1BionicJim
I've recently had an opportunity to upgrade my HP editions of a couple of books with the LEC original and found surprising differences. Instead of reviving an old topic Django6924 started in 2008 that evolved away from the original post, I've stolen the subject title and original concept: There is sometimes a dramatic difference between the the HP and LEC editions of books in the way the illustrations are presented.
I'd like to renew this discussion here to focus specifically on illustrations, as we all know there were often significant differences in paper, bindings, and printing quality.
My introduction to the George Macy publications was a copy of Billy Budd/Benito Cerrino included in an inexpensive bundle from eBay. I now know that this Norwalk, CT Heritage production is from the least-loved era of the club. However, at the time, it was one of the best-produced books I'd seen and inspired me to begin collecting well-produced classic literature.
When I purchased the 1965 Limited Editions Club original, I expected the Robert Shore paintings to be better reproduced, and they are, but what I didn't expect was to find five more! I had always assumed the HP editions reproduced all the illustrations, but here they dropped half of them (the LEC has ten). I was wondering if anyone here has earlier editions of this HP to see if this was only the Norwalk edition? Are there other examples of HP not reproducing all of the illustrations?
Another book that I recently upgraded was The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini, published in 1937. Though the HP edition I had was very nice, after finding the LEC at a local shop and handling the beautiful paper, I decided it was worth the cost of an upgrade. When I got home, I was very surprised to see that all of the illustrations in the LEC were different than the ones in my HP. Although Fritz Kredel drew nearly 100 illustrations for the LEC, he re-drew them all for the HP edition for some reason. Does anyone have any clue as to why all the extra work was required of him? I was thinking maybe the original lithographic plates got lost?
I'd like to renew this discussion here to focus specifically on illustrations, as we all know there were often significant differences in paper, bindings, and printing quality.
My introduction to the George Macy publications was a copy of Billy Budd/Benito Cerrino included in an inexpensive bundle from eBay. I now know that this Norwalk, CT Heritage production is from the least-loved era of the club. However, at the time, it was one of the best-produced books I'd seen and inspired me to begin collecting well-produced classic literature.
When I purchased the 1965 Limited Editions Club original, I expected the Robert Shore paintings to be better reproduced, and they are, but what I didn't expect was to find five more! I had always assumed the HP editions reproduced all the illustrations, but here they dropped half of them (the LEC has ten). I was wondering if anyone here has earlier editions of this HP to see if this was only the Norwalk edition? Are there other examples of HP not reproducing all of the illustrations?
Another book that I recently upgraded was The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini, published in 1937. Though the HP edition I had was very nice, after finding the LEC at a local shop and handling the beautiful paper, I decided it was worth the cost of an upgrade. When I got home, I was very surprised to see that all of the illustrations in the LEC were different than the ones in my HP. Although Fritz Kredel drew nearly 100 illustrations for the LEC, he re-drew them all for the HP edition for some reason. Does anyone have any clue as to why all the extra work was required of him? I was thinking maybe the original lithographic plates got lost?
2mr.philistine
>1 BionicJim: Does anyone have any clue as to why all the extra work was required of him
Perhaps the respective LEC Monthly Letter and HP Sandglass have more information?
Perhaps the respective LEC Monthly Letter and HP Sandglass have more information?
3bacchus.
>1 BionicJim: Interesting find. There’s nothing mentioned on the ML other than that the LEC is using a second color. I doubt the sketches in HP would have won him the contract.
4laotzu225
I have the LEC The Wind in the Willows with Arthur Rackham's color illustrations tipped in. I also have the Easton Press counterpart which must have been a copy of the HP version, which I don't have. Assuming it is, it is much smaller in size and is actually laid out differently: the text pages are not the same. Also it has line drawings at the start of each chapter which the LEC does not.
To Jim's point, there are four of Rackham's painting in the LEC missing from the Easton and I assume Heritage version.
(I keep the EP to remind me how badly illustrations can be reproduced. They all look washed out, which is a shame.)
To Jim's point, there are four of Rackham's painting in the LEC missing from the Easton and I assume Heritage version.
(I keep the EP to remind me how badly illustrations can be reproduced. They all look washed out, which is a shame.)
5BionicJim
Follow-up from OP: A local shop had an earlier edition of Heritage's Billy Budd/Benito Cerrino with the NY publication. It had all 10 illustrations (rather than the 5 in the later Norwalk edition). Other Heritage Press NY editions I've compared to the LEC are complete reproductions.
I guess this is further evidence that the Norwalk Heritage Press books were actively changed to be inferior to prior editions.
As to Dan's point about the Easton Press Wind in the Willows, I've never understood why EP hasn't reproduced the ususally superior illustrations available in the LECs and have stuck with the HP versions all these years. In the early '90s they did the Shakespeare set, but that is the only one I know of and shows that they at least had rights to certain LEC editions.
I guess this is further evidence that the Norwalk Heritage Press books were actively changed to be inferior to prior editions.
As to Dan's point about the Easton Press Wind in the Willows, I've never understood why EP hasn't reproduced the ususally superior illustrations available in the LECs and have stuck with the HP versions all these years. In the early '90s they did the Shakespeare set, but that is the only one I know of and shows that they at least had rights to certain LEC editions.
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