Decent prices spotted

Found a couple of well-priced early Schiff era books by this eBay seller. All are in my collection, but maybe another devotee will find this useful.

seller:climbingdiving

On a related subject - how do folks in this group feel about sharing buying tips / links? A few posts indicated that people don’t like sharing their favorite bookstores, but perhaps online world doesn’t need to be as secretive..

Thanks! Those look great. I don’t really have any good tips as a novice collector but of course I’d always be grateful for any that people were willing to share.

>1 lecinprogress:

All for it, given it doesn’t overwhelm the forum and is judicious (as I felt this tip to be!).

In case someone here is not aware of them, these bookstores are worth checking out: Oak Knoll, Colophon Book Shop, Kelmscott Bookshop, Heritage Book Shop, and Carol Grossman's shop, Four Rivers Books. Her website is under re-construction, but her contact information is available at that URL. She's the author of the LEC history recently published and she specializes in private press and LEC, naturally.

There are many others to be found out there. DuckDuckGo is your friend. Surf/search anonymously. The websites for the Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America and the Fine Press Book Association can also point you to good booksellers. Happy hunting!

This seller is practically giving away two LECs (Ah, Wilderness and The House of Mirth) - https://www.ebay.com/sch/lonemoonbooks/m.html?item=164511211746&ul_noapp=tru.... The slipcases are a bit beat up but the books themselves, in their glassines, look very nice. I would have grabbed them quickly except that I already own them.

Anna Karenina (1933) in Good condition (potentially ex-public-library): https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30782743565&searchurl=pn%3...

>5 AMindForeverVoyaging: Lonemoonbooks had "A Tour of the Hebrides" that sold for $5 a few weeks later! Do we sense a trend?

Someone just listed The Wind in the Willows LEC for 115 USD on eBay. No slipcase, bad pictures, foxing or spotting on spine… but not a bad price for this title even so?
Edit: Gone.

>8 GusLogan: I decided to give it a chance. The spine doesn't look very bad. I'll may find a skilled person to regilt the title. I've seen very similar looking books go for 600$. The seller accepted my offer of 93$.

Wish I could rebind it like this: https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31070850023&clickid=wALyaQ...

>9 Lukas1990:
Good for you! Hope the text block is surgical theatre clean.

>9 Lukas1990:

Lol, maybe try asking Peter Harrington. Leather onlays are probably way out of most our price ranges, but I wonder if you could get a nice blocked illustration in gilt for cheaper...I assume they hold onto all their blocks or tools or whatever so it's just a matter of restamping.

>10 GusLogan: I've contacted the seller and he assured me the inside of the book is OK. Judging from the photos it really looks OK. I think it's a great deal.

Notre-Dame de Paris 1930 $109

This is a great price on the "French-Style" publication that was so controversial in the first year of The Limited Editions Club. It's two volumes ready to be bound, but I've never seen one that is bound.

This one is missing the original slip-case, which I have and wouldn't say you are missing much. It's in a custom case, where you could leave it or be one of the few to have these bound the way they were intended.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/185236580904?hash=item2b20f5ea28:g:NwQAAOSwlWZhzeIt

Just to clarify I am not affiliated with this seller. I have a copy of this edition and it is truly beautiful.

>13 BionicJim:

Peter Harrington booksellers had a leather bound copy listed at one point. I don't remember if it was one of the copies Macy and LEC rebound for unhappy subscribers or if it was a later custom binding.

>13 BionicJim: That's a decent price and the books are in a pretty good condition. No wonder it's sold!

>13 BionicJim: Thanks for the tip, it's on it's way to me now!

>13 BionicJim:

As BionicJim noted above, the French soft cover bindings were not a hit with many of the LEC faithful. As a result, rebinding was not uncommon and these copies will occasionally hit the secondary market. Frankly, I find the original French-style bindings elegant but they are quite fragile and have not worn well over the years. It is quite rare to find copies in fine or NF condition and most of them have some degree of soiling, rubbing, tearing, etc.

Several years ago, I found a copy that had been rebound in full morocco with black leather and gilt spine labels and marbled paper paste downs and endpapers. If you find a copy with a binding in poor condition that remains in fine condition internally, rebinding this wonderful edition is a viable option.

Beautiful. It must be a pleasure to hold such a luxurious volume in hand. I’ve kept mine un-bound because it’s a good conversation piece about the French book trade, but I think I will have to find another example of that system and do something like this with the 1930 Norte-Dame.

A fine copy of The Voice of the City was just listed on Abebooks and Biblio - on Biblio it’s under 80 USD with the member’s discount. It often goes for much more, and perhaps someone here is looking for it. No connection to seller.
Edit: Gone.

There have also been some unusually reasonable copies of Lewis & Clark of late.

Looks like a good deal - both The Illiad and Odyssey for only 180$. Not the best condition though because the spines are a bit sunned.

https://www.biblio.com/book/limited-editions-club-iliad-homer-odyssey/d/14738931...

>20 Lukas1990:
And a bit less than that with a Biblio membership. Nice - not for me (I want this Iliad but prefer the Lawrence translation Odyssey) but I considered it - so thanks! Hope someone else goes for it.

>20 Lukas1990:

Definitely worth it.

You might be interested in this article if you haven't seen it yet:

https://booksandvines.com/2015/06/22/odyssey-and-iliad-by-homer-limited-editions...

Gone! Hope it's someone from our group :)

The best 1929 Munchausen I have ever seen listed on eBay for 165 dollars. No ML, and the spine looks ever so slightly sunned, but it has no visible cracking/flaking and the glassine is there. Debatable whether this price is decent perhaps but I think with the letter the seller could have asked for 200.

>23 Lukas1990:
I went for it in the end - so renewed thanks! - with a view to a rebind at some future time.

>24 GusLogan:
Clearly I was wrong about this being a decent price as the book remains for sale!

Another Erasmus. Very good price.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31264883391

>26 Lukas1990:

The listing states that copy has been rebacked which would explain the price.

>26 Lukas1990: >27 MobyRichard:
It's gone!

Could you help me understand how rebacking results in a lower price? (I think that's the implication of "very good price.")

>28 maisiedotes: Rebacking means it was repaired. Collectors want an original book which was not repaired or altered. Such a book is the most valuable. Still I think the book I found is a good value. The cover is in pretty good shape - not common for LEC Erasmus.

>28 maisiedotes: >29 Lukas1990: That particular copy was quite well done and it has a bespoke slipcase rather than the original. Personally, that would not be a deal breaker for a book, if the price was within my budget for what would otherwise be beyond my reach.

>28 maisiedotes:

If you look over auction records, it almost always lowers the average value unless the rebind is something very very special or the book is so common that it's not that big a deal finding a copy in the original condition.
Any good bookbinder should advise their customers accordingly. I guess LEC is a gray area. With 1500 copies, they are not hard to find but I wouldn't call 1500 a huge limitation either.

A spine only rebind of a book originally bound in full leather is also very obvious. I've never seen a case where I couldn't tell immediately. Also any major book repair suggests there may be other structural problems that will become apparent later. What do you do for example, if the leather on the front and rear boards begin to rot (a common LEC sheepskin problem)? The quarter rebind is not going to help with that.

Of course any random individual buyer might not care, but it definitely should matter to the seller.

>30 Glacierman: >31 MobyRichard:

Thank you for the explanations. I'm learning!

I just noticed that Capitol Hill Books has been listing a good number of Limited Edition Books. No pictures, but they are a good group to work with getting information. What caught my eye was a listing for the First Volume issued of the Limited Editions Club:

https://www.capitolhillbooks-dc.com/pages/books/13831/jonathan-swift-shane-lesli...

With less than an hour to go for some listings, here are a set of 6 LEC full leather poem American Poets series from the same seller (newsletter not mentioned):

The Poems of William Cullen Bryant, 1947: https://www.ebay.com/itm/204060409654
The Poems of John Greenleaf Whittier, 1945: https://www.ebay.com/itm/225102561216
The Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, 1943: https://www.ebay.com/itm/204060417568
The Poems of Emily Dickinson, 1952: https://www.ebay.com/itm/225102622200
The Poems of Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1945: https://www.ebay.com/itm/225102630141
The Poems of Longfellow, 1944: https://www.ebay.com/itm/225102637872

(No connection with seller)

A copy of Dead Souls (Chihikov’s Journey) was just listed on Abebooks for 95 USD. The solander is faded but the books look perfect in glassine (never seen it before on these) and I seem to remember this is one of those LEC productions of which fewer than 1 500 were made because of the war. It’s a lovely set to my mind. No affiliation to the seller of course, and may also be listed on Biblio, I didn’t look.

>35 GusLogan: Thank you! Much appreciated. It was listed on Biblio too.

This has been near the top of the wish-list for a while so very pleased to finally acquire it.

>36 GardenOfForkingPaths:
Delighted to have been of assistance!

I’d say 75 USD minus 10 % member’s discount is a good price for the 1950 Don Quixote with the ML even if it has some paint stains. That’s on Biblio - also on Abebooks and eBay. No affiliation.

Gooood looking Erasmus. And the price is decent. No affiliation.

https://www.johnwindle.com/pages/books/124836/desiderius-carter-erasmus-harry-he...

>39 Lukas1990:
Nice.

>39 Lukas1990: One of the nicest copies I've seen. The leather spine is notoriously fragile and subject to deterioration - it was actually scrap sheepskin leather pieces mixed with a copious amount of sawdust. A product of the war years' shortages.

>39 Lukas1990: Dang. Sold already. I didn't get the chance to see it.

>42 Glacierman: It's still on Biblio though - https://www.biblio.com/book/moriae-encomium-praise-folly-erasmus-desiderius/d/14...

>43 Lukas1990: Danke, Mein Herr.

I do not know if this a decent price but I spotted this and thought some of you may be interested:

https://getmansvirtual.com/cartophilians-rodriguez-archives-llc/the-limited-edit...

>45 literatefool: That prospectus has Updike written all over it! Easily recognizable as his work. Worth obtaining for that fact alone, insofar as I am concerned.

Horace in seeming fine condition at a very reasonable price:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/204106389667

No relation to seller apart from being a satisfied customer. I bought a different LEC from the same seller; the book condition upon arrival was very fine, the price was good, and the packing skills were excellent.

The same seller has a few other good LEC values (Plato and Ecclesiastes at least).

>47 abysswalker: That's a nice copy! Unfortunately shipping to Lithuania is more than the price of the book.

>47 abysswalker: Lol,.I actually bought that Horace. I didn't see it posted here, I just happened across it and found it a fair price.

On the Nature of Things in really good condition for a really good price.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31328009983

The Song of Roland, LEC 1938; sans slipcase or ephemera for a BIN price of €18 and also 'Make Offer' enabled. I would have added it to my fledgling LEC collection but the seller will not ship my destination.

Two compelling reviews here:
https://booksandvines.com/2013/11/10/the-song-of-roland-limited-editions-club-19...
https://georgemacyimagery.wordpress.com/2019/05/26/heritage-press-the-song-of-ro...

The listing is more than a year old. 'Livre ancien' indeed!
https://www.ebay.fr/itm/373783807474

>51 mr.philistine: I've seen this one long ago. The seller has never replied to my numerous requests.

Aesop's Fables. Starting bid - 100$. No affiliation.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/125625516019

Well maybe it’s not a decent price but this seemed the best place to mention this listing:

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31362524509

VG is obv not the bar most of us aim to clear…

Edit: No affiliation, for sure!

>54 GusLogan: Heck, if I could afford that pile, I'd drive down there and pick 'em up!

Same, haha!

At roughly $80-$100 per book on average, the price is a good deal for the seller, not for a purchaser.

Almost perfect copy of Erasmus. And you can make an offer. No affiliation.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/204181421184

>58 Lukas1990: That copy is on Abe for even less.

>59 AMindForeverVoyaging: It looks like the seller removed the listing on eBay, someone must have taken your advice and picked it up on Abe!

Oak Knoll Books has a 30% off sale on Limited Editions Club titles through the end of January. I just got an email from them.

>61 Bernarrd:
Thank you! I have just ordered Uncle Remus from them, thanks to your lead.

Thanks! Just bought The Iceman Cometh

>62 booksforreading:
As transpired, my copy of Uncle Remus that has just arrived from Oak Knoll Books was a personal copy of Marc Connelly who wrote the Foreword.
There is an M. C. instead of the number in the colophon, and a small but significant correction in the foreword by pen (signed M. C.)
Apparently, LEC omitted a few words during printing: in the sentence on the bottom of page VIII, the part "...who in the forties alone found a devoted public..." should read "...who in ONE YEAR IN the forties alone..."

>64 booksforreading: I get a kick out of obtaining personal copies of LEC books. I have a few, and the one I enjoy the most was a copy of Popol Vuh that had belonged to the artist who presented it to a friend and included a pencil drawing, signed, along with the brief presentation inscription. It makes a nice companion to the regular LEC edition and is also in a non-standard binding done by the printer, Plantin Press.

>65 Glacierman:
Your Popol Vuh copy is truly one of a kind.
It always makes me a little sad when families of artists, friends, and writers do not find any sentimental value in such books and get rid of them.

>61 Bernarrd: So many missing the letter. shame

Great deal on the Little flowers - someone buy it to stop me…

https://www.ebay.com/itm/204219891728?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-...

Edit: Sold! Probably not my doing…

Not the best photo quality but the spine looks really clean.

EDIT: the book is also on Ebay and you can make an offer. Looks like an even more decent deal.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31422506731

It’s not an amazing deal, but there’s a Jekyll & Hyde on Biblio for 125 in Fine condition (often the spine is worn at the heel and crown) which with a Biblio discount if you’ve got it seems like a fair price. Put some Klucel-G on it if you buy it!

400 volumes for 33k

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31362524509

Unless there's a Ulysses lurking in there I'd say it's something less than a spotted decent price :)

>71 Lukas1990:
It’s up at >54 GusLogan: ; )

I’m hopeful they’ll sell piecemeal at some point..:

A fine copy of The Sonnets to Orpheus signed by Balthus for 833$. Some 400$ cheaper than the second cheapest copy available on the market. Wish it had more than two woodcuts...

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31347978922

>74 Lukas1990:

That sold quick. I totally forget this book even existed until I read your post.

>75 MobyRichard: That's not even a decent price, it's a bargain! Still a bit too expensive for my budget. Hopefully, a fellow Sid Shiff devotee got it haha.

Christo Snyman of Rare Collections is holding a 30% off sale & has a number of good values available. I picked up a few myself:

https://www.rarecollections.co.za/searchResults.php?category_id=206&action=b...

>77 ChrisG1:
His shipping is pretty good as well, at least from where I’m sitting (Europe).

>78 GusLogan: He's great to work with & as transparent as you can find regarding condition issues. The photos of the books are just stunning!

>77 ChrisG1:
Thanks. Picked up four books from him.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Stowe 1938 US137
Daphnis and Chloe 1934 US$67
The Chronicles of Jean Froissart US$56
Volpone US$60
:Postage to Australia US$57 for four books.

Thank you for the kind words and support everyone, it is much appreciated.

FYI for those wondering about Carol Grossman and my project on the new checklist. We currently waiting for approval (hopefully) to include links to scan copies of the ML, if that happens we should launch soon

May be a decent price, depending on how you value the Shiff letter. Based on the description, not the finest copy around, but not a disaster.

https://www.capitolhillbooks-dc.com/pages/books/25587/franz-kafka-willa-and-edwi...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/124842754188

This collection was mentioned in a different thread when it was listed at $14,000 two years ago. Other posters said it's worth about half of that.
I received an offer from the seller for $6,000 after adding it to my watchlist.

>83 PBB: I reached out to them once on instagram to see if they would sell separately and they said they would but the prices they wanted were still too high compared to what's available.

>83 PBB: I saw an offer of $4500 at one point, which is more reasonable, and was tempted, but the reality of space limitations kept me from acting on it.

>74 Lukas1990: Thank you! I picked up The Sonnets to Orpheus. It’s a beautiful book in perfect condition. And thanks for finding a new, to me, good book seller. I also bought The Man Who Planted Trees from them.

>74 Lukas1990: >86 kdweber: I just looked. Stunning art and paper! Congratulations!

>86 kdweber: The owner of the shop Christo, aka rocklands, is a nice guy who has sent me some rare ML's before. I am sure he will have some good sales in the future too. Glad the beautiful book went to a fellow devotee. The price was exceptional.

>88 Lukas1990: thank you for the kind words and the support from many members here. As a collector myself I love seeing books going to people who enjoy them

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uRIL-afLJtce1Kimq9loBaLMoY7UYNLQ4zrdFzmNs24/...

This is Oak Knoll offer that wasn't sent to their whole mailing list, but they said I could share here after I asked. It's 30% off the listed prices. Great deal on The Flounder at the bottom of the document. Reach out to them at orders@oakknoll.com

>91 PBB: Thanks so much! I actually just emailed another seller on abe about The Flounder but saw your post and emailed Oak Knoll only to buy from them. I'm quite surprised how cheap the volume is considering the materials and signature by Gunter Grass but, hey, I'm all for it. Has this book always been this cheap or after his controversial past came to light his popularity and thus the prices fell?

I see a few listings for it between $150-$200. I managed to get mine about a year ago as part of a bulk order for a bit less than that. There's also quite a few way higher than that, so somewhere between 150 and 200 seems good for that one. He died in 2015 so any impact his questionable past would've had on prices probably happened then or earlier. I wasn't around then to know anything about the market so can't say for sure

One thing I always wonder about The Flounder when I look at pictures is what was the natural/original colour of the eel skin spines and what is the result of sunning? Or perhaps there's just a lot of variation in eel skin leather?

Sometimes there's quite a difference between the books even within the same set, so I've been assuming it's normal variation or something that develops naturally over time?

>94 GardenOfForkingPaths: my copy had uniform gray eel skin, no variation apart from the stitch like pattern. I suspect any fading is from sun or other environmental damage. I sold it ultimately (strange mix of elements I liked and didn't like), but not that long ago.

>95 abysswalker: Interesting, thanks. Which aspects of the books did you like and not like?

>96 GardenOfForkingPaths: I love everything about the bindings of The Flounder, from the somewhat extravagant choice of binding as three separate volumes, to the eel skin backing, to the mild flexibility of the "hard" covers. The paper was also perfect, having a nice texture and pale greenish blue sheen. However, none of the page form factor, layout, and typography choices worked for me. The page was too wide for the amount allocated to text, leading to excessive margins, far beyond even the generous norms of fine press. Worst of all, the paragraphing lacked vertical spacing, indentation, pilcrow, or any other useful delimiting method, making the text visually hard to parse. Finally, the illustrations by the author were fine, and illustration by a Nobel prize winner is a novelty, but ultimately they don't seem that special to me, only satisfactory.

>97 abysswalker: Thank you for the thorough assessment - all good points, well made. It's a set of books I'm interested to see in person, and a novel I have never read. I just found a fine copy for a reasonable price, which is now en route.

The lack of indentation or clear spacing between paragraphs is strange to me too. The LEC Fall of the House of Usher employs the same approach. Although not a big issue for a short story, like you I felt this type of layout to be a negative point for ease of reading.

I'm certainly curious about the reasoning behind it since they are generally such thoughtfully designed books.

>98 GardenOfForkingPaths: "The lack of indentation or clear spacing between paragraphs is strange to me too. "

It is strange, and it seems to be a fad. I have no idea what the philosophy behind it is, but it is awkward. Even a small indentation helps, otherwise, the reader has to depend on the short line at the end of the previous paragraph to clue them in that a new paragraph has begun.

I don't like it.

>99 Glacierman: It does have the feeling of a fad. It certainly makes you appreciate the humble indent!

>98 GardenOfForkingPaths: "The lack of indentation or clear spacing between paragraphs is strange to me too. ... I'm certainly curious about the reasoning behind it since they are generally such thoughtfully designed books."

I believe The Flounder was designed by Ben Shiff. I'm not sure how much experience he had as a book designer at that point.

https://www.biblio.com/book/old-sea-limited-editions-club-hemingway/d/1539332572

I spent a long time watching listings for this one and this is $150 less than any other copy I saw with the letter. Also $150 less than some other listings without the letter.

https://www.vialibri.net/searches?title=The+Old+Man+and+the+Sea&publisher=Li...

For comparison with other listings

>102 PBB: That, indeed, is a decent price. Nice book.

>103 kdweber: It’s gone! Hope someone from this forum got it

A very reasonably-priced Decline and Fall popped up on Abebooks yesterday. Spines pretty good for this title but something wonky with the top of the boards, hard to make out from photos… I would have bought this one over my 100 dollar-set with one spineless volume I think!

>105 GusLogan:

Have at it guys. I'm always a bit wary b/c I buy books to read, not just display, and I feel like if I actually read these books they will just end up like all the other copies eventually.

https://www.abebooks.com/kempers-adventure-loveland-co-u.s.a/83002130/sf

Abebooks seller who was a subscriber that I talked to recently who is looking to sell the 45th through 54th series to one buyer. Says they're very negotiable for someone looking to purchase the whole set. I don't know if it would end up being a decent price like this thread is for, but certainly an interesting opportunity.

Inventory, with some non-LEC books at the bottom. Includes the Bibliography and Monthly Letters of 1929-1933 published during those years but not in a series.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pb1VFKlvNMhiZLCKQ4FkG_LrbjdyEDnfik9zJZDS19k/...

>107 PBB:
Hopefully considering this is the closest I’ll ever come to bankruptcy.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325683732325 Best offer available. Not bad!

>109 Lukas1990: Yes, someone snagged a great value

>109 Lukas1990: i saw this on eBay on my own but while messaging the seller for more info it sold. Should’ve just jumped on it. Damn. Congrats to whoever got it if they’re on this site!

>109 Lukas1990:
I genuinely wish I’d never seen this post! (Not because I bought the set!)

That was quick! Hope it went to a devotee.

Decent starting bid for a nice condition book (LEC Of The Nature Of Things).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Of-On-The-Nature-Of-Things-Lucretius-Limited-Editions-C...

Origin of Species + Descent of Man = 170$. Best offer available.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/225637143841

https://www.ebay.com/itm/374774963112?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/374774972219?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-...

Hate having to pass on these myself but $210 for The Dolphin is pretty good. The Dolphin did come with a whole bunch of ephemera and this set only has one piece but I’m not sure how common sets are with all the pieces so I think this is still worth it

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/156287937_rare-lec-poster-ray-bradbury-fahr...

Very rare piece that was offered to early subscribers of the 47th series. My first time seeing a listing for this in my ~2 years of LEC collecting . I'm not sure how many are out there and what counts as a decent price, and sharing here might ruin the decent price aspect but its a rare opportunity!

>116 Lukas1990:
>118 PBB:
Thanks both for your many recent spottings here!

>119 GusLogan: I try and do a Vialibri search once a day sorted by most recently listed to try and catch deals before anyone else can snatch them up. Maybe once a month I find a great book for 30-50% below market and once every 2-3 months 70% below. For anyone with a long LEC wishlist it’s a worthwhile method I think. I’m also listening to ABAA bookseller interviews on YouTube, and visit their websites and search LEC. That's less fruitful but the interviews are very interesting. Most of them were done by Michael Ginsberg who does a great job, who had a 50+ year career in the Boston area and recently passed. William Reese, Mark Hime, Philip Pirages and the Bromers are some of the better ones.

Fahrenheit 451 in fine condition for 600 USD. I advise asking for photos to confirm the condition, though.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31549811959

>121 Lukas1990: For anyone interested, to save you a step, I put the photos I received from the seller for this book in my gallery. Not good quality photos unfortunately.

https://www.ebay.com/usr/eric-hilto?_trksid=p2047675.m3561.l2559 this seller has some presentation copies from the 70s. Some in excellent condition, and a bit lower than market price.

The Story of Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost, 1935, HP-exclusive, LE of 1500 and signed but missing signed frontispiece;
more here: https://georgemacyimagery.wordpress.com/2011/09/24/heritage-press-the-story-of-m...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/175799455943
Starting bid of $5.99 and one day to go!

>123 mr.philistine: The photo of the two page title spread shows no frontispiece on this copy. Curious.

>123 mr.philistine: That is weird. As I note in my post: "For Manon Lescaut, Brissaud’s signature is on the title page with an exclusive print that is, to my knowledge, not in the reprints. I looked at a variety of standard printings while browsing and did not see this reprinted at all. Later illustrations were bumped up into its place, and one even had the left side blank...this print is distinctly different from the rest of Brissaud’s watercolors gracing the book — it’s far sharper and more colorful. The effective shading is just wonderful. I suspect that this is a tipped in print of a much higher quality exclusive to this edition."

Clearly it is missing from this copy, which I would expect would give any serious Heritage collector pause...provided they knew. And the seller noticeably did not mention that part of my post in their description, so this is perhaps more a buyer beware situation than a good deal. Unless the exclusive piece of art and Brissaud's signature don't mean anything to you...

>124 Glacierman: >125 WildcatJF: Thanks corrected.

Song of Roland (LEC) in a lovely condition and for a good price. Not sure about the upper corners of the binding though - are they a bit bumped?

https://www.biblio.com/book/song-roland-moncrieff-charles-scott-translator/d/154...

>127 Lukas1990: Gone....in sixty seconds.

>128 Glacierman: Haha, good! Definitely went to a fellow group member. My copy of Song of Roland looks much worse but I am satisfied with it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256164731884?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-...

$600 for Le Paysan de Paris
Make offer available too

>130 PBB: Good price. I paid $700 three years ago.

>77 ChrisG1: Another 30% site-wide sale from Rare Collections (Cape Town). They list both LEC and HP titles.

Divine Comedy for 49.99$. Some staining on the spine, but doesn't look bad.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/126049144358

>134 Lukas1990:
(ML but no slipcase.)

>135 GusLogan: Still decent for 49.99$ :)))

There’s a decent copy of Opium Eater on abebooks US for $100.

>136 Lukas1990:
I agree, was just helping slipcase-obsessives save twenty seconds of their lives ; )

https://www.ebay.com/itm/204430491870?hash=item2f9901c0de:g:QjYAAOSwNxBk28~k

This would require some slipcase repair but even with that factored in could be a steal

Did someone here buy the $113 Poems of Emily Dickinson that was on eBay today? In a rough but salvageable slipcase? Someone beat me to it by just a few seconds. Good find if you got it

>139 PBB:
Great buy for someone (gone)!

Wind in The Willows for 160$. Some stamps and wear to the spine (no photos).

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31621035933

https://www.biblio.com/book/revelation-saint-john-divine/d/1514017459
Same seller I bought Our Grandmothers from. $400 less than any others I can find. Seller did give me expedited shipping for free too.

Sonnets to Orpheus for ~870 USD.

https://biblio.co.uk/book/sonnets-orpheus-rilke-rainer-maria-illustrated/d/15641...

Far Away and Long Ago for 50$, best offer available, looks fine.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/276059983111

A strong Mutiny on the Bounty also has popped up.

Hi!
I'm new to the group but I've been reading through your posts for a while and I'm looking for some thoughts on pricing. I've inherited a Heritage Press collection and I'd like to sell some of them but prices seem to be all over the map so I have no idea how to price them appropriately. For example, I have War of the Words, with slipcase and sandglass. A few sold on Ebay for under $20, but there's one on Abe's for $200. I know condition is a factor, and one of the Ebay sales looked like its condition was just as good as the one on Abe. I also know that, when it comes to collectibles, they're worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for them. I don't want to gouge anybody but I also don't want to give away for $20 something that could bring in $200. I could use the cash (who couldn't 😀)

I would be happy to sell my books to people in this group for a decent price, I just don't know what that price would be.

Thanks!

>146 splicer415: Listed prices don’t always reflect the amount a buyer is willing to pay. What mainly attracts HP collectors is the quality-to-value ratio. Unless this particular title has a recognized merit, as might be known by other members, I wouldn’t bet on such a high price.

>146 splicer415:
Heritage Press books seem to sell for significantly less than the equivalent Limited Editions Club edition. Most go for under US$50, and many for a mere US$20.

>146 splicer415: If you have any Heritage Press exclusives, i.e. titles not published by the LEC, you might be able to do better than $20; contingent on the state and availability of those titles.
See this article for more details: https://georgemacyimagery.wordpress.com/heritage-press-exclusives/

I frequently acquire HP titles for under $10 with Sandglass and slipcase without any defects.

Thank you all for the info. It's clear I need to do a deep dive into the books to figure out what I've got. I looked at a couple and one of them shows the special material copyright with the Limited Edition Club, so it's clearly not an exclusive. Another one doesn't mention LEC in the copyright, so maybe it was a Heritage Press exclusive.

Interesting stuff about Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. I have them both in one volume with the Rockwell illustrations. Alas, no signature.

>150 splicer415: Also New York Heritage are generally worth more and better made than Connecticut Heritage.

On The Nature of Things (LEC) for 100$. Described as near fine. Ask for photos!
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31667139711

I don’t know about decent price, but here’s an LEC - Bounty Mutiny - rarely seen in this condition:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186115380720

>153 GusLogan: https://www.ebay.com/itm/186115591747
1942 Leaves of Grass
Same seller, much better than normally seen

>154 PBB:
That’s definitely an ”I know what I’ve got” listing!

I picked up their LEC Poems of Edgar Allen Poe in NF+ condition with an offer and was quite pleased to do so.

$1,100 Poems of Robert Frost
https://www.ebay.com/itm/186118894240

https://www.ebay.com/itm/404546112085
I Promessi Sposi for 29.99 USD. It’s a Mardersteig!

>156 PBB:

That is an excellent price for the LEC 2-volume Robert Frost, especially in fine condition. The vast majority of copies have fading of the book spines.

>158 dlphcoracl: https://www.librarything.com/pic/9899467

Or you could get this $3,600 copy that I saw in Bauman Rare Books Vegas in May. They’re also one of the stores I’ve seen list Shiff era books for more than the LEC sells them new

Praise of Folly (LEC) in best condition ever!!! Just look at that medallion! Wow!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186126393394

Gone in 60 seconds........

Wow, that’s a beautiful book. I own the HP, but now the LEC is officially on my radar if another opportunity ever pops up. The ebay seller has a number of LECs in excellent condition with prices ranging from very reasonable to what I believe to be very high ($995 Monte Cristo).

>161 Glacierman: Literally... And it looks like a best offer was excepted which makes it even a better deal. I would have ordered this copy in a blink of an eye but I already own one.

>162 cartographer144: Looks like the seller is not very knowledgeable. I would recommend getting Virgil's Georgics. The price and condition are great.

I picked up that seller’s Sentimental Journey and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe at good prices. Had a couple of offers declined. Nice-looking collection indeed!

>164 Lukas1990: Offer accepted (though I only saved $9)! I already own the 1969 FS edition which is probably my favorite FS book in my collection, but at least they have different translators so will likely offer somewhat unique reading experiences.

Utopia for 30$ from Oaknoll. No slipcase and no photos to evaluate the condition. But as a reading copy...

https://www.oakknoll.com/pages/books/139253/thomas-more/utopia-written-in-latin-...

>166 cartographer144: You'll like it. It has all the qualities of much more expensive books printed by Officina Bodoni (excluding handpress printing).

For those on a budget and willing to take a leap of faith, a new batch of LEC titles just listed on ThriftBooks that meet a few criteria when dealing with this mega bookseller posted here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/171386#8098301

..like multiple 'Actual Product Photos' and the line 'Secure packaging for safe delivery.' in the description. I have personally purchased many titles very cheaply and at excellent shipping rates from ThriftBooks.

NOTE: In the past few months, ThriftBooks have begun to list multiple publishers under the same title; so in such cases I have highlighted relevant text in the link that should take you straight to the LEC listing. Don't forget to click and verify 'Product Details'. Buyers in USA get FREE shipping and avoid a long and potentially arduous overseas journey. Books are sent via Asendia and USPS fully tracked and insured. If books arrive damaged, don't hesitate to contact their Customer Service.

The Ambassadors, 1963 for $40
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-ambassadors_henry-james/389082/vintage/#:~:tex....

Two Plays for Puritans, 1966 for $17
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/two-plays-for-puritans/19584214/vintage/#:~:text=s....

Bel-Ami, 1968 for $23
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/bel-ami_guy-de-maupassant/318158/vintage/

Roxana, 1976 for $17
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/roxana-the-fortunate-mistress_daniel-defoe/387232/...

New Arabian Nights, 1976 for 23$
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-new-arabian-nights_robert-louis-stevenson/1540...

The Three-Cornered Hat, 1959 for $22
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-three-cornered-hat-the-true-history-of-an-affa...

War of the Worlds/Time Machine for 150 USD:
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31680666290

>169 GusLogan: Nice and gone! Still would like to see at least a couple of pictures as these booksellers are untrustworthy.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186132913730 Matisse signature only copy of Ulysses auction starting at $3,000, with make offer option enabled. Not sure if that indicates the seller is truly open to less than $3,000, but worth a shot. Looks to be in very good or better condition

Edit: Sold
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31690973206&searchurl=sort...

$1,500 Seven Years in Tibet, complete with letter, boards and $1,000 cheaper than any other complete copy I could find in a quick vialibri search. Hate not being able to get this for myself!

>173 PBB:
Sold (but not to me)!

>174 GusLogan: was up very early this morning after sharing that in the evening, and said screw it if it’s still available I’m going to get it. But it was gone. Oh well

>173 PBB: >174 GusLogan: ‘Twas I, at least I hope so. The order on Abe went through and I got a second email that the bookseller confirmed the sale but I never really believe it until I get the shipping notice from the seller. Ordered last night at 8PM PDT as soon as I saw the post. Seven Years in Tibet was high on my wish list and my top LEC entry. Thanks for the tip.

>177 PBB: Congrats on your latest purchase. I really lucked into an immaculate copy of the 1942 LEC Leaves of Grass that came from the Arthur Andersen Estate (founder of the accounting firm). It had the original glassine and although the slipcase was slightly worn the books themselves are in mint condition. I’m guessing a grandchild was unloading the library. Great price as well at a very reasonable $850 including shipping and CA sales tax. When you mention the 1929 LEC do you mean the HP edition illustrated by Rockwell Kent and printed by the Nonesuch Press?

>178 kdweber: Pretty sure PBB means this one: https://georgemacyimagery.wordpress.com/2020/05/10/heritage-press-leaves-of-gras...

>179 WildcatJF: You’re so so right, I got mixed up. I have that edition as well but it’s not one of my favorites.

>179 WildcatJF:
>180 kdweber: The cover is my favorite aspect of the 1929, and in the thread about top 10 LECs I did include it in mine but not quite as high on it now. I’d really like to have the signed HP Rockwell Kent but that seems like an edition that’s aged poorly so I’ll have to be patient on that one. I was very excited to get this one because I decided to start re-reading this about a month ago, and it turns out my mom and grandma made the decision independently to do the same so we’ve been talking about it a lot and was nice to show this one to them.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/134802240687

I don’t agree that it is in Fine condition, but perhaps Near Fine, and the binding has been highlighted here before. The subject matter doesn’t grab me or I would have picked it up myself!

>182 GusLogan: Had I the funds right now, I'd jump on that like a duck on a June bug! It would be a fitting companion to my first edition of that book.

Alas! At the moment, I haven't a feather to fly with.

>183 Glacierman: Well, it looks to have been snapped up in two shakes of a lamb's tail... ;-)

For $350 this is a very nice copy of the 1934 LEC Thousand Nights and a Night. The spines look pretty great, nice and light, just vol 1 and 2 have a little chipping at the top. Quite a good find when so many of these, in similar condition, are listed for over $1000. I'm sorely tempted to buy it, but I know I'd never get past the first volume and I hate having unread books on my shelf.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/375064002055

The Sonnets to Orpheus in fine condition for below 600$. Only issue: no slipcase and letter.

https://www.resourcebooks.net/product/219990/The-Sonnets-to-Orpheus

https://www.ebay.com/itm/404648235918

Condition could be better but 30 bucks for Petrarch’s sonnets with ML is pretty cheap.

>183 Glacierman:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/155892784525
Here’s both better condition and price!

>188 GusLogan:
And having been there for weeks, it’s gone!

>189 GusLogan: That Orpheus from >186 Lukas1990: was gone like in an hour or even less after I posted it. These booksellers should pay us...with books!

>190 Lukas1990: AWRight . . . who from here jumped on it?

Good for you!

>188 GusLogan: S'ok. I have the first edition (Harper, 1847) in publisher's cloth. I am content.

>186 Lukas1990: last day for the 30% sale on that seller’s site if anyone hasn’t checked it out yet.

https://www.jhbooks.com/pages/books/195774/lynn-riggs-thomas-hart-benton/green-g...
$150 with the letter seems fair for this one, a worse copy went for $115 on eBay recently. Comparable copies listed for $200+ elsewhere

Lucretius (LEC). Not a bargain but the condition is perfect and best offer is available.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/155926452817

>194 Lukas1990: It is gorgeous! I spotted that earlier today.

I just started reading my FS edition of Lucretius over the weekend and am very tempted but must pass.

The Hans Christian Andersen museum in Solvang (CA) has a small collection of LEC books. I spotted Uncle Tom’s cabin for 100$. No slipcase but the book is in fine condition.

There’s a Winesburgh, Ohio for 60 bucks on eBay, best offer possible - and a Circus of Dr Lao for 100. I reckon 130 bucks gets you both, which is really attractive. I own both, or I would have gone for it myself!

https://www.biblio.com/book/wind-willows-grahame-kenneth-moore-inga/d/1551982704
Just ordered from this seller and noticed they also have The Wind in the Willows for $400. Pictures needed but sounds nice based on the description

>199 PBB: I've mentioned it elsewhere but neither the Heritage press nor the Easton edition has all the illustrations (and certainly not tipped in. I keep around my old E.P. just to remind me how bad illustration reproduction can be.) If in reasonably decent shape, you will love it.
B.R.'s signature too.

* deleted

There's a bunch of nice looking LEC books for sale from Second Story Books. The prices are really good. All the books look fine from their covers but are suspiciously rated as only in very good condition (there are up to five photos of each book).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/196154564390

HP (edit: H Club!) Romeo & Juliet at great price with not so great spine.

>202 Lukas1990:
I heard that Second Story Books was closing down, so this may be a clearance sale.

>205 wcarter: I don't see anything about them closing from a Google search or on their social media pages. Do you have inside knowledge? Some decent prices, but nothing low enough that makes me think they're really trying to get rid of things.

Interesting interview with the owner of Second Story Books, Allen Stypeck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMucRT_-lyE
Seems like they have a massive operation, they would have to run a clearance sale for quite some time to make a significant dent in their inventory.

>206 PBB:
I might have the wrong Second Story Books. The one that is closed is in Chappaqua, New York.
I guess its not an uncommon name for a bookstore.

>202 Lukas1990:
I’ve bought a few LECs from them and FWIW they have all been rated VG or VG+ and arrived as NF/F, though caveat emptor!

Lucretius (LEC) in like new condition (spine looks good) for 195$.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256160715163?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-...

New batch of LEC titles (numbered #420) just in on ThriftBooks. These caught my eye...

Poems of Robert Graves, 1980 for $28
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/robert-graves-poems/27260626/vintage/

Simplicissimus, 1980 for $62
"Also includes a complimentary wood engraving by Fritz Eichenberg and the original invitation to the Limited Editions Club celebration for this edition."
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-adventures-of-simplicissimus/19340583/vintage/

>210 mr.philistine:
Someone buy that Simplicissimus before I order my sixth copy! (I give them away! Well, three of them…)

Further to >210 mr.philistine: someone snagged The Kingdom of This World, 1988 listed here:
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-kingdom-of-this-world-signed_alejo-carpentier/...

Since the Product Details of this copy list the book as weighing 1.00 lbs, it would have shipped overseas for $7.99 or FREE locally (in the USA). Now that the item has been purchased, the above link defaults to a generic photo without any more information like price or specific description. If anyone on this forum saw OR acquired this copy, please share the original price - to inspire/ deter us :)

>212 mr.philistine: long time lurker here. I grabbed The Kingdom of This World after seeing your post. I would totally get the Graves and Simplicissimus if I didn’t already owned them (tempted by Simplicissimus anyway, tbh, as mine isn’t in great condition). The price on The Kingdom Of This World was $79.

Oh, and it looks like someone else scored Journeys Among the Dead
by Eugene Ionescu from the same batch. I’d likewise be interested to see how they priced that…

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/journeys-among-the-dead_eugene-ionescu/51914208/?r...

>213 cdeweese: Thanks for putting my restless mind at ease! $79 is great coupled with shipping priced for a 1lb book (if they listed the book as such). My copy of Simplicissimus came with the newsletter and prospectus, so I will live with that.

I am sure you must be aware but here are a few tips >168 mr.philistine: from a regular buyer on ThriftBooks.

Out of curiosity, what filters do you use when hunting LECs' on ThriftBooks?
I search for 'limited editions club' and uncheck 'Show Out of Stock Items' and check 'Signed Books'. This narrows the list significantly but curiously does not show the aforementioned Journeys Among the Dead.

>214 mr.philistine: yes, it was with free shipping, so I feel great about it! I used to search ThriftBooks for just “Limited Editions Club” and then unselect out of stock books, but they changed their search functionality about a year ago and it’s almost unusable now. They do have a couple of the “Evergreen Tales” sets for $40, if anyone is interested… I have to say, however, I have two of these collections and wasn’t super impressed by them.

For anyone interested: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-evergreen-tales-or-tales-for-the-ageless-beaut...

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-tale-of-ali-baba--the-forty-thieves--the-sleep...

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-evergreen-tales-or-tales-for-the-ageless-the-s...

I just noticed these as well, also from that #420 set (neither of these is a wonderful deal, pretty average I’d guess)

Milosz for $224
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-captive-mind_czesaw-miosz/299870/vintage/?resu...

Sassoon for $45
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/memoirs-of-an-infantry-officer_siegfried-sassoon/4...

>213 cdeweese:
Great buy, good for you!

Two Mediaeval Tales for $30… described as VG but no photos.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004R01ST6/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_9?smid=A3UCM1...

>216 GusLogan: thanks! I see a lot of great reviews of this one on here, excited to add it to my scant Schiff-era LEC shelf

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31748474976&searchurl=yrh%...

Matisse only Ulysses for only $3,500.

>199 PBB: Just received this copy, I think the reason they didn't go higher was the slipcase with chipped corner, yet the condition of the book made me think $400 is still a bargain! Thanks for the tip!

$45 for The Toilers of the Sea. Perhaps not the very cheapest around, but book/jacket/slipcase are all Fine (apparently).

https://biblio.co.uk/book/toilers-sea-hugo-victor/d/1582691900?placement=search_...

As most LEC collectors know, the danger with this book is the page block separating from the binding. Still, it's a lovely book and at that price certainly worth a go. My copy has been fine so far.

>220 imkdir: Glad someone here got it!

$80 for 6-volume Andersen's Fairy Tales. Seems to have been mistakenly listed as HP instead of LEC. Looks to be in decent shape. Already own it myself or I'd be all over it:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/296169559203?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-...

Uncle Tom's Cabin for 125$. VG condition. Looks OK.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/166564676652

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31778730854&searchurl=yrh%...

Quarto Millenary $38. No Monthly Letter and only one picture but seems like a nice copy

>224 Lukas1990: Another Uncle Tom's Cabin on auction with a starting bid of $10 and almost 10 days to go. While the copy in your post came with the announcement card only, this copy has a slipcase and monthly newsletter.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/126333400398

For those not signed up for their newsletter, Rarecollections South Africa 35% off sale starts tomorrow and runs through the end of March

>226 mr.philistine:
Someone did very well there! (108 USD)

Nice looking Diary of a Country Priest, with make-offer option.

gone!

>229 A.Nobody: I was interested in that one until I saw no number by Eichenberg’s signature. Seller told me no initials or LEC stamp either so doesn’t seem to be a presentation or office copy. Haven’t seen that before

Lucretius for 29.99$! Hurry! The binding is rubbed but otherwise looks fine.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/364773598165?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-...

>232 Lukas1990:
Thank you!

Resource Books is offering 25% off (with free shipping in the US) through the end of March with code YESMOREBOOKS. I mention this here because they have a number of late Schiff-era books that might be a solid value with the discount.

>234 A.Nobody: Edit: Sold
Wuthering Heights $1,837 before tax wow. That's cheaper than the most recent auction I could find and cheaper than some auctions 10+ years ago. I'd buy it myself as it is at the top of my wish list but I have a copy on hold with another seller and would be wrong to back out of that deal.

>234 A.Nobody:
Thank you. Got kingdom of this World and the LEC Bibliography.
Postage to Australia cost more than the books after the discount, but that is one of the penalties for living on this side of the globe.

>234 A.Nobody: Thanks. Heights of Macchu Picchu is on its way west.

>234 A.Nobody: Outstanding prices!

>234 A.Nobody: I really need one of those late period folio sized books in my modest collection. I will never afford Genesis but The Revelation of Saint John the Divine at 945$ is very tempting.

>236 wcarter:
Jealous but congratulations!

>234 A.Nobody: I can vouch for the seller and she is amazing. She had a bunch of LEC titles and since I live close I visited her store and picked up a bunch of Schiff titles a few months back. A wonderful seller and incredibly kind person.

>260 PBB:
Just cancelled the order as postage was US$263. Decided it was not worth it, so books back in stock again.

>242 wcarter: Holy Mother of God! That is positively INSANE!

>242 wcarter: Close to what I paid for shipping the SJP 1984 to the states after FedEx was through with ripping me off

YIKES

>243 Glacierman: >244 kdweber: >245 WildcatJF:
Resource Books were very helpful and apologetic about the shipping cost. Refunded me instantly.
Evidently the two book parcel was just over 10 pounds which took it into a higher price bracket.
It is getting very hard to buy heavy beautiful books due to shipping costs.

>242 wcarter:
They’re not visible at the moment, raising the tragic (for me) possibility that I’ve been too slow twice ; )

>247 GusLogan:
Email them directly as it may take a while for them to refresh their website.

>242 wcarter: Did you try from alibris.com ? I'm not sure if you would get the discount at alibris, but their shipping costs are very reasonable, so might turn out cheaper even without the discount.

>248 wcarter:
Done, with gratitude!

(Not so keen on the Bibliography given the musty odour carefully noted.)

I received Wuthering Heights and The Man Who Planted Trees from Resource Books. Extraordinarily beautiful, and extraordinarily enormous. These are my first late-era Schiff books and they are almost overwhelming, in a good way.
The Resource Books 25% off offer is good through April 15 with code HOORAYBOOKS (and free US shipping). They are a high-quality seller, so don't hesitate to purchase if there's anything catching your eye.

>251 A.Nobody: Very nice pickups. I will be joining you in Wuthering Heights ownership this week. I considered the Resource Books copy myself but I decided to buy it new from the LEC directly, and have never been this excited to receive a book. I have seen it in person but not in great condition, but I still knew I had to have it. By far the best illustrations I've seen for Wuthering Heights and a top 5 favorite novel of mine.

LEC Sight and Touch for 895$!!! Best offer available! Again Resource books.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/116138042159?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-...

>253 Lukas1990: Use code HOORAYBOOKS on their website to get 25% off (through April 15), and free shipping, unlike the $24 they charge on eBay.

>254 A.Nobody: What's the URL? Search gives all sorts of weird stuff, mostly "Hooray for Heroes" books.

>255 Glacierman: At the Resource Books site, you can use the HOORAYBOOKS code at checkout to get the discount on your purchase. Looks like the Sight and Touch is already gone, however.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/285816677874?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-...

$169 1937 Marie Laurencin Camille with make offer available. Looks to have some (or all) of the original tissue guards. Has some of the aging to the binding and slipcase that is common with this edition

>234 A.Nobody:
>236 wcarter:
Renewed thanks - just received The Kingdom of this World. A Very Large and luxurious book. Delighted.

>258 GusLogan: Glad to hear it! It's one of my personal favorites.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186411123323 A Midsummer Night's Dream $95 with commentary

Edit: Sold within a minute of me posting this

Moby Dick in very nice condition. And the price is good.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/235538491051

I don’t know that it’s a good price, but here’s an interesting copy of the 1933 LEC Don Q:

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/_CF847B7B37

Unique piece, don’t know if it really qualifies as a decent price. I think this looks very interesting. A production copy of For Whom The Bell Tolls with all sorts of notes and instructions for the printer
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?utm_source=vialibri&utm_mediu...

>263 PBB: Possibly a copy that Eason Press took apart to make their reproduction edition?

>264 kermaier: makes sense. Much less interesting than if it was used during the original production like I was thinking

Indecently, someone just listed the 1951 LEC Anna Karenina on eBay for 750 USD!

If you can live with some stains on the slipcase, this fine-looking Memoirs of a Fox-hunting Man, with all the extras, represents a strong value.

>267 A.Nobody:
Nice! And sold (not to me).

>267 A.Nobody: Thanks, I had been ready to purchase this title after recently acquiring Memoirs of an Infantry Officer in a well priced bundle of 3 LECs, but didn't want to spend much.

A candidate for rebinding - https://www.biblio.com/details.php?dcx=1610737946&aid=vialibri&utm_sourc...

No photos but if the description is accurate then I highly recommend the book.

https://www.biblio.com/details.php?dcx=1610233745&aid=vialibri&utm_sourc...

Please save me from buying a second copy. Crime and Punishment ambiguously identified as LEC/heritage press edition at an attractive price. Slipcase appears split but otherwise sound and a minor bump on the head of the volume 2 spine. No affiliation.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/395442624212

>272 encephalophagy:
Good one! I am sticking with one copy as well, though.

>272 encephalophagy: Sold this morning around 8 AM. One wonders if one of ours snagged it.

>274 Glacierman: I grabbed it. Looked like the LEC to me, based on the title page photo. Thanks for the heads-up, encephalophagy.

>275 Chemren: Hats off to you for removing the temptation! I'm pleased it found its way to a fellow GMD.

>275 Chemren: Well, good on ya! Enjoy it!

Crime and Punishment has arrived and is, indeed, the LEC version. The books themselves were in great shape, with just the noted bump to the top of one spine. The slipcase was a goner though. Split on all sides. Overall I am happy with the purchase.

Fahrenheit 451 for 500$. Described as in excellent condition. Some photos added.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/326202872524?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-...

>271 Lukas1990: Thank you! The book is near fine, though the seller never respond to my emails, but hey it delivers, so no complaints. What's more with international shipping for such a heavy one, it's still much cheaper than the one listed on domestic second-hand market.

>280 imkdir: You're welcome. My first LEC book and still one of the most favorite. Here's some photos of the book and a review:

https://booksandvines.com/2012/10/08/the-life-and-journals-of-christopher-columb...

Christmas in July sale at Oak Knoll. Grossman's History of the LEC available at 50% off.

This is a very good price for The Kingdom of this World:
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31936136280

The seller also has a terrific price for the first 50 monthly letters. Edit: Though I see now it is unnumbered, not that I think it matters much.

>283 GusLogan: same seller just listed The Old Man and the Sea for $450. numbered and with monthly letter. I think that’s the same seller who had Seven Years in Tibet for $1,500 a few months ago.
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?utm_source=vialibri&utm_mediu...

>283 GusLogan: I scooped up the monthly letters. Delighted to add the bibliography companion to my shelf. Thanks for the tip!

>284 PBB: Yes, it is and I am very happy with both the price and the condition of my copy of Seven Years in Tibet.

>285 encephalophagy:
You’re very welcome indeed!

I’m not saying it’s a wild deal or anything, but this seems like a pretty decent Plutarch set, currently only beaten on eBay by a 400 USD set? Certainly with domestic (US) shipping it looks OK if you don’t need pristine slipcases…

https://www.ebay.com/itm/226267018803

This has got to be the best deal I've ever seen on the bay. Someone did incredibly well here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/303702843604

>289 encephalophagy: My first thought was wow! Only $150 for All the King’s Men then I realized it was actually $15!

>289 encephalophagy:
I think the seller must have taken it down or sold it to a specific buyer (to make up for some other sale gone wrong?) or something - the price makes no sense as the seller knows LECs and has a lot of them for sale at much higher prices. This said, your post almost caused me physical pain ; )

I’m not saying it’s a bargain but I’ve never seen this for sale before:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/266939137041

>292 GusLogan: https://www.vialibri.net/searches?title=Description+of+A+Masque&publisher=Li...

Couple more available now, including directly from the Limited Editions Club. Resource Books had one when they had their sale a few months back, I considered it but ended up getting two cheaper books instead. The one you shared is a nice deal compared to the rest

>292 GusLogan:, >293 PBB: I bought the copy from Resource Books back in March when it was on sale, it was considerably less expensive than the copy on eBay.

VG+ Mardersteig's Dante for 88$.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?utm_source=vialibri&utm_mediu...

A very nice Erasmus for 94$
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?utm_source=vialibri&utm_mediu...

Another beautiful Erasmus for 122$
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?utm_source=vialibri&utm_mediu...

>295 Lukas1990: I sent a question about condition to the seller of the Dante. No response, but the price went up to $125….

>296 kermaier:

Someone is reading this thread lol....both copies more than $125 now. I guess it could be the exchange rate, but seems too round a number.

The seller obviously raised prices for all three books. At 88$ for Dante I probably wouldn't even bother to ask for additional info and just order the book imediately haha.

LEC Last Days of Pompeii, 1956 for $5 BIN!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/226289713617

>299 mr.philistine: Thank you :) Not sure if the seller missed a 0 there or if there’s something dodgy but for $5 I can get over it.

>300 bacchus.:

>297 MobyRichard: The exchange rate wouldn't account for a nearly 50% increase over the weekend.... ;-)

>298 Lukas1990: Yes, I probably should have, but I hesitated to order a book shipped from Australia to the USA without confirming.

>299 mr.philistine:
Hi!
I am sorry to have to cancel the order. I mispriced the item as I am auure you are aware. Totally my fault. If you want this item I will sell it to you for 50% off. It is probably already relisted. Just click on the item and send me an email asking me if I offer discounts. I will then add a buy-it-now and will acept your offer.
Thank you for your understanding. We all make honest mistakes.
Thank you,

>303 bacchus.: Alas, $5 was too good to be true... but I don't agree with 'I mispriced the item as I am auure you are aware'. And while 'We all make honest mistakes', they have consequences. In this case, eBay Order Cancellation Policy does not compute 'honest mistakes' :)

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/order-cancellation-p...

They must honour the transaction which is a contract on the eBay platform. Will you pursue the matter?

>297 MobyRichard: I sincerely hope it isn't the case that a member of this community would use it to maximize profits. That seems to run counter to the spirit of the group. Notwithstanding the ethics of such behavior, it seems unwise to alienate the members of such a niche market in this way. If this indeed is a case of membership in this community being abused I hope the moderator can take action to discourage it.

>304 mr.philistine: Probably not, but I completely agree with you. As I told the seller, it’s not our mistakes that define us, but how we choose to correct them. If this was a LEC I truly desired my attitude would have been less compromising :)

>292 GusLogan:
>293 PBB: here’s another copy for $500 that didn’t come up in my search the other day.
https://www.undergroundbooks.net/pages/books/15484/john-ashbery-jane-freilicher-...

>292 GusLogan:
I accepted an offer from the seller to purchase this item...for $10!!

Shortly after the payment was processed I received a message from the seller stating that the price of the item is $575. Soon thereafter I received a notification that the order had been cancelled "at buyer's request" (obviously false). My request of the seller for an explanation has been met with silence.

This seems very shady to me...

>308 encephalophagy:
How odd. It doesn’t sound like a clever way to launder money…

>308 encephalophagy: I would report them to eBay. I'd be surprised if anything will come of it if it really is an isolated error, but if there's a pattern eBay might take action. According to the terms of service, I'm pretty sure the seller violated a contract with you.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256608321127

All The King's Men in VG condition (my estimation) starting at $99. This is an excellent LEC production and the story itself is of great literary merit. That said, one can find this imprint in Fine/As-New condition, so no point in rushing to purchase if exterior condition must be flawless.

No connection to the seller.

>310 abysswalker: Reported the seller. A pricing error would be one thing but for them to cancel the sale on an offer they had initiated after it had closed on the false basis that I had requested the cancellation is something else entirely. I hope this seller is removed from the platform to prevent this type of experience for other buyers.

>289 encephalophagy:
I just bought a copy on eBay for 300 USD. Not quite Fine, but a copy I felt was worse went for 380-something the other day (edit: the one mentioned in >311 a.friend: above, thanks for pointing it out!). It seems the price of this gorgeus Schiff production has gone down somewhat over time - or maybe the price points on this forum are indicative of Like New/Fine+ copies with Monthly Letter : )

UK-based seller: https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/lozza0610

...has listed 23 books including several LECs, 2 Whittington Press, a Folio LE and a few others. Slipcases of many LECs have seen better days.

>314 mr.philistine:
Absurdly, a Fine copy of The Circus of Dr Lao LEC with a Monthly Letter sold for 27 USD the other day. I guess the one for sale here is being pursued by European/UK collectors seeking a better shipping deal…

>315 GusLogan: This seller's copy of Dr. Lao sold for £107 and the FS Door in the Wall LE sold for £170!

On the note of Dr. Lao, what appears to be a Good+ copy is available for $35 (if one uses the coupon made available by eBay); slipcase wanting.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/335146050938

35% site-wide sale at Rare Collections (Cape Town) ongoing now.
https://www.rarecollections.co.za/

>318 mr.philistine: Thanks for the tip! I acquired Dubliners from Christo a couple of months ago, and just now purchased The White Spider.

>318 mr.philistine: Excellent advisory, thank you. I see in the LEC section that, among others, A Season in Hell, The Leopard and In Praise of Folly are very reasonably priced.

>318 mr.philistine:

Thanks for the alert, mr. p - I've just ordered Snow country from the sale, my first Schiff-era LEC of the year.

>318 mr.philistine: Much appreciated, I was able to acquire the 1969 Heart of Darkness along with a few others.

Rare Collections even provided a letter of provenance for two of the titles. The previous owner wasn’t someone well-known, but seems to have been an intelligent, philanthropic, high-achieving individual, like a typical LEC aficionado of course :).

Thank you for letting us know about this sale. I had been reluctant to purchase from South Africa but Rare Collections has been exceptionally responsive and professional. Hats off to them for achieving this in a very challenging environment.

>319 zachp: >320 a.friend: >321 affle:

>322 Whaiwhakaiho: ...I was able to acquire the 1969 Heart of Darkness...

For a little under $100, I believe? I saw that disappear right before my eyes! I opened this along with a few other titles in different tabs and I got the '404 Not Found' for this one. The RC website gives no room for reminiscing lost chances! It's like the title was never there. :)

Highly recommend The Georgics for less than 70$.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?utm_source=vialibri&utm_mediu...

>325 Lukas1990: A further 5% less if bought directly from Rare Collections here: https://www.rarecollections.co.za/pages/books/28997

ETA: Looks like several new LEC additions to the 35% sale too.

>326 mr.philistine:
Yeah, some good prices there. Must stop buying books…

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31986846017

Great price for a copy of the Diary of a Country Priest with an unsunned spine - though it is unnumbered. I guess at least it isn’t no. 711…

No slipcase, but a nice-looking '33 Don Quixote, and with free shipping.

https://www.oakknoll.com/advSearchResults.php?action=search&fromForm=1&a...

Oak Knoll site wide sale. Thanks to "A.Nobody" for pointing it out on the Fine Press Forum

A nice-looking Hiroshima with the extras at a fair price, with OBO and free shipping.

>332 A.Nobody: Anyone seriously interested in this copy should ask for a pic showing the spine. It is prone to sun-fading depending on where it has been shelved.

A decent copy of The Leopard for $100 from Centerbridge Books whose listings have appeared several times in this thread. I bought mine recently for $150, which seemed low at the time, wished I waited a bit more.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31993827104

>334 klamerin:
I paid 180!

The Secret Sharer for $60.50 or best offer. Seems like a good deal even at the asking price.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/305770843504

>334 klamerin: thank you for posting this.

I've been going back and forth on this one for years.

On the one hand, it's printed by the Stamperia Valdonega using Caslon type on Magnani paper and the typography is impeccable. It's a novel for which I have high regard in a quality translation.

On the other hand, I already have a copy of the same translation of The Leopard in an edition I like reasonably well (the earlier Folio Society edition in a handy Octavo size), the LEC is huge, and the one "illustration" frontispiece is a simplistic abstract thing that doesn't seem to have much to do with the story.

At the prices I usually see the LEC Leopard for, I just couldn't justify it. However, at a base cost less than many current Folio Society "standard" editions, it finally made sense, even with more than half again ($66) shipping charge on top.

In person (as I largely suspected it would be), it is gorgeous. I am still not impressed by the frontispiece as art, but it works fine as an austere ornament that lets the typography and materials shine.

What appears to be a near-fine copy of Frankenstein is currently on the bidding block for only $41.00 USD. Given the condition and relative aftermarket scarcity, hopefully someone here can benefit!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/305867776747

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256707257607 Not a perfect copy but just $15 with make offer available for the hard cover first series prospectus printed by D.B. Updike

Grossman’s history of the LEC at a great price for someone in the UK:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/267061985107

Edit: Sold.

A very clean 1st of the Munro Leaf/Robert Lawson Aesop's Fables in Slipcase with Sandglass.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/335671679793?_skw=%22RObert+Lawson

War of the Worlds and Time Machine. Starting bid 199$. Wasn't sold previously for 249$ if I remember.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/296823841511?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-...

A nice-looking Persuasion with ML and free shipping.

https://www.bromer.com/pages/books/32559/maya-angelou/music-deep-rivers-in-my-so...

$1050 for Music, Deep Rivers in My Soul. This is less than what a copy went for last week at auction, and over $1,000 cheaper than any other copy I could find available at the moment.

>343 A.Nobody: Thank you! I'm a new collector, and that will make a nice addition to my fledgling collection.

>345 Unbroken1: Always happy to help a fellow collector :)

Another promising pick - The Great Gatsby, probably in really good condition judging by the niceness of the glassine, although the slipcase has toning. The seller's typos might help this stay under the radar :)

30% site-wide sale at Rare Collections (Cape Town) ongoing now.
https://www.rarecollections.co.za/

A nice-looking Lavengro, with ML, for only $20, or best offer.

LEC Ben-Hur for $26 plus $11.13 International Shipping:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/375851640407

Vowels by Arthur Rimbaud for just $650.
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=32082455141

https://www.vialibri.net/searches?title=vowels&publisher=limited+editions+cl...

Just noticed a nice looking Quarto-Millenary for $60 obo on ebay

https://www.ebay.com/itm/235958811048?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-...

>351 PBB: Different Drummer Books is an excellent seller; he offers accurate descriptions and generally the best prices on the market. A few years ago, he offloaded a near-mint copy of the 8-vol. Roman Empire set for an impressively low ask.

Moby Dick in unusually good condition . Starting bid 325$.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/167342329156?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-...

>354 Lukas1990: I almost bid on this. The seller noted some minor water damage at the end of volume 2, which gave me pause. Other than that, it's definitely in better than average condition; might still be a good deal at that price.

>354 Lukas1990: You call that unusually good condition? The text block is damaged. The leather spine is damaged as well as the usual heavy toning/loss of color. The slipcase has seen better days. A lower than usual price for a mediocre copy, sounds fair. Clearly someone bought it fairly quickly but that would have been an easy pass for me if I was still looking for the book.

>355 astronauteric:, >356 kdweber: You're right. Never judge a book by it's cover. Still, if the water damage is minor, seems not a bad deal. Wonder what the final accepted offer was. It might have been higher than 325$.

>307 PBB: Description of a Masque for $500 OBO.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/286401224115?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-...

1933 Hamlet in relatively solid condition. There does appear to be some spotting.

LEC-exclusive Voice of the City, 1935 with '4 loose pages' (portfolio?) but heavily stained slipcase for $39.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/197158824509

No connection to seller.

ETA: The LEC wiki page mentions a portfolio of 6 prints. So this listing has an incomplete set.

>360 mr.philistine:
While I always appreciate alerts in this thread, I would personally steer clear of this copy, which looks musty to me.

>361 GusLogan: ...which looks musty to me.

Inter-sensory perception has always intrigued me! :)

BTW sold. The cheapest copies on AbeBooks and eBay start from $100 and $200 respectively. I suppose there are those among us (myself included!) who might be willing to risk a cheap beat-up copy.

>362 mr.philistine: I would, but I don't consider $39 cheap!

>362 mr.philistine:
Heh. The faint dark marks on the inside cover and the state of the slipcase were warning enough for me, but obviously it’s a game of probabilities. My risk appetite is heavily influenced by my having to ship most LECs across the Atlantic and having received a few musty copies. The price was good! But was it good for a reason?… I hope the buyer finds it satisfactory!

>360 mr.philistine: I think those are illustrations that have been removed from the book. The print portfolio was signed and numbered and the ones in that listing don't appear to be. The portfolio sheets are also much larger than the book, while the illustrations from that listing look to be the same size as the book.

https://www.bonhams.com/auction/26910/lot/1056/grosz-george-1893-1959-bagdad-on-... $3187 for the complete set

https://www.forumauctions.co.uk/138999/George-Grosz-1893-1959-The-Bowery-from-Ba... £500 for just one print

>365 PBB:
I agree that this is a strong possibility. I also thought the same thing when I looked at the pictures.
Other books from that seller are not offered below market values, so they know what they are doing.

30% site-wide sale at Rare Collections (Cape Town) ongoing now.
https://www.rarecollections.co.za/

>367 mr.philistine: Thanks! I ordered Upton Sinclairs' The Jungle. It's about Lithuanian emigrants in Chicago and I'm Lithuanian :) The book is in nice condition. The shipping price was very reasonable.

A better-than-usual Religio Medici at an attractive price.

Does anyone know if this Wood Engraving from 'The Poems of Robert Burns' listed on Abebooks (UK) for £10 is part of a portfolio issued by the LEC or cannibalised from the book? :)
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/Wood-Engraving-Poems-Robert-Burns-Limited/31011534903...

>370 mr.philistine:
I no longer have my copy of the LEC of Burns' poetry and what is identified in wcarter's wiki as "Letter" seems to be just the Announcement Card, so it's difficult to know whether a separate portfolio was offered. I have seen individual prints of the Burn's illustrations offered for sale by various online galleries and marked as "proofs" and each one was captioned and signed by Hassall. Since this one has no signature, I would be suspicious.

>371 Django6924: Thanks for confirming. Also, the 'Art Portfolios' section of the LEC wiki page has no entry for this title.

>372 mr.philistine: the art portfolio section is incomplete. I know of a few more books that had portfolios that I need to send to wcarter so he can update the wiki. I also have seen some prints done later than the books, I think some artists issued them separate from the LEC. I’ve never seen a Burns portfolio though.

An overall nice looking Gone With the Wind, with ML, for much less than others.

>374 A.Nobody: Gone! Things tend to get sold rather quickly after a mention here......

Mega used book seller 'World of Books', has dropped prices on a few LEC listings. The books are not in the best shape and some might be missing slipcases and will be shipped in a cardboard box without additional protection. But collectors/ buyers (esp. in the UK) looking for reading copies might benefit from relatively cheap prices of the book and shipping. Prices vary on Abebooks and eBay so I have provided both links. International shipping via eBay is £4. Also buying 2 books or more from their eBay account gets you a 15% discount on the books.

Disclaimer: Read the seller's item descriptions carefully. I have no connection to the seller except having purchased from them over the years.

The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi, 1930 (no slipcase) for £21.53 (Abe)
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/Little-Flowers-Saint-Francis-Assisi-Dom/32078243178/b...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/387721065898

The School for Scandal, 1934 for £32 (Abe)
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/School-Scandal-Comedy-Introduction-Carl-Doren/3191809...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/135124074377

Green Mansions, 1935 (no slipcase) for £13.26 (Abe)
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/signed/Green-Mansions-W.H.Hudson-Limited-Editions-Clu...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/387566803253

Crainquebille, 1949 for £23.28 (Abe)
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/signed/Crainquebille-Anatole-France-Limited-Editions-...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/375873311129

Zuleika Dobson, 1960 (no slipcase) for £7.88 (Abe)
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/Zuleika-Dobson-Oxford-Love-Story-Limited/31633156035/...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/386106527852

Book of Psalms (LEC 1960) with ML for $24.99 and 'Make Offer' enabled:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/177047170357

>377 mr.philistine: Gone already! Good buy.

Kafka's Metamorphosis with some spine fading, but I've seen worse sell for more.

The Flounder (1985) for $75 with some damage:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/286546597937

>381 mr.philistine:
That’s really tempting…

https://www.ebay.com/str/ptventerprises?_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l161211

what in the world is going on here. Make offer isn't even turned on for these listings.

>383 PBB:
Placeholders??
Contact seller directly if interested.

>383 PBB: Money laundering?

>383 PBB: 10 grand for an LEC??? WTF???

$168 for The Kingdom of This World with monthly letter and tissue guards. This is one of my favorite books in my collection. Interesting illustrations, Magnani and Richard de Bas papers, high quality leather and cloth.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/156819710253

>383 PBB: These listings have all now been marked down 98% and still aren't great deals. But previous viewers will get notifications about the major discount. I had seen this before on eBay for other types of collectibles but not books, and the listings usually had make offer turned on. Probably not a bad way to drive traffic by just having an outrageous price just to get people to click it and see if there is actually anything special about it compared to other copies.

>388 PBB:
Good deal! I bought it for three dollars less, but the shipping was 50 dollars more…

>388 PBB:
Thanks, enabled and purchased.

Two potential deals on Le Paysan de Paris/The Peasant of Paris. Both much cheaper than other available copies.

$815 on Abe
Described as very good but no flaws listed or visible in photos so clarification is needed but could be a deal.
https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Paysan-Paris-Signed-Henri-Cartier-Bresson/320825...

$800 or best offer for a copy with a mark on the spine.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/284895606774

>389 GusLogan: $168 was not a major discount compared to past eBay sales but I still considered it a good deal as long as someone finds the illustrations appealing. The quality of the materials is very high for a 390 Glad someone here got it. Hope you can review this one.

https://www.williamreesecompany.com/the-plays-of-the-comedies-histories-tragedie...

Complete Shakespeare (though missing slipcases) on sale for $750 down from $1150. How much of a good deal this may be of course depends on condition. I’d ask for photos. The set is described as: “Some occasional slight foxing/tanning to a few of the spines, with the bookplate on the front pastedown in each volume of the James S. Copley collection. The appropriate bifolia of "Commentary" were inserted by an earlier owner before the half-title of each title and affixed with an adhesive that has caused variable adhesive browning of the endsheet gutters in each volume, slight wear at extreme lower fore-tips of a few volumes, otherwise very good copies, without the slipcases.”

Moby-Dick is also on sale for $425 down from $850, described as, “Tiny nick at crown of spine of first volume, very slight rubbing to the spines, otherwise an uncommonly nice set. The slipcase is present, but neatly split at most of the joints.” Again, photos will be necessary to determine whether this is indeed well-priced. Great description wording though as far as the mention: “The impractical binding material has seldom withstood the passage of time and has often gone the way of the sheep that died as a prelude to its manufacture.”
https://www.williamreesecompany.com/moby-dick-or-the-whale-65184.html

Edited to add that pics of Moby-Dick indicate unacceptable condition. See below.

>392 ChampagneSVP: Photos of the Moby Dick in my LibraryThing Gallery. They sent me pictures of this set 2 years ago.

https://www.librarything.com/gallery/member/PBB

>393 PBB: Wow, thanks. The omission of the rather severe spine sunning from the description is inexcusable. This is not a set that any serious collector should purchase.

Neatly sunned, foxed and with some neat mould and waterstains.

>395 Lukas1990: ... and the slipcase also 'neatly split at most of the joints.'

https://www.buddenbrooks.com/pages/books/34083/william-shakespeare/the-tragedy-o...

Eric Gill's Hamlet described as "pristine" for $595. I don't know the seller but I'd ask for more photos as the only one in the listing is low resolution.

For comparison here is a recent eBay sale for $1469
https://www.ebay.com/itm/134389803242

For any Gill fans Forum Auctions has some upcoming sales of many of his works (No LECs) from his brother Evan's collection. May or may not be decent prices but thought I'd notify just in case anyone missed it.
https://www.forumauctions.co.uk/catalog?gridtype=listview&lang=en&query=...

>397 PBB: Buddenbrooks is a reputable book dealer in the lovely shore town of Newburyport, MA. Knowledgeable and responsive, especially via phone.

>397 PBB: I predict high hammer prices for the Forum auction. Lots of good stuff with provenance there. Some beautiful and rare hand-collored engravings etc. Institutions might participate too. I believe the same auction has a rare vellum copy of Cresset Press' Milton.

>398 Sport1963: I have seen Buddenbrooks recommended in this forum and the Fine Press Forum before. I doubt there would be major discrepancies between their description and the actual condition but with the size of the image in the listing it was hard to tell if there was some light flaking/cracking to the leather that is so common with this book or if it was just the natural finish of the leather.

>399 Lukas1990: That auction is what made me think of the LEC Gill Hamlet and I was surprised to find such a nice copy, but no Monthly Letter so I passed. I have never seen a copy of this one with the letter. Same with the Odyssey which is also so difficult to find in nice condition.

>400 PBB: Here is my copy which I got a couple of years ago for about 200 USD. No monthly letter of course :)

Candidate for rebinding? LEC Toilers of the Sea for $12 (broken hinges and partially split slipcase):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/286644052131

No connection to seller

>402 mr.philistine: eBay sales history shows that this book has often told around that price (incl. shipping) or for $10 more without needing to be rebound.

>403 newbiecollector16: I don't know where you're getting your numbers, but that's not what eBay is telling me. Maybe your search pulled in Heritage Press editions?

>404 abysswalker: Interesting. Here is what I see... 3 recent sales around $30, which is only $10 more than this copy:



There are a bunch of $50-100's lower down (previous years), maybe the market value has decreased recently.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/167625457336

If you don’t mind bookplates, pretty nice looking set of War and Peace for $349 or best offer.

>406 PBB: so I bought these volumes and while the books are nice, they obviously come from the home of a heavy smoker, as the stench is unmissable. Any tips on how to remove the odor?

ETA: ordered some odor eliminating rocks from Amazon. I’ll put the books in a plastic bin for a week or so with the rocks and see if that does the trick.

>407 Chemren: I would return the books since the odor was not mentioned in the listing. The rocks may not work and the allotted time for a return may have passed by the time you use the rocks.

>407 Chemren:
Sorry to hear it!

>407 Chemren: Any tips on how to remove the odor?

The newspaper trick: https://www.librarything.com/topic/151792#7324149
Plastic receptacle + baking soda etc: https://www.librarything.com/topic/783#7593
Airing in sunlight?: https://www.librarything.com/topic/42134#708698
Stinky books: https://www.librarything.com/topic/321263#7185848
Caring for your Collections (useful links): https://www.librarything.com/topic/665
Storage practice (useful links): https://www.librarything.com/topic/42135#711674

>410 mr.philistine: Thanks. I initiated the return process with eBay, so I have until the 21st to ship them back. My Gonzo odor eliminating rocks arrive from Amazon tomorrow, so I will have a few days to try the plastic crate method before they have to go back. If the method works, I will cancel the return.

>407 Chemren:

A product which I tried, and which worked as advertised, was Godsey's Book Deodoriser, which was enthusiastically recommended by the late, lamented leccoll. Apparently it is no longer available from Ms. Godsey, but the identical product is offered by several companies in the UK, but apparently only by this company in the US:

https://www.hollingermetaledge.com/book-deodorizer/?srsltid=AfmBOorxosd1hRs4yblJ...

It required putting the books with the granules in something airtight (I used a plastic food storage container) and leaving them for up to 7 weeks. Removed a strong mildew odor from Two Years Before the Mast--which is where the book must have been before I got it.

Due to the storage time required, and the amount of the granules you would need for that set, I don't think it is a good option, and although I have never heard of the Gonzo rocks, it seems unlikely that they would remove the odors in the amount of time you have to make a return.

I think PBB's advice is the best.

>412 Django6924: The link in post 12 of the Stinky Books thread that Mr. Philistine listed gives me hope. The conservationist there was able to remove the odor in 3 days using the Gonzo rocks. I should be able to try that and if I don’t have good results by the end of the week, still have time for the return.

I visited my sister a few months ago. The previous owner of my sister's house had been a heavy smoker. My sister had the house cleaned when when she bought it, and repainted. That was ten years ago. On my way home from my sister's house I noticed I smelled like stale cigarettes. I would return the books.

>411 Chemren: Your contingency strategy appears to be the best way forward.


>414 Cardboard_killer: On my way home from my sister's house I noticed I smelled like stale cigarettes.

Since you cannot return yourself to 'sender/ seller', perhaps you might also give the Gonzo rocks a go. :)

I've had decent results with packs of activated charcoal that I put around a stood-up and pages-spread book in a plastic storage box and sealed with tape.
It did take roughly two months during which I forgot I did it, but the cigarette smell was barely perceptible after.

The Flounder for $85 with ML and free U.S. shipping.

Break of Day for $50 with ML. No pictures, though:

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Break-Day-Colette-Limited-Editions-Club/32248168...

The sequel to >349 A.Nobody:, this time under $15.

And The Black Tulip from the same seller.

>421 A.Nobody: Sadly that sold already but the seller has some other good deals. I picked up the 4 volume set of Dumas's Three Musketeers series for less than $40 each including shipping. I'm quite pleased with that and will be a nice upgrade to replace my Heritage Press versions.

>411 Chemren: So did you end up returning the books or keeping them?

Also, 30% site-wide sale at Rare Collections (Cape Town) ongoing now.
https://www.rarecollections.co.za/

>423 mr.philistine: sent them back. The smell reduced but was still quite noticeable. Got a full refund from ebay.

As part of the Bruce Rogers sale, Carol Grossman's history of the LEC book is 50% at Oak Knoll at the moment.
https://www.oakknoll.com/pages/books/114346/carol-porter-grossman/history-of-the...

>425 PBB:

Thanks for the heads-up! I need to get this.

>426 Django6924:, agreed. I’ll have to get one as well.

Missing some stuff, but still a good-looking Vanity Fair at a rather low price. Worth it just for the paper, in my opinion.

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Arabian-Nights-Days-Mahfouz-Naguib-Limited/32282...

$350 cheaper than any other available copy.

https://www.vialibri.net/searches?title=arabian+nights+and+days&publisher=li...

Toilers of the Sea (LEC) for 12 USD! Use it as a reading copy! https://ebay.us/m/78zhAA

>430 Lukas1990: Use it as a reading copy!

Or a rebinding project. :)

Incidentally, from the same seller posted in >402 mr.philistine: but a marginally better copy.

Pretty good value on the First Fifty Monthly Letters, with offers accepted.

https://ebay.us/m/sNnWkD

This seems a decent price for a NF copy (edit: of the earlier Heart of Darkness) without the Monthly Letter.

>433 GusLogan:

Great edition of the best short novel in English. Shore's illustrations are real ILLUSTRATIONS, very cleverly done, making use of of the grain of the plywood to simulate water ripples, and silk moiré. The later LEC with Scully's textile patterns posing as illustrations is strictly for those who believe illustrations of a book don't need to have any relation to the story.

Another deal from Different Drummer Books, Cosi Fan Tutte with Monthly Letter for $500: https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Cosi-Fan-Mozart-Wolfgang-Amadeus-Illustrated/323...

If you don't mind a faded case, that is a $600 discount compared to other available copies:
https://www.vialibri.net/searches?title=cosi+fan+tutte&publisher=Limited+Edi...

>435 PBB: Thank you.

Looks to be a fine copy available of “The Old Man And The Sea” on eBay currently - sorry, unsure how to include link

I don't know this seller and photos would be needed but $450 for Description of a Masque, described as fine. https://www.abebooks.com/Description-Masque-John-Ashbery-Limited-Editions/323410...

For comparison:
https://www.vialibri.net/searches?title=description+of+a+masque&publisher=li...

https://ebay.us/m/mzM4im

Spoon River for 65 USD seems a good price, regardless of the coin included.

>440 GusLogan: Another case where the slipcase has done its job well and protected the book.

30% site-wide sale at Rare Collections (Cape Town) ongoing now.
https://www.rarecollections.co.za/

The price is decent, but I had to share for the comedic value of the listing title :)

>443 A.Nobody: The AI generated description is rather entertaining as well.

>444 Glacierman:

Never has the adjective been applied more appropriately than in these descriptions by "AI."

Seems like a fine copy of Martian Chronicles on Ebay for 345 USD and best offer possible too.

https://ebay.us/m/DGPfOh

>447 Lukas1990:
I even get offered a 20 USD coupon off that price. But is this a decent price for this now? I paid half that and am still praying to the book gods it turns up looking not too rough! This copy will doubtless prove better.

>448 GusLogan: I also got my copy much cheaper than that but 300-350 seems like the best price nowadays. Used to be cheaper.

If this copy is in fine condition and without the usual fading to the spine, then it is really decent.

>449 Lukas1990: One with glassine on went for auction $160 last month. Have to be patient if you want a good deal.

I did not bid higher, I'm content with my free HP copy. However I haven't actually read the book, maybe it's the best book ever and I'll regret not bidding higher!

I purchased a copy from Rare Collections this year which was $230 and described as Near fine with light fading. The book itself had a glassine cover and no noticeable fading. The slipcase did have some light fading, but I am usually willing to compromise on slipcase quality for the more expensive titles. Of course shipping and taxes brought it closer to $260.

https://ebay.us/m/Skb5dx
If you can live with a bookplate this is a great price for a wonderful edition. Edit: Of Aesop’s Fables.

Edit again: Sold.

>450 rogerthat2: Is it possible that people outside USA can't see all the listings from there?

Rare piece, not sure if it’s a decent price though. first series prospectus
https://ebay.us/m/fFH3uf

>454 PBB:
In the past, I paid anywhere from $15--$40 for a Prospectus, so $35 for the First Series Prospectus sounds reasonable. I hasten to say I was buying them over 20 years ago, so I'm not sure how valid those prices would be in today's market, but the earlier Series were generally more expensive than later ones, with the ones post-WW II being the cheapest.

>454 PBB: That’s very different than the first prospectus that I own. Mine is a 23 page hard bound book with a blank sign up card printed by the Merrymount Press in 1929. It cost me $24 in 2014. I thought that the LEC put out a yearly hardbound prospectus in the early years.

>456 kdweber: When I asked carol Grossman for early series prospectuses the only hard bound one she mentioned was the first. That one I paid $50, and have since seen cheaper and more expensive copies on eBay. $24 in 2014 was a good deal. I’ve not seen any other Macy series with hard bound.

Someone paid over $200 for a second series prospectus + extras on eBay recently. That was right after a $250 sale for the Barbarian Press Pericles prospectus. https://ebay.us/m/NS31vm

>455 Django6924: I’ve had no problem acquiring all of the prospectuses from the late 40s and onwards. I’m missing just a couple of the earlier ones. Average price was around $25 if I have to guess. Did not record prices for those though, only do that for books

Music, Deep Rivers In My Soul (LEC). Seller offered this to me for 1200 USD.

https://ebay.us/m/3AjWwe

Carol Grossman's book is now $70 at Oak Knoll. Previously $115 or $125 I can't remember.
https://www.oakknoll.com/pages/books/141883/carol-porter-grossman/history-of-the...

Interesting copy of Discovery and Conquest of Mexico.

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/223790035_2-books-discovery-and-conquest-bo...

>461 rogerthat2:
The rebinding of Discovery and Conquest of Mexico is interesting, but I've always felt that the original binding was one of the Club's most attractive. It took me quite a while to find a copy in Fine condition and even in less-than-Fine (or even Very Good) condition, it doesn't often show up for sale.

>462 Django6924: The copy of not a normal numbered copy (I can't make it what is written there). I wonder if, being a special copy, it was originally bound that way.

>463 rogerthat2: Looks like "2 I c Archive" to me. Whatever that means.

Tom Jones 1931 poor condition $12 + shipping:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/187126788939

Swann's Way poor condition $12:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/186829129587

Nibelunglied very good $37 + shipping:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RDJSE4/ref=olp-opf-redir?aod=1&condition=used

Monsieur Beaucaire very good $15 OBO + shipping:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/276435329748

For those on the other side of the pond, this seller has 45 titles on auction with about 15 hours to go. International tracked shipping also appears to be enabled for all listings.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/worthydownbooks

Here is some of their inventory:
Grabhorn Press (7), LEC (7), Nonesuch Press (6), Golden Cockerel Press (3), Ballantyne Press, Gregynog Press, Marion Press, Anvil Press, Fleece Press, Folio Society (yes!) and several other private press examples.

No connection to seller.

>466 mr.philistine:

In addition to some very desirable LECs, are 2 American masterpieces from the Grabhorn Press, which I highly recommend: Wah-to-Yah and the Taos Trail, perhaps the best first-hand account of the Old West with accurate depictions of the Cheyenne Indian tribe, the lives of the traders, the mountain men, and with fascinating descriptions of their dress, behavior, speech and the Southwest landscape. Many readers (including myself) have found it to be superior to the much better known The Oregon Trail.

The other Grabhorn treasure is Herman Melville's "The Encantadas," a masterpiece from his post-Moby-Dick writing. The printing is outstanding, and the illustrations by Malette Dean, especially the small color illustrations used as chapter ornaments at the head of each of the ten "sketches" (using Melville's term), are wonderful. The current bidding on this is ridiculously low, and while I'm not sure an Englishman would find Wah-to-Yah as fascinating as I do, anyone who loves great literature should appreciate "The Encantadas."

I have been watching these. There are 20-30+ watchers so I'm sure prices will not be cheap, and there is very pricy shipping. And the LECs while desirable titles aren't in very good condition.

If you are in the UK, there is also another active auction, I think it was on live auctioneers, with many more fine press books including some bigger lots.

>467 Django6924: I can vouch for Wah-to-Yah. Beautiful book, excellent history.

And from wcarter's recently posted review of it, the Melville looks to be wonderful as well.

A good price for Dubliners, and the same seller has Hunting Stories and Diary of a Country Priest at reasonable prices.

>470 A.Nobody: https://www.ebay.com/itm/157633433779 Someone got a great deal from that seller already. That one normally sells pretty quickly if it gets listed for $400-500, $250 is a crazy low price.

>470 A.Nobody: That's an average price, and there are lower copies for sale of the other 2 you mentioned.

I see the same seller listed Old Man and the Sea for $250 which was a great price, and it sold already -- someone got a good deal.

>472 rogerthat2: $200 for “Dubliners” is not an average price. In fact, I’ll be surprised if any copy in collectible condition has sold for less in some years.

>473 kermaier: $199 is the cheapest sale on eBay in the past 3 years. Much below average.

Joyce does appear to be the gold standard when it comes to collectible fine press editions, Ulysses, of course, and Dubliners from the LEC, and from the Folio Society Finnegan's Wake (not really fine press), and, somewhat astonishingly, the first Modern Library A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man fetch top dollar.

>461 rogerthat2: Did someone on here win this? I bid $200 and thought I would be successful as it stayed the winning bid for quite some time but someone bid $225 and I decided it wasn't worth it. I've never seen an archive number like that before on an LEC.

>477 PBB:

lol. I bought the LEC Wuthering Heights at a bargain price but other than that I mostly don't pay any attention to latter day LEC. Is $7500 considered a bargain?

>478 MobyRichard: Its between what other booksellers ask and what it goes for at auction. I know not everyone pays attention to auctions so thought it was worth sharing.

>478 MobyRichard: "Is $7500 considered a bargain?"

Actually, it is. I've seen it listed in the low 5-figures often. Any Limited Editions Club book illustrated by Jacob Lawrence usually fetches higher prices than its contemporaries in the Club's offerings.

I have to say that while I respect Lawrence's artistry, I am not a fan of his illustrations. I realize that puts me in the minority, but for me illustrations should complement, and not overwhelm the content. Personal preference.

Heart of Darkness for 70 USD is a decent price even if not perfect condition:
https://ebay.us/m/k0MVXN

Edit: Sold

Around the World in Eighty Days for $45. Few photos and no mention of a ML, but seems pretty decent.
https://www.hpb.com/around-the-world-in-eighty-days/R-414610557.html

The Flowering of New England with some condition issues, but it is signed by the author.

Both more interesting than decent prices, but I know this thread is where they'll get the most views

https://www.abebooks.com/Green-Mansions-Unpublished-Artists-Proof-Hudson/3239324...

I have not read this book and don't own the LEC so can't really make a comparison between this version and the one that was published. For those who have read it, what do you think?

The bookbinder Denis Gouey's own copy of the bibliography, with his notes.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/227229673341

>484 PBB:
Well, I can see why the LEC chose Wilson's illustrations--Shively's are quite darker, not just in coloring but in tone, compared to Wilson's, which have an impressionist delicacy which works wonderfully well in depicting the flora, but his depiction of the characters and the natives seems less successful.

I have a kind of obsession with this work, and also have a lavishly illustrated (by Horacio Butler) edition designed by Rudolph Ruzicka. The illustrations are quite good, although sometimes verging on caricature when it comes to his portraits of Abel. Somewhat similar in style to Shively--but much superior artistically, is the Random House version illustrated by E. McKnight Kauffer. His portrait of Rima in her spider web costume is quite magical.

But my favorite of all illustrated editions of the book is the HP illustrated by the redoubtable Covarrubias. His affinity to the setting and the native life just seems right to me. Before I ever read the work (which I did first in the HP edition), I had seen a movie version starring Audrey Hepburn as Rima, which though basically a mess, fascinated me with its theme. When I read the book for the first time a few years after seeing the film, I became hooked on the story and even bought an LP (they were still making them in the 1960s) of "Forests of the Amazon"--the music Villa-Lobos had written for the movie, but which was rejected.

Hudson's work, once so popular, seems to be out of touch with modern sensibilities, but I love Green Mansions, Tales of the Pampas and Far Away and Long Ago.

This was quite a find; I wonder how many other illustrated drafts for the LEC never made it into print?

The History of the LEC at an attractive price, with pretty minor condition issues.

>485 Django6924: I assume quite a few drafts exist, the LEC had illustration competitions. I don't think I've seen any other unsuccessful submissions reach the market though. While it is a very interesting piece, I think the asking price of $3,500 is extremely high.

https://www.abebooks.com/paper-collectibles/Competition-Book-Illustration-conduc...

>487 PBB:

Yes, I think there were at least three competitions, and some of the winners were responsible for some of my favorite LEC illustrations; I particularly liked the Marco Polo edition illustrated by Lapshin, and enjoyed the story of how his submissions on "little scraps of paper" bowled away the judges!

A little off-topic, but after writing the above (>488 Django6924:) I went back and reread the Marco Polo Monthly Letter. After discussion of the book in the early MLs, there was the section "Files on Parade" which often consisted of comments received from members about a recent offering. This provided an interesting, but often controversial, perspective, which is why the "Files on Parade" was soon dropped.

The one on the Marco Polo ML was about the recent Daphnis and Chloe, which was certainly one of the most beautiful of LECs. The praise was unanimous, but there was one comment which sticks in my craw and which probably many found offensive (I have redacted the writer's name, as one should only speak well of the departed):

Mr. xxxxxx:
"It is very rare that I capitulate before a woman artist. Mostly, not to say always, independent individualism, clear-cut originality, the greatest prerequisites of a genuine creative power, are lacking in all art by women. Yes, in all art, particularly in literature. Pearl Buck and Edith Wharton are not excepted. How the latter ever could write Ethan Frome will always be an unsolvable riddle to literary minds. For Mrs. Reeves, I have to say it, I have felt the deepest respect. Here, for the first time in my life, I have to acknowledge genuine genius in a woman. It's hard for me to put this down in writing! I love beautiful, or gifted women, women who excel in charms of spirit, mind and soul, but I abhor their meddling in affairs where their contributions can only be poor imitations of male excellence. Mrs. Reeves, there is no doubt, made history for American art."

I wonder if he was the same writer who stated the Club should only represent works "which have stood the test of time" and by such criteria should exclude Jane Austen?

A great opportunity for anyone wanting one of the most desirable LECs published outside the normal subscription: the Thomas Hart Benton-illustrated The Grapes of Wrath

https://givebutter.com/c/POPaganza2026Auction/auction/items/1607669

>490 Django6924: suspicious that they do not show the spines. Certainly the case appears to be in unusually good condition but to my mind, the lack of a picture of the spines suggest they’re hiding something. Great condition spines, rare on this title, would be highlighted to drive up the auction bid price.

>491 UK_History_Fan:

I've seen them at the location--

https://imgur.com/a/sMzUuP6

>492 Django6924: wow, one of the nicest copies I’ve seen!

One of the better Moby Dick examples I have seen.

>490 Django6924: Same copy already up on eBay. Seller did send me an offer for $1,445. Not high on my wishlist so I declined. $1,445 less eBay fees less $1,100 auction bid that’s not much margin.

https://ebay.us/m/fVGzq3

>495 PBB:
Yes, that other auction ended and the reserve wasn't met. $1445 is quite a bit lower than other comparable copies on ABEbooks. As noted by >493 UK_History_Fan:, not many fine copies available.

There was a similar nice Moby Dick on eBay for a long time for $200. I was tempted but hoped to get it cheaper. I think someone else bought it as it vanished.

>494 A.Nobody: that looks fantastic. Do they all have the offsetting seen in the photos? I have a copy that looks about the same internally, but is very bad externally. Ive considered rebinding it, but in the fence due to offsetting and the hope I would find a similar beat up copy with fine internals amd no offsetting.

https://www.salmonrarebooks.com/artworks/2820-friedrich-durrenmatt-oedipus-1989/...

$100 Oedipus

https://www.vialibri.net/searches?title=Oedipus&publisher=limited+editions+c...

Could this full-vellum (stated) bound Masque of Comus be a trial-run or rebound copy?

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/Mask-Comus-Poem-preface-Mark-Doren/32184974777/bd

>500 mr.philistine: It’s certainly not a regular copy which were 1/4 vellum with marbled papers. I like the full vellum look better. If it has a regular number one would guess it’s a rebind but since it’s unnumbered I’d bet on it being a trial binding.

>501 kdweber: Your reasoning is likely correct. Thanks!

A NF (F?) Ovid for 150 USD isn’t an absolute bargain, but seems a decent price for a US buyer:
https://ebay.us/m/x93AFE

>503 GusLogan: It's mine for $112.5. :-)

>504 rogerthat2:
Glad to hear it!

>504 rogerthat2: Congrats, great price!

Thanks, this is one on my want list that I'll actually read! I was nervous when I saw Gus posted it here.
Now I feel less bad about missing War and Peace for $200 last week. Made an offer on that one too but someone bought it shortly after.

That's a great deal, congrats.

Anyone have this book in truly fine condition? The copy mentioned above had some flaws on the page edges but still a nice deal. I have bought and returned 2 copies of this one so far, both with some pretty significant condition issues not mentioned in the listings. I have not seen a truly fine copy listed in 2 plus years of looking.

https://www.abebooks.com/signed-first-edition/Ovid-Metamorphoses-Garth-Samuel-Tr...

I have additional pictures of this one and its not actually fine, top edge has brown marks.

If I had $975 spare dollars I would buy this:
https://www.abebooks.com/signed-first-edition/Ovids-Metamorphoses-Fifteen-Books-...

Not sure how they arrived at that rebound LEC being worth $975 and this one worth $1,250
https://www.abebooks.com/signed-first-edition/Memoirs-Fox-Hunting-Man-Sassoon-Si...

>508 PBB: Sure, I have a copy in Fine condition in a Fine slipcase though only a VG dust jacket. I bought it ten years ago.

>508 PBB: Aside from those, I see 3 other copies listed as Fine right now. There's also the $185 NF one on eBay that is likely a bit nicer than the one I just bought (and has ML). Total 9 copies for sale which is a bit higher than I would have expected but most are priced on the high end.

Grapes of Wrath for 80 euros in Netherlands. Seller did not reply to request for picture.
High chance of the wrong book, but a good gamble for someone living around there.
https://www.amazon.nl/-/en/John-Steinbeck/dp/B0010ZFSQU/ref=nav_ya_signin?m=A1O0...

>508 PBB: I would rate my copy slipcase/DJ/Book as follows: NF/VG/F; The SC - sunned; DJ - Spine sun-darkened w 2 small stains; Book - pristine

I acquired my copy over two decades ago, and finding one with an intact dust jacket took a while. This is a tough one to find with all parts in NF to F condition.

30% site-wide SALE at Rare Collections (Cape Town) ongoing now.
https://www.rarecollections.co.za/

The 'exceptional' copy of Gibbon's Decline & Fall posted and discussed here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/377484#9113436

...is now discounted by more than $1K.
https://www.rarecollections.co.za/pages/books/32282

>513 mr.philistine:
While I am always grateful for the heads-up, my feeling is this excellent seller knows the LEC well enough to price so surgically there are rarely great deals to be found. Perhaps this is as it should be : )

I wonder how this will look when the mold is cleaned off.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/397776893996

>515 rogerthat2:
”Like new”…

>516 GusLogan: Yup, I wonder if bidders didn't notice the true condition or think it is salvageable.

BTW check the background in the seller's images... Place looks filthy and disgusting!

>517 rogerthat2: Would recommend putting trousers on before snapping photos

>515 rogerthat2:
This is Heaney’s Poems and a Memoir number 353, recorded here for posterity bc eBay eventually takes ads down and someone may clean this moldfest up and list it for sale in future.

Same seller has a moldy One Hundred Years of Solitude up now, same #.

I bought some other LECs, same #, from that seller last year that were not moldy. They must be going though the moldy boxes now.

Almost 190 USD… I’d pay that for a NF or better copy, but this is a horror story.

>521 GusLogan: That is actually hilarious. I think someone will be getting a surprise. The same copy will be auctioned again next month when the buyer returns it for inaccurate description.

https://ebay.us/m/1CFxbj

Nice looking copy of The Four Gospels for $75. The 2nd photo looks bad but I think it’s from the camera/lighting and not the book itself. If you can get clarification from the seller on that this is a great deal. One of the best early LECs I paid quite a bit more for mine.

>523 PBB:
I just bought this and then came here, but thank you for this public service!

>524 GusLogan: Dang it! Ya beat me to it. I was going to give it to my pastor. Ah, well. The search goes on.

The Four Gospels is a real gem: the paper! and the typography! Both I put in the very select category of the LEC's finest examples. Even though the book isn't illustrated (and most appropriately not, IMO) and the spine is flat rather than round (the one example besides the Shakespeare set in the canon I don't find objectionable), I think it is indispensable for the Limited Editions Club collector. Macy was very fortunate to have gotten this book before the Nazi regime destroyed his career.

Poor prices spotted.

https://bid.rivichauction.com/lots/view/1-CE4KVI/collection-of-vintage-childrens...

Federalist papers for 150 USD: https://ebay.us/m/1pYZeZ

I have never seen it with the Monthly Letter and the seller calls it Good only which seems conservative but admittedly the previous owner has pasted the announcement in the back and put a bookplate in - annoying. Pounce if you want it.

https://ebay.us/m/Q3Qj32
$1250 for The Man Who Planted Trees. Spine looks a little faded but pretty good discount compared to other listings.

>528 GusLogan:

Somebody pounced, it seems. This is such a gem; you can tell Macy really went all out on this.

Epicurus for 60 USD. Looks decent.

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?utm_source=vialibri&utm_mediu...

>531 Lukas1990: Also, if there is anyone in UK there is a nice one for $69 with a better looking slipcase (though the photos aren't great). It would be closer to $100 to ship to US.

https://www.abebooks.com/Works-Epicurus-Translated-Cyril-Bailey-introduction/324...

I paid $120 for my copy which is in very similar condition to this one and I waited quite a while for it.

Last 3 sold right around 60 so I'd say that's a normal price. Not a bad price but not a great deal either.

As for shipping from UK, probably more like $30 if you reach out to the seller, but not very practical for books that are common in the US!

There is a decent copy of Winesburg, Ohio offered at $47. If I didn’t have this already I would have asked one or two questions to confirm the condition and then most likely would have purchased it.

The stories about small town life are intertwined and deeply memorable. This edition was I think one of the first published in the Schiff era. It’s outstanding value. The illustrator, Ben Stahl, gets it right in my humble opinion.

https://ebay.us/m/Fiy6OT

>531 Lukas1990: Much cheaper when ordered directly - https://atticbooks.ca/products/159993. About 43 USD.

>534 Whaiwhakaiho: If I remember correctly it was the first book published under Schiff. I, like you, think it is fantastic value. The stories are amazing. I wish they were more.

>534 Whaiwhakaiho:, >536 BuzzBuzzard:
Winesburg, Ohio is indeed an unjustly neglected American masterpiece. In the 1960s and 1970s I received a B.A. and M.A. in literature and this work was never part of the curriculum! I didn't read it until some years later and was astonished that such a seminal work was so under-appreciated. Probably due to his later feuds with Hemingway and Faulkner (both writers he helped to get established).

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Adventures-Gil-Blas-Santillane-LESAGE-ALAIN-RENE...

No photos but seems like a good deal for any Canadian collectors Gil Blas with jackets, letter, shipping notice, plus a letter from the directors for $125.

>538 PBB: Hmm... typically sells for 1/3 of that price.

>539 rogerthat2: show me the $40-$45 sales of similar copies please

>540 PBB: Check eBay sales history. This is one of the LECs not worth very much!

>541 rogerthat2: My search shows only one LEC Gil Blas that sold recently for $30 in poor condition with no dust jackets, slipcase, or letter. Are we aligned on the title, condition, form of currency? I feel like you have access to an alternate dimension where LECs are cheaper and I want in!

Here's the eBay sales history I see:

$36 w/ DJs & split slipcase
$50 w/ DJs
$40 w/ ??? & slipcase
$45 no DJs/slipcase
$12 w/ DJs
$75 w/ DJs

All are in USD. Not including shipping which ranged from $0 to $10.

Gil Blas was one of those large 2-volume works designed by John Johnson and printed at the Oxford University Press with illustrations by John Austen (twenty full-page illustrations hand-colored by Daniel Jacomet plus numerous B&W in-text illustrations). In a Monthly Letter, Macy commented on how much more expensive this was to produce than what was covered by the per-book subscription cost, and how the members really loved these large editions because they felt they were getting their money's worth.

As an English major, I became aware early of the influence Gil Blas had on writers from Jonathan Swift to Henry James, and an added enticement for reading it was the translation, by one of my favorite 18th century writers, Tobias Smollet (whose Humphry Clinker I prefer to TomJones) and whose Limited Editions Club Peregrine Pickle is a companion set to Gil Blas. I have actually owned several copies of this over the years, most of them in Fair or worse condition, including one set owned by the film director Frank Capra, before I finally found a set in As New condition, which I still have. I believe I paid approximately $200 US for it about 30 years ago.

>544 Django6924: I replaced a mediocre copy that I picked up for $21 which had no dust jackets or slipcase with one of your cast offs, for a great price, which was quite nice - Fine text block and binding, VG+ dust jackets - perfect except for moderate sun expose/toning on the spine. The slipcase needed to be repaired but now looks really good (VG+ IMO).

So far I was able to find two of these sets in rather nice condition. Unfortunately, the Gils Blas slipcase did not survive shipping. I paid close to $120 for it six years ago. The jackets though are well preserved.

>544 Django6924: Thanks as always for your intriguing comment. I rely heavily on your past comments while I build a modest home library of books published by the Limited Editions Club and Heritage Press. Since discovering this forum, I’ve been able to read a couple of dozen works. I’ve also developed an appreciation for Shakespeare. Somewhat overzealously I purchased no less than three complete sets of Shakespeare’s plays.

Anyway, this is all to say that along the way, the collection of director Delmer Daves came on the market a couple of years ago, through Curtis Paul. I believe Curtis Paul purchased the books from Delmer Daves’s estate. Someway similar to the books you have from the estate of Frank Capra, I treasure the books from Delmer Daves’s estate just a bit more because of their provenance. They are also in near fine condition. You can still find a couple of dozen by searching for limitation number 840.

https://www.vialibri.net/searches?publisher=limited+editions+club&all_text=8...

>545 kdweber: Have you found time to read it yet? I had bought at least three copies before I got around to reading it, and found it was well worth the effort.

>547 Whaiwhakaiho:
Delmar Daves, while never a director in the upper echelon with John Ford, Howard Hawks, Orson Welles and John Huston, made some remarkable films: "Destination Tokyo," and "Pride of the Marines," the latter based on the real life story of WW II hero Al Schmid were two of Hollywood's best WW II films made during the period. Later Daves made two classic Westerns, "Broken Arrow" and the original "3:10 to Yuma."

I wonder how long he was a Limited Editions Club subscriber? He started in Hollywood as a prop boy on the 1923 classic "The Covered Wagon" and by the 1930s was a screenwriter with some major credits such as "The Petrified Forest." He died in 1977 so it's possible he could have been a subscriber throughout the Macys period.

>546 BuzzBuzzard:
Very nice! You were fortunate to find those in that condition!

Anyone in Detroit bidding on the auction today? There is a decent looking Shakespeare set plus some Schiff era books. NO in house shipping. :-(

LEC-exclusive Pinocchio, 1937 for BIN price $27.95 $22.36 with fading, foxing, offsetting of illustrations, no slipcase etc..
https://www.ebay.com/itm/227395721556

>551 rogerthat333:
Some nice prices. Did you partake?

>553 GusLogan: No, you? I've never got a third party shipper before but I imagine that would negate any deals. Kind of ridiculous someone at the auction house can't package things in a box for USPS to pick up.

>551 rogerthat333: I bid for Genesis and lost :))) Wuthering Heights seems like a good deal.

>555 Lukas1990: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/233427849_heinrich-harrer-austrian-1912-200...

This was a good deal too. The Wuthering Heights was a good deal but there are some spots on the pages that I think are from the camera and not actually in the book. Similar spots in the Declaration as well. I hope whoever bid got clarification on that. Great deals if it was just camera flaws. I thought the Declaration might do well because of the 250th anniversary but it did not. Maybe people want the Arion one instead but I don't see the appeal in the Arion edition.
https://www.arionpress.store/product/declare-a-civic-gospel-fine-press-edition-/...