OT Barnes and Noble leather classic sale

For those wanting to fill in their libraries at prices up to 45% off Barnes is offering their top bonded leather for $15. Just picked up Dr. Who, Star Trek, Les Miserables, for nephews and complete Lovecraft for self. Their Tarzan is fabulous as is their Star Wars and Dore Divine Comedy. As a note their beautiful OOP Chronicles of Narnia is selling for $200 on eBay.

Sale ends August 1.

>1 HugoDumas: I have their Divine Comedy and it's certainly on the list of my books to replace. Thin paper and and dramatically smaller pages. I believe the original is around 13" x 10" while this edition is more like 9" x 6".

>2 kdweber: yes but the huge 2 volume DLE was going for $2,200 and the smaller 9 x 11 single volume for $675!

I'm no longer willing to pay EP's escalating prices except in rare instances. I'm still proud of my collection and intend to keep it and use it, but there is a limit to my appetite for expensive pleasures. B&N is a reasonable alternative as is Library of America.

And, believe it or not, I am beginning to love my Kindle. I just bought a complete set of Harvard Classics for $50.00 and the hundred greatest novels for 99 cents. I put a leather cover on it and voila - no more tiny fonts! Actually, I already owned EP's Harvard Classics, but the Kindle is better for traveling and reading during lunch.

>4 jroger1:

Kindle doesn't look as nice on a bookshelf :P

>1 HugoDumas:

Thanks for the heads up Hugo. While browsing I noticed that they have printed the first volume of the Wheel of Time?! If anyone is interested, its located here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-eye-of-the-world-robert-jordan/1123091725?e...

Dear lord I hope they print the next 13!

>5 mortalalliance:
I could get two Kindles to help fill the space. If I wanted to sell my collection and shelving, I wouldn't need such a big house! Where do people who collect antique cars keep them all?!

>1 HugoDumas:

Also, I just checked the eBay B&N Narnia prices because I was hoping to sell mine and buy the EP set. Unfortunately they seem to only be selling for $100; which is still good appreciation for a mass produced B&N product but too many 100's of dollars short of the EP set for me.

I can't recommend the latest generation of Kindles enough. I've got a Voyage (with the leather cover) and a Paperwhite. They're definitely worth having as a compliment to a physical library.

I still can't fathom why anyone would bother with any of those B&N books. For most of the books B&N offers in leather, you can find used Franklin Library, EP, LEC, and Folio Society books versions for similar prices. A Kindle would be a better investment, as well.

While I've slowed my EP buying considerably in recent years, even with the various issues they have in legibility, translation, cost, etc., they still run circles around the B&N books in terms of quality, durability, and legibility.

They make nice looking inexpensive presents! I've did this several times over the years for younger ones to wet their appetite for reading.

>10 GOBOGIE: yes been gifting family members for years. Also some books simply not available thru Franklin or EP.

>9 treereader: Kindle was not available 50 years ago when I started collecting the classics. If it was I probably would switch, though formatting is often a problem if they are importing from the Gutenberg Project. I have 25,000 free books on my iPad and still would rather read a substantial book.

>12 HugoDumas:
Yes, the freebies can be a problem. I've had better luck with ones that collect a nominal fee, but even then it is important to get one that says it has an "active table of contents" with hyperlinks to the various chapters.

>13 jroger1: take a look at the one star ratings on Amazon. Nearly always crappy formatting or editing. And many of the Gutenberg freebies have never been edited by anyone.

I have owned two different Kindle models in the past and sold them both because I missed holding and reading a nice hardcover or leather bound book instead. I guess it is all about preference and choice when it comes to owning and reading books.
The only EP books I have been buying over the last two-three years are Reader's Choice, 100 Greatest, and Great Books of the 20th Century. Now I'm down to getting one Reader's Choice title per month and once in a while I purchase used titles from eBay just to keep my cost down and not feel strapped.
The B&N leather bound series are nice and colorful, but I'm not a fan of the quality and they really don't blend in well with my EP books in my library.

>15 Tolkienfan: right it is preference. Also my Folio , antique and LEC books do not match Franklin or EP. Thus I have them segregated.

>9 treereader:

I agree that I wouldn't bother with them if there are inexpensive used versions available through EP or Franklin. However, for several of the B&N titles this is not the case; which is why I buy the B&N version.

> 12

Don't get me wrong - I've built a fairly substantial library and prefer reading real books. However, the Kindle does wonders for reading in places you don't want to take your nice books to, for when you're on the move, or for things you don't want or can't get in a fine production format.

>7 jroger1:: "Where do people who collect antique cars keep them all?!" In their five garages, probably :-O

>19 iluvbeckett:
Wow, I could store a lot of Kindles in 5 garages - and even a lot of real books!

> 20

But could you ever read that many books? Perhaps you should settle for 4 garages of books and one garage of cars.

>8 mortalalliance: I will get the Wheel of Time too since it is $15 in the store. Chronicles of Narnia is selling for $230 used. Reading mine now to sell. Wish I had purchased 500 copies. Beautifully illustrated. And look at that beautiful Darth Vader Star Wars.....great read. And the Tarzan is gorgeous.

>1 HugoDumas: Since you started this post I have been researching these Barnes and Noble Leatherbound titles and for the price I'm planning on adding some to my library now. I love my EP books but I think its time to broaden my collection.

>23 Tolkienfan: Good for you.

Does anyone know if Barnes and Noble will reprint the Chronicles of Narnia Leatherbound? They seem to have at least 2-3 reprints for so many other books whilst this only has 1. Seriously annoyed at myself that I didn't purchase it when I saw it 3 years ago :(

>25 Heather_and_Ivy: I do not know. But I could not resist and sold mine last week. Wish I would have purchased 50....but who would know it would be so hot. Beautiful book!

New books alert!

BN have put up 6 new books for preorder:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/classic-american-short-stories-various/11234569...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/star-wars-a-c-crispin/1125814088?ean=9780385365...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/murder-on-the-orient-express-and-other-hercule-...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-christmas-treasury-various/1124690619?ean=978...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-complete-adventures-of-curious-george-rey-h...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/arabian-nights-barnes-noble/1115892173?ean=9781...

Definately looking forward to the Agatha Cristie edition and Star Wars! I was hoping that BN was going to release his works by character, but so far this looks like it will be a decent book.

Also seems like they are doing another edition of Arabian Nights... I hope the quality is the same as the original as it is one of my favorite books from BN.

Let me know what you all think!

Can anyone post pics of how these look on the shelf next to EP volumes?

>28 TeaAndHoney: they simply do not mix well next to Franklin and Easton Press, but then my antiquarian books don't match nor do my Folio Society or Limited Editions Club. No need to worry, you simply arrange according to your taste and do not worry.

>29 HugoDumas: I agree with you on that! I recently purchased a couple of B&N Leather Bound Editions and they are in a league of their own! I have mine on a shelf with a variety of my Tolkien and Library of America books.

>29 HugoDumas: I wouldn't say they don't mix well. I think it depends on which B&N Leather Bounds you have. There's no question that Folio Society, EP, and FL are better quality, but for $20 you can sometimes get a very nice looking, serviceable book. I own 22 of them, all interspersed with the like of FS, EP, and FL. The 2009 editions of Arabian Nights and The Chronicles of Narnia are quite nice. The 2015 edition of Le Morte D'Arthur has a more attractive binding than the EP version IMO, and the text and font are easier to read, as well. The 2010 Jules Verne omnibus looks superb on the shelf next to my FS Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas. The 2013 edition of Aesop's Fables is a work of art and a bargain, and the 1994 Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe is much more tastefully designed than the present B&N Poe offerings. The 2012 "Constitution of the United States of America and Selected Writings of the Founding Fathers" looks great between my Franklin Library editions of The Federalist (1977) and Thomas Paine's "Political Writings" (1973). But it's all a matter of your personal tastes and opinions. I like to mix up my books -- I have EPs and FLs between FS books, and B&N are mixed in with all of them. The only publications I tend to shelf as a block for visual effect are Everyman's Library, LOA, and Lakeside Press. Otherwise it's a pleasant mess, more or less organized by subject matter.

>29 HugoDumas:

I strongly agree with Hugo; I also have 20+ or so and I have them on their own shelf on a different bookcase. They look nice, but not EP/FL nice.

I just received The Complete Sherlock Holmes and Tarzan of The Apes B&N Leather Classic books as a graduation gift from my wife yesterday and I really like them. I'm starting to warm up to these more now than I use to. I really love collecting my EP books more than any others, but the B&N leather books really look great in my library due to their vibrant colors and eye catching illustrations.

>33 Tolkienfan: congratulations. I bought the gorgeous Tarzan too as well as Star Wars and Dore Dante. I actually sold my EP HG Wells after buying the single volume B & N work. Bought Chronicles of Narnia for $20 and just sold it for $95! They are quite colorful. And what about the complete Lovecraft for $15. Love it.

> 34

Alright, I'll bite: in what way(s) do(es) the B&N multi-story-single-volume books win over the multi-volume-multi-book equivalents from EP? I couldn't imagine replacing my half-dozen or so Wells books from EP (and FS) with a single B&N volume. Other than space saving, I can't think of one. Does the Chronicles of Narnia example indicate that you like the B&N better just because of resale potential?

>35 treereader: B & N novellas were about 6-7. No need to keep my 3 more expensive EP, some famous editions.

> 36

I still have very good vision but find reading larger fonts allows me longer reading time than smaller fonts found in compilation volumes like those from B&N. As such, I've developed a solid appreciation for the one-book-per-volume ratio and even the one-book-per-multiple-volumes approach for really long books. I find the cost to be worth the benefit, and that's without considering the material quality differences. The alternative would be Kindle-only reading, in order to keep the font size reasonable.

They are great gifts!

>34 HugoDumas: Thanks so much! Now that I have completed my degree I am able to spend time reading my personal books in my library in the evenings. You really can't beat the price on these books and I can use them as my reading copies in place of my EP titles that I don't want to handle. I just finished reading Robin Hood by Howard Pyle and just started The Story of King Arthur and His knights by Howard Pyle in the B&N series.

>39 Tolkienfan: by the way grab Lovecraft. EP bound a $11 book as complete and is charging about $120. Also get Hitchhiker 'S Guide with the silly cover.

>40 HugoDumas: Those two titles are on my B&N wish list I keep on Pinterest. I'll have to hold off for now since I just won six EP books off eBay!

>41 Tolkienfan: Nice, which titles did you snag?

>42 Eastoner: I picked up The Age of Innocence (1994), The Mysterious Island (Famous Editions) (1959), From The Earth To The Moon (Famous Editions) (1997), The Travels of Marco Polo (1992), The Scarlet Letter (1975), and The Fifteen Decisive Battles of The World (Famous Editions) (1969) which is my favorite because of all the details on the covers. These books are all in wonderful condition for their age and all look to be near mint, so I am very happy with these that I bought since I only paid between $20-$40 per volume.

>43 Tolkienfan: Good deal, the Library of Famous Editions was one of the best series.

>44 Eastoner: Thanks, I can see why with all the attention to detail that was put on the outside and inside of the books. I really like the Famous Editions because of their illustrations and extra details, but also because these titles are harder to find.

Black Friday sale at Barnes and Noble; appears to have many (all?) of these at 50% off:

https://m.barnesandnoble.com/b/50-off-collectible-editions/_/N-2og3

Add code “givethanks” for an additional 20% off at checkout.

>46 mortalalliance: Thanks for the heads up! I'm tempted to buy some of these titles, but really prefer to stick with my EP titles and paying for two of them each month too.

Well, I couldn't resist and pulled the trigger on seven B&N Collectible Editions. I was able to get them for half off and a 20% discount on top of that. My order total was only $61.00 with free shipping for seven titles, what a steal of a deal. Unfortunately, I had to return my Reader's Choice title "Sphere" back to EP in order to pay for my B&N titles.
The titles I picked up are: The Holy Bible, The Constitution of the United States of America, Tales of Norse Mythology, Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales, Gray's Anatomy, The Illiad & The Odyssey, and The Divine Comedy.
Amazing that I was able to get all of these great books for the price of one Reader's Choice title!

>48 Tolkienfan: I agree. I have about 8-9 titles myself.

>48 Tolkienfan: Congratulations! A really nice lot. Tales of Norse Mythology and Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales are some of my favorite B&N editions. Great illustrations in both.

>48 Tolkienfan: Thanks, I'm looking forward to receiving these as I have four other B&N editions already in my personal library. They are very colorful and eye catching on my bookcase!

I had never read the classic by Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" and have only watched the many different versions of the movie all my life, but finally purchased a copy of the B&N Collectible Edition "A Christmas Carol And Other Christmas Stories" on eBay for $27.00. Barnes&Noble did not have this title and could only find it for this low price on eBay as a "make an offer". I look forward to reading this during the Christmas season each year!