide appears to have a fault: a vertical crease or scratch in the cloth binding towards the bottom of the front board, not mentioned by the seller (who describes the volume's condition as 'excellent') but visible in the second image.

>191 cronshaw: a vertical crease or scratch in the cloth binding towards the bottom of the front board, not mentioned by the seller

Perhaps he thinks it's part of the design (I can confirm it's not). Casts a doubt on "Peirce" too, unfortunately.

Folio 60 on eBay UK, starting £4.99, no bids, ending Sunday. The usual disclaimers.

Also the Hemingway box set of five, being sold by the British Heart Foundation, currently £6.95

Edited for additional information.

>191 cronshaw: Good catch. i didn't even realize it was a scratch.

>193 folio_books: Nice ones! I'm lusting after Folio 60 but prices on ebay.com are 10 times higher.

Half an hour ago I saw a copy of The Dark is Rising was listed on Abe US - no connection to seller, etc.

An incredible price ($780) for what appears to be a very nice copy of Night Thoughts. Less than half what I paid for mine. I hope it goes to a devotee and not a reseller.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Night-Thoughts-William-Blake-Folio-Society-2-Volumes-Edw...

>196 UK_History_Fan: It appears to lack the commentary volume. The seller doesn't mention this but there's a block of white polystyrene where the volume should lodge in the solander box, nor does the seller cite a limitation number or provide an image of the limitation page. Caveat emptor.

>197 cronshaw:
Well spotted and thanks for the added clarifications. I didn't pay that close attention since I'm not in the market...I was just shocked at the price and did a cursory glance to see if there was some major flaw and noted none. But again, I didn't look for the things you mention which, if indeed absent, make this not so much of a bargain as a price gouge on an incomplete set! How quickly our minds can change!

>198 UK_History_Fan: $780 is still a good price assuming everything else is in fine condition. I hardly think the commentary volume is worth over $1000.

>199 kdweber:

I'd agree. It's an interesting omission, as I expect the current state of this set is the way it was sent out by the FS - as Folio 60 notes, early copies were supplied without the commentary volume which was only furnished late in 2005. Perhaps some drastic event in this instance led to an early change of ownership and the commentary was never claimed.

>171 wcarter:

I've been watching this one and had a closer look at those photos. There appears to be a bit of a dink halfway down the spine.

Anyone else see it? http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=252738122757#ht_500wt_...

It's listed as perfect. I've asked for clarification.

>202 LesMiserables:
Steve, there are three ridges (bands) down the spine of this LE.
I think that is what you are seeing.
My online catalogue pictures show these bands:-
https://www.flickr.com/photos/warwick_carter/27233842815/in/photolist-HuyyE4-EFn...

>203 wcarter:
Thanks Warwick. I've heard back from the seller and they say there are no imperfections, so as you rightly suggest it must be the shrink wrap nestling against the spine ridge.

>204 LesMiserables:
Let us know how much you get it for - looks like a bargain at present, but anything can happen in the last two hours (or seconds!) of an Ebay auction.

>205 wcarter:

I didn't bid in the end; it had a group watching and bidding, and it wasn't one of my priority buys from Folio. It went for $192.50 inc.posting.

>206 LesMiserables:
Pity, because that is a great price considering the original price was A$225. I suspect this is the cheapest resale since the original release of the Mort LE.

Folio 60 on eBay UK, ending 22.11 GMT, current high bid £1.20.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-60-Folio-Society-bibliography-/282337310029?hash...

>208 folio_books:

That's a steal!

Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy, original leather bound edition, "Like New", BIN £39.99 on eBay UK, ending this afternoon.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/History-of-Western-Philosophy-Bertrand-Russell-Unread-...

The usual disclaimers.

White leather Decameron, $39.99, in very good condition, ends in less than 24 hours:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/FOLIO-SOCIETY-edition-DECAMERON-OF-GIOVANNI-BOCCACCIO-2-...

No connections to the seller.

>211 kotarana: An extraordinary bargain at that price. The seller doesn't seem to realise it's a sought-after limited edition so could be in for a pleasant surprise by the end of the auction!

I'm highlighting this as the opposite of a good deal:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201812147716?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

The Olive Fairy Book on eBay UK at £295. Nothing unusual in sellers fantasising over ripoff prices, I hear you say. Yes, but this one already has a bidder.

Hurry, ending today.

Needless to say (I hope), no connection.

Edit: Just noticed it's by Andrew Langstone. That's what I like, a seller with expertise.

2nd edit: Just noticed another one. Different seller, same price.

>213 folio_books: I agree it's a complete rip-off, and I hate it when sellers claim a volume is 'very rare' when it's nothing of the sort since Folio not long ago printed several thousand of these. I see another eBay seller has listed 'Luttrell Psalter - Folio Society' for £425 and it's not the Folio Society edition at all. I wish there were a system for reporting grossly misleading advertising on eBay.

>214 cronshaw: I see another eBay seller has listed 'Luttrell Psalter - Folio Society' for £425 and it's not the Folio Society edition at all.

Yes, I saw that. Great price, wrong book. Nice dust jacket :)

>214 cronshaw: I wish there were a system for reporting grossly misleading advertising on eBay.

I'd like to think that might happen but I suspect eBay simply don't care that much. As long as it sells they make their money.

>213 folio_books:
>214 cronshaw:

The Lilac Fairy Book is apparently VERY RARE and so worth £399.99:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VERY-RARE-NEW-The-Lilac-Fairy-Book-Folio-Society/12235...

>216 boldface: The Lilac Fairy Book is apparently VERY RARE and so worth £399.99:

And another different seller. I might keep an eye on it to see if it sells. Only 27 days to go ... I'm number 4 on the "watching" list.

Edited for afterthought.

The weasel like ways of would be con-artists on ebay do sadden me too.

What irritates me on a more regular basis, as I generally avoid paying absurd amounts for a particular volume, is the seemingly common sense of entitlement to 'positive' feedback.

Example: I recently purchased a book and gave it neutral feedback. I received a snooty email from the vendor demanding to know why I had not contacted her to point out any particular issues and she would have given me a 'small discount' (aka partial refund) to receive positive feedback.

So I went onto ebay and checked my account and lo and behold she had responded to my neutral feedback by bewailing how 'disappointed' she was that I had not contacted her.

I duly sent her back a polite email, explaining that buyers were under no obligation to return positive feedback or enter into discussions on why they may choose to leave feedback which was not positive.

The particular book was listed as 'new'. It certainly wasn't but it was in very good condition. It also smelled of smoke or a smoke like odour. Despite these things, I considered the amount I paid reasonable and weighed up that I was still happy enough with the deal. I think I would have been justified in giving negative feedback, to be honest, if I was going on descriptions alone.

Anyway, the gall of the vendor to in some way accuse me of impropriety, set my teeth on edge.

>218 LesMiserables: I once had a vendor state explicitly in the auction listing that he would only do business with people who promised to leave positive feedback, and that the mention of this 'policy' somehow made it legally binding on your part if you submitted a bid.

I bid, won, and left neutral feedback just to see what shenanigans he might be up to. Sucker reported me to eBay for violation of the auction terms. They promptly attitude adjusted him.

(That being said, I do understand that vendors are eager for positive feedback - unless I am very, very interested in an item not available elsewhere, I'll just ignore vendors with feedback lower than in the high nineties; hence, I generally leave positive feedback as long as the transaction was reasonably smooth and the item is as described.)

The ever popular Master & Magarita bidding at £20 on eBay UK. The possibilities are endless.

>220 scratchpad: The ever popular Master & Magarita bidding at £20 on eBay UK.

Or two alternative "Buy It Now" choices at £187.50 and £200 respectively.

>221 folio_books: Assuming the £20 one provides a more realistic estimate of its worth I'll be watching it with interest.

Liber Bestiarum BIN or best offer £295 + 9.50

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-LIBER-BESTIARUM-facsimile-plus-Companion...

Pearl Manuscript £250 no bids.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Pearl-Manuscript-A-Folio-Society-Limited-Edition-/...

(The latter is somewhat marred by a "professionally designed" bookplate")

Finnegans Wake (sealed) on eBay UK for £89.99 and free postage seems like a good deal.

>224 scratchpad: if you think you'd ever read it! 600 pages is an awful lot of modernism disappearing up its own fundament, as J. G. Ballard memorably put it.

>225 cronshaw: We just love our fundaments - someone's bought the damn thing and it wasn't me!

Follow up on previous postings: Master and Margarita (not sealed) sold at £92 yesterday on eBay UK after starting at an extremely modest £20. I think this price is pretty much in the market ball park and should give the daft 'buy now' sellers pause for thought. It is worth noting that no details as to the condition of this book were given so a 'fine' description might attract higher offers and a sealed version perhaps £20 more?

There's an fine-looking Surinam Album LE on eBay, together with the three extra loose prints that accompanied the edition, which seems a bargain for the £580 asked for, incl. P&P.

Anyone looking for the Ian Pollock illustrated version of Paradise Lost (1991), it's on eBay.uk, ending on Saturday, BIN for £54.99 including UK postage, proceeds to Oxfam.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/John-Milton-Paradise-Lost-A-Poem-in-Twelve-Books-The-F...

Another charity listing (British Heart Foundation), ending Sunday, for the novels of George Orwell, difficult to find, currently at £5.50:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GEORGE-ORWELL-COMPLETE-NOVELS-2001-FOLIO-SOCIETY-5-Vol...

>229 folio_books: Perhaps even better value is the quarter leather over art silk Paradise Lost (2004) with Blake's watercolours, in its decorative slipcase, a very fine Folio edition which is a good buy at £45 incl. P&P BuyItNow. This cost £75 from Folio in 2004; if Folio published it today, I doubt you'd get much change from £150.

>231 cronshaw: Perhaps even better value is the quarter leather over art silk Paradise Lost (2004) with Blake's watercolours,

I agree. I bought this one when it was first published and sold my older version. It had the Pollock illustrations, which I never liked. But on this very forum I have seen people who prefer the Pollock, hence the reason for my post. However, Blake is just right for Milton, in my opinion.

I thought £750 for Sound and the fury were okay (one of the cheaper i have seen), but seeing it costed originally £195 ..

Anyway, i`m not after it ..

>235 Pellias: I'm very fond of this LE: it's a unique publication in a beautiful binding, very much a 'first edition', but I think £750 is excessive.

For LE aficionados, these three are currently cheap on eBay.co.uk:

Luttrell Psalter £545

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Luttrell-Psalter-Facsimile-/282404544542...

Getty Apocalypse £275

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Getty-Apocalypse-/282404555428?hash=item...

Liber Bestiarum £275

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Liber-Bestiarum-/282404548915?hash=item4...

All ending tomorrow. The usual disclaimers.

>237 folio_books: Those are bargain prices.

I'd be pouncing on Mrs. Radcliffe if she weren't already here, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1987-The-Complete-Works-of-ANN-RADCLIFFE-Folio-Society... , £49.99 seeming a modest price for a set that cost £72 thirty years ago. 16 watchers, though. What can they all be waiting for?

>238 cronshaw: Those are bargain prices.

I think so too. I'd definitely be bidding if I didn't already have them.

>239 terebinth: £49.99 seeming a modest price for a set that cost £72 thirty years ago.

Indeed, that's another bargain. From what I can see the set looks in excellent condition, too.

>239 terebinth: 16 watchers, though. What can they all be waiting for?

There's still eleven days to go, so perhaps, since the seller is inviting offers, they're calculating how much less than £49.99 she might accept. Or, like me (I've just joined the queue) being idly curious as to what the final selling price might be. As it stands, it's certainly very competitively priced. In My Opinion.

Sometimes it's the thought put into the presentation of eBay listings that's most enabling.

>241 cronshaw: Sometimes it's the thought put into the presentation of eBay listings that's most enabling.

Ah, indeed, the hours spent in preparation, getting the item just so .. .

(Having said that, it's not at all a bad price!)

E.M. Forster set cheap on eBay.co.uk - BIN £34.49. Ending Monday morning.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Complete-Novels-6-volumes-in-slipcase-Forster-E-M-...

No connection with seller etc etc.

A set of the scarce 5-vol. Folio Jeeves and Wooster collection is up for auction on eBay.co.uk with less than six hours remaining.

>244 cronshaw: A set of the scarce 5-vol. Folio Jeeves and Wooster collection

I'm watching it, out of interest. Can't believe the price will end as low as it is now (£16).

>244 cronshaw: cronshaw: A set of the scarce 5-vol. Folio Jeeves and Wooster collection

Selling price £31.22 + £4.95 p&p. I'd have been delighted to get it that cheaply.

>246 folio_books: Well done for keeping an eye on it! £36 including P&P is a striking bargain for that set.

Was that the one with Aunts aren't gentlemen? I could swear I saw it in a bookshop window recently...

>248 LolaWalser: yes: Aunts aren't Gentlemen; Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit; Much Obliged, Jeeves; Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves; and Jeeves in the Offing. Go grab!

Heh, the funny thing is, I used to own that set--and made a Christmas gift to a friend of it, together with the three-volume Wodehouse stories. Well, if I remember where I saw it (sadly, there are only two or three options left these days, at least on my regular routes)... hmmm... it wouldn't be the first time I bought again something I used to have and gave away... into each life some nuts must fall!

There's what appears to be a bargain Luttrell Psalter LE awaiting auction on eBay, currently £545 with no bids, or a little over half the original FS price. No idea who the seller is. There's a ding to one corner of the box. Abe prices start at £800.

>251 cronshaw: There's what appears to be a bargain Luttrell Psalter LE awaiting auction on eBay,

I believe that's the same one that didn't attract a bid last week, in the company of a couple of other LEs at remarkably low prices. If I didn't already have them I'd snap them up, I'm sure.

Too bad the seller is World of Rare Books. They throw the book in a bubble envelope with no other padding or attempt to protect it. I ordered a few books from them that all arrived with badly bumped corners and other damage before I learned.

>254 ChampagneSVP: You're absolutely right. Those huge used book warehouses aren't remotely bothered about packaging protectively and throw Folios into a single thin bubble envelope as if they were used paperbacks, though they don't charge paperback prices.

>254 ChampagneSVP: >255 cronshaw: I wouldn't touch W of RB with a long stick.

>256 scratchpad:

I've had a few satisfactory purchases from them, no distressing ones, and one or two I'm delighted with, most especially a signed limited edition of T. F. Powys' Fables which cost me £9 and would have been several times that from just about any other dealer. The limitation details and signature are at the back of the book where a hapless employee won't have looked for them, but I knew what I was buying after comparing the book's photo with a bibliography entry. So, they process a great many books and can be an excellent source for older titles if you know what you're looking for, but I'd think at least twice before buying any Folio book from them other than at a rock bottom rate.

>254 ChampagneSVP: etc. I've made a couple of purchases from them and had problems with both. These were eventually sorted out to my satisfaction (the staff do try their best but I think they are simply swamped), however the effort involved was sufficient that I won't purchase from them again (unless I stumble across something which may just be an absolute gem such as >257 terebinth: where the reward would be worth the risk involved).

>258 HuxleyTheCat:

I just laughed out loud at the banner photo proudly displayed on their website homepage, https://www.worldofrarebooks.com/media/wysiwyg/rare_1_.png . Or, to be more precise, not at the photo itself but after spotting a certain term in its URL. Prospective buyers, you have been warned: what you see is what you'll get ;-)

>259 terebinth: Looks like Foyles, 1980s vintage!

>260 HuxleyTheCat:

Ah, you were there too :) It does remind me of a second-hand bookshop in South Shields, under changed management for a few years now and probably quite transformed. Not only were its floor stacks at least as well developed as those in the photo, but on one occasion when I went there the proprietor was half way through installing false walls to one of its many rooms and immuring an insulating layer of unsaleable volumes as he went.

>261 terebinth: I miss the 'old' Foyles. I don't miss the contortions one had to undergo to pay for a book, but the stock was wonderful, and the joy of finding that particular esoteric volume, out of print for fifteen years, under a stack in a corner, but which just happened to be exactly what one wanted... ah, those were the days.

Patrick O'Brian set of 22 books on eBayUK for £70 or best offer! I wish I were a fan.

Gone!

For anyone who might be interested, the Wodehouse set cronshaw mentioned sold here (Toronto) for CAD 100, I was told... By the way, it was in Eliot's, and he seems to have considerably lowered the prices on his Folios since the last time I visited. I only popped in for a minute but I noticed a nice Pather Panchali, without the slipcase, alas--12 dollars.

I heard rumours he was closing. It amazes me how many bookshops disappeared here in the last ten years.

>263 scratchpad: Please tell me that was a listing error! Wow.

>266 chrisrsprague: It did seem unbelievable. Do 22 books comprise the whole set? Some of them were sealed. The seller was a charity - they could have made a mistake. They'll be kicking themselves if they find out.

> 263, >267 scratchpad:

That's an incredible bargain, and the lucky purchaser could even get most if not all of his money back by re-selling the two sealed duplicates. On second thoughts, perhaps he should donate the proceeds back to the shop whose "charity" he took advantage of in the first place!

Where I live most donations go to Goodwill Industries, which sells books at all of its outlets and maintains a separate bookstore near the university. However it has a fixed sale price of $3 for hardbacks (slightly more for oversize picturebooks). That's great for buyers, but creates a quandary for donors. What's the point of donating a quality book when the charity gains next to nothing for it? Presumably other charities are as guileless in disposing of articles they know little about. Given the emphasis on price even on this forum, I doubt that many bargain hunters voluntarily swell the charity's coffers. If I have an extra Folio to dispose of I usually give it to someone who can appreciate it.

>269 Jayked: Situation is a little different in the UK. While there is one large ubiquitous charity, Oxfam (from wiki: "Of the 750 Oxfam charity shops around the UK, around 100 are specialist bookshops or book and music shops. Oxfam is the largest retailer of second-hand books in Europe, selling around 12 million per year"), there are also many other organizations running charity shops, often just single small stores. They usually don't have fixed flat rates, and while there are plenty of bargains out there, not all are as guileless as Goodwill, including Oxfam. Many shops even have separate bookcases for nicer/antique/collectable books. I lived in the UK for about 4 years only, so the British devotees will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think in the UK it's very common do donate even nicer books like Folios to charity shops.

>270 elladan0891: I think in the UK it's very common do donate even nicer books like Folios to charity shops.

I have in the past bought some "upmarket" books from charity shops. My local shop supports a local children's hospice and I donate all my unwanted books to them including, yes, some Folios. I'm about to change my slightly grubby (as in a mark or smear on one of the spines) Jane Austen set for a set in better condition and the charity shop will get my old one. I used to wonder where my old Folios ended up but not long after I joined this group a member PMd me, telling me he'd bought one of "my" books from a dealer several hundred miles from where I live. I'm somewhat ashamed to say he identified me through an "ex libris" sticker on the title page. It's thirty years since I thought this was a very cool idea.

Edited for omission.

>253 EclecticIndulgence:

£15 off just now when spending £40 with WoRB, applied without code at checkout, so their slightly grubby Leaves of Grass https://www.worldofrarebooks.com/folio/leaves-of-grass-by-walt-whitman.html comes in at £37.99 with free delivery. I think I'll still resist.

>269 Jayked: I don't think the more valuable items are necessarily sold in the stores. Goodwill operates a centralized online bookstore and auction site where most collectible books are listed (prices are in the $30+ range). Additionally regional Goodwill stores seem to have sellers accounts on ebay, Amazon and the likes.

>273 kotarana:
I'm guessing that's in the US. I couldn't find anything of the sort in Canada. Here you make donations at the back door of a thrift store. or at a portable trailer at a garbage dump. The person you deal with isn't qualified to make any decisions about what happens to donations. Although regional centres have membership of Goodwill International, they operate as separate businesses. One of the largest, in Toronto, managed to go bust, leaving employees and donations out in the street. Quite an achievement, given the business model. The one to which I donate is seeking to take over their territory. It's dog eat dog, apparently. I do donate run of the mill books to them, because they create jobs for people who would otherwise have difficulty finding one. But Folio books deserve better than to be tossed in a heap for sorting.

There's a set of the scarce 4-vol. Restoration Comedy up for auction on eBay.co.uk with a fair starting price of £40 and free P&P (it's a very heavy set), all in seemingly very good condition, notably with no loss of the gilt titling of the spines which this set often suffers. The same seller is also auctioning the much sought-after limited edition binding of the Decameron, full-bound in embossed white leather, at a very attractive starting price of £20, though the spines look darkened.

(edited to add: as usual, no idea who the seller is)

>275 cronshaw:

I'd concluded that the Restoration Comedy set must have fallen from favour, after finding myself unopposed in buying my own set in very similar condition for £20 plus £7 postage on eBay late last year. £40 delivered still seems very good value for anyone interested.

>275 cronshaw: auctioning the much sought-after limited edition binding of the Decameron, full-bound in embossed white leather,

Thanks for that one. The leather looks as if it's deteriorating but at that price it would still be a good deal.

Edited for typo.

>276 terebinth: I'd concluded that the Restoration Comedy set must have fallen from favour, after finding myself unopposed in buying my own set in very similar condition for £20 plus £7 postage on eBay late last year.

Apparently so. It used to be quite a rare set, as you'll know. When published in 1974 it cost £32.50. I'm sure Russell can tell us what that would be at today's prices. A tad more than £40, I'll wager.

>270 elladan0891: I lived in the UK for about 4 years only, so the British devotees will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think in the UK it's very common do donate even nicer books like Folios to charity shops.
I've given a fair amount of Folio books to our local charity shop over the years; it has a specialist book section, and they are treated with respect. They tend to be able to get a better price than me, and so it seems to be an easier way towards mutual benefit, as I'm effectively able to give more than I could in straight donations, especially as they can benefit from Gift Aid.

>279 folio_books: £32.50 sounds so reasonable, doesn't it? According to the Bank of England Inflation Rate Calculator, £32.50 in 1974 equates to £311 in 2016.

>281 cronshaw: £32.50 in 1974 equates to £311 in 2016.

Wow. I guessed over £200 but that puts it in the LE league. I recall it was well out of my range at the time.

Thanks Russell, I knew I could rely on you!

>282 folio_books: I was amazed that this set should have cost as much as £311 in today's money and wonder if this was because of a very limited print run. It's roughly the same inflation-adjusted price as four of the exquisitely produced Folio Fine Press volumes from 1987-91, which seem an utter bargain in comparison.

>283 cronshaw:

Doesn't seem unreasonable to me that volumes of around 650 pages printed letterpress and stoutly bound in good old-style buckram should cost about as much as volumes of, what, 60 to 80 pages?, on fine paper and bound exquisitely - one way and another there seems much more work required to produce the Restoration Comedy set.

>284 terebinth: thanks for explaining - I didn't realise that the Restoration Comedy set was printed letterpress. That does justify the price.

>285 cronshaw:

The vast majority of FS books were until the early '80s, but, yes: a lot of text to edit, a lot of pages to set up and to print.

>278 folio_books: I see the seller got a little nervous that no-one had placed a bid at £19.95 on the white leather Decameron set and lowered the starting price to £14.95, before later adding a £21 BuyItNow option, which some Faddict must have snapped up without blinking. I hope it was you, or another Devotee here! I doubt the seller ever imagined that it was a sought-after limited edition binding that could have fetched a lot more, even with the darkened spines.

>287 cronshaw: I hope it was you, or another Devotee here!

I've been watching it all the way through but I've been out most of the day and obviously missed the crucial moment. I saw the price reduce to £14.95 but missed the BIN. In a way I'm disappointed, but I'll confess I wasn't happy with the look of the leather. Ah well, another bargain will be along, though how long I'll wait for a decent copy of this one at a decent price, who can tell? Patience :)

>288 folio_books: Sorry to hear that, Glenn, but you were probably right to be concerned about the leather. Since Folios are prized for their design and appearance, it's understandable that obvious blemishes should cause a significant loss of desirability in many collectors' eyes, and an equally significant loss in monetary value. I'm sure in time you'll find a pristine set, though perhaps for more than £21!

>289 cronshaw: I'm sure in time you'll find a pristine set, though perhaps for more than £21!

As always I'm pretty optimistic but not as optimistic to imagine I'd get it at that price. I have my ceiling price for a good copy, beyond which I will not go. Now to sit and wait. Others will come along in the meantime. Watch this space ;)

>290 folio_books: Watch this space

I knew it was coming but didn't want to give the game away until I had it in my (cotton glove encased) sweaty hands. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner LE, eBay.co.uk, £210. (£220 including postage). One currently on eBay UK for £475. Cheapest on ABE (by a long way) is also £475. I think mine qualifies as a bargain. Me, I'm still drooling.

ROTAM was number 2 on my most-wanted LEs list. It's place has been taken by Sam Pepys Diary. Number 1 is still Sonnets and Poems, for those who may be interested, or who are searching for a very special birthday/Christmas present for me.

>291 folio_books: Congratulations, that's a remarkable find at less than half the usual price!

Fingers crossed for your LE Pepys Diary (and white leather Decameron, of course). Bear in mind when hunting Pepys Diary to look for a limitation number below 720 or thereabouts. The later batches, beginning at some point between 720 and 750, suffered a notable deterioration in the quality of the marbling, with inferior definition that created a somewhat washed-out appearance compared to the first roughly three-quarters of the limitation. This apparently coincided with the passing of the inimitable Ann Muir.

>292 cronshaw: Bear in mind when hunting Pepys Diary to look for a limitation number below 720 or thereabouts

I didn't know that and shall most certainly take your advice. It's not one I've got hidden up my sleeve so I've annotated my wants list accordingly. Thanks :)

>292 cronshaw:
Bear in mind when hunting Pepys Diary to look for a limitation number below 720 or thereabouts. The later batches, beginning at some point between 720 and 750, suffered a notable deterioration in the quality of the marbling, with inferior definition that created a somewhat washed-out appearance compared to the first roughly three-quarters of the limitation. This apparently coincided with the passing of the inimitable Ann Muir.

You certainly know how to depress a fellow! (My set has a limitation number of 973).

>294 Willoyd: My profuse apologies! I forgot to mention that after a while the new marbler got the hang of the technique and the marbling improved significantly from limitation number 970 or thereabouts :/

Oh yeah! Seriously though, I was a mite disappointed with the marbling, so that helps explain. I just love Pepys more than to worry myself into an early grave about it. At least it was an LE worth doing - been a shortage of those recently for me.

>296 Willoyd: At least it was an LE worth doing - been a shortage of those recently for me.

Oh yes.

It's gone already. I wonder how much it was.

>299 kotarana:

I think I saw $24.95. Something very like it anyway.

For anyone excited by fairies dressed in expensive hues, the Olive and Lilac Fairy Books are listed on abebooks.co.uk at £30 each from Caledonia Books in Glasgow (only 3* rating though), which would sound a normal secondhand price, except that not long ago we were all agog that the these two volumes had auctioned at ludicrous prices on eBay.

Well they didn't last long!

>303 cronshaw: Not surprising, I suspect they will shortly appear on e-bay, where they continue to sell for several hundred pounds.

Kelmscott Chaucer on ebay for the odd price of £169.11.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/folio-society-large-book-2008-geoffrey-chaucer-complet...

The Golem (unsealed but unread) on eBay UK for £25 and free postage - excellent value.

Copy of the scarce Deptford Trilogy on eBay uk, ending Sunday:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/THE-FOLIO-SOCIETY-ROBERTSON-DAVIES-THE-DEPTFORD-TRILOG...

The usual disclaimers.

Re >307 folio_books: Slipcase? Worth a question.

>307 folio_books: Well spotted, that title is highly sought after and usually sells for around £60.

>308 scratchpad: The last image appears to show the volume housed in its slipcase.

>308 scratchpad: Slipcase? Worth a question.

As cronshaw says. Also it is mentioned in the description, if only in the title (I can't recall offhand)

>309 cronshaw: >310 folio_books: Blind as a bat!

>311 scratchpad: Blind as a bat!

They did try to warn you as a child ... ;)

A Limited Edition of Our Time in the Highlands has been listed on eBay at £50 start price...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272668857397

>313 leemeadowcroft:

For anyone interested, this Folio Society LE from 2002 takes its inspiration from the lavish 1868 edition published by Smith, Elder and Co, but further illustrations have been added, both colour and monochrome. The full red buckram binding (with bevelled edges) is based on the 1868 binding design in black and gold. The red clamshell/solander box bears a 'VR' (Victoria Regina) motif in gold. The text, though entirely reset, is reprinted from the 1973 Folio Society edition. It's a beautiful book.

Original 1868 Smith Elder binding:

http://arttattl.ipower.com/archivediary.html

The beautiful two-vol Complete Tales of Hans Christian Andersen on Ebay £29.99 starting price.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Hans-Christian-Andersen-The-Complete-Tal...

Usual disclaimer - no connection to the seller.

>315 HuxleyTheCat: well worth snapping up!

The fine edition of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam on eBay UK today for £39.49 BIN, "immaculate".

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rubaiyat-of-Omar-Khayyam-Folio-Society-/172670436568?h...

The usual disclaimer.

There is a Letterpress Shakespeare up for auction on Catawiki. 👉Hamlet

Edited for Current Bid Price=£86 and the reserve is met. A new Hamlet Letterpress from Folio would set you back £295 excluding shipping.

The Dark is Rising - all five titles Buy it Now £148 on ebay.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Susan-Cooper-2011-12-The-Dark-is-Rising-Sequence-Folio...

Usual disclaimers

>319 bookfair_e: That's at least better value than Ardis' £220 for the single Dark is Rising volume.

The Sound and the Fury LE for £800 BIN (eye-watering, but much cheaper than the abe prices)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172685299450?ul_noapp=true

Usual Disclaimer

>321 HuxleyTheCat: I'm surprised that it's still selling for more than $1000 considering the availability of the beautiful FS fine edition.

>322 kdweber: Well there's wanting $1000 and then there's getting $1000. It's not a book I have the slightest interest in acquiring so I haven't been tracking the prices that it has sold for, but have they actually been selling for those figures?

>323 HuxleyTheCat: I have no idea what price people actually paying for this book. I happily bought mine directly from the FS the day it was announced. With respect to pricing, if a book is accurately described (including condition), it's worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Your Ardis trades sold quickly, so ipso facto they must of been priced fairly.

>324 kdweber: I completely agree.

>323 HuxleyTheCat:

The latest price one sold for on eBay was £567, last month. Seems more than enough to me, but there have certainly been numerous opportunities to buy for more than £800.

>326 terebinth: that was me!

The Dark is Rising - all five titles Buy it Now £148 on ebay.

>319 bookfair_e:

Sold.

>327 gmacaree:

Aha, then congratulations! Much the best price I've seen at all recently.

>329 terebinth: thanks. Having missed out on the LE when it was released, the hunt for finding a “reasonably” priced copy on the secondary market has been a severe test of my patience. Glad it's finally done.

>326 terebinth: could you explain to me how to look up previous sale results on eBay?

>331 NLNils: On the left side of the search page, there is a list of options to refine your search. If you scroll down there is a section entitled 'Show Only', if you tick the box 'Sold listings' you can view the sale prices achieved by the item you are searching.

>332 xrayman: Am I right in thinking this dosen't show any 'best offer' prices?

>333 scratchpad:

It doesn't, as such, but it shows whether the full asking price was paid: and if you order a category of past listings by price, then they're ordered by the actual price paid. So you might see, for example, items 1 and 2 sold at £195 and £180, then a "best offer" item 3 that had been listed at £220, then item 4 sold at its full price of £170, which tells you that item 3 changed hands for something in the £170-£180 range.

It sounds more complicated than it is, but soon becomes second nature: and of course how precise an idea you get of the price paid depends on how many things in the category you've chosen have sold in or around that price range. A search for Folio Kelmscott Chaucer wouldn't tell you much about any best offers accepted, but scrolling through a search for Folio books until you come to the Kelmscott Chaucer facsimiles generally would.

>332 xrayman: >334 terebinth: Thanks for that. I've used eBay for long enough but never explored its facilities.

>332 xrayman: xrayman: >334 terebinth: terebinth: Thanks for that. I've used eBay for long enough but never explored its facilities.

>335 scratchpad: I support this message.

'Travels in Deserta Arabia' has just appeared on e-bay with a BIN price of £500 or best offer. Not cheap, but I'd be tempted if I didn't already have it.

>337 xrayman: not able to find it directly. Do you've the exact link?

>338 NLNils: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/folio-society-limited-edition-of-travels-in-arabia-des...

That is quick! Thank you.

I'm in a familiar boat once more... Only ships to the U.K.

>340 NLNils: It might be worth asking the seller about shipping. Currently e-bay only allows you to offer international shipping or not, no selection of areas is possible. I offer U.K shipping only when I list sales, but am happy to ship to some international destinations (but not others!)

>341 xrayman: Good info, much obliged. Out of curiosity I looked up what a new set would set me back. £495 excluding shipping according to the Folio website. So, this doesn't seem as to attractive an option at the time being.

>342 NLNils:

Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but your second sentence reads as though you've not noticed that Travels is out of print. The Folio website can be, shall we say a little subtle, in indicating such things.

>342 NLNils: It is OOP and was a L.E. with a relatively low limitation number. It appears on the secondary market only rarely. I was caught out as the last few on the F.S. website sold out very quickly, but was fortunate enough to find an 'hors commerce' copy at a bargain price.

>343 terebinth: >344 xrayman: Yep! I missed the fine print. It's reasonably priced then, but I have not a few loose pennies to spare at the moment and will pass. It is however the only L.E. I covet.

I've usually only coveted one myself. Against my expectations, over time that's led to a current population of twenty-five.

>345 NLNils: BTW it cost $720 including postage, delivered to the US back in 2013 when it was just released.

>332 xrayman: I've tried this method on the eBay website and a whole new World opened up for me. I found if you use The AppStore app and fill in a search term, you can set your filter to sold listings as well. But not in advance, as far as I can tell.

>348 NLNils: Happy to help. The pitfall with searching sold listings is when you discover that you've missed a bargain, on something you have your heart set on!

Dante Divine Comedy - all three volumes - ebay - Buy it Now £400/Make Offer.

Best price I've seen for a long, long time.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-3-Vol-Set-Dante-Divine-Comedy-Inferno-Pu...

Usual disclaimers.

>349 xrayman: I responded earlier, but it apparently didn't get through. I used this newfound function to check my earlier buys on the bay, to see how they stacked up against the marketplace. I came out just ahead, but this is going to help avoid rash decisions and determining the right price for an item. I hope! Ha!

>350 bookfair_e: Sold - Best Offer.

For anyone who hasn't bought, Lolita sealed copy for £38 on eBay UK: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401334038972

>353 Kerl: >354 EclecticIndulgence: At the same time a sealed copy of American Gods was up for a 'buy now' sale at £55 by the same seller. At first I didn't believe it and checked the page carefully for clues of I'm not sure what. Then I came here to see if anyone else had spotted it and had found or knew a good reason not to buy. Back at eBay it had still not been sold. Meanwhile the 'watchers' were piling in. I searched again for reasons not to risk a buy and again checked in here but no one had posted. It was dawning on me that I was being a bit paranoid simply because I couldn't recall a new FS publication being offered at such a discount. Back at eBay it was still on offer with 14 watchers doing nothing - they must know something I didn't. Checking the seller's page showed a perfect record. Why did I yet hesitate? So I didn't. I decided to take the hit, if one were forthcoming, and pressed the buy button. My level of caution was excessive and surprising. Should I be so suspicious of sellers when, in my experience, they are generally pretty good people? And sometimes, as I guess in this case, they just want to shift a book quickly. I'll know more when I get the thing in my hands.

>355 scratchpad: saw both of them shortly after they came on and if I hadn't recently spent what I have on books I'd have snapped them up in an instant.

>355 scratchpad: Should I be so suspicious of sellers when, in my experience, they are generally pretty good people? And sometimes, as I guess in this case, they just want to shift a book quickly.

My take is it wasn't that low a price as to arouse suspicion. £55 is a great price. Below £40 I'd have backed off. I think you'll find you got yourself a bargain.

Also, I've picked up a couple of extremely good bargains on eBay lately (these were auctions) really worried someone would come along and outsnipe me but it didn't happen. I was particularly careful not to mention them here in advance of the close ;)

>357 folio_books: ...worried someone would come along and outsnipe me...

Sometime last year I placed a starting bid of £60 on the new 2 vol War and Peace with no intention of going higher. Imagine my surprise when no one else put in a bid. It was a short order auction of, I think, three days but there were a healthy number of watchers as I recall. You just never know how things might turn out.

The Golem, sealed, £30 or best offer, eBay UK. Would grab it if I didn't already have a copy.

You've probably all spotted it by now but i just thought I'd mention that the cream leather edition of The Decameron is being advertised on ebay at the moment - £95 - not exactly cheap but I'd go for it if I didn't already have a copy!

I have been looking for a copy of 'The Master and Margarita' and came across this on Oxfam's website:

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/books/fiction/the-master-and-margarita-hd_100904784

I saw above that a copy sold for over £90. Is that a standard price for it?

>361 Stereopes: I got my copy for £70 sometime last year because I saw little chance then of a better deal. Since then prices seem to be anything up to and above what Oxfam are asking (for a 'as new' copy). If I was looking for it now I would probably go up to £90 but having since read it I certainly don't think it's worth the money. If FS were to republish as a standard edition it would probably be about £45.

>361 Stereopes:
Bought mine from Oxfam for £20

I will have to keep my eyes peeled for a good deal then. I love Bulgakov and have read most of what has been published and I'm now kicking myself for not purchasing from the FS.

I'm sure it was around £40 originally from FS. Hopefully they'll print it again.

>361 Stereopes: That's a rip-off.

There was one on Ebay with a starting bid of £110 that didn't sell recently

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-The-Master-and-Margarita-2010-Edition-/2...

I listed mine as a Buy-it-Now for £100 and it sold within a day or so, couldn't bring myself to sell it for higher, just seems crazy as I got it in lieu of a presntation volume few years back.

But you'll all be glad to know that I used the funds to buy from the summer sale - The David Roberts set so I'm happy!

>364 Stereopes:

It landed in the 2012 Summer Sale, which was when I bought it: £18.45, perhaps half price. I expect that offer will have exhausted Folio's stock.

>366 terebinth: I expect that offer will have exhausted Folio's stock.

I'm assuming all the fabulous bargains in the current sale are aimed primarily at exhausting stock where comparatively few copies remain. Clearing the decks for a host of new "must haves", I presume - the September catalogue is perilously close.

I'm so old I can remember when the September catalogue used to be called the annual Prospectus. Those were the days ... La la la LAH la la.

>364 Stereopes:
Me too! One of my favourite authors, I've read all his works :-)

Couldn't believe my luck when I bought it...

>364 Stereopes: Copy (sealed) on Ebay UK starting bid £50 and closes tomorrow evening. This has just been put up. These quick sale offers can be missed by punters.

Just noticed I misread the time - the bids close tomorrow morning (11.17 BST) and not in the evening.

Complete set of the Folio Press Fine Editions on eBay UK, ending Sunday evening, for anyone with £1000 to spare after the Summer Sale.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Complete-Folio-Society-Fine-Press-Editions-1987-91-/11...

>371 folio_books: I find that to be the most frustrating thing I have seen on e-bay.

The Master and M went for £57, a bargain in this market.

>373 scratchpad: The Master and M went for £57

First evidence of the madness subsiding?

>372 xrayman: I find that to be the most frustrating thing I have seen on e-bay.

I understand completely, when you have only one elusive title to go. It's the first time I've seen the entire collection for sale. At £50 a volume it's not cheap, though. My own ceiling price was £30 and I got several well under that price. I only weakened when I got down to the last two.

I see £36 plus postage would buy on eBay what looks to be a very acceptable copy of the Ian Pollock Paradise Lost. I'm something of a Blake devotee, but if I had to spend the rest of my days with just one Folio Paradise Lost this might be it, with illustrations that to my mind are wonderfully bold and inventive in conception and execution. I do wonder how ready a market it found in 1991, given the usual impression of Folio's member demographic at the time.

>375 terebinth: On the rare occasions that I've seen one of these in secondhand bookshops they have been in the region of £60, so £35 looks pretty good.

Missed the copy of M&M on ebay but thanks for posting about it.

Shame I have to work to fund the FS habit!

If you are still after M&m it is Hidden away as one of 7 books for a total of £45 but it's listed as 'early set of folio society books' on eBay.

>378 paulmoran: M&m it is Hidden away as one of 7 books

I've located the set but I don't see Master & Margarita. Could you be confusing it with Gogol's Collected Stories?

Sorry yes it is the Gogol - thought I was helping. I have them next to each other on my shelf and I'd confused them.

>380 paulmoran: Sorry yes it is the Gogol

No worries. I have both of them myself so can understand the confusion.

>380 paulmoran: I keep my copies right next to each other as well.

A couple of interesting items on ebay today: King Henry's Map, which I don't think includes the book, but currently listed at £19.99 and, another King Henry item, which is one of the rarer LEs, currently listed at £4.99...

Usual disclaimers concerning connection to sellers.

>383 HuxleyTheCat: If the second of those is the one I think it is, then it is the companion volume only.

>384 pythagoras: Ah yes, indeed it is; my apologies for any pulse-rates quickened unnecessarily. On the other hand, a quick look at abe indicates that the MS itself is often missing the commentary, so, perhaps still a useful find for someone.

For those bored of sanity, a copy of the very collectable 1948 Folio Society edition of Candide illustrated by Kenneth Hobson, complete with dustjacket (and a dose of the fox, judging from the images); a snip at £750.

>386 cronshaw: a snip at £750.

Good grief. I can't remember what I paid for mine but it was certainly under £20. Fools and their money ...

CANDIDE

or

The Optimist

> 386 cronshaw

Currently it's at £ 937.50. Another seller on abebooks has the same book in better condition for £ 64.68. I have no sympathy whatsoever for the kind of greedy seller who puts titles up for sale for exaggerated prices like that.

For those needing to complete The Dark is Rising sequence, here's the missing volume ...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-The-Dark-is-Rising-Cooper-Susan-2012-Lau...

... at a price.

Be quick, only a couple of hours left.

> 390 folio_books

What a bargain. ;-)

I saw that listing too. I actually put in a offer that was actually reasonable, mostly just to be cheeky.

The Four Gospels has appeared as a charity listing on e-bay with a start price of £4.99. I expect there may be bids to push that price up regardless of any depressive effect of the current L.E. sale.

Oh this just makes me want to cry. I cannot understand why this went for so little money! The Limited Edition Kelmscott Chaucer for $571 and in fine condition! That is about 1/3 of what I paid for my copy.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2002-The-Works-of-Geoffrey-CHAUCER-Facsimile-of-the-KELM...

Eric Gill's Four Gospels LE currently £75.65 on eBay UK, ending tonight.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/THE-FOUR-GOSPELS-By-ERIC-GILL-GOLDEN-COCKERELL-PRESS-2...

>396 folio_books:
Will not ship to Australia. ☹️

I've confessed to being puzzled as to why The Deeds of the English Kings was used as a Mystery Book rather than entering the half price sale, where I'd have expected it to sell very well at £35. Wondering just now whether any copies would have made their way to eBay at reasonable prices, I saw that one seller, presumably a prolific placer of sale orders, was offering three of them in new condition at £29.99 each inclusive of UK shipping. I quickly bought one, so two more remain.

>398 terebinth: I saw that one seller, presumably a prolific placer of sale orders, was offering three of them in new condition at £29.99 each

Good detective work, suitably rewarded. It's a beautifully designed book and I'm surprised it never seemed to get the attention it deserves. Enjoy!

>399 folio_books:

Thanks. I'd filed it near the back of my mind on publication, as distinctly intriguing and apparently very well designed and produced, just not quite a book to get me reaching, sight unseen, into my pocket for £70 plus postage. Delighted that it's on its way, and I only notice now that the seller is also inviting lower offers.

>400 terebinth:

I've gone ahead and snapped up the second copy. I didn't want to quibble with the price given that it's a bargain already and I'd hate to miss out! One more remains...

>400 terebinth: I only notice now that the seller is also inviting lower offers.

It's a great book which I was content to pay full price for on publication. With a close-up look I think you'll be very happy with it.

The thing with Best Offers is that in the meantime someone can beat you to it. It happened to me once with a book I really wanted. Now, every time I consider a Best Offer I have to imagine how I would feel if I lost it. In other words, I suppose, how important that book is to me.

>401 MST-3000:

And now that's sold too. Glad you could benefit, I see there are a couple more new copies listed but at markedly higher prices than we've just paid.

>402 folio_books:

I agree about Best Offers, even when as in this case it's only the low price rather than the book itself that might be hard to find again. I think I've only ever made one offer in the books section, for my seven volumes of Lockhart's biography of Scott, but I've made a few for other things over the years. Some sellers set their listings such that offers within a certain range of the asking price are accepted instantly, others rejected instantly: I don't know how common that may be in Books.

>398 terebinth: Thanks for the enablement.
>401 MST-3000: I got the last one taking advantage of the best offer.

I go for best offers on the assumption that a 10% deal is almost always forthcoming and this is usually the case. Only once, I think, have I been beaten by either a better offer or a full pricer. It is a bit nerve racking depending on the desire for the book but I get a perverse thrill from that which, as far as I can remember, has just stopped me making an outright purchase. I suppose it's a form of mild gambling. Simply buying a book is a tad boring!

>404 terebinth: offers within a certain range of the asking price are accepted instantly, others rejected instantly: I don't know how common that may be in Books.

For me, the fact that a seller advertises "or Best Offer" says he is willing to sell for less than the Buy It Now price, so it's always worth considering. But I don't take risks with books I really want. It is almost exclusively books I buy from eBay these days. The only exceptions are stationery items like envelopes and sellotape for stuff I'm selling and those are BIN, invariably.

>406 folio_books:

I'm not a real collector of books, just a reader and savourer, but I do collect and sometimes restore various old (1923 - 1980ish) radios, and most of my Best Offers will have been on that side of things. Results vary, one recent offer brought a counter-offer which dropped the free postage of the initial listing and so would have saved me precisely nothing, which had me wondering why the seller used the Best Offer option at all.

I sometimes see something which I would quite like and \I put in a 'silly' offer. Mostly it doesn't work, so I'll just shrug and move on, but occasionally it results in a good deal, e.g. The Queen Mary Atlas for £250.

>408 HuxleyTheCat: Mostly it doesn't work, so I'll just shrug and move on

Yes, I can see that might work on the rare occasion, and you can't lose either way. I've often been tempted but, to be honest, embarrassed to put in a really silly price. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. You have emboldened me!

>407 terebinth: I'm not a real collector of books

For not a real collector you have an excellent collection :)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Year-Round-Things-To-Do-2011-Folio-Society-Unread-/322... No faddict should be without one!

>411 xrayman: Oh, thanks for putting that up. I love that book. Incredible stimulating for the mind, much wisdom from start `til end. One of the best reads i had in 2016. A no brainer without doubt. Luckily i have a volume for myself. Rare, much sought after. Buy it!

:Do not know the seller (do he even know what he is doing, and at that price. Steal of the century for a lucky buyer sometime soon)

>412 Pellias: Are you hoping someone will fall into the same trap as yourself ;-)?

>412 Pellias: I love that book. Incredible stimulating for the mind, much wisdom from start `til end.

Allow me to congratulate you on your fine grasp of the British art of irony. Well done, Øyvind!

>408 HuxleyTheCat: I sometimes see something which I would quite like and \I put in a 'silly' offer. Mostly it doesn't work...

Now that reminds me of our landlord's counsel when, in 1981 and six months after I'd started work, we admitted to him that we were thinking of buying a house. "What I always do, is to start by making an offer of fifty pounds. If they are really short of money they may take it".

>413 xrayman: I will have the final laugh ;)

>414 folio_books: Oh. I did read some chapters actually. In every book that is opened and read, there is always something to .. learn? Be amused, like etc .. i just don`t remember quite what that was, but in all seriousness, there are always something .. `french knitting` maybe, something for everyone

The thing with this book is that it would do better in the 50`s or 60`s or even the 70`s .. it is simply outdated, but still a classic for all i know within the english language, and it probably brought some joy into peoples homes in the decades mentioned, in the dark age when people interacted more .. therefore it should also be loved for what it once probably was .. a heartwarming book done with good intentions, more printings than Hamlet, just beaten by the bible

It is a good deed to use this book as our temporary banner for the devotees

Folio 60 on eBay UK, Buy It Now £22 + £4 postage.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-60-bibliography-1947-2006-Folio-Society-/1321644...

The usual disclaimer.

>417 folio_books: That's a good price. However, even if it were free, Folio 60 wouldn't come cheap.

>417 folio_books: it's not such a good price after all: I've just noticed the state of the slipcase!

>419 cronshaw: I've just noticed the state of the slipcase

What, you scared of a little "dark stain"? ;)

A new copy of the Rupert Brooke LE is currently going for £38 on eBay with only two hours to go, if anyone's interested. Seems quite the bargain!

(No idea who the seller is)

Letterpress Shakespeare Twelfth Night, ending this evening, currently £109.75. British Heart Foundation.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Limited-Edition-Folio-Society-TWELTH-NIGHT-William-Sha...

>422 folio_books: Having just taken delivery, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Leeds BHF as a seller. Incredibly speedy delivery and lashings of bubble wrap made up the £4.95 p&p charge. The description was very accurate as well.

I'd thank you for the tip-off Glenn, but, as you know, I had bid any way ;-)

>423 HuxleyTheCat: as you know, I had bid any way ;-)

Indeed. I'm just so relieved I didn't get in the way, in the end :/ Congratulations and enjoy, as I know you will.

>424 folio_books: The valued and helpful information is always appreciated, Glenn, and my mantra is, that if the bid is good enough then it will win, and if it isn't then someone wanted the book more, so fair enough.

The 2008 re-issue of the five-vol Hemingway set: £50 BIN or offers:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ernest-Hemingway-Five-Volume-Hardback-Set-In-Slipcase-...

Usual disclaimer.

And for those of you who don't want nightmares, look away now. The notorious Folio Society crowbar, a mere snip at £30, but hurry you only have twelve hours to bid...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Souvenir-brass-bookmark-from-the-Folio-Society-very-ra...

Definitely usual disclaimer!

>427 HuxleyTheCat: The notorious Folio Society crowbar, a mere snip at £30

I laughed when I saw that this morning but I was much too considerate to inflict it on FSDs, some of whom I know are very sensitive souls.

>428 folio_books: I've had a large G&T and amusement got the better of me!

>427 HuxleyTheCat: >428 folio_books:

I’ve seen this ‘thing’ often enough on ebay but I’ve never seen one in the flesh. How is it used? Does the pin fit tightly into the gutter and the crook go over the top of the spine with the Folio logo against the spine? Just asking - I’ve never seen a bookmark like this. It's not a tie pin, is it?

> 430

I admit your method might just work. For myself, I was reading the Moby Dick LE at the time I got mine and struggled with the device for ages before the penny dropped. You set the point at right angles to the front board, take a hammer and wack the blade through to the page you're on. Then, with a pair of pliers, you bend the end of the blade down flat against the page, twisting as necessary. The soft leather of Moby Dick could have been made for this handsome bookmark.

I`d rather use toilet paper than spend that much on a bookmark (at least drop it down to £10), in a couple of years ago i would maybe, but back then i were not sane, now i am, i tell myself every morning in the mirror, repeatedly, i get answers back, as long as i do that, it`s good

>430 bookfair_e:
See:-
http://www.librarything.com/topic/265980

>433 wcarter:

Thank you for clearing that up for me. It's horrendous.

>431 boldface:

Now that Dr. Carter has started a dedicated thread for this topic, with photographs showing his preferred method of using the Folio crowbar, maybe you would care to share a few pics of your method?

Actually, probably best not to; I think I’d be a bit squeamish - seeing Moby Dick harpooned.

A handy tip (a la VIZ) for those who would like to use this bookmark. Save money and simply tear pages out once you have read them, that way you'll never lose your place.

>436 xrayman: You can't go wrong with Viz.

East of the Sun, West of the Moon, £14.99 BIN or Best Offer:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/East-of-the-Sun-West-of-the-Moon-Old-Tales-from-the-No...

Usual disclaimer

>438 HuxleyTheCat:

A genuine bargain. How is it still there?

>439 folio_books: It's Friday night and everyone's in the pub.

I just picked up a near-fine copy of Toilers of the Sea LE, for $330 USD shipped. Not amazing but a bit lower than I've generally seen it go for in the past year. It helped that the guy's eBay pics were atrocious camera phone pics. I PM'd him for better ones, which he sent me, but then he didn't then put on the listing. My gain, I guess. Negotiated the "best offer" to far below what he was asking.

It arrived today, and is immaculate. It's been on my wish list ever since it went OOP - I was about to pull the trigger when that happened.

>438 HuxleyTheCat: >439 folio_books: ive just bought it! the photos were a bit inconclusive; im not sure if its the quality of them, or of the spine has actually faded a bit, but at that price ive taken a chance!

thanks for the enablement!

>437 scratchpad: If you follow all the top tips from Viz, I suspect you can go very wrong!

>437 scratchpad: >443 xrayman: glad to see other devotees are big fans of viz! im eargely anticipating news of a leather bound roger mellie LE

>445 stumc: The Profanisaurus would be a good start.

Hard to describe this as a good deal, given the price, but a very rare opportunity to acquire one of the ultra-rare Folios, one of the 50 vellum bound Rochesters:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SIGNED-LIMITED-EDITION-FOLIO-SOCIETY-Perfect-Imperfect...

And it's for a good cause too.

ETA - the usual disclaimer (despite the geographical proximity).

>447 HuxleyTheCat: that one nearly got me on impulse-buy mode earlier, but I reflected that it might be best left to someone who would truly appreciate the text.

>447 HuxleyTheCat:

I don't recall seeing one of those before, Fiona. I have a low number Rochester - 16 - but it's of the morocco-and-marbled-paper variety, and I've been mildly curious as to how the special copies were numbered, assuming it had to be something other than the 1-50 you'd expect, because of my number. This one on offer turns out to be 39, which makes me slightly more curious. One explanation would be that the two bindings were numbered 1-50 and 1-450, awkward idea though that is.

It gets a bit odder because Folio 60 has a slightly different account of the edition from the colophon, claiming that beyond the 500 numbered copies, 450 regular and 50 specials, there were 40 lettered copies for private distribution, 45 of these being standard, and 5 specials. F60 says these lettered copies also had the portfolio of illustrations. Anyone got any evidence to elucidate this?

Missing portfolio or not, this seems like a reasonable price for a scarce book - providing there is tolerance for such doubtful literature, of course.

>448 gmacaree: I know what you mean about the text; definitely not my thing, as it left me so cold I gave away my copy of the 'standard' LE to a friend who I knew would appreciate it more.

>449 affle: I haven't previously seen one of these vellum copies either, but I think your explanation of the numbering is probably correct, Alan.

>447 HuxleyTheCat: a very rare opportunity to acquire one of the ultra-rare Folios, one of the 50 vellum bound Rochesters:

Thanks for the heads-up. Ultra-rare is right. The "standard" LE doesn't pop up very often; this is the first I've seen of the 50. It looks beautiful and very tempting but after recent excesses I think I'll stick with my dreary old standard copy. Wilmot himself wouldn't think twice about adding to his excesses, of course.

There is currently a copy of The Bible - King James Version for £275 for sale on eBay. It looks good except for the worn of parts of the gold bottom edge.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-King-James-Bible-Folio-Society-Limited-edition-110...

Usual disclaimer.

>453 Rodomontade: and that sold quickly

>447 HuxleyTheCat: Sold.

That listing is already sold, and what I got shown instead by abebooks is a collection of the complete signed series with a 50.000$ price tag. A bit of a jump in price ;-) , but the story of how the late owner of the novels got his books signed is an interesting one to read.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22254569144

>457 SF-72: Thorough dedication and a fun read!

>457 SF-72:

Interesting that he had to go to sea to get them signed!

There's a copy of Moby Dick for sale on eBay for £400 starting bid and £560 Buy it now. I don't know why the seller put another book not for sale in the pictures, but the Moby Dick looks quite nice.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOBY-DICK-LIMITED-EDITION-FOLIO-SOCIETY-HERMAN-MELVILL...

Usual disclaimer.

>460 c_schelle: Given the price I think the seller should have provided more information, like a few more pictures at least. Sellers sometimes expect us to shell-out bucket-loads of cash on what amounts to little more than a shot in the dark. The sloppy two-book photo does nothing to inspire confidence although I agree the other photo does look good. However, I will never get my head around these prices. Is this another example of temptation for an object of desire (again, to me, inexplicable) overriding rationality?

Re The Wilmot: I succumbed! It arrived today! Some yellowing of the vellum but otherwise a fine copy. The price didn't seem too bad, especially as they included the separate portfolio of illustrations which had turned up after the original posting on ebay! Some of the poems are a bit on the distasteful side of course but it's an interesting insight into the mind of a 17th century aristocrat with access to the king and he did seem to have real talent - just squandered it all! Thanks HuxleyTheCat for the heads up on this one.

>462 malc79: I'm glad someone here bought it, rather than a re-seller, and that's excellent news about the portfolio! The Rowans is my local hospice and they do an incredible job, so I'm doubly happy that they got a substantial injection of cash, too.

>460 c_schelle: That is a nobrainer for a FS collector, or a `fine` collector of Moby Dick. If it`s within your pricerange. I see Ardis has added another £200 to the price from when i got it earlier this year. Therefore it looks like the marketprice is rising. This last month it has been listed for about £800`ish.

*I bought it for £500 something applying percentages

Ed:Typo

>461 scratchpad: Good point.

Just noticed, the MD seller has improved the photo display.

The Anatomy of Melancholy, Robert Burton, Three Volumes on eBay UK £80 BIN, "near fine".

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Robert-Burton-The-Anatomy-of-Melancholy-1st-2nd-3rd-Pa...

Johnson Dictionary:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Folio-Society-Dr-Samuel-Johnson-DICTIONARY-OF-THE-ENGLIS...

I thought about it, but my book budget is mostly exhausted for now.

Disclosure: These are being sold by someone I know. If posting this is against the rules I will delete this message: (I just thought you might want to know, since some of these editions are hard to find at reasonable prices)

Night Thoughts:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Night-Thoughts-by-Edward-Young-William-B...

The only other offer comes from the US and goes for US $1.450,00

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Other Poems:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Limited-Edition-The-Rime-of-the-Ancient-...

-

Night Thoughts: I am unfamiliar with this book other than picking up on a few references to it on this website from time to time. It looks good. The early bid price is very attractive but is this just a teasing come-on? I'm guessing that the price will go nuts nearer the close. Any opinions on this? Given my aversion to shelling out large sums should I swallow my interest now before it gets the better of me?

>470 scratchpad: You could set a maximum bid, and if (when) it passes that bid it would be unnatractive anyway .. say £500 or £600 above that it gets in the normal secondhand pricerange, below that does not happen`.. as it has been noticed

>470 scratchpad:

Anyone's guess is as good as anyone else's as to how much activity there will be toward the close - I'll only say that it's likely to rise somewhat from the present bid! If I were interested (and I would be, if I hadn't bought Night Thoughts fairly soon after publication) I think I would just decide on a maximum price and bid that amount a few seconds before the end, forgetting about it to the best of my ability until then.

It seems like my comment was well received and simply knowing the seller does not count as an affiliation. (I was not asked to do this and I don't get a penny.)

Ebay auctions can be crazy, but I would say that expecting it to sell for anything between 500 to 700 EUR is realistic. I have seen the books for myself, and I suspect that the very minor blemish on the leather binding (the one near the text) could be removed with a clean piece of cloth and a few drops of distilled water. She (the seller) is too cautious and simply left it this way after she bought if a few years ago. She bought the Japan LE and a few others in the recent sale and has to sell Night Thoughts to stay within her book budget. We know the struggle...

Night Thoughts is probably my favourite LE, but 1450 USD is too much, and the abebooks sellers are not much better.

Thanks for the responses. You all confirmed my suspicion that the probable price will be above my comfort level although I take the point that the unexpected can happen as it has happened to me on more than one occasion. Perhaps it's worth a punt for the hell of it. The suggestion of 'sniping' is new to me and is worth looking at. Thanks again.

Perennial favourite The Gormenghast Trilogy (Folio 1992 ed). Charity listing on ebay starting at £4.99.

Usual disclaimer.

I, for one, use eBay sniping. Gambling and the thrill of bidding/outbidding hold no appeal to me - I set the maximum I'm willing to pay and will either win or lose that auction.

I feel it's fair because if someone would pay more its not my concern. And psychologically I don't feel possessive or ownership before I've actually won the auction. I used to bid my max wtp at the start but those auctions typically ended with me paying £1 less than my max bid... Whereas sniping I typically win by 10-30% less than my maximum - I don't know why this is I just feel safer setting my bid and forgetting about it, so I'm not bid higher by a long string of £1 bets.

I don't have an addictive personality so would rather not be to emotionally invested in something I might not win. And if I'm going to be the auction winner anyway I see no need to pay my full wtp, when it can be spent on other books. Those who bid £3 on a book worth £60 shouldn't feel entitled when they lose.

>481 susanne-27: I do it myself too as others have rightly mentioned, it does help lower the final price in most cases. Frustrating for the seller though as he/she has no clue if there is genuine interest or not. I just noticed that there were no buyers for the Moby DicK auction!.

>493 To some extent, but you can still see how many people follow an auction and how often it has been viewed. The only thing that bothers me as a seller, which is rare enough these days, is that you don't know what you get until 2 seconds before it ends.

To my surprise, the Moby Dick didn't actually sell for that price. The one being sold as 'the cheapest on Ebay' has not been sold for over 2 months now as well. Maybe the start of a new era.

>495 I'm surprised as well. I'm Interested in the book, but I don't want to spend so much on it considering that it only cost £200 new. Unfortunately I didn't know the FS at the time it was still available. Perhaps the sellers will now lower the price and I can get the book for a reasonable price.

>497 Slightly disagree. TSTF LE value is decreasing because the FS came out with a very nice less expensive edition. The same situation will prevent the Lovecraft LE from skyrocketing in value.

Since I'm a collector and not a seller, I like higher limitations and multiple versions since these attributes tend to keep down prices. It doesn't bother me that my heirs will make less money selling my library.

It's a live question, whether the availability of standard or fine editions has reduced the prices of Folio LEs at all. I doubt it has to any extent: it's my own guess that the Sound and the Fury, Kelmscott Chaucer, Mort etc. LEs are pretty much where they would be in price if the more modest editions had never existed. I too am perfectly happy for there to be subsequent cheaper editions of LEs I've bought, regardless of whether secondary market prices are affected.

No slipcase...

(Disclaimer: I know the seller, but I was not asked to do this and I don't get a penny.)

Since my mentioning of Night Thoughts was well received, I wanted to point out that the same seller also has:

-King Henry's Prayer Book http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-limited-edition-King-Henrys-Prayer-Book-...

-The Duke's Children http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-limited-edition-The-Dukes-Children-/1424...

-The Rime of the Ancient Mariner http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Limited-Edition-The-Rime-of-the-Ancient-...

The Duke's Children is still on sale, so it is probably only worth picking up if it sells for a bargain. Otherwise I think supporting FS is more important than saving 10 Euros.

>503 Night Thoughts was well received, I wanted to point out that the same seller also has

Very reasonable prices. I have King Henry and ROTAM and have no desire for The Duke's Children. I hope your friend does well. No problem as far as I'm concerned posting this on here - you're doing us a favour, I think. Advertising your own wares for sale in this forum is a different matter, however. (For the benefit of anyone who does not know this).

And posted here (as opposed to the new thread) because it belongs directly under >503's post.

Edited for afterthought.