Enablement: Good Deals on FS books (2)

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Thank you. I'm glad someone took the initiative to do this!

Complete O'Brian set on eBay UK starting at £850.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Patrick-OBrian-Aubrey-Maturin-Series-Com...

Usual disclaimer.

>3 folio_books: Good grief, Glenn! Partly I'm thinking that you post with a degree of irony, but, on the other hand...

£860 for the nine I'm missing = a tad too high for my liking.

>4 HuxleyTheCat: Partly I'm thinking that you post with a degree of irony, but, on the other hand...

At about £40 a volume it's at or below average current prices for individual volumes. As you know, the later titles go for much higher - I've seen over £300 which, frankly, is beyond ridicule. It's possibly a good deal for aspiring collectors or people with only a handful, which is why I posted it. For the likes of us, no use.

>5 folio_books: "At about £40 a volume it's at or below average current prices for individual volumes... ...possibly a good deal for aspiring collectors" Yes, in those terms it makes sense. Likewise there is a set of fifteen of the Folio Nonesuch Dickens (missing Christmas Books) for £425 BIN which would be a decent deal for a new collector.

When I think of all the occasions I had to complete both these sets via offers direct from Folio I consider myself a total and utter numpty.

>6 HuxleyTheCat: When I think of all the occasions I had to complete both these sets via offers direct from Folio I consider myself a total and utter numpty.

That makes us a pair of numpties. Now, as it happens, I only have one of the Nonesuch Dickens (sadly, not Christmas Books) so is this an offer almost tailor-made for me? Actually no, because the one I bought as a taster (Great Expectations) put me off buying any more. But - here's the but - will I regret my attitude in years to come? We shall see ...

>7 folio_books: Maybe, you will. I came to liking them quite late, initially preferring the Folio Dickens II set illustrated by Keeping (I still much prefer those illustrations to Phiz etc), but there is something so elegant about the Nonesuch; they have an unrivalled gravitas. When my garage is converted and I can reshelve them behind glass, I'm going to ditch the slipcases from these as they are not some of Folio's finer efforts and I believe that they actually do detract from the books - not a normal state of affairs at all.

>8 HuxleyTheCat: initially preferring the Folio Dickens II set illustrated by Keeping (I still much prefer those illustrations to Phiz etc)

That's exactly my problem with them. I tend to agree about the gravitas, though. A word of warning - in olden days people who ditched slipcases were burned at the stake. Or was that heretics?

I'm thinking of starting an ebay page devoted to FS slipcases: would anyone care to donate? :-;

>10 Cat_of_Ulthar: I see from your profile you are in Scotland; I'm not sure if that's far enough away to survive the volcanic eruption just about to emanate from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne... :-)

>10 Cat_of_Ulthar:
>11 HuxleyTheCat:

Now that would obviously depend on the content of the page. But I confess it's true, I do have a certain liking for Folio Society books in slipcases :)

>11 HuxleyTheCat:
You think my Moire silk helmet will not reflect the blast? I should have gone for Toile Vendome ... :-)

>13 Cat_of_Ulthar: My sympathies but I'm afraid nothing less than Tsarina Crush with quarter calf will do the job.

Oh well, that's it, I'm doomed. :-(

>18 Rodomontade: That would be me then ;-). I was quite surprised about the price as well. I placed my bid 20 minutes Prior to the auction end and nobody tried to snipe the book. I think the other books were a steal as well. King Henry's Prayer Book was less than half the original Price. IMHO the low prices were due to the books being sold in Germany and not everybody watches the market there since the offering of FS books is quite low (I have an eBay alert on FS books on eBay Germany and at most 1-2 books per day are being added).

With at least three of the books ending up with folks from this forum I blieve that not many people outside of this forum knew about it and that people here do not place unreasonably high bids and rather wait for a bargain than spent more to get a book instantly.

>17 EclecticIndulgence: & >18 Rodomontade: did you find the books on your own or on this forum?

>21 Rodomontade: I broadly agree. There was a Sharpe's Birds of Paradise which sold last night for £102, with only 2 bids. The description said that the book was basically 'as new' with the exception of two pages being removed before the title page. £100 is a great price for someone simply interested in the beautiful plates, and had the seller been a bit more honest with the description then I may have thrown my hat into the ring and bid, but I kept wondering what the fault was. The seller was apparently away and unable to answer questions prior to auction's end. Now, call me cynical...

In relation to the LE programme, in my view Folio needs to a) dramatically improve the quality control, as the number which we hear of here with faults should be unacceptable for premium products, and then b) insist on faulty copies being returned.

>22 HuxleyTheCat: insist on faulty copies being returned.

Yes, indeed. I expect people will object on grounds of it being a diminution of their wonderful customer service and I do understand why Folio would be reluctant to pay for return postage of very heavy volumes, but at present all that means is defective books ending up in the secondary market, frequently not identified as such by the sellers. Far tighter quality control, as you have said, is the best and most economic solution for all.

>21 Rodomontade: I get your point regarding the exposure of the auctions. I'm willing to wait for a reasonable price on the books I want. A lot of the imho overpriced LEs really stay around on eBay for a long time.

>22 HuxleyTheCat: I also think they should improve the quiality control. Out of the four LEs I bought two were faulty and I had to send back the limitation page and a tipped in plate. I would rather have sent them back which is not that expensive. The two LEs only have minor faults, but for the price I want to have fault free books.

>25 Rodomontade: The pricing for the Roberts set is complicated by the existence of the standard edition (or was before it became out of print, or sold out or, whatever the status actually is) and the fact that in all but size (which could be a positive or negative depending upon space availability) the two editions are virtually indistinguishable.

"Then again, that seller also sold an apparently faultless Holy Land and Egypt & Nubia LE, single bid for the delightfully arbitrary £555.55 — a very decent saving off the original price."

I do wonder whether there is such a thing as a faultless copy of this LE out there - every copy I have seen at auction has had internal damage to the spines (the card used to cover the spine of the text block has a tendency to detach - the bindings are not strong enough to cope with the sheer weight of the books).

For the Devotees looking out for later biographies of the Society. A lot went up at Catawiki and is currently unbid (Edit: there is a starting bid of €1).

Folio 34, 40 and 60 (with a bonus 50 Epigrams)

I'm not the seller, nor do I know the seller.

There is a collection of ten Folio Patrick O'Brian novels on ebay at £200 the lot

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-x-Patrick-OBrian-Folio-Society-Aubrey-Maturin-Novel...

I know nothing of which are the scarce titles - so I don't know if it's good value, or not.

The usual disclaimer.

>33 bookfair_e: There is a collection of ten Folio Patrick O'Brian novels on ebay at £200 the lot

For collectors, it's the first ten.

still a good price

>16 Rodomontade: >17 EclecticIndulgence: >19 c_schelle:

I'm glad my friend's books went to fellow book-lovers here. Having sold a few books (not from FS) as well, I can back up the sentiment that selling form Germany usually means lower prices, even if you offer international shipping. Most people leave ebay on the default setting and never get to see them.

Now, if only I could get my hands on the Edward Lear LE without selling my kidney... I suspect no one here is selling one?

I've bought the ten O'Brians. A little late to the party I know, but I've made a promise not to worry about the ones I don't have but enjoy the ones I'll have.

Hey gang,

Half Price Books is having a "40% off one item" sale today. A quick search revealed several Folio Society books are available. So, this may be a chance for some of you to find a title you've been holding out for.

https://www.hpb.com/products?language=&year_from=&year_to=&utf8=%E2%...

If the above link doesn't work, simply go to https://www.hpb.com/home and type Folio Society in the search bar. Happy hunting!

>40 betaraybill: My IP is blocked? I never even visited their website before... Not sure why they would block me.

The Complete Novels of Mrs Ann Radcliffe - £29.99+£6.75 P&P or best offer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/THE-COMPLETE-NOVELS-OF-MRS-ANN-RADCLIFFE-THE-FOLIO-SOC...

Usual disclaimer.

edited for typo

>40 betaraybill:

Hi betaraybill

I don't recognise you as a contributor to this group and note you are relatively new to join LT.
As such, posts like #40 come across as spammy.

We try and keep this group clean of spam according to the TOS.

>41 susanne-27: No idea, sorry. I saw that someone had posted about the Half Price Books deal on a comics web site that I frequent. I gave the site a quick check; after looking for certain graphic novel collections, I did a quick search for any Folio books, and saw several listed at pretty good prices.

>43 LesMiserables: No Spamalot going on here. I saw something that might be appreciated by some here, and I thought I'd pass it along.

>43 LesMiserables:
Steve,
I know you're trying to keep this place clean, but see http://www.librarything.com/topic/267138#6162568 post #69.
I think s/he is kosher.

>45 wcarter: s/he be a he. ;) (Although my given name gave me lots of grief when I was a lad of 10-12.)

>45 wcarter: Thanks for the support, wcarter. Although in all fairness, I hadn't posted that yet when LesMis made their post.

I'm relatively new here, too, but this is a thread about good deals on FS books, so why not a general discount as opposed to a link to one specific offer. (I won't be able to use it since they don't allow sales to Germany, though. In the past I could at least look at their website, but now I'm also being blocked 'for security reasons'. ?!)

>42 bookfair_e: "The Complete Novels of Mrs Ann Radcliffe - £29.99+£6.75 P&P or best offer."

That looks good. I paid £80 for my set a couple of years ago!

Folio 60 on eBay UK, ending on Sunday, start £4.99, no bids (yet!).

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOLIO-60-60-YEARS-OF-FINE-BOOKS-FOLIO-SOCIETY-2007-1ST...

>50 folio_books: that's a good deal

>51 ironjaw:

It is. I hope someone here snaps it up.

How are you doing, Faisel? Haven't heard from you in a while.

I was intrigued to see this today on eBay.

Original Leaves from Famous English Books Folio Society Ltd Ed 1963 Fine

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Original-Leaves-from-Famous-English-Books-Folio-Societ...

The description is below.

First Edition thus. Folio Society 1963 one of 200 sets, 12 mounted specimens with the prospectus, all in excellent condition. Original cloth drop-back box with slight nonuniform fading to upper board, leather spine label with slight nicking.

No mention of this in Folio 60, so what else exists that Folio 60 does not describe?

>53 N11284:

It's there on the FSD Wiki page:

http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/Groups:Folio_Society_Devotees

Under the heading Folio Society Curiosities.

>53 N11284:
You'll find some of these listed in the recently started full list of publications on wiki (from 1961 to 1963.)
They're not listed in Folio 60 because they're not book publications in the ordinary sense. Folio had a separate catalogue for pages torn from antique books bought at auction, exhibited and sold at their gallery, originally a room in their own building. In the 1960s they hit on the bright idea of making a number of bound collections consisting of a series of pages taken from books with a common provenance -- English, European etc. No two "books" could be the same, so they would be impossible to catalogue in the normal way. Folio at various times used different sidelines to make money, including their own LP record company and wine list. Most of these have been discussed at various times here.

There are all O'Brians for £520 starting bid:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Aubrey-Maturin-Series-by-Patrick-OBrian-...

No connection with the seller.

Slightly OT as it's not FS, but there's a bundle of 16 Westvaco slipcased limited editions going for $40 on Ebay.com which could present a bargain for anyone based in the U.S.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/lot-of-16-Westvaco-Limited-Edition-annual-releases-dated...

They've been sold now.

Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations (3 volumes) on eBay UK, ending 20.18 tonight, currently at £23.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Folio-Society-THE-WEALTH-OF-NATIONS-3X-Illustrated...

Sold by British Heart Foundation - no connection.

Absolute steal at the moment. Only UK-delivery alas..

Pinocchio - new £49.99+PP - ebay - not necessarily a bargain but not often seen.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pinocchio-By-Carol-Collodi-Folio-Society-Hard-Back-Boo...

Usual disclaimer.

>62 EclecticIndulgence:

I've seen cheaper. A real shame, considering how high the published price was.

I just bought the four volume The Greek World FS slipcased set including: The Persian Wars, The Lyric Age, The Hellenistic Age, The Classical Age. Also, I purchased the following Library of America hardcover Volumes: Debate on the Constitution Part 1 and Part 2, The American Revolution, Jefferson Writings, Lincoln Speeches and Writings 1859-1865 and Paine Collected Writings. All are in very fine condition. The total paid was $8.00. You are provided with a large canvas bag for that price and can fill and refill it over four days for that fee.

In a way it is sad to see these books being almost given away but it benefits our local library. The above books attracted no interest but the paperback Romances flew out the door.

>64 Forthwith:

Outstanding haul.

I heard one scream out "I found a Barbara Cartland and it's still got part of the front cover on it!"

>64 Forthwith: Congratulations, what an extraordinary find! The FS Greek World set is wonderful.

Anyone looking for a cheap "Stasiland"?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MB-Stasiland-Anna-Funder-/112454784848?hash=item1a2ed3...

Don't all rush now ...

>69 folio_books: Just bought me a copy. Only two left now. Thank you Glenn!

>70 Pellias:

You're welcome! Bargains'R'Us.

>69 folio_books: And from the same seller: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ex-Library-CLASSIC-SHORT-STORIES-American-Short-Storie...

ETA - And the bargain of the century: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ex-Library-Spelling-Flip-me-To-Be-Announced/3519890634...

>72 HuxleyTheCat:

Well, even with the library stamps and marks that's a stone-cold bargain. You seen this one, Øyvind?

>73 folio_books:
Bargain indeed; unfortunately, Øyvind speaks in four-letter words only :P

Here's one you don't see very often. In fact, this is the first time I've seen it:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Original-Leaves-from-Famous-English-Books-Folio-Societ...

>75 folio_books: Back in the day, the FS was notorious for buying and ripping apart collectible historic editions.

The BHF shop in Leeds has got three nice lots on ebay today:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/THE-GREAT-NOVELS-Hardback-Books-By-GRAHAM-GREENE-Folio...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Collection-Job-Lot-of-24x-Hardback-Books-by-FOLIO-SOCI...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GREAT-RUSSIAN-NOVELS-4x-Volumes-Hardback-Books-FOLIO-S...

Usual disclaimer.

spotted silmarillion + hobbit + 3 volume LOTR Folio LEs up on ebay auction , 4 days left, starting bid £1099; not sure if that counts as a good deal or not

>78 tarangurgi: not sure if that counts as a good deal or not

He's relisted this as it failed to sell at that price last week. In my opinion it is far from a good deal.

Edited for typo.

>78 tarangurgi: >80 folio_books: I think I saw the same seller trying to sell the set for £2000 a few weeks ago. I would love to own the set, but not at this price point.

>78 tarangurgi: I have the Silmarillion FS LE, and the regular volumes from FS. Nothing much differs than the binding, and slipcase, the text block look very much the same (from memory). Depends on how you value what are limited, and if you would pay for it.

Silmarillion are often sold alone for around £300 (£200 if lucky) same with the Hobbit. The triliogy is sold for around £600 (very seldom if ever, cheaper) that makes the equation 300+300+600 (600)= £12000) (which makes it pretty much accurate what is the marketprice)

The eition is not signed or anything, nothing much special that the bining .. and that it look nicer on the shelf, which is relative

Found this this morning: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Folio-Society-LIMITED-NUMBERED-Bible-with-Apocrypha-King...

Starting bid of 350 with no watchers and 4 days left to go. Significantly under list price. Don't know i this counts as this is my first time posting a deal and this is a bid and not a buy it now.

>80 folio_books:,>81 c_schelle:,>82 Pellias: thanks for the info and thoughts. I'm still not sure, will watch with interest

>83 Sorion: No watchers? I've been watching it getting relisted for months!

>85 gmacaree:

Yup, and taking a thin slice off the price along the way. And I still think a buyer would have to be desperate to pay that much.

>86 folio_books:

Really the value of it is that low on the secondary market? With a list of 795 and still being available on the FS website?

>87 Sorion:

Sorry, we're at cross purposes. I was still talking about the Tolkien set. If we're onto the Bible LE now (two volumes) I seem to recall seeing it at around £300-350. If that's not the case I have most definitely seen it no higher than £495. (I don't pay full attention as it's not one I'm looking for). That's not to say the average price being asked is not higher. My usual advice of "patience" applies.

Edited for omission.

Sorry didn’t realize we were talking about different things! When you're at work trolling eBay for books and checking LT at the same time you sometimes miss things in the efforts to not be noticed! Thank you for the extra information though.

>81 c_schelle: I think I saw the same seller trying to sell the set for £2000 a few weeks ago. I would love to own the set, but not at this price point.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a bid. £1099. From someone with zero feedback. Good luck with that, seller.

>90 folio_books: looks like it sold. Seems like it was a decent price after all. I did some searching after >82 Pellias: post and broadly agreed with Pelias' assessment, but not for me this time.

>91 tarangurgi: Seems like it was a decent price after all.

My opinion of a decent price is one I am prepared to pay. Same as everyone else, I suppose. This price point is far from what I am prepared to consider, so I'm happy to let it go.
The key is patience, and it has never let me down. If you want it tomorrow, be prepared to pay a lot more.

I've never really liked that LE treatment of the Tolkien books. I would very much like a LOTR LE, but would prefer one that seemed to more suit the subject matter.

>92 folio_books: the market decides a decent price a.k.a. a sale
>93 HuxleyTheCat: i'd certainly be interested in a different Tolkien set LE, ideally with tCoH added in

>94 tarangurgi: I think The Hobbit would make a splendid addition to the vellum-spine series.

>95 HuxleyTheCat: I just had to look that up ;) (FS books with vellum spines) , but yes I would agree

edited for clarity!

>95 HuxleyTheCat: Jeez, that's a great idea, Fiona. That format would provide a good size for the NEW illustrations to be brought to life. I love the binding scheme for the series: the gold stamped quarter-vellum is absolutely sharp, and the paper with multicolor foil decorations for the board(s) in this case could enable a fantastic binding illustration.

There is a copy of Do Androids.. on eBay for £65 including shipping to the UK:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Philip-K-Dick-DO-ANDROIDS-DREAM-OF-ELECT...

Usual disclaimer

The Folio 5-volume set of Macaulay's History of England from the Accession of James II, for £56 including UK P&P BuyItNow or Make Offer, seems very reasonable. I paid a lot more for my set direct from FS.

>99 cronshaw: I paid a lot more for my set direct from FS.

When it was first published (1986/87) it was done in two sets (2 and 3 volumes respectively) and at a prohibitive price. My memory declines to add to that but it was truly eye-watering. Over the years it's come down to a sensible level (as they all do, eventually). This one is very reasonable.

There is also a leather-bound edition which I have long pined for but you rarely see it.

>100 folio_books:

Curiosity led me to investigate the prohibitive price in the 1987 Prospectus: £90 in all, £34 for the first two volumes and £56 for the remaining three, which does seem a bit fierce remembering 1987 as I do. And then I started asking myself why I've yet to read Macaulay, and I rather liked the look of that initial Folio edition, and Ardis happened to have a Fine set in near-fine slipcases for £46.40 delivered. Not to buy would have seemed churlish. Thanks then >99 cronshaw: for enablement, if not quite of the most direct kind. The eBay set has to be a good bargain too.

>101 terebinth: £90 in all, £34 for the first two volumes and £56 for the remaining three, which does seem a bit fierce remembering 1987 as I do.

According to the Bank of England inflation checker that would be worth £232.32 in 2016 (and heaven knows how much today!) Definitely way beyond my means then.

Congratulations on your purchase. You have yourself a bargain, sir. I have little doubt you will enjoy Macaulay's prose.

>99 cronshaw: >100 folio_books: >101 terebinth:

I own this stunner. One of those sets that I knew I had to have when I first saw it.

NOT a good deal, but nonetheless, while flicking through Ardis I noticed he had a copy of the much yearned-for Master & Margarita. Anyone still pining may wish to know it's yours for only £190 (less 10% for members, of course).

>104 folio_books: Good grief!

>104 folio_books: >105 cronshaw: Per page that's pretty good compared to some of the ebay O'Brians :-)

ETA - And take a look at what the Waterstones Special Edition of the new Philip Pullman (original cost £35) is selling for (and look how many copies have gone straight on ebay. The world is full of greedy people and mugs.

>105 cronshaw: : Good grief!

Couldn't have said it better myself. A bit of a shocker.

>106 HuxleyTheCat: And take a look at what the Waterstones Special Edition of the new Philip Pullman (original cost £35) is selling for

That was quick, even for greedy people. I've only just finished reading the review, literally.

ETA So tell me, how much is it being listed for?

>107 folio_books: The default BIN price is £250.

I have to read this Master and Margarita before the year ends, and i will use cotton gloves when i read it, if i should sell it for £500 or something in some years .. i consider that book an investment (until they reprint of course)

`I just bought a book, in a sale, i didn`t know i were mining gold while doing it` ;) .. ahh (dreaming) ££££ + $$$$$ = NOK

>107 folio_books: >108 HuxleyTheCat: One went for £205 at auction a few hours ago.

>110 scratchpad:

I think i'll wait for the Folio three volume set.

A BuyItNow bargain on eBay for £22 plus £6 P&P: the richly illustrated and spectacularly bound three volume Italian Cities set, in seemingly fine condition (if there's no inscription or bookplates). No idea who the seller is.

Here's a batch that may go cheap as it's collection only from deepest, darkest Cornwall. Currently £15 for 13 books including two of the leatherbound poets series and the lovely Book of Common Prayer.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-collection-of-13-first-class-condition-H...

Usual disclaimers

>112 cronshaw:
Thanks for the heads up on the Cities set...took a shot at it given price

This lot is going shortly at only £15!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-collection-of-13-first-class-condition-H....

>115 Chawton: I'd be all over that, but am unable to go to Cornwall and pick it up (as >113 HuxleyTheCat: already pointed out, this'll go cheaply because of it).

>116 Fierylunar: 1 bid, £15 - a bargain for someone.

The Decameron Cream edition
https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Deluxe-Full-Cream-Leather-Boccaccio-Decam...

I'm not involved in the sale of this item, as already own it :) but I've seen it mentioned a few times on here

The fine edition of Walden has been put up on eBay. £88.31 Asking price. I want this book myself, but I'm out of budget.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.nl%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F...

>120 NLNils: Pretty normal price for this edition (my favorite).

>121 kdweber:

To join in the love-fest for this particular edition it's also my favourite of the three published by Folio. A beautiful book.

Piers the Plowman on eBay for $89.99 with free shipping. The same seller also has a Gita for $49.99. (Don't know the seller)

Abbeville rather than Folio (but Folio did sell it), I came across a copy of the fantastic Grand Medieval Bestiary in one of my usual haunts this morning, priced at £60. If anyone is interested send me a pm.

Here is a book I never knew about until seeing the ebay listing. Nor, perhaps less forgivably even for an American, did I know anything about the author. If he is half the poet as he was a licentious rake, he will be worth reading. His short life was quite interesting.: John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester.
The binding was enough to seduce me to purchase at an accepted offer 20% less than asking price.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Perfect-Imperfect-Enjoyments-Poems-By-J-Wilmot-Folio-So...

One of the rarest limited editions published by the Folio Society was the Illustrator's edition of Wind in the Willows published in 2005. It was the same as the standard edition but it was signed and came with a tipped in etching. There were only 150 copies. It was not the regular limited edition program book.
One is for sale on Abe for US$1650.
Not really a good deal, but interesting.
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=21895046643&searchurl=yrl%...

>126 wcarter:
No, not a good deal, but not out of line either. I paid just over $1500 for my copy several years ago. No regrets either.

>125 laotzu225: Congratulations, I would have paid the asking price had I seen it. If you are taken with the production values, might I recommend the folio press fine editions series published in the same era.

>128 xrayman: Thank you. I will keep an eye out as advised. And thanks to this group, the old prospectuses listings are available.
Having recently looked at some listings from the late 60s and early 70s to get background on a T.S. Eliot offering on eBay, it was interesting to see how FS has changed. It would have been fun to visit the "Club" back then.

>125 laotzu225: There is an even more limited version of that title (50 copies?), bound in full parchment as far as I recall. I did have a copy of the edition which you have acquired, but Wilmot's poetry was not at all to my taste and I gifted it to a friend here on LT who I knew would appreciate it rather more than I did. If you can get along with the 'licentious rake' then I'm sure you'll enjoy the book as it is a fine production.

>130 HuxleyTheCat: There is an even more limited version of that title (50 copies?)

50 copies is correct, bound in full vellum with an additional portfolio of illustrations. It's been on my "most wanted" list ever since I got the original issue.

>131 folio_books: Vellum, that's the stuff! I reckon that purchasers of Wilmot got the de Sade survey ;-)

>132 HuxleyTheCat: I reckon that purchasers of Wilmot got the de Sade survey

Ha! I can certainly see the connection. I do quite like Wilmot but de Sade - not at all. Sad to say I bought this on the secondary market so your theory remains temporarily unconfirmed.

>130 HuxleyTheCat: I'll see how I like the poems. For a Taoist, i' m a bit of a licentious rake myself.

>133 folio_books: I wonder if your copy of Wilmot was once owned by a government minister or Hollywood mogul... ?

>134 laotzu225: Working with sailors for over twenty years has rather diluted any prudish tendencies but, I have to admit, reading the Earl I may have blushed.

>135 HuxleyTheCat: I have to admit, reading the Earl I may have blushed.

Me too! Whereas reading the Marquis occasionally makes me want to throw up.

Is it a book you would even wish your wife or servants to read? As we used to ask when I was a youth. (The reference, for those too young or too foreign to recognise it, is to the trial of Lady Chatterley's Lover - a book considered rude at one time in the UK.)

And I notice that the FSD Group picture has been changed to a (reasonably chaste) image of this book. I wonder who did that?

>137 affle: I notice that the FSD Group picture has been changed to a (reasonably chaste) image of this book. I wonder who did that?

Not guilty, m'lud.

> 137 >138 folio_books: I fear I did, unintentionally. Still being unaware of how to include pictures in messages and stumbling about, I added two pictures of this book to the Group gallery (the other shows the binding). This just happens to be the last picture added.

>139 laotzu225: I added two pictures of this book to the Group gallery

Well done for admitting to it, but it's really not a problem and easily changed should anyone feel the need. As, indeed, you found out :)

I see no problem in the new group picture, it may be considered an obscenely adult version of YRTTD.

>141 xrayman: Hah!

Newton's Principia on eBay UK, ending tomorrow, currently £41.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-PRINCIPIA-MATHEMATICA-By-ISAAC-NEWTON-2...

>143 folio_books:

Nectar points...so weird :).

EBAY Pounds don't work for you guys (EBAY U.S. has EBAY Bucks)?

>144 MobyRichard: Nectar points

Nope, no eBay bucks or eBay pounds here. Nectar points are offered by a whole range of retailers, most commonly supermarkets, garages and the like. Personally, I've never had a use for them.

No affiliation, Ovid LE

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Metamorphoses-Ovid-Folio-Society-Limited-Edition-2008-N...

OT: not Folios, but a lot of 5 Westvaco books for only $5.99 plus shipping. I'd snap it myself if I didn't already own Listen! The Wind:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Westvaco-Books-Hard-Cover-with-Slipcase/222681791054?...

The Wealth of Nations, eBay uk, ending Sunday, currently £39.95, no bids:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Wealth-Of-Nations-Adam-Smith-Folio-Society-3-Volu...

Also Labyrinths (Borges) £14.99 2 bids, listed by Willen Hospice:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Labyrinths-Borges-by-the-Folio-Society/352208690199?h...

Usual disclaimer.

And finally, I noticed quite a few O'Brians ending on Sunday, early to mid-range, including The Reverse of the Medal, the Letter of Marque and Clarissa Oakes. Mostly sensible prices, but it's still early days.

Great deal on what looks like nice copy of Fahrenheit 451, second I've seen this month for $40.

Gives me hope I may eventually get a copy of The Master and Margarita for a decent price.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Folio-Society-2011-Fahrenheit-451-by-Ray-Bradbury/30254...

Anyone desperate for a complete set of the Rainbow Fairy Books? New in shrinkwrap?

Look no further:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOLIO-SOCIETY-Rainbow-Fairy-books-Andrew-Lang-12-Volu...

>150 folio_books: : Anyone desperate for a complete set of the Rainbow Fairy Books? New in shrinkwrap?

3000 quids, really ?

>151 Niurn:

Only if someone with more money than brain cells is prepared to pay it.

Yup, agreed. That bargain deal is one for the fairies....

Complete set of Raymond Chandler novels on eBay UK, currently £13.01.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Raymond-Chandler-The-Complete-Novels-Folio-Society-20...

The usual disclaimer.

For anyone chasing the white whale, aka. the Moby Dick LE, this could be an option for you:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/folio-society-limited-edition-MOBY-Dick/263385834526?...
Starting at £480.00 and ending noon saturday.

Usual disclaimer.

>155 c_schelle: For anyone chasing the white whale, aka. the Moby Dick LE

Ended at £480, no bids. This follows another copy a short time ago which ended at £395, no bids.

Note for sellers: Starting bids way too high, people.

That's a good trend to more reasonable prices...

>156 folio_books: Ended at £480, no bids.

Relisted at £499. Numpty.

>158 folio_books:

Was £480 start, now £499 buy-it-now - doesn't seem a particularly silly change to me, I'd guess it's likely enough to sell within a month or two.

The Benedictional of St Aethelwold, "as new", ending tomorrow morning on eBay UK, £170 Buy It Now.

Oxfam UK has launched a new online sale today, including a few interesting Folio volumes. See here: https://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop (I'd recommend searching "Folio" or "Folio Society" under books).

At the time of writing, The Benedictional of St Aethelwold at £115 and Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings by Jorge Luis Borges at £37.50 struck me as excellent value, even after the postage surcharges for courier delivery. I've got my eye on the The Tomb of Tutankhamun, but someone appears to have had that in their basket ever since I got onto the website. It wouldn't still be there if it were up to me!

Oxfam generally know where to pitch books so you seldom get a great deal, perhaps slightly below second hand market value, often higher!

Good for OOP books if you can't find them elsewhere.

I noticed that Folio limited edition of Moby Dick is gone. Did anyone here get it?

I was just pretty amazed to see that Oxfam want 80 Pounds for a used edition of Jane Eyre that's still available for under 35 Pounds on the FS website. Two Fairy Books cost only 2 Pounds less than on the FS website. There are some good deals, especially The Tomb of Tutankhamun, but also some really strange price decisions. I'd like to know how they come up with those prices?

>164 SF-72: "I'd like to know how they come up with those prices?"

On more than one occasion in more than one shop, I've been told that the elaborately scientific Oxfam method of pricing consists of looking at AbeBooks and taking a roughly average price. As proper pricing usually takes account of condition, Oxfam's prices are frequently bizarre. It works both ways, though, and I have got some great bargains there over the years. Caveat emptor!

>165 boldface: the elaborately scientific Oxfam method of pricing consists of looking at AbeBooks and taking a roughly average price.

I've just returned here after trawling through the 400-odd titles they are selling. I found three I don't have but none of the three competitively priced. I can only agree with people here that the pricing can most kindly be described as idiosyncratic and Jonathan's explanation above would explain it very nicely. There is no evidence of any overarching expertise. OTOH, as others have noted, there are some interesting titles. The most surprising, for me, was "The Earliest Chemical Industry", which I don't have. I am not prepared to go as high as £100, though. They also have a few of the Folio Press Fine Editions, prices varying from cheap to reasonable. And a Folio Press Complete Shakespeare in 37 volumes for (I think) £350. That's a scarce set.

Worth a look but don't be surprised if you spend much of the time looking at the prices and enquiring "Are you kidding me?"

> 165 boldface

Thank you. That explains it.

It's the last day of World of Rare Books' best sale, 50% off any order for three titles or more with free UK shipping: https://www.worldofrarebooks.com/ . Descriptions are variously unclear or off-putting, so it's hard to be at all sure of exactly what you're getting, but I've been as often pleasantly as unpleasantly surprised. Plently of Folio titles under £10 when halved, quite a number under £5. I couldn't resist acquiring a second copy of the Folio Fine Press Memoirs of Scott, £4.70 or thereabouts and sounding very presentable. I'll find someone to pass it on to, either a Scott enthusiast or a lover of fine books yet to be bitten by the bug for this series.

The Folio Leaves of Grass must be a bargain for someone at less than £36, https://www.worldofrarebooks.com/leaves-of-grass-by-walt-whitman.html , if it's in as good a state as claimed.

>161 MST-3000: "I've got my eye on the The Tomb of Tutankhamun, but someone appears to have had that in their basket ever since I got onto the website. It wouldn't still be there if it were up to me!"
Sorry, guilty, that must have been frustrating! I spent all afternoon trying to pay for my basket and getting a sorry message from the website. When I phoned (as per the help instructions) I was told that the site was congested and there was nothing they could do, I was to keep trying, and everythime I did it gave me another half hour. Eventually I logged out of the site, then quickly logged in and reloaded my basket without losing anything and that sorted it. The Tut was the only Folio I wanted, but there were another seven books....

>166 folio_books: "And a Folio Press Complete Shakespeare in 37 volumes for (I think) £350. That's a scarce set."
I'd noticed that there previously (so it wasn't on sale), I haven't seen a set come up since I bought mine a few years ago on eBay and it is a favourite amongst favourites, though it is a bit heavy on shelf length.

>168 terebinth: "I've been as often pleasantly as unpleasantly surprised"
Ditto! Thanks for the heads up though. I managed to find another pile of books to order... though again not Folios.

>169 Edal:

I've just been back there for my fifth, and definitely last, pile of books from the sale: a few further inexpensive Folio titles (Egypt Revealed, John Fothergill's Diary, Kropotkin) but mostly from the likes of Ronald Fraser, Llewelyn Powys, Percy Lubbock, Brocard Sewell. After that influx the Folio New Year Sale will have to be exceptional if I'm not to be unresponsive.

There is a Ulysses LE for £250 currently on eBay:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ulysses-James-Joyce-Folio-Society-Ltd-Edn-2004-178-of...

If I wasn't on a spending pause for LEs I think I would get it.

Usual disclaimer.

>171 c_schelle: There is a Ulysses LE for £250 currently on eBay:

Actually I think the LE is poor value compared with the "fine" edition at £125. I'll buy the latter when it appears with a decent discount in a sale, which is how I came to acquire Finnegans Wake.

The Benedictional of St Aethelwold on eBay UK, ending tomorrow, £130 BIN plus postage. "Like new". Now THAT'S a bargain.

No connection.

>173 folio_books: My resolution not to buy books I can't read remains firm and unshakeable. My resolution not to buy books I can't read remains firm and unshakeable. My resolution ...

>174 gmacaree:

Sorry I was the bearer of bad news ...

>173 folio_books:
Many thanks for the heads up. I just Purchased at £130. Looks a very good deal

>176 frostymaxim:

Congratulations! It's a splendid book and you got it for peanuts.

>177 folio_books:
Received the benedictional today and it was in sublime condition. Doubt the books have been opened. So glad of the heads up. Limited editions are generally beyond me so am doubly happy

>178 frostymaxim:

Delighted to hear it. I got my copy at a very good price, but not as good as yours. So pleased it went to another Devotee. Need to keep looking out for these LE bargains :)

A potentially huge bargain on eBay UK, ending Sunday:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sir-Thomas-Malorys-Chronicles-of-King-Arthur-Set-x3-B...

I don't think the seller (a charity) realises this is the rare leatherbound set of Malory's Chronicles. The current bid is a desultory £16.51.

>180 folio_books: I don't think the seller (a charity) realises this is the rare leatherbound set of Malory's Chronicles.

Although the seller’s description makes no mention of it, I believe that this set with the special full leather binding was signed by Edward Bawden on the half-title page of volume one.

>181 bookfair_e:

True.

The seller will not post to the U.S. Has anyone ever used another FSD member as a trans-shipper?

The damage to the front board of volume three (zoom in on image 3) is rather severe.

>184 bookfair_e:

Yes, indeed. I hadn't noticed that. It'll knock a significant amount off its value.

>184 bookfair_e:

£36.11. That's fair, given the condition.

There is a Queen Mary Atlas LE being sold on eBay for £350 (Buy it now):

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FOLIO-SOCIETY-THE-QUEEN-MARY-ATLAS-Numbered-Limited-E...

Usual disclaimer.

For those so inclined there is a copy of Tractatus de Herbis for sale on ebay at roughly 82 dollars current bid price.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Tractatus-de-Herbis-Herbal-Full-goatskin-limited-editio...

I've never even heard of this particular edition before which leads me to believe some on here might be pleased to know of it.

>188 Sorion:
It is a beautiful facsimile book well worth purchasing. I already have a copy, so will not be competition.
See:-
https://www.flickr.com/photos/warwick_carter/25293588081/in/photolist-Ex7fwe-VzJ...

>188 Sorion:

Argh, dammit, busted. Now i have serious competition !

>190 Niurn:

Hah, no competition from me I assure you, I don’t collect this sort of book. I make no promises for others on here though!

>190 Niurn: It's on my watch list but only as a curiousity; you're welcome to it :)

>189 wcarter: It is a beautiful facsimile book well worth purchasing.

Just seconding Warwick's opinion. The leather binding is one of Folio's sumptuous best and the illustrations are a thing of beauty.

I do not know enough of this series, but this seems like a steal (at the moment) to me.

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-History-of-England-the-Folio-Society-All-12-volumes/2...

>194 NLNils: Wow that is a steal!

The ... "twelve histories of england" seems to vary chaotically in price. Who knows what it is actually worth!

>194 NLNils: >195 Sorion: >196 harvestRoad: Apparently! It didn’t go yesterday afternoon. I looked up past results and they vary greatly but most are incomplete/partial sets thus no real reference.

>197 NLNils:

I'm seeing just two complete sets that have sold in recent months, one at £72 which was then for some reason re-listed and subsequently sold for £51, and the other for an offer that must have been slightly under £51. The current set appears in better condition than either of those and has to be a bargain for anyone who's seeking it, but demand for the series does seem low at present.

>198 terebinth: Informative! Thank you.

There's a still sealed Master And Margarita on ebay for about £150(current bid), but i warn anyone seeking that rarity that it is translated by Pevear and Volkhonsky, which in my opinion makes it almost obsolete. Although probably better than Michael Glenny, i'd say this is for people who have read the book and only want this extremely pretty edition for superficial reasons.

I am willing to fight for my opinion on P&V (misjudged mrs. Garnett is leagues better), as people fight for justice in this world, even at times when it seems hopeless.

Your quest is not hopeless. It is P&V that are hopeless. Utterly shocking translators. You should read their translation of Leskov's short stories. The only book I have ever mishandled in my life - the translation so bad and frustrating, I threw the blasted thing at the wall after 40 pages.

Not a stone-cold bargain as such but at last I have been able to acquire a very fine copy of Young's Night Thoughts, illustrated by William Blake. This has topped my list of most-wanted LEs since I got the Letterpress Sonnets and Poems in December. Not many to go now. Should anyone be interested, the new number one on my list is the much less ambitious Aeneid, which I'm still kicking myself for letting go when it was on offer, before it disappeared. I see copies on eBay occasionally, but not below my ceiling price. Abe prices are, as usual, stupid.

>202 folio_books: Congratulations on the get, Glenn! I couldn’t find what the original sale price was for the LE Aeneid, care to clue me in? I’m not in the market, just wondering how big the gap is between then and now. Happy hunting!

>203 NLNils: I bought my copy in 2010 from the FS for $375 (US) including shipping. I assume the UK pricing was roughly half of that.

>203 NLNils: I couldn’t find what the original sale price was for the LE Aeneid

The full price was £195 but it was on offer for somewhat less than that. I'm afraid I can't remember exactly. I'm not interested in paying more than the original price,

>205 folio_books:

Congratulations, Glenn.

>202 folio_books:

Very good news. Enjoy!

>206 ironjaw:
>207 drasvola:

Thanks, guys. I'm still in the drooling phase.

The much sought-after Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, eBay UK, ending on Sunday. Currently £12.50. Sold on behalf of British Heart Foundation.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-THE-WEALTH-OF-NATIONS-By-ADAM-SMITH-3-B...

to be honest, I’m going for it and bidding. Thanks Glenn!

>210 ironjaw:

Best of luck, Faisel - I'll keep my fingers crossed for you :)

It's always like the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle here...the moment you point out a good auction deal, it will soon become a bad deal by way of increased attention.

>212 MobyRichard:

I'm not sure what the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle is, but I am (mostly) sure that people would rather hear about a potential must-have in advance than curse missing it after the event.

>213 folio_books:

Just a little joke. Basically you can't observe some phenomenon without affecting that phenomenon in some way.
Although I'm told, as I double-check my definition, that I am confusing the principle with the 'observer effect,'
whatever that is.

Keep sharing!

A copy of William Barnes Dorset Poems – Folio Press Fine Edition.
£14.99 + £2.80 P&P. Buy it Now, From Oxfam on ebay.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dorset-Poems-William-Barnes-The-Folio-Society-1989/13...

>216 Rodomontade:
I am ashamed to say that the vendor comes from the tiny town of Warroo in western NSW, Australia, about 300 km. West of Sydney.
On the other hand, a nearby town is the appropriately named Bogan Gate (a bogan is a hill-billy, or simpleton).
Unfortunately, such con artists sometimes catch the unwary and make their desired illicit profit.
On the other hand, he is also selling numerous other FS books at quite reasonable prices.

>214 MobyRichard: Just a little joke.

So was mine ;)

>215 bookfair_e:

That's a great bargain.

>211 folio_books:

Thanks Glenn. Let’s see what happens

On another point. I quite like these posts, it shows that we all are a community helping out and pointing out deals that the other member might miss out. I’ve got most folio books that I want and if I see one that I already have and find a deal, we’ll sure I would point it out to other members here. It would be my pleasure to see others acquire and enjoy the books that enjoy as well

If anyone's interested, there's the leather bound set of The French Revolution (1989) on ebay at the moment. Not cheap - opening price of £450.

>220 malc79:

Very interested and I'm watching it, but just to see if it sells. £450 is way over my price ceiling for this one, no matter how gorgeous it looks,

>209 folio_books: >210 ironjaw: It went for a pittance, did a Devotee get lucky?

>202 folio_books: Not a stone-cold bargain as such but at last I have been able to acquire a very fine copy of Young's Night Thoughts, illustrated by William Blake.

Followed very quickly by another major LE acquisition, The Diary of Samual Pepys. It's the slipcased version (I've heard too many moans about the bookcase) and it is number 634 of 1000, in immaculate condition. It was number five on my must-have LE list, down so low because I already had an incomplete set (missing the year 1660, the Companion and the Index). This was listed almost within my price ceiling but I negotiated a reduction with the seller anyway.

Which leaves me with an incomplete set, the destiny of which I have yet to decide - possibly eBay, possibly my local charity shop. If anyone has alternative suggestions (I'm not looking to sell) you're welcome to PM me.

>223 folio_books: Was the the set for sale on Abe from a place in the midwest US?

Got a fine copy of The Raven by Poe, part of their mid 90s standalone poems collection.

I shall dream about rare FS books without hope of ever acquiring them, nevermore!

>224 Sorion: was the the set for sale on Abe from a place in the midwest US?

I bought it on eBay from a UK seller.

>222 NLNils:

Nope I decided not to go for it.

>223 folio_books:
Glenn, congratulations on acquiring the full The Diary of Samual Pepys LE. There is nothing more worrying than having an incomplete set. It’s like a thorn that keeps on reminding you. I have the same thing with my 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica - a second set I bought missing volume 1.

I really cherish my Pepys; it’s second to Moby Dick LE. I too have it without the oak case and bought it from another member here on LT, which at the time I couldn’t believe was letting it go.

>223 folio_books: There is nothing more worrying than having an incomplete set.

Too true. I was naive enough to imagine I might find the missing volumes eventually, but that was probably about ten years ago. People are not parting with this set as individual volumes. As for my new acquisition, I'm still gazing lovingly at the books, displayed prominently, of course :)

>226 folio_books: Ahh. I had a similarly numbered set in my cart and just didn't pull the trigger. Thought it might have been the same set. Congratulations!

>229 Sorion:

Thank you. I wish you the best of good fortune for next time :)

I am letting go off a number of LEs, and for those interested, please send me a PM. The LEs are

Alice in Wonderland
Don Quixote
Les Miserables
Letterpress Hamlet
Letterpress King Lear
Letterpress Romeo and Juliet
Moby Dick
Night Thoughts
Toilers of the Seas
Ulysses

Thank you.

Shorter Oxford English Dictionary Folio Society Limited Edition Leather Binding – Buy it Now on ebay - £149.99 + £9 P&P

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Shorter-Oxford-English-Dictionary-Folio-Society-Limit...

It seems like a good deal to me – I paid more for my copy last year, also on ebay.

Usual disclaimers – the seller is not known to me.

(OT) - Two different deals I came upon yesterday. Original serialised early publications of James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake and Ulysses on Catawiki. Reserve prices are stiff, but maybe there are avid collectors among us.

Finnegan’s Wake as a unnamed publishing:

https://veiling.catawiki.nl/kavels/17239199-james-joyce-finnegans-wake-two-world...

Ulysses unauthorized publication (pirated):

https://veiling.catawiki.nl/kavels/17237841-james-joyce-ulysses-in-two-worlds-mo...

If your not interested, I found it unique enough to share and for the Devotees to look at.

There's a 'special hand-bound' version (i.e. full leather with marbled text block edges) of The Duke's Children LE going for less than half the Folio RRP, BuyItNow for £170 plus £9 P&P on eBay currently. No idea who the seller is. However, there does appear to be a production flaw in the marbling which is not specifically mentioned in the listing. The marbling of the top (and possibly bottom - it's hard to see in the images provided) edge appears to have overlapped that of the vertical edge by a few millimetres, creating a horizontal border within the marbling at the end of that long edge. However, that could well be worth bearing with for the much reduced price, for anyone keen to acquire this particular edition.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Duke-s-Children-Trollope-Folio-Society-Limited-Ed...

>235 cronshaw:
I'm sorely tempted at that price....time to look at my budget 😀

>236 frostymaxim: Sorry for any budget-straining enablement 😊

I see there's another copy presently being auctioned on eBay, with a day and half left to run, currently at about £65. 'About' because it's actually $90, being offered by a U.S. seller, with eBay's Global Shipping to the UK a hefty £52. Although the total including international delivery is still below that of the British BuyItNow one above, I'd be surprised if it's not ambushed by a couple of American FAD sufferers during the last seconds of auction.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390-1980-2015-Folio-Society-Special-Book-The-Dukes-Ch...

>237 cronshaw: They have actually a lot of other interesting LEs (Alice, Moby Dick, Night Thougths, Japan, St Edmond King and Martyr, Aeneid, War and Peace, Getty Apocalypse, Winchester Psalter, First Folio of Shakespeare). With the high shipping cost and import taxes most of them are not interesting for me, but could be for others.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/associated-estate-company/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&a...

So on EBay right now is the Life of St Edmond King and Martyr. Currently at 90 dollars bid with a day to go. I don’t go for fascimile’s in general but interesting none the less!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2004-Folio-Society-Facsimile-The-Life-of-St-Edmond-King...

I've never purchased a book from USA. I've read about import tax or is it customs tax...I'm. Not sure. But anyway, h ow does it work? Cost wise

>240 frostymaxim:

There's VAT and a hefty charge for collecting it levied by the Post Office on most items from outside the EU valiued at over a certain amount - £15 or thereabouts? - but no tax at all on books. USA to UK postage is punitive, though: typically around £15 - £20 for a modestly sized volume. Some bulk shippers have ways around that, and far lower rates.

>240 frostymaxim: It's our (UK) revenue and customs which are the ones you need to be concerned with and, in short, you won't pay any, so if the book's price together with p&p is acceptable to you then that is what you will pay.

Thanks all

>240 frostymaxim: There are two different types of tax that you can theoretically be stung with when you import books from the USA.

The first is VAT. Books and magazines are zero-rated for VAT in the UK, so in theory you should not be charged any, but if you are buying fringe-book items then it is worth making sure that the person you buy them from declares them as books. For example, I once bought a small collection of folding maps from someone in Canada on Ebay, and these were assessed as liable for VAT when they went through UK customs. The problem was that the sender put down "maps" on the customs declaration, and the person who examined the parcel in UK customs, whom I assume must have been having a bad day, treated the maps as if they had been framed and glazed (in which case they would indeed have been liable for VAT).

The second possible tax is import duty. This is not applied to any parcel with a "value" of £135 or less, but above £135 the rules are not as clear as they should be - they are not published online, for example. As a guideline, about ten years ago I imported a collection of 1920s fashion magazines from the USA which had cost me about £6000; import duty was charged on the parcel at 5%. Note that the word "value" in this context means the value of the goods as declared on the customs form, plus what you paid for postage, packing and insurance (which should also be declared on the form).

In practice, books should sail through UK customs without a hitch. If customs do assess a charge on your parcel, though, then this charge is collected by the company that delivers the parcel, and they will add something on top to cover the service they are providing. Royal Mail make a charge of about £8 or so, but I have heard that some courier companies levy unreasonable charges in these circumstances.

>239 Sorion: And in the end this LE went for $405 + shipping - considerably more than it's worth. Do you think the bidders passed up on the 5 copies on Abe that are listed for under $400 (as low as $280 including shipping) because the title was misspelled in the listing?

Don't you mean the "bidders?"

>238 c_schelle: I ended up purchasing the LE Alice from this seller on ebay. I felt remorseful that I didn't buy the book from FS before it sold out, but it is quite a splurge for me and it took a long time to talk myself into it (a bit too long, in fact).

The default shipping is media mail, which I don't believe is trackable, so I am paying a little more for shipping ($16 vs $6) for FedEx and having it delivered to my work so it won't sit outside my house all day.

By my calculations I saved $200 over what I would have paid FS, so I'm pleased, and can live with the ding on the box.

>245 kdweber: I guess in the end it’s worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it! I’m not a fan of fascimiles in general but if someone loves them I can’t fault them 400 dollars for it.

I’m honestly not sure how many people know about Abebooks. Also so many sellers on Abe are lazy and provide little information about the books they’re selling and no pictures. It’s hard to trust buying from someone when they can’t do what is now considered the bare minimum for selling on the internet.

I’m very happy with the price I paid this seller for Night Thoughts. It will be awhile before I can purchase any other volumes, but no regrets.

>247 wdripp:

All USPS Media Mail now has a tracking number by default. One used to have to purchase tracking separately, for a $1 or whatever, but a couple of years ago they started including it by default. The trick, though, is in getting the seller to actually copy the tracking number from their receipt into the selling platform (eBay, Abe, etc...) so you have access to it.

>249 Powderfinger69: I’ve haven’t seen it for less then 800 dollars in the last year so you should be!

>247 wdripp: Congratulations. I think it's a good deal. Including shipping to Germany the van Sandwyk Alice was about as much as I paid for it directly buying from them. Considering the import tax, I would have had to pay more. They currently also have the facsimile Alice at 90$ not including shipping.

>249 Powderfinger69: That's a good price. I would also like to have it, but I will be patient.

Edit: Corrected the info about the facsimile Alice.

The 2008 fine edition of the Kelmscott Chaucer on eBay UK, ending Sunday 20:05, currently £37 (I expect it will rise considerably in the meantime, but you never know ... )

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Geoffrey-Chaucer-Facsimile-of-Kelmscott-Press-Ed-1896...

>253 folio_books: I looked into it out of interest, but I find Gothic Type hard to read and very slow going. Something to consider.

>253 folio_books: As physically impressive as that Folio is, I found it to be more oversized ornament than readable volume and parted with it without regret.

>255 cronshaw: I found it to be more oversized ornament than readable volume

Even its mother wouldn't say it was easily readable. You need a proper reading desk or a lectern or something of that sort. I made a valiant attempt at reading it in bed, with me lying more or less alongside the book but that wasn't doing my back any good. If I want to read it now it has to go on the dining table with me standing. So no, not one to take on the commute.

Could have been worse - could have splashed out a grand on the LE ...

OT, because the abject opposite of good deals: Ardis has listed Blue at the Mizzen and The Hundred Days at £500 each and The Yellow Admiral for £520. They make his £200 for The Master and Margarita seem a relative bargain.

>257 cronshaw:

Only "coughs" £450 and £468 respectively for existing customers, though, so it's worth making another purchase first. Or, better still , instead.

I've just watched (last few days) a shrinkwrapped copy of Blue at the Mizzen fail to find a buyer on eBay at £450 so Robert's greed may be outstripping his likely profit. He's maybe been taking lessons in how not to sell from Island Books.

Edited for correction: It was The Yellow Admirall, not Blue at the Mizzen.

>259 folio_books:

Ah, booksellers are patient: no harm to them in starting with a relatively ambitious price and then making a reduction or two after a while if no sale is forthcoming. My Temple of Flora and complete Folio Trollope both came from Ardis, and I think each was reduced at least twice before arriving at the agreeably modest sums I paid, somewhere around £300 each. If I were lacking any late O'Brians, though, I expect I would be lacking them at least semi-permanently.

>257 cronshaw: - >259 folio_books: The man runs a unique business selling secondhand Folio books: he's honest and provides a service which many of us here have used. If he can find a buyer at those prices then kudos to him, some recent sales have indicated that he may well be able to do so, and if that's the case he'll be able to pay rent and rates for a few days. I'm sorry Glenn, but I think it's a little disingenuous to compare Ardis to Island books, as one thing Robert certainly doesn't do is buy new from Folio and immediately double the price.

>260 terebinth: If I were lacking any late O'Brians, though, I expect I would be lacking them at least semi-permanently.

You'd have to be both insane and a lottery winner to pay the prices now being asked. I am in the position of lacking the last three so it very much looks like I will remain so at least for the foreseeable future. (shrug). No biggie, it hasn't stopped me reading them. Now, if there really was such a thing as karma, Folio would be printing abundant copies of the hard-to-get O'Brians even as we speak and greedy resellers the world over would be left regretting their folly. Sadly, planet earth is not the place to look for justice. Not even from the Folio Society.

"Relatively ambitious". That's a good one ...

If one has the money, and bothers not to wait. Then the chance of buying is present, be it expensive or cheap. The lust of the object is what counts. That is why the new price on Ardis Moby Dick is £800 .. one would not get rich in selling FS volumes, but would now and again make a good deal, and for certain get some free meals to go with it

>261 HuxleyTheCat: I know you're a fan of Ardis, Fiona. As am I, mostly.

If I can just take you back to the beginning of this thread, post >4 HuxleyTheCat: specifically:

Good grief, Glenn! Partly I'm thinking that you post with a degree of irony, but, on the other hand...

£860 for the nine I'm missing = a tad too high for my liking.

Mmm, that was the last nine books we were discussing, so including the last three that Robert now prices at £1520. There's no kudos in ripping people off.

We can at least agree that Ardis and Island are poles apart in their approach and customer service and I gladly do so. Island is an ugly blemish we can very easily live without (and I do hope he's reading this). I will continue to buy gladly from Ardis at sensible prices but he's having a laugh with the O'Brians, sorry.

Edited to add reference.

>263 Pellias: That is why the new price on Ardis Moby Dick is £800.

That is why you can rest assured I'll not be buying my copy of Moby Dick from Ardis. The last one I watched on eBay failed to sell at £400.

He's not the only one trying to make an enormous profit out of Moby Dick, though.

Island Books were a member on LT some years ago, maybe still - true? .. and do Robert follow LT - true? .. would some of the blame of the higher prices be for FSD - true? - if Robert would make a good deal now and again, i would be happy for him. All those books, some never sell, a few are very highly demanded.

>265 folio_books: He sold a Moby Dick volume for £800 a few months back if i can remember correctly. I do not believe this is the same volume

>266 Pellias:

Island Books posted quite recently so I assume he's still around and, hopefully, still reading.

>267 Pellias: He sold a Moby Dick volume for £800 a few months back

What a strange thing the economics of Folio Books is! Robert gets £800 for his copy. My wee guy couldn't raise £400 for his. Granted, Ardis has a reputation that makes one willing to pay a little more for but even so ...

I'm not saying his O'Brians will never sell, but I think it'd be a crying shame if they did. Or should I perhaps be thinking that the more idiots pay outrageous prices for books the quicker they'll come down in price to a reasonable level?

The only thing I can say with certainty is that I would never pay that much for Moby Dick or the O'Brians or anything near to those prices.

Guess they're not going to feature on my shelves anytime soon.

>264 folio_books: I will continue to buy gladly from Ardis at sensible prices but he's having a laugh with the O'Brians, sorry.

I can't agree. A sensible price to pay for a book and a sensible price to ask for it are quite different things. A few thousand pounds for, say, an Ian Fleming first edition is an absolutely bomkers price to me, and would be even if I wanted to read him, but might be a perfectly sensible price for a book dealer to ask. In the case of the O'Brians, and Moby Dick for that matter, Ardis' prices aren't absurdly removed from what folk have been paying for the books lately. If Ardis had listed the O'Brian books at prices you wouldd be willing to pay, you probably wouldn't have had a sniff at them anyway as they would have sold within hours or more likely minutes, very possibly to someone else who would have put them on eBay directly. Not the way to run a business.

Maybe Ardis' late O'Brians will sell within a month or two at their present prices, maybe they'll be reduced in due course to, say, £400, £350 even. Surely, though, he's doing the sensible thing in starting them off at prices which, on recent evidence, the market may just stand? I readily confess that were I dealing in books, and particularly were I specialiizing in the FS, I would do pretty much the same myself. The point of the activity is to keep at least a roof over one's head and food on the table.

>269 terebinth:

There is no way I could accept that "£400, £350 even" represents a reasonable price for a single volume in this series. Personally I wouldn't be going within a country mile of three figures. I can therefore only agree with "If Ardis had listed the O'Brian books at prices you would be willing to pay, you probably wouldn't have had a sniff at them" and acknowledge I am unlikely ever to own them, certainly not in the short term.

So .. okay, let's agree to differ.

>270 folio_books:

Are we even differing? If I didn't have those volumes, I wouldn't be going within a country mile of paying three figures for them either. But if you're saying that, as a book dealer in the present climate, you wouldn't be pricing them well into three figures... I'll just take leave to doubt whether you would be in business for long, unless you had started out with a fortune so large that you could spend the rest of your days reducing it to a small one ;)

I'm taking my last three O'Brians to the bank on Monday - along with YRTtD (which I got for a bargain £750 from Inland Books before the price rocketed). I can no longer afford the insurance at home. At least I don't feel so bad now using my First Folio as a door stop.

>264 folio_books: I wouldn't use the term 'fan' but I think that living in such close proximity and having visited a few times maybe gives a different perspective on the nature of the business. The actual selling price of the later O'Brians has undoubtedly risen steeply over the last few months and the sums which provoked incredulity last August may be considered somewhat of a good deal now. At the present time they are sums which I am not prepared to pay, but if my disposable income suddenly greatly increased then I may well be tempted to complete the set at those crazy prices and thus give myself the very pleasurable experience of completing my first read-through of the series in the Folio edition rather than turning to the somewhat less pleasurable paperbacks or waiting indefinitely. I don't think I'm entirely insane, yet, but I would consider spending the cash on something which would give me both immediate and lasting pleasure to be a far better investment than sitting in the bank losing value: the same rationale I used for some of the more expensive Folio LEs I have acquired.

We are such a various crew. I think I would settle for passable trade hardbacks of the late O'Brians rather than pay the current prices, quite regardless of my income. There would always, to me, be something more interesting or worthwhile that I or someone else could do with the cash. Then, I'm not a real book collector. There's a recent thread here on Folio Society series which is the first thread I've ever set to "ignore", just because after visiting it a few times I realised I will never have the foggiest interest in being directed to or informed about books that share a style of binding.

>274 terebinth: The issue for me is that trade editions published in the UK are almost uniformly nasty in their materials and construction, which is why I started collecting Folio editions in the first place: the degree of pleasure which comes from reading a Folio edition is many times greater than the usual price differential. When the price differential becomes as wide as that currently being displayed in relation to the later O'Brians the cost benefit analysis will necessarily be of a different order, but, given sufficient disposable income, there would come a point at which I would deem even such large sums to be worth paying.

>275 HuxleyTheCat:

I have all the HarperCollins trade hardbacks which were issued in uniform format in the 1990s. Apart from Geoff Hunt's magnificent artwork on the dust jackets, I agree with you, Fiona, about their lack of quality. The pages are now going distinctly brown at the edges.

>275 HuxleyTheCat:

I quite agree re. the nastiness of general UK trade editions, but I'm thankful not to be so affected by it as to deprive me of the ability to read the various books that only exist in general trade editions and experience reasonably fully whatever the texts can bring me. I've bought more than a few Folio LEs to experience the particular joys and wonders of their design and quality: I've paid significant amounts for difficult to obtain texts, in whatever edition there was, in order to be able to have and read them at all. So I'm just admitting that, for me, the difference between reading a standard Folio edition and a trade hardback isn't so very marked, and long before I was ready to pay hundreds of pounds for that difference I would find myself thinking it time that the money were someone else's instead. Probably if I weren't so lazy my last few Folio O'Brians would be on the market by now.

>261 HuxleyTheCat: "The man runs a unique business selling secondhand Folio books: he's honest and provides a service which many of us here have used."

Looking at this issue from a different angle, honest booksellers are not going to able to offer the later O'Brians cheaply for the simple reason that they will be unable to buy them cheaply.

If any of us were to offer a copy of Blue at the Mizzen, The Hundred Days or The Yellow Admiral to Ardis or indeed any other reputable seller, I think we would be unimpressed if the response was "it would be unreasonable for me to sell these on at more than the original asking price, so I'll give you £20 each".

>259 folio_books: I've just watched (last few days) a shrinkwrapped copy of The Yellow Admiral fail to find a buyer on eBay at £450

If you look closely at Ebay sold records, you will see that the seller immediately relisted this book together with the Nutmeg of Consolation and Blue at the Mizzen for a buy-it-now price of £950, and they sold straight away. That suggests the seller received an offer for the three during the auctions or immediately afterwards.

I've just diaried a note to myself to revisit the market price of the later O'Brians in a year's time. Interesting to see if market value and my idea of a reasonable price will have converged at all.

>277 terebinth:
I have all the FS O'Brians, bought partly to fill gaps, partly to provide a longer-lasting edition. I have to admit I got more pleasure from reading the old paperbacks, now tossed, than from reading the Folios. There's something about those dull postcard-sized landscapes and dingy portraits that casts a pall on the lively prose. I'd have been happy with a plain trade edition too. I suppose I'm a reader rather than a collector.

I think island books went through a bankruptcy and hard financial time as a bookseller and was trying to raise as much as possible. I don’t really mind if some sellers are selling their books at higher rates - they usually go right back down as no one buys them - I am patient. I’ve seen one seller selling one limited edition - an obscure edition - that I was interested in and it sold from a private collection on ebay for £30 (I lost the auction) but he bought it and put on straight away at £250 and then later £500 for two years and then now it’s down at £199 and I am sure when it hits £50 I’ll buy it.

I know, I am patient.

>282 ironjaw: I know, I am patient.

Patience is always the key, Faisel. That's the first rule of collecting Folios and it has never let me down.

>253 folio_books: My phone didn't update the ticker properly, so it showed me having the highest bid with 1 min remaining while in actuality it was already sold. A pity really, but then again, I don't need it need it. Was anyone here the lucky buyer? If so, congrats on what appears to be a steal!

The elusive Master and Margarita is on eBay UK, ending tomorrow, BIN for £99.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/THE-MASTER-AND-MARGARITA-MIKHAIL-BULGAKOV-FOLIO-SOCIE...

I'm told that counts as a bargain in these crazy price-gouging days.

The four volume Folio Press Restoration Comedy set - £32.50 back in 1974 - seems an absolute snip for £17.50 plus postage in 2018:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/352278372725?

>286 terebinth:

That's a super bargain for somebody. Anyone thinking of bidding would be advised to ask about the binding of volume one. My first two sets had an identical problem - the cover of volume 1 detaching. When I found a third set I asked the seller to check his copy and sure enough, volume one was beginning to detach.

Eventually I got one and it's still intact, so they do exist. It was a good price, too, though not as good as this one.

>287 folio_books:

I was more fortunate than I knew, then, to get a thoroughly good set at the first attempt, at the end of 2016. I'd forgotten how little I paid, just £0.98 more than this one when postage for each is included.

Is it me or is this the opposite of a good deal?

http://www.ardis.co.uk/results_single_disc.asp?Find=122953

£495.00 (with the 10% discount) for a sealed Orange Fairy Book.

I've no interest in the title myself but it just struck me as... optimistic.

>289 adriano77: Wow! I think that was one of the final Fairy Books released, so presumably there were a smaller number printed, but still... Up there with the scarce O'Brian books.

>289 adriano77: : "Is it me or is this the opposite of a good deal?"

Cooper, Susan - The Dark is Rising : £ 225.00. Also not a good deal ....
http://www.ardis.co.uk/results_single_disc.asp?Find=123041

An ebay auction is closing and price is £ 90, wich is not a bargain either.
https://www.ebay.fr/itm/Folio-Society-THE-DARK-IS-RISING-Illustrated-Book-By-SUS...

>>289 adriano77:

Well, it seems to have gone already so maybe not so optimistic.
Robert Ardis usually know what books are worth and is on the less
expensive side of the market !

>291 Niurn: That 90 GBP Dark is Rising is the best deal on the book I've seen in over a year. The 5 book set has been and is being sold for over 300 GBP, and only The Dark Is Rising itself is rare in any way. FS basically handed out the others at the end (19 GBP for the other 4 put together). I agree with you that the price is still astonishingly steep for a book like this. Second hand book buying for books in a series has gone crazy...

This one still amuses me: https://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-IN-SHRINK-WRAP-HIS-DARK-MATERIALS-PHILIP-PULL.... Either my memory of FS box set shrink wrap is horrendously off, or this is the lousiest home shrinkwrapping in the history of second hand booksellers. Also not a bargain in the slightest.

>291 Niurn:

Can't say I've ever heard of the book!

>292 RogerBlake:

I certainly didn't expect that. Perhaps someone here picked it up? I just checked and a NF Orange Fairy Book was actually sold on eBay for £482 a month ago. So, I guess Ardis did indeed list it close enough to the mark. Fair play to him.

The very rare Paradiso is on auction on Ebay at the moment starting at a low reserve. Go nuts, friends!

Link.

(standard disclaimer)

>296 EclecticIndulgence: That's where i put the hyperlink. pretty sure it's there

The Master and Margarita just sold on ebay BIN £7 + £2.90 P&P. Just missed it.

The seller had other Folios all at the same selling price of £7.

>298 bookfair_e:

Well someone got a great bargain there. Had I seen it in advance (and I don't know how I missed that one) I'd have certainly advertised the fact on this thread.

>298 bookfair_e: >299 folio_books: The chances of coming across a gift like that are slim to non-existent for other than a constant watcher of ebay - an incredibly lucky hit. Reminds me of the time I spotted the entire Aubrey-Matchurin set going for BIN £70 - it survived for two minutes.

>300 scratchpad:

The annoying thing is that, if not a constant 24/7 watcher, I'm there daily, looking at least a day ahead. That's why I don't know how I managed to miss it. And then I think what might happen if it's a book I don't already have, and very much want ... Doesn't bear thinking about.

Someone was looking for King Henry's Map not so long ago?

It's on eBay Uk, ending this evening, (map only) currently at £10 or you can Buy It Now for £50:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-King-Henrys-Map-of-the-British-Isles/16...

As we say Up North, nowt to do with me, lad.

Edited for disclaimer.

Dante’s trilogy, bids close later today, still on starter at £320. I might have expected some action by now - perhaps this once desirable set has lost its lustre.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Dante/302680853048?ssPageName=STRK%3AME...

No connection.

>303 scratchpad: I wouldn't have thought that selling all three volumes together would achieve the best overall price for the seller. Inferno and Purgatorio are the more popular reads, so Folio published them as a higher print run than Paradiso. Moreover, the illustrations by Dalí and Blake comprise striking colour plates that fill the whole page and are also likely to have greater appeal to most readers than di Paolo's long narrow (and comparatively dull) paintings for Paradiso that fill the page more awkwardly, leaving lots of blank space. There will thus be a number of Devotees who already possess Inferno and Purgatorio, want to scratch a completist itch and buy Paradiso as a single volume, while others may well only want to buy the first two.

>304 cronshaw: I’m sure you’re right but that hasn’t stopped other sellers who still think there is a market out there (there are at least two others on ebay and their prices exhibit no little confidence in their product).

>303 scratchpad: I might have expected some action by now
>304 cronshaw: There will thus be a number of Devotees who already possess Inferno and Purgatorio, want to scratch a completist itch and buy Paradiso as a single volume, while others may well only want to buy the first two.

That seems quite likely, Russell, though I'd be prepared to make a small wager on an influx of snipers in the final seconds.

PS I thought I'd posted a similar message about three hours ago, but apparently not ...

£360 - 2 bids.

>307 scratchpad:

Another bet lost :)

The buyer might consider he has a bargain.

>304 cronshaw: The much smaller production run for Paradiso has resulted in much higher prices for this volume. I bought the first two volumes for my daughter for around $100 each but needed two years to find a solo copy of Paradiso for $300. These volumes originally cost $150 each so the recent sale for £360 (around $500) is not too bad and much cheaper than I've seen before. I liked this set enough that I recently picked it up on eBay for $600 where I was the only bidder.

>309 kdweber: I don't think £360 for the three volumes in fine/fine condition is over the odds at all, given that I've seen a couple of new or fine copies of Paradiso sell at around £300. Congratulations on getting your copy for only $300 given its relative scarcity! However, I believe that seller could have got more for the three volumes by selling them separately, or at least by selling Paradiso separately, for the reasons I mentioned above. In effect the winning bidder got the other two fine Dante editions for £30 each which is a bargain.

A Paradiso went for $269 yesterday on ebay, new seller.

>311 EclecticIndulgence: That was my plan as well, I've been waiting for years. Decided that the minimum bid was only a bit over my limit and decided to go for it.

>312 olepuppy: I bet that sale went quickly.

>313 kdweber: Bidding began 3/22 at .99c, was reminded yesterday by an ebay email that I read this morning, oh well. Looks like the bidding got hot in the last 10 seconds, but I was surprised at the low price compared to other sales.

Perhaps we need a new thread for definitely not good deals (as in the O'Brian's)?

Missing a few Fairy Books? Four of them end on eBay UK tomorrow evening. Prices are the latest bids (UKP) at the time of posting but with well over a full day to go ...

Olive 196
Violet 180
Crimson 195
Lilac 230

Take it away ...

LE Holy Land/Egypt and Nubia up for auction on eBay. $200 current bid, 6 days remaining.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.nl%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F...

>316 NLNils: $200 current bid, 6 days remaining.

All manner of warning bells sounding on this one, Nils. Postage, it's in the US, feedback, etc.

>316 NLNils:

I've seen these before. The seller has shill bidding tattooed all over his/her body.

>318 MobyRichard: >317 folio_books: Loud and clear.

>316 NLNils: This is one case where I'm much happier to own my (still pretty huge and impressive) fine edition over the LE. It's just too damned big!

>320 Levin40: It's just too damned big!

I have the fine edition. I can certainly see the attractions of the LE and I might have been tempted but for the size. It's too tall for my "big" shelf so I doubt I'll ever own it.

>320 Levin40: I can think of a few titles where I'm happier with the non-LE rather than the LE. Generally it's for the greater ease of handling and reading, as you find with The Holy Land/Egypt & Nubia. Not only is the non-LE Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (2012) much easier to handle than its fatter elder sister LE, but the overall layout of verse and illustrations feels much neater to me, while the comparatively humble standard edition of Wind in the Willows offers a greater number of illustrations than the more glamorously bedecked LE. I also vastly prefer the current 'fine edition' of Ulysses to the earlier LE, though here of course the former is a very different kettle of fish, far more than a merely more affordable version of the latter.

>322 cronshaw: I can think of a few titles where I'm happier with the non-LE rather than the LE.

I’d agree, mostly. I have the later fine edition of Rubaiyat which I bought on the recommendations of several Devotees who claimed it was superior to the LE. I can’t compare directly, never having seen the LE, but much of it was to do with the poem really being not big enough for the book. That’s perhaps a bad paraphrase but it’s the closest I can get to the sense of their argument.

If the “humble standard” WITW you refer to is the van Sandwyck I’d have to say there is little humble or standard about it – it’s a magnificent book, one of Folio’s very best non-LEs in my opinion. That said, if I could find one at a reasonable price, I’d buy the LE, though doubtless I’m in for a long wait.

On Ulysses you are absolutely right. The LE has never tempted me but this fine edition is a much superior offering altogether. Compared with the LE, £125 looks like the bargain of the century. I’ve been hoping it might appear in the next sale but that’s really wishful thinking, I know. I have the Wake in series and to miss Ulysses would be unthinkable.

>323 folio_books: I think you'll know what I'll say regarding Ulysses. Pick it up before you regret it!

>324 gmacaree:

I certainly don't want to miss it, Graham. My cunning plan, such as it is, is to wait for the sale. If it's not in there I'll buy it anyway. Just don't tell the Mole ...

If you happen to be near Slough, United Kingdom, 67 FS books. Pickup only apparently:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/67-folio-society-books-collection-only/302695911896?_tr...

>326 MobyRichard: I find pictures of bare feet somewhat off-putting (particularly when tucking into a bowl of muesli).

If you don't mind going to the Isle of Wight (or paying the shipping cost), there is a good looking The Wind in the Willows LE (#127) put up for auction on the 20th.

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/hose-rhodes-dickson/catalo...

I have no connection with the seller.

>329 EclecticIndulgence: I just saw this LE up for auction at a still good price and immediately came here to share. I obviously should have investigated further after seeing all the replies directed at me with doubts and negatives about this listing.

>329 EclecticIndulgence:

Only Priority has tracking and insurance, which is why some US sellers offer that as their primary or only option. It can be a lot more expensive than 1st class international though, which is why I've asked sellers to switch in the past, especially since the only lost deliveries I ever had were Priority packages. The usual reaction is to let me know that in this case the package isn't insured and I should really think about it since they won't take responsibility in that case. I can understand that, to be honest, if a buyer knowingly prefers a cheaper but uninsured option.

The problem has been that some buyers have chosen first class, uninsured and untracked shipping only to assert that the package did not arrive and claim against the seller and give bad feedback. As such some sellers feel anxious when dealing international buyers and insist on priority. On many occasions I’ve paid the priority cost on my books as in the end it costs what it costs to get that specific book. I know it does not make sense when you’re buying a $30 book only to pay $50 in shipping but when the dollar was weaker some years ago it was much much cheaper for me.

>331 SF-72:
>332 ironjaw:

The most fun is surface mail through Royal Mai in the other direction. Up to 60 days delivery time (I think) and no tracking. Lost at least three packages that way, but it's worth the discount!

>333 MobyRichard:

Canada Post can top that time-wise: 14 weeks for a package with books to Germany, surface mail, no tracking either. I suspect they sent it by rowing boat or maybe raft... but at least the package arrived.

>334 SF-72: never underestimate the power of carrier pigeons in large groups!

Canada Post surface mail took 4 months to reach me and the package showed it had been stored on a wet surface. Luckily the LE was very well protected but I don’t think I will chance it again.

Canada Post isn't a whole lot better if you live here. If your home was built within the last couple of decades, you don't get home mail delivery, and it was withdrawn from a number of areas, including mine, as a prelude to stopping it altogether. Seems it doesn't make a profit. If you can prove, following a lengthy process, that you are disabled, you get delivery once a week in the winter. Of the four months it took for delivery abroad, I'd bet that three were spent in Canada Customs, an even more incompetent institution.

>337 Jayked:

Now those are really awful conditions. It's one thing to have to deal with this once in a while when you're buying something from Canada, but another when it's the norm for you. It also doesn't bode well for the future. I know that the German postal service Deutsche Post has already started delivering to some remote locations only once a week and all postal services (including couriers) here would prefer it if people had to come to them to get their packages as opposed to having them delivered. So far that hasn't happened yet, but they're thinking about it.

>337 Jayked:

And I thought I had it bad when I first experienced the new trend of communal mail boxes for groups of houses in suburbs here in the States.

On eBay UK ending tomorrow, Canterbury Tales LE

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Canterbury-Tales-Ltd-Edition-Folio-Society-Geoffr...

Best price I've seen for a while - BIN £299, bidding at £199.

Check out their "other items" for potential LE bargains:

Luttrell Psalter 800 BIN/ bidding at 499
Brooke Poems 120 BIN/bidding at 80
Just So Stories 400 BIN/bidding at 249
Rime of the Ancient Mariner 500 BIN/bidding at 349
Getty Apocalypse 400 BIN/bidding at 249

No connection with seller.

The same seller on ebay as in NLNils post above now has a full set of the O’Brian Folio’s for sale on eBay.

(Not sure how to link.)

Despite all of the warnings / scepticism above I had already bought some Folio Shakespeare volumes from this seller at a good price (seller was prepared to negotiate a more sensible shipping charge). The volumes arrived promptly and safely in Europe in good condition..... i confess that the exchange here had made me worried for a time!

After the sale, now that the price is back to normal, this copy of Paradise Lost looks like good deal - offers and free postage.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Paradise-Lost-John-Milton-2-Volume-Set-Folio-Society-...

No connection.

I wouldn't say good deal, but cheaper than most now.

https://m.ebay.com/itm/Limited-Edition-1353-1750-2010-Folio-Society-Book-Herman-...

No connection with seller.

In the 1990s the FS specially bound 100 copies of a limited number of standard editions. One of these was Brideshead Revisited.
A copy of this rare edition is for sale on Ebay USA for US$300 “Buy it now” at:-
https://www.ebay.com/itm/272976911655
Other editions in this series can be seen on the wiki at:-
https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Groups:Folio_Society_Devotees#Specially_...

A copy of the fine edition of News from Nowhere by everyone’s favourite William Morris is available on abe, not cheap though. However, I almost never see it second-hand, so thought it worthwhile to share.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22846733383&searchurl=kn...

No connection with seller.

>346 F.Trier: Well, you enabled someone. It's already gone.

>345 wcarter:
And it has gone. Hopefully to someone on FSD.

>347 kdweber: Glad to have been of assistance.

The fabulous LE 1001 Nights with Dalí illustrations is for sale at www.firstandfine for what seems a reasonable price.
Usual disclaimers apply

>346 F.Trier:
>347 kdweber:
That was me. Thanks for the enablement... I have a sweet sport for political utopy and i was looking to buy my first Kelmscott Press (and not a Chaucer since i cant really read it).

>351 shdunne:

£650 for those who wonder.

Per the wiki : "Transformation of Lucius, The (The Golden Ass)" - Lucius Apuleius (illustrated and signed by Michael Ayrton, brown morocco, 75 copies).

One copy for £210 BIN. Doesnt seem a bad deal considering the rarity.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lucius-Apuleius-The-Golden-Ass-Folio-Society-ultra-rare...

>352 Niurn: you are welcome. It is indeed a very fine edition, I am sure you will enjoy reading it more than Chaucer :)

>354 F.Trier:
Just sharing ! Another devotee can have a go at it. My book budget is completely bust ... (>^^>)

>353 Niurn:
Will not ship outside UK :-(

>353 Niurn:

This one has been listed before and I bypassed it then. Too many faults for me. I think he may have reduced the price since the last time.

>353Goblin_Investor
It's been on ebay for quite a while at £210 and had been at £270 originally and then down to £250 as I remember. Still a bit pricey IMHO but, there again there only 75 of these out there at most. Luckily I already own one so no temptation!

The Little Prince on eBay UK, ending tomorrow at 8.54 am, currently at £11.50:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Little-Prince-Antoine-De-Saint-Exupery-Folio-Soci...

Usual disclaimer.

Cat among the pigeons ...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-20-Volume-Complete-Collection-of-Patric...

>360 folio_books: If I saw that set in one of my regular secondhand book haunts at the current price (£520) then I would probably be very tempted to haggle a few quid off and buy it.

>361 HuxleyTheCat:

Oh, me too, but I'd be truly astonished if it goes for less than four figures in the current market.

£41 p&p - I asked. Just in case ;)

>362 folio_books: Justin Case is always at your service Glenn!

And Then There Were None still sealed at £20 with free P&P should be attractive for some Devotee:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Folio-Society-And-Then-There-Were-None-By-Agatha-...

...and it's gone! To a Devotee, I hope.

>363 Pellias:

I'd be delighted to rely on his service in this instance but I very much fear my bid will be entirely inadequate (you'll understand that, as a dedicated sniper, my bid won't be made until the dying seconds).

>364 cronshaw: >365 cronshaw: I purchased it :). Thanks for the tip,cronshaw

>367 venkysuniverse: Bravo! You're most welcome, I'm glad it went to a friendly home :)

>369 Rodomontade:
Thanks for heads up. Looks excellent bargain so I've just ordered. Only 3 left

>362 folio_books: I'd be truly astonished if it goes for less than four figures in the current market.

Not too bad a prediction. It went for £1050, actually less than I was expecting but, needless to say, more than my bid.

>371 folio_books: seeing that the later volumes go for half that per book, that price is actually quite reasonable. Not for me personally, but FSDs who want this set can breathe a sigh of relief that prices like this are actually possible.

Did someone perhaps buy the set to sell on as individuals?

>373 leemeadowcroft: buy the set to sell on as individuals?

Had I won, that was partly my intention - keep the three I need for the set and sell the remainder to recoup part of the cost. The top two or three bidders had relatively low feedback so I'm assuming they were just enthusiastic amateurs as opposed to unscrupulous dealers.

>372 Fierylunar: FSDs who want this set can breathe a sigh of relief that prices like this are actually possible.

It is possible this is the start of a fall towards more reasonable prices. I was surprised it didn't go higher. Maybe a thousand pounds was beyond the pocket of many collectors. The difficult-to-get later titles are on eBay on Saturday. That might give us a better idea of which way the wind is blowing.

Edited for correction - the O'Brians are on eBay UK tomorrow, not Saturday.

(OT) >371 folio_books: sometimes when you browse eBay over your morning breakfast tea you come across an item and bidding so incredible it makes £1050 for the complete Folio Aubrey-Maturin set look an utter steal.

>375 cronshaw:
Good grief!!
Could not be more off topic, but obviously at least 40 people think these are worth a lot of money.
We FS collectors are mere amateurs by comparison.

>375 cronshaw:

That's kinda left me speechless, which is some achievement. I do hope it didn't make you spit out your tea.

What I really need to know is how you found it. Are you a closet Meghan Markle fan, Russell?

Sometimes when you browse LT over your morning muesli you come across an item >375 cronshaw: so hysterically gross that one's breakfast ends up splattered over one's keyboard and monitor.

>375 cronshaw:
Thanks for bringing this to our attention! Placed my bid.

>377 folio_books: An eBay advertising banner appeared at the top of my breakfast browsing page. I wondered what on earth the bizarre-looking PEZ figures were and very stupidly clicked. Fortunately, my extra large mug of double strength wakening tea was not in my hand at the time. God knows why eBay imagined I could be tempted to fork out over 6,000 precious Folio tokens for that pair of unflattering plastic approximations of Harry and Meghan, because while I wish them the eternal bliss I'd wish any two people about to tie ball and chain, I'm not a Royalist and am not following the wedding with anything other than intermittent detached curiosity. If eBay try and tell me they're customising to my tastes I'll sue. I just hope that my clicking on the princely PEZ sticks isn't going to set off a barrage of advertising for more plastic royal tat.

>380 cronshaw: If eBay try and tell me they're customising to my tastes I'll sue.

Ah, Russell, that did genuinely make me laugh out loud. Fortunately there was no-one in the vicinity.

I'd forgotten all about PEZ, a long-unremembered craze from my childhood (yes, they're that old). I'm amazed to hear they're still alive. Mind you, they're probably thinking that about me.

Onto more important things. What Folio treasuress could I spend six grand on? That's one list which shouldn't take too long to compile. And it assumes, of course, the bidding won't go any higher. It couldn't, could it ... ?

Amazingly these are still a long way from being the most expensive PEZ!

>381 folio_books: It might be worth digging around in the loft to see if you still have any of your childhood PEZ dispensers, they may be able to fund a few copies of Night Thoughts :-)

Hansel and Gretel LE for £200 buy-it-now on Ebay UK.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fulk%2Fit...

Original price from FS was £250.

>383 wcarter: "Original price from FS was £250."

Still is.

>383 wcarter:

I'll wait for the sale,

>385 folio_books: I'm also hoping for this one to appear in a sale.

There is also a hor de commerce volume of Alice in Wonderland on eBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292562163231?ul_noapp=true It's still at the starting price of £400 with 1 bid.

>386 c_schelle: There is also a hor de commerce volume of Alice in Wonderland on eBay

I would say that's a very good price. Still six days to go, though.

>375 cronshaw: ...and they're sold.

>379 elladan0891: I hope you weren't disappointed ;-)

>388 xrayman:
£7,300.00!!! Absolute insanity. How? I mean, what the... I'm speechless. I bid £7,200.

>389 elladan0891: I feel your pain.

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-East-of-the-Sun-and-West-of-the-Moon-Kay-...

Unfortunately has wording written on inside, dedication. But is only £25.

>391 frostymaxim: Had an offer of £20 accepted - thanks for the heads up!

>392 hiphopopotamus:
You are more than welcome. Enjoy

>392 hiphopopotamus: this is a fantastic high quality book at that price!

enjoy (im sure you will) :)

when anyone mentions Kay Nielsen though it makes me want to plunge in and order the Hansel and Gretel LE

>395 stumc:

It is beautiful.

There's another East of the Sun up on eBay UK at around £45

>395 stumc: when anyone mentions Kay Nielsen though it makes me want to plunge in and order the Hansel and Gretel LE

WFTS (= it's on my Waiting For The Sale list).

>399 folio_books:
There is a Hansel and Gretel LE up on eBay. ..2 hours to go. Currently £155
https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hansel-and-Gretel-limited-edition-by-Kay-Nelson-Folio-s...

>400 frostymaxim: There is a Hansel and Gretel LE up on eBay. ..2 hours to go. Currently £155

Yes, I've been watching it. Not low enough to tempt me, but I'll be interested to see what it sells for.

>399 folio_books: do you think there will be a LE sale again this summer?

i have a list including Cthulhu, Hansel and Gretel, the Edda and the Wanderer!

>400 frostymaxim:
Yes I'm watching it too...a bit rich for me even at current price. But i am interested as you are in final price

>402 stumc: do you think there will be a LE sale again this summer?

I wish I could say I had a clue but sadly not.

It's a 50:50 so I vote as my usual optimistic self and say yes, though there's only a couple of titles on their current list I want. Maybe three if the price goes low enough. I have to say you're being very optimistic in hoping for The Wanderer in a sale!

Edited for spelling.

>404 folio_books: yes i dont think The Wanderer would be in any LE sale (if one even happens), nor would Cthulhu as there are not many copies left. i seem to remember Folio saying last year that the sale would "probably" be a one off.

nothing against the recent I Am Legend LE, but having seen the Hansel and Gretel at Eagle Street I feel it appears to be a more substantial package for a similar price so i will definitely need to pick it up at some point.

>405 stumc: i seem to remember Folio saying last year that the sale would "probably" be a one off.

Well there you go, then - there'll definitely be another one! Exactly when is anyone's guess.

The Hansel and Gretel LE on eBay ended at £180. I've always been in two minds about this one so your comments about seeing it at Eagle Street have reassured me somewhat. My view has been it might make a decent Fine Edition but it's not special enough to be a Limited Edition - it lacks the je ne sais quoi magic. As a result, the price has always put me off, but in a Folio LE sale I'd definitely be interested.

ABE books has a copy of Dante's Paradiso for about $90 US. The 'convert currency' link isn't working from my work computer so I can't see what it is in pounds, but it is a UK seller. Seems a good price, but I suspect the shipping would be prohibitive for me.

https://www.abebooks.com/Dante-Paradiso-Paolo-Alighieri-translated-Henry/2286534...

>407 wdripp:

Didn't last long.

There is a copy of Micrographia up on eBay for £225 (original FS price), but without any real picutres or description of the condition:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Micrographia-Robert-Hooke-Folio-Society/292569047863?...

Unfortunately only 10 minutes to go but a LE Canterbury Tales currently at £82 on eBay UK
https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/CANTERBURY-TALES-Chaucer-Limited-Edition-Folio-Society-...

>410 frostymaxim: Based on what it went for, it must have been an interesting ten minutes.

>411 Edmund_Fitzgerald:
Absolutely Edmund. Must have been manic

>412 frostymaxim:

Pretty sleepy until the last forty seconds, actually, from the bid record:

£205.00 20 May 2018 at 4:09:30PM BST
£200.00 20 May 2018 at 4:09:29PM BST
£96.00 20 May 2018 at 4:08:09PM BST
£91.00 20 May 2018 at 4:09:03PM BST
£87.00 20 May 2018 at 12:54:04PM BST

Sale ended at 4.09.36.

Surely there’s something wrong with a system that produces such tooth-and-claw during the last few seconds of a sale? It’s a blood sport that only entertains the observers.

>414 scratchpad:

As an occasional participant, albeit much more often with vintage radios than with books, I don't mind the system, not least because I can't readily think of a good alternative. Buy-it-now prices are all very well for a patient seller, and/or one who knows what a particular item is likely sooner or later to sell for. In some fields - again more often with other items than with books, and not very often at all with Folio Society books - an item can be so scarce that it's hard to have much idea of what anyone would be willing to pay for it. An auction finds that out, at least among the group of people who have found the auction.

Yes, the old pulse races just a bit when something's at say £125 with thirty seconds to go and I'm ready to enter my £350 bid four seconds from the end: the thing may be mine for £130 or £350 or may never be seen again. Anything much below £350 is cause for a little celebration. Not that I've made many £350 bids in my life, £3.50 is much more typical. If anyone wishes to avoid the excitement they can leave the bbidding to software, which folk with scheduled lives will do anyway.

>415 terebinth: totally agree. Once you learn to live with it, I find the system quite enjoyable. Probably due to the fact I'm a buyer more often than a seller.

As a seller, sales are occasionally lower than you'd hope, especially for quite obscure titles - sometimes it seems people just don't realise how under-priced something is because the price often remains low right up until the last second or two of auction. But on the flip side, it means you do occasionally pick up bargains. I got a copy of Folio's Hans Andersen's fairy tales at the weekend for £2.20.

That was a cause for a little celebration.

>414 scratchpad:
Quite the opposite - it turns the blood sport of live auction bidding into a calm and pragmatic affair by removing the tooth-and-claw scrabble. Overall it results in fewer bids and lower hammer price.

Now, the tooth-and-claw of live auctioning can actually be fun, especially in a physical setting of a real auction house, but that's a different story.

P.S. Because much ebay action happens at the very end, for one I don't see a point of posting auctions in a Good Deals thread. Low current price of a running auction listing is not a deal, and very often is not indicative of the eventual hammer price in any sort of way.

>417 elladan0891: Because much ebay action happens at the very end, for one I don't see a point of posting auctions in a Good Deals thread

I would hope that's generally understood. AFAIC it's a notification of a hard-to-get book on eBay. Bid what you think it's worth to you but don't get your hopes up.

>418 folio_books: Bid what you think it's worth to you but don't get your hopes up

That's right.

Often it has been suggested on this site that bidders should bid only as much as what they think the book is worth to them. If such sensible advice is followed then the build up and frantic tooth-and-claw end point would be redundant. Therefore, I suggest that the system should be one of blind bids where no one knows anything until the winner is announced. What’s wrong with that?

>420 scratchpad:
But this is almost exactly what's happening now - the "tooth-and-claw endpoint" is a red herring, there is very little of that actually happening. What appears as a frantic tooth-and-claw to you is really just tallying up of bids at the end. People think how much they want to bid, place that single last-second bid, the winner is announced. That's it. I fail to see a problem with the current bidding system.

>420 scratchpad:

That's pretty much how it works, unless you choose to try to stay in front of other bidders for much or all of the duration of the auction, and are open to being egged on by their efforts into bidding more yourself.

Many users set their highest bid in advance, to be made by their sniping software a couple of seconds before the end. If I'm not required elsewhere I just look in on the auction a few minutes before the end, and place my highest bid with seconds to spare if it hasn't already been beaten. One good thing about early bids is that they save other bidders wasting their time... if, say, an LE had a minimum bid of 99 pence and bids were blind, how many hundreds of folk might there be by the end all with their various hopes of winning the auction?

>413 terebinth:

I'm a student. I couldn't possibly describe a sum of £104.00 as sleepy.

And don't forget, we students are never shy about feeling sleepy.

>360 folio_books:

The tread has moved on somewhat from your post but I can let those who are interested know the set is now in New Zealand and joining many other FS books. I grabbed it because the price for the set was, in my opinion, a far better path than trying to build the set book by book (which I had started to do). That said, it was a tough bill especially when I had international freight, insurance and customs to deal with.

Yes, I am a devotee and suffer all the normally accepted issues of desire and the need to explain purchases to my very understanding partner.

>425 Glenmore:
Congratulations! Quite a haul, and actually at a price that is not excessive considering the price of some later editions.
Glad to see it came down under, although across the Tasman.

More evidence (perhaps) that O'Brian fever has passed its peak. As previously noted somewhere (sorry, can't find the reference) Ardis had five O'Brians ending on eBay last night. Results:

Title BIN Status

The Letter of Marque 135.05 Unsold
The Thirteen Gun Salute 135.05 Unsold
Clarissa Oakes 144.70 Unsold
The Wine Dark Sea 192.90 Unsold
The Nutmeg of Consolation 212.20 Unsold

Sorry about the formatting (it's fine in my original doc) but I think the message is clear enough.

>425 Glenmore:

Congratulations on your magnificent acquisition and good luck selling the surplus on eBay.

>426 wcarter:
>428 folio_books:
Thanks gents.

Some others may have passed their peak too.

I just got Smiley's People for $43 and The Honourable Schoolboy for $55.

Throw in a new in plastic Minoans / Macs set for $60. and I consider this quite a haul. I've been holding out on those three for years!

All that is left for me to track down is that damn Master and Margarita,,,,

For me, the O'Brian fever has just started percolating

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Herefordshire-Pomona-By-Folio-Society/292571295467?...

Currently £250 only 1 hour 35 mins to go. No bids

>427 folio_books:

The Surgeon's Mate sold for £27.80 on eBay this morning, less than its original selling price, and it's not one of the multi-reprinted first five in the set.

There is a Sound and Fury LE for £495 (buy it now) up on eBay:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-2012-limited-edition-William-Faulkner-T...

>434 c_schelle:
But, original series numbered scored through, and thus presumably a returned copy that may have other defects.

>435 wcarter: Thanks for pointing it out. I haven't noticed it.

I'm hesitant in this recommendation, but it seems a reasonable one with the necessary caveats: World of Rare Books are having one of their frequent flash sales, in this case 30% off everything when the code MAY30 is applied at checkout. In addition, first class UK postage is free, and international shipping half price, until the end of the month.

The curious, on searching their website for Folio books, will find a great many titles listed, in many cases at prices below £10 (before that 30% reduction of course), but with vague and/or incompetent details. Most books *may* have, for instance, "minimal foxing, tanning and thumbing. Small inscriptions and neat labels may be present. Boards have mild shelf wear with light rubbing and corner bumping. Some light marking and sunning." Much of the time especially with recent books there's nothing of the sort, but there could be. Questions about individual books are allegedly welcome, but I've not bothered trying: I've been content to win some and lose some.

To illustrate how reliable they are, my last Folio purchase from them was a copy of The Four Gospels, with decorations by Eric Gill. The FS wasn't mentioned, the book was described as printed and published by the Golden Cockerel Press. If it had been, its value would have been far into four figures at least, but its publication date, 1988, suggested otherwise, since the press had long since ceased to be by then. The photograph clearly showed the Folio Society LE, which of course isn't from 1988 either. Light thumbing and edge stains and worn top and bottom of spine were warned about. So, with the price being £67 inclusive of delivery, I wondered whether to recommend the book here, but decided after all to buy the thing myself though I already have a copy. What arrived was the Four Gospels and its commentary volume in what I can only describe as Fine condition - given an hour to compare them with the copy I bought in 2007 I doubt I could tell which was which other than by way of the limitation number - in a clean solander box with a bent corner and a few minor dents along its edges. Sooner or later I'll make a gift of it, or sell it, or... something.

Anyways, a happy hunting ground for anyone prepared to take the chance that, sometimes, a book you buy may be in every bit as ropy a state as the seller's description suggests.

>437 terebinth:

Thanks for the tip. The international shipping is absurdly dirt cheap ( £1 per book !! even for sets ! ) and -30% is great. With this conditions, it's less than half the price for a similar order at ARDIS where shipping costs are £10-£40 per book or set.

Edited : the website is buggy as hell. Can't place an order.
Edited 2 : order went through after a few times and disabling adblockers.

Decameron LE on Ebay Australia for AU$180 BIN (£105).
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/THE-FOLIO-SOCIETY-THE-DECAMERON-OF-GIOVANNI-BOCCACCI...
A great buy for an Australian as postage under AU$20

>440 wcarter:
And it has gone!

Not exactly a bargain but a copy of the hard-to-find Master and Margarita on eBay UK, £100 BIN.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Master-And-Margarita-Mikhail-Bulgakov-Folio-Socie...

I have been in search for Chronicles of Narnia for a while. There is a still shrinkwrapped version on ebay and it's £100, but the auction ends in 6 days. I think more than £125 is a bit much, but finding the blue version isn't all too easy.

I was watching that Narnia set too.

I just picked up Pinocchio for £26 and His Dark Material set for £150.
Not sure the materials set was a brilliant deal as I know a few sold a little cheaper than that recently, but I have been after a set for a while...and as I will be meeting Phillip at an event on Monday, now seemed a good time to buy, ready for a signing!

Limited Edition Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus for GBP 99 Buy It Now on eBay seems very reasonable.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Shorter-Oxford-English-Dictionary-Thesaurus-Folio-Socie...

No connection to Seller (I know it might be suspicious as a first post - I only pass on it as I have the LE Dictionary already and can't justify to ship this to the US just for the Thesaurus)

There's a Fitzwilliam Book of Hours LE up on ebay for £145 (or best offer) without solander box or commentary volume - looks like a good deal for anyone not bothered about the extras.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm...

(no connection to seller etc)

>446 hiphopopotamus:
The commentary book is almost essential for this book, as it explains so much about the facsimile.
I always womder how books, commentaries and solander box become separated, or is this a mildly flawed copy that was replced?

>447 wcarter: I assume there are many separately published critiques, summaries and commentaries that one could pick up? Though that might be a naive assumption...
But yes I too wonder how so many seem to get separated from their extras. However, as someone who doesn't much care for those extras, they do tend to represent excellent value when they do crop up.

A number of years ago I saw the commentary only for Night Thoughts for sale in a second hand bookshop in Dublin. I always wondered why they had been separated. Stolen perhaps?

>447 wcarter:, >448 hiphopopotamus:, >449 N11284:

Some people just aren't responsible enough to own or otherwise handle FS books. There should be laws in place to prevent these things from happening.

Same when I ask myself when people on the net try to sell single books from FS bundles, like Narnia, Dark Materials or even the Lord of the Rings...I don't get it. MAybe they just want to make more money...

>451 woodstock8786: when I ask myself when people on the net try to sell single books from FS bundles

Yes, it's a mystery, especially since they are selling them without slipcases, which reduces the value significantly.

Melmoth the Wanderer on UK Ebay at £8 plus postage

Not exactly a good deal but given the recent prices for Master & Margarita I would seriously consider this new offering at £90 on eBay UK:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Master-And-Margarita-Mikhail-Bulgakov-Folio-Socie...

If you're looking for the Call of Cthulhu LE and can live without a limitation page you might care to cast a glance at this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Call-of-Cthulhu-Other-Weird-Stories-HP-Lovecraft-Foli...

Ends Sunday 19:52, currently £50, 1 bid.

>455 folio_books: Note that the limitation page AND one illustration were removed because the copy is otherwise defective. To each their own but I find it hard to understand why anyone would purchase this book instead of the regular/fine edition unless the price were dirt cheap.

>456 kdweber: Wouldn't you consider $65 dirt cheap? Although I totally get the collector's perspective, that's a hell of a bargain if you can deal with one missing art piece in exchange for what is a beautiful tome at an almost 90% discount. The limitation page isn't much of an issue as there aren't bound to be too many defective copies out there to add to the total publication; you'll still own a rare item.

>457 a.friend:

A 90% discount?? What are you talking about?

>458 dlphcoracl: Sorry, I should've clarified - I meant in the best-case scenario, which is the current bid (£50 = $65). The price for the official purchase is $575 (for Americans, at least - I understand the conversion is weighted favorably toward FS). Thus, if the lucky buyer can snag the very slightly defective copy at $65, he's getting something a degree or two removed from the genuine article at 11% of the listed price. This doesn't take into account the respective shipping costs, but it'll be in the same ballpark.

>457 a.friend: I think the more apt comparison is $135 (US) for a copy with a pristine text block (the book was defaced because it was defective) and all the illustrations versus $65 for a mangled copy of the LE. Mangled copies usually have a low resale value and are hard to sell. Obviously, the market will tell if this price is a fair valuation; but no, I don't consider half price a bargain for a defective copy.

The only question is whether the signed Dan Hillier print is worth $65 and it very well may be. I could see buying the fine edition from the FS, buying the signed print and dumping the defective book as a reasonable course of action.

>460 kdweber: FS demand an illustration and limitation page to be returned if they’re to replace the volume. The photos show this. it also states the reason which is a slight step about 0.5mm in the text block , I doubt any other company would have accepted it as even a fault. Again shown on photo. I didn’t post it on here because you’re not meant to advertise but I’m pleased someone will be buying it and I priced it low so they can pay what they feel it is worth.

>310 cronshaw: I don't think £360 for the three volumes in fine/fine condition is over the odds at all, given that I've seen a couple of new or fine copies of Paradiso sell at around £300. Congratulations on getting your copy for only $300 given its relative scarcity! However, I believe that seller could have got more for the three volumes by selling them separately, or at least by selling Paradiso separately, for the reasons I mentioned above. In effect the winning bidder got the other two fine Dante editions for £30 each which is a bargain.

In case anyone still thinks the above counts as a good deal, a Fine/NF set has just been listed on abe for £350.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=22928692710&searchurl=bi...

No connection to seller etc.

> 462 and is already gone

If you live in Sydney there is a great deal on Ebay.au for the Metamorphoses LE. A$300 or offer, pick up only from the suburb of Leichardt.

Beowulf 2010 edition, not exactly a steal at £45 but somewhat below the price it usually goes for these days.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30034850639&searchurl=pn...

No connection to seller etc.

Travels in Arabia Deserta LE Fine/Fine on Ebay UK ending in 1 hour, currently at £350 - no bids so far.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Folio-Society-Travels-In-Arabia-Deserta-Limited-Editi...

No connection to seller etc.

>466 F.Trier: Very good deal. I was late seeing this, but the listing ended without bids, which is somewhat surprising. It’s the LE which speaks the most to me, but I discovered it long after it was sold out. I will save a search on eBay, maybe it comes up again soon.

>467 NLNils: I think you should get your chance, the LE has been listed by the seller three times with a £50 reduction at each new listing. I will post if I see it again.

>467 NLNils: Good luck; one of my very favourites, and a fine example of Folio pushing me towards things I never would have read without their aid.

Sealed five volume set of the 2008 Founding Fathers is for sale on ebay for US $170. This may seem like an expensive set, but it includes the biography of Alexander Hamilton, which was withdrawn from sale shortly after issue for copyright reasons.
Those who love US Presidential biographies should grab one of the few copies of this set ever issued.
No connection etc.

I have an old Jonathan Cape re issue and it's one of the most interesting middle eastern books written in beautiful English.
Have you tried contacting the seller with an offer ? It might prove successful.

>470 wcarter:
............and its gone!

>472 wcarter:

You'd make a great salesman, Warwick.

There are some unnumbered Letterpress Shakespeare available (without slipcase or solander box):
https://www.ebay.de/sch/m.html?_odkw=&_ssn=allright88&_armrs=1&_osac...

I bought six Letterpress Shakespeare from him (6 books for £580 including shipping to Germany, which I think is quite a good price). He has bought them at an Oxfam shop himself and verified with the Christine Grant that FS knows about the books and thinks that they were excess stock from the company which made the solander boxes.

No connection to the buyer, except that I bought some books from him.

>474 c_schelle:

Thanks for this - I've had a few of these from this source in the past, and one offered now was on my acquisition list. The seller lives just a few miles away, so I've already taken the book. I don't use the solander boxes on the letterpress Shakespeare even if I have them, so these boxless bargains suit me very well.

>474 c_schelle: c_schelle:

Interesting, I have a number of these unnumbered LP Shakespeare volumes myself and had wondered about their provenance.

Now the question is: how did Oxfam come to have them? I saw this seller had multiple copies of some (e.g., s/he sold three copies of Macbeth in the last 24 hours and has another listed). It seems a bit weird that someone should show up at Oxfam to donate four+ unnumbered copies of Macbeth at the same time...

Also, I'm curious what "Excess stock" means. Does it mean that they printed more than the limitation number, or that some of the limited copies are being leaked into circulation?

Now I just need to find someone with some solander boxes to sell...

>476 ubiquitousuk: They acutally did print more that the limitation number as they were all originally intended to have a limitation of 3750, but some now have lower limitation numbers like A Midsummer Night's dream. For the other books I think you normally still produce more than the limitation in case some books fail quality control and have to be discarded. If their pass rate was higher than expected there is the possiblity that they had an surplus of unnumbered copies and donated them to Oxfam directly.

Edit:
>475 affle: I don't care too much about the boxes either for all but one of the books I bought the companion volume seperate, as I thought to never by the Letterpress Shakespeare. I have some Thornwillow books without slipcases and thought about building my own.

Anyone in need of an entire new library? Here's the deal for you:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HUGE-COLLECTION-OF-395-FOLIO-SOCIETY-BOOKS-All-Differ...

At £799.99 for 395 books including shipping (only £22.51 to Germany) this definitely is a good deal in regards to £ per book.

Usual disclaimer: No connection to the buyer

New to the group.

Just a question (which is really more of a judgement call for the more experienced Folio collectors): Does anyone have an idea on what a fair price to pay would be on the secondary market for a copy of the LE Lord of the Rings set released back in 2008 i think?

I see such wild discrepancies out there, with some utterly ridiculous quotes, because they corner the market i suppose.

Anyways, thanks for the consideration.

Andrew

>479 Akes: Your best bet is to look at sold/completed listings on ebay, if there are any. That will tell you what people are willing (and not willing) to pay for it.

Ardis Books often has prices on the higher end of reasonable, meaning you shouldn't be paying more than that if you're looking for a deal. If you want second hand but in pristine condition and are willing to pay for that, they are a good source.

There is more variability with second hand pricing of LEs because of their limited numbers, but I think consensus has been most LEs do not keep their full price on the secondary market.

Thanks very much, the advice is helpful and appreciated.

I've looked at Ardis, Amazon, eBay sales, etc....and it really is a mixed bag, haha.

Take care

>479 Akes:

Are you referring to the FS set of LOTR in the one-quarter dark brown Wassa goatskin and Indian silk over boards bindings - with the matching leather and gilt slipcase - published in 2001/2002 (not 2008)?? If so, this set in fine condition consistently sells for between $1,000 to $1,200 in the secondary market. This doe NOT include either of the peripheral matching volumes, i.e., the Silmarillion or the Hobbit, both of which will add an additional $400 to $450 to the core 3-volume set of LOTR. In my opinion, a price of $900 to $1,000 would be a good price range for the 3-volume set.

NOTE: I am NOT stating that this is a wonderful deal, only that this is a good price to pay based upon current offerings over the past 2-3 years.

That is the edition i'm referring to. I saw a set on eBay yesterday (with the Hobbit included) listed originally for 600 GBP, but by the time the dust had settled, it ended up selling for about 760 GBP (or about $1295.00 CAD or $995 USD. Most copies i see on Abe Books, Amazon, etc...are listed higher.

Thanks

>483 Akes:

The final price of 760 GBP ($995 USD) for the LOTR AND the Hobbit was an outstanding price. If I were looking to acquire that set I would have pounced on it.

Two Letterpress Shakespeare's on eBay UK right now:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Letterpress-Shakespeare-Othello/352463879647?hash...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Letterpress-Shakespeare-Twelfth-Night/35246389239...

The seller doesn't say (which is a bit shady!), but these are almost certainly examples of the unnumbered volumes that show up every now and then. But Buy It-Now for £53.95 including delivery seems like a good deal, even for an unnumbered example.

I tried, but missed out....oh well, c'est la vie

The Life of Saint Edmund King and Martyr LE, ending Saturday, currently £19.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Life-of-Saint-Edmund-King-and-Martyr-Folio-Societ...

Fairly obviously, the price will increase between now and auction's end but it might be worth keeping an eye on.

>487 folio_books:

That looks amazing, just put in my final offer. Fingers crossed!

>487 folio_books: A very nice facsimile with an original price of £425. Used prices are often very reasonable, mine cost $250 US.

>489 kdweber: Used prices are often very reasonable, mine cost $250 US.

I don't exactly recall how much I paid for mine. I'm guessing in the region of £200 or so. It's a very lovely facsimile.

>487 folio_books: >488 afje96:
Reviewed at http://www.librarything.com/topic/276473

>491 wcarter:

I think you mean http://www.librarything.com/topic/292105

>493 wcarter:
Oops! Wrong one. You have directed the masses to the correct one.
Both are lovely leather clad LEs.

>493 wcarter:

No worries, mate!

>494 boldface:
I thought you were a Pommie! 😃

The Wanderer and other Old English Poems LE for £365.00 plus reasonable shipping, which makes it quite a bit cheaper than what I paid for it:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Wanderer-and-other-Old-English-Poems-Folio-Societ...

>495 wcarter:

Fair dinkum!

I visited one of my local Folio sources today, and while there wasn't anything for me, I did spy a copy of The Name of the Rose for £10, which I thought was cheap. There was also quite a few of the nice Franklin Library books (the ones with the decent thick leather) for £10 - £15 each, the fine edition Egypt and Nubia (single vol) which I didn't check the price of and Purgatorio (likewise, but I seem to recall that they sell these for about £40).

>498 HuxleyTheCat: For a moment there I read your comment as selling a copy of the 1/4 leather Purgatorio as a copy of Paradiso. Still, £40 sounds pretty cheap to me. In the US it's hard to get it for under $100. There's just not a lot of availability for used Folios in the States.

>499 kdweber: £40 is what I paid for my copy of Paradiso, new and shrinkwrapped. There was a second shrinkwrapped copy next to it, but I left that for another lucky collector.

>500 HuxleyTheCat: £40 is what I paid for my copy of Paradiso, new and shrinkwrapped.

That I would classify as a tremendous bargain. I still have only Inferno as I refuse to pay the unbelievable prices most dealers are asking for the other two, Paradiso especially.